Friday 23 July 2021

Robert Stuart Reid, 1887-4/6/1911.

Special Telegraphic

Robert Stuart Reid, employed at the corporation transformation station, Half-way Bush, went to work about ten o’clock and ten minutes later was found lying dead on the floor. Presumably he was electrocuted. He was 22 years of age, and leaves a widow and one child.  -Cromwell Argus, 5/6/1911.


FATALITY AT TRANSFORMER STATION.

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH. 

Mr C. E. Graham held an inquiry at the Morgue yesterday touching the death of Robert Stuart Reid, engineer at the Waikari transformer station, on Sunday morning last. The proceedings were watched by Mr W. C. MacGregor on behalf of the City Corporation, and by Mr Hawkins on behalf of the family of the deceased. Station-sergeant King conducted the official proceedings.

Dr Eugene O'Neil deposed that he saw the body of the deceased at the sub-station at Halfway Bush on Sunday morning. The little finger of the left hand was charred in two places, and there was a small abrasion behind the right ear. On the clothes was some vomited matter. The post-mortem examination made by him on Monday showed the organs to be healthy, the windpipe and the bronchia were filled with liquid vomit that had evidently been taken into the air passages. Shock produced by contact with a live wire had no doubt caused the vomiting, and the deceased, being in an unconscious condition, the vomited matter would be drawn into the air passages. These conditions would occur very rapidly, and death would practically be instantaneous from asphyxia. 

Ellen Ruth Reid, widow of deceased, deposed that her husband was engineer in charge of the transformation station at Half-way Bush. He was 24 years of age. On Sunday morning he went to his duties at 7 o'clock, in his usual state of good health. He said he was going to put up some new globes, as the others were burnt out. About a quarter past 10 witness heard a noise, to which she paid no attention at the time, but about 10.25 went to the station to see what deceased was doing. She found him in the corner of the room near the door, at the back of tha switchboards, lying on his back. Witness lifted his head, but there was no sound of breathing, though the body was warm. Deceased had been vomiting. Witness went for Mr and Miss Bunting who came to assist, and the doctor was telephoned for. Mr Moir, Mr Anderson. Mr Pratt, and some others also came to assist, and tried unsuccessfully to produce respiration, until Dr O'Neil came. The steps used by deceased were near the spot where he was lying, and were necessary for changing the globes. 

To Station-sergeant, King: Deceased had been engineer at Halfway Bush for two years to the very day of the accident, and for three months before was there as assistant. Deceased knew there was danger in fixing the globes. The power was cut off from Waipori to Ashburn Hall every Sunday morning.

To Mr Hawkins: The steps used by deceased were old and rickety, and covered with oil. They were supplied by the corporation. Deceased was a very careful man. 

Edgar E. Stark, electrical engineer to the City Corporation, said he knew the deceased well. He was a most reliable and capable man, and had been employed by the department since Noyes Bros.' time. He had been employed at the Waipori power-house, at the converter station, and at the Waikari substation. Witness arrived at the scene of the accident after the arrival of Drs O'Ncil and Marshall Macdonald, and brought out Dr Fulton. Witness examined deceased, and noticed the burns on the hands, and on his boots. He saw a lamp resting on a beam at the back of the switchboard. The flexible cord supporting the lamp had been disconnected from the lampholder. On the door was a knife. A plank had been recently put across the iron girders at the back of the switchboard, about 6 1/2ft above the floor, for standing on. A choke coil supported by an insulator, on the wall about 5ft from the lamp coil was twisted out of position. A wire leading to this coil was also bent. The latter would be bent by deceased's fall. Isolating switches were located above the coil. The distance between the burns on the hand of deceased would indicate that he had come in contact with a rectangular shaped conductor. These switches were carrying current on Sunday. The burns on deceased's boot would indicate that he was in contact with the iron girder or was standing on the iron girder at the time of touching the live part of the circuit. Witness's theory as to the accident was that the deceased lost his balance on the plank and touched the iron girder, or was stepping to the girder when he lost his balance and grabbed one of the switches, or parts in communication with them, causing shock, and fell to the floor. The ladder was very heavy, but not rickety, and was covered with splashes of oil. It was not dangerous in use.

To Mr MacGregor: The steps were for use when required. The accident could not have happened had the man been on the steps. Witness had had experince of accidents by death from electric shock, both here and in America. The burns themselves were not enough to cause death. He agreed with the medical evidence that death resulted from asphyxia caused by vomiting. 

To Station-sergeant King: The power received from the converter station in Cumberland street at that time of the day on Sundays was about 1750 volts, and would not be sufficient of itself to be fatal, if deceased fell away from the wire, as he evidently did.

Mr MacGregor: It was, then, in your opinion, a pure misadventure that led to the death of deceased?

Mr Stark: Yes, a pure misadventure. 

The Coroner said the evidence showed that deceased came by his death in an accidental manner, and that no one was to blame. The evidence of Dr O'Neil showed that death was actually caused by asphixia, resulting from shock caused by coming in contact with a live wire when the deceased was in the discharge of his duties.  -Otago Daily Times, 6/6/1911.


ST. PETER'S YOUNG MEN'S CLUB. 

The MEMBERS of the above Club are requested to ATTEND the FUNERAL of their late clubmate ROBERT STUART REID, which will leave his Father's Residcnoe, 7 Queen's drive, Musselburgh, THIS DAY (TUESDAY), June 6, at 2.30 p..m., for the Southern Cemetery. — O. J. AITKEN, Hon. Sec.  -Otago Daily Times, 6/6/1911.



Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.  DCC photo.




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