An accident, which has since terminated fatally, occurred at the railway overbridge, Crawford street, on Saturday morning. One of the iron girders was being raised to its position, when the chain slipped and let the girder fall, and in falling it struck a man named Thomas Hall on the back and head. He was at once removed to the Hospital, and succumbed to his injuries yesterday afternoon. Deceased was twenty-three years of age, unmarried, and lived at Green Island. -Evening Star, 2/5/1887.
INQUEST.
The following concludes our report of the inquest upon the body of Thomas Hall, which was being held at the Hospital as we went to press yesterday afternoon.
Alexander McQueen also gave the following evidence: — He went round to where the noise was, and found Hall. He took deceased to the Hospital. He afterwards found the jib of the crane was broken, lying on the ground. The jib of the crane was made of Oregon pine and was perfectly sound. It was about 9in square. There was a slanting split in the jib about 10ft long. The chain on the girder caught on a rail on the floor of the bridge, and when the chain gave way it caused a surge and thus broke the jib. The crane had shifted over five girders previous to this. The weight of the girder would be about three and a-half tons, but there would only be about 30cwt weighing on the chain at the time, as it was only dragging the girder. Excepting the jib, the crane was not injured in any other way. The timber of the jib was straightgrained, such as we usually use.
William Bunbury said he was engaged as a laborer at the works of Messrs Kincaid and McQueen. On Saturday morning he was assisting to get the girder on to the north side of the bridge. Both cranes were fast, and there was a preventer which was handled by deceased. About 4ft or 5ft of the girder was over the rail, and we had to get the other part (about 25ft) over also. Hall, a man named Anderson, and witness were trying to shove the girder over into its place. The girder was not exactly swinging, but there was a chain which caught the iron rail while the girder was resting on the side of the bridge. They were heaving the girder at the time in order to raise it, when it slipped on the rail and made a drop of from 2in to 4in. The heavy strain on the chain occasioned by the drop carried away the jib. Witness noticed that deceased was towards the west end of the bridge, while he himself was at the south end. When the jib broke the girder slewed to an angle of about 35deg. Witness saw deceased a few minutes before, but not when the accident happened; but when he saw the girder fall he ran round to where he had seen deceased, who was then lying on the ground under the bridge. He thought deceased could have escaped injury if he had stepped back about three feet from where witness last saw him. Witness could only attribute the accident to the chain slipping on the rail, followed by the sudden jerk. He thought the crane was quite efficient to do the work required under the circumstances. The jib was made of thoroughly good wood. There could not have been more than 35cwt on the crane at the time. The preventer did not break. Witness was giving out orders at the time as to what was to be done.
John Anderson said he was a sailor, and lately employed at the railway overbridge in question. He worked with deceased, and was helping to try to shove the girder over the rail. Deceased was at the south end of the bridge. The girder went over the rail all of a sudden, which resulted in the jib being carried away. Witness had his shoulder to the girder at the time. Deceased was at the other end just before it happened. When the jib broke witness fell down, and when he rose up he saw through a hole that deceased was lying under the bridge.
Dr Roberts stated that deceased was brought to the institution on the morning of the 30th, about ten o'clock, and died the next day from fracture of the skull and hemorrhage inside the skull. The fall would have been sufficient to cause death.
John Wilson also gave evidence corroborating that of Anderson.
Charles McQueen said the timber could not have been a better piece, and was a fit piece to use for its purpose, and he could only account for the jib breaking by the sudden jerk. He did not consider the work dangerous.
The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death, caused by a fall from the Jetty street overbridge." -Evening Star, 3/5/1887.
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