INQUEST
Mr Coroner Graham opened an inquest on the body of John MacLuckie this after-noon. Mr W. C. MacGregor appeared for the City Corporation.
Alexander Smith, driver of the steam roller, said that deceased was a corporation laborer. This was the first day he had been working with him. His duty was to go ahead of the roller and keep a lookout for traffic. Witness was driving along Cumberland street, and pulled up opposite Paterson and Barr's wholesale store. Deceased was away ahead of him by the time he started again. Witness was not going very fast, when he heard the forecarriage go over something. He did not think anything of that at the time, but when he felt the hind wheel go over something, too, he looked over and saw deceased with the wheel over the lower part of his body. Witness stopped the machine at once. There was no necessity for a man acting in deceased's position to keep immediately in front of the engine, so long as he kept ahead at a reasonable distance to give warning of the engine's approach. Deceased had been previously employed on jobs where the engine had been working, and he knew all about it.
To Mr MacGregor: He was going at about three miles an hour. He heard no cry from deceased.
To Senior-sergeant Dart: There was an empty bag alongside the roller, and deceased might have tripped over it. The bag was about 6ft away from deceased. One of the wheels had gone over it.
The inquest was adjourned until Tuesdav next for a post mortem examination to be made of the upper part of the body, in order to see whether deceased had been suffering from any complaint. -Evening Star, 24/12/1913.
JOHN MACLUCKIE'S DEATH
Mr Coroner Graham resumed the inquest this morning on the body of John MacLuckie, who was crushed to death by being run over by the City Corporation's steam roller in Cumberland street last Wednesday. The inquest was previously adjourned for a post mortem examination. Mr W. C. MacGregor appeared for the corporation, and Mr Hay for the man's widow.
Dr Roberts, who made the examination, said that the object of it was to ascertain if there was anything that pointed to the man having had a fit or it there was anything to account for an attack of giddiness. He found no such indications, and no signs of disease whatever. The brain and the heart were normal.
James William Glass, employed at Bray Brothers, in Cumberland street, said that he was in the cellar of the firm's warehouse at a quarter-past eight on the morning in question when he heard the steam roller. He looked out and saw deceased lying face down and close to the front wheel, or about midway between the fore and back part of the carriage. From the man's attempts to free himself he took it that the front part had gone over him. His head and shoulders were raised on his arms as if he was trying to drag himself away from the machine. He did not seem to have any power in his legs or feet. The back wheel then came on and crushed him. Witness immediately ran out to the roller, which had stopped by then, and Macluckie was apparently dead. No one as far as he knew saw the accident. There was a bag lying on the roadway crumpled up in the dust. Deceased might have stepped on it and tripped.
To Mr Hay: There was a water cart attached to the back of the engine. He would say that the bag had been in the street some considerable time, and had not been blown off the water cart. Deceased fell close to where the bag was lying.
To Mr MacGregor: The bag was practically under the engine, close to the man's feet. There was nothing unusual in the speed of the roller. Deceased's head was away from witness — it was towards the harbor side.
Alexander Smith, the driver of the roller, who gave evidence on the previous occasion, was recalled, and in answer to Mr Hay he said that the outlook forward from the cab of the engine was not so good as it might be, particularly if a man was close up to the engine. On the lefthand side, where the man fell, there was a large solid fly wheel, which considerably obstructed the view. Witness was bending down at the injector at the time of the accident. The bag did not fall off the engine; it had been on the street for weeks. He did not think that the bag had been disturbed at all. The man fell on the left-hand side, and the bag was on the right-hand side of the engine. Deceased was clear of it. It was not near his feet. Witness had stopped to fix his bearings, and when witness last saw deceased he was four or five yards ahead of him. It was not deceased's duty to pick up the bag. If witness had not been bending down he might have seen the man. His view was impeded by the fly wheel.
To Mr MacGregor: The roller had been running for about 11 years, and there had never been an accident with it before. Curiously enough the man killed was there to keep the traffic clear.
The Coroner said that it was a very sad and shocking accident. Unfortunately, no one saw the man actually fall, and he thought taking all that they had heard that there could very little doubt the man was just too close to the engine. It was an error of judgment possibly on his part. The most feasible construction of the matter seemed to be that deceased either tripped over the bag or some slight hole in the road. He must have slipped when too close to the engine. He would return a verdict "That the cause of death was being crushed by roller through having accidentally fallen under it." No blame was attachable to the driver of the engine. He was not supposed to be looking close all round the engine. He was supposed to be looking well ahead of him. Decidedly there was no blame attachable to the driver. -Evening Star, 29/12/1913.
DEATHS
MACLUCKIE. — At Dunedin, on December 24 (accidentally killed), John, oldest son of the late John Macluckie, of Uddingston and Kirkintilloch, Scotland, and husband of Jessie S. B, Urquhart. — Glasgow papers please copy. -Otago Witness, 31/12/1913.
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