A serious accident happened in the municipal quarry yesterday afternoon. Mr John McDonald was engaged blasting rock, and, using a short piece of fuse, the explosion took place, before he got clear, with the result that he was seriously injured by rock and debris striking him in the face. A medical man was immediately sent for, and members of St. John Ambulance conveyed the injured man to the Public Hospital. On inquiry late last night it was ascertained that his condition was critical. -Timaru Herald, 21/10/1922.
FATAL ACCIDENT.
DEATH OF A QUARRYMAN
INQUEST ADJOURNED
The death occurred at the Timaru Hospital at an early hour yesterday morning of Alan AugusD.no McDonald, an employee at the municipal quarry at Gleniti, who was injured by an explosion at the quarry on Friday, October 20, in the course of his employment.
An inquest into the circumstances of the accident was opened yesterday afternoon at the Courthouse, Timaru, before the District Coroner (Mr E. D. Motley).
Donald Eric Ross, foreman at the Borough Council quarry, gave evidence of identification. Deceased was employed by the Borough Council as head man, and held a certificate of competency as a manager or foreman from the Inspector of Quarries. Deceased was employed on October 20, the date of the accident, using a hand drill. He had a hole of about 11 feet bored, and this was cleaned out by means of a galvanised iron pump at frequent intervals. The pump became jammed, and deceased put a small quantity of powder down in the hope of moving the pump. Witness could not say if there was gelignite attached to the fuse or not, but deceased spoke to him about using a piece of gelignite. Witness did not know what length of fuse was used. Before setting the shot deceased cried "Fire!” and witness immediately looked out of the office window, where he was at work, and saw the explosion. Witness saw someone falling over, and went to where the explosion took place. Here he found deceased in a sitting position. Witness asked deceased, who was then conscious, how it happened, and the latter said “Instantaneously.” Witness could not surmise how the accident happened, but deceased was an experienced man and exceptionally careful. Witness had known deceased for 30 years, and for 29 years McDonald had resided with him. He considered deceased was 56 or 57 years of age, and, he thought, was born in Victoria. Witness had not known deceased’s parents, but the father died when deceased was five years of age and the mother when he was 12. Witness would not consider a shot such as was set to be dangerous at all.
To the Coroner: From the injuries received by deceased witness considered that his face must have been nearly directly over the hole when the explosion took place. It was very seldom that a pump became jammed, and witness did not know of a case where explosives had been used.
The inquest was adjourned till Thursday next, so that inquiries could be made. -Timaru Herald, 31/10/1922.
QUARRY FATALITY.
THE EXPLOSION AT GLENITI.
CORONER'S VERDICT.
The inquiry into the, circumstances of the death or Allan Augustine McDonald, resultant on injuries received in an explosion in the Timaru municipal quarry on October 20, was resumed yesterday forenoon, before the District Coroner, Mr E. D. Mosley.
Peter Charles Bower stated that he was employed in the municipal quarry at Gleniti. On the day in question he was working with the deceased drilling a hole for a large shot. When the hole was nearly 11 feet in depth the pump became jammed. Attempts to free the pump by means of a rod failed, and deceased went to the magazine, where he got powder, fuse, and a piece of gelignite. Deceased put the powder in the hole, taking a handful out of the bag. There was room for the powder to drop between the pump and the side of the hole. The hole was dry on the surface and all the way down to just where the pump was. Witness was very careful to see that no powder whatever was left on the surface. Deceased was in a kneeling position when he was putting the powder in the hole. There was a howling nor’-wester blowing at the time, and it was difficult to get a match lighted. Deceased put about an inch of gelignite to the fuse and got it lighted. Then he leaned over and dropped the fuse into the hole. Witness considered that the wind blew the sparks from the fuse down the hole, causing an instantanous explosion. Deceased did not move after he put the fuse down the hole before the explosion occurred. The powder bag was tied up and put at a safe distance before the fuse was lighted. Witness thought it was the damp sediment from the bottom of the hole which was blown up into deceased’s face. Due warning was given that a shot was about to be fired, and witness went back a few paces, but deceased had not time to get back. Witness considered that the procedure adopted to free the pump was quite safe.
To Inspector Whitney: There was a detonator put on the end of the fuse before it was inserted into the gelignite. Witness had not, in his previous experience, known an occasion where powder had been used to free a pump. Deceased was quite well aware of any danger there was. The hole had not been worked for a day, and was quite dry.
Donald Eric Ross, foreman at the municipal quarry, recalled, and in cross-examination by Inspector Whitney, stated that he had never known explosives to be used for freeing a pump. He had never known powder used in that particular way. He considered the plan adopted by deceased of closing the hole would have been quite safe had not deceased been directly over the hole at the time of the explosion. Nothing would have come out of the hole, in his opinion, but the loose stone dust and mud at the bottom of the hole. He considered deceased would have been quite safe at a few paces distance.
Dr. G. H. Ussher said that he was called to the hospital on the date of the accident, where he examined the deceased. He was suffering from extensive injuries to his face, and from swelling of the tissues of the neck. His face was quite black and charred. Both eyes were extensively damaged, and the eyelid of the right eye was missing. The right cheek was also badly battered and the injuries extended to the back of the throat. Deceased was then also suffering considerably from shock. The injuries could have been caused by an explosion at close quarters, and particles of grit and powder were buried in the flesh. Deceased gradually became worse, septic conditions intervening in the lungs. Death was due to septic absorption and heart failure, the result of the injuries.
Dr. Elaine Gurr, assistant medical officer at Timaru Hospital, said that deceased was admitted to the hospital on October 20. She described the nature of deceased’s injuries much on the lines of the previous witness. Deceased died on the tenth day after the accident, from septic absorption and heart failure.
The Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to septic absorption and heart failure, the result of injuries received from a premature explosion of gunpowder and gelignite with which the deceased was endeavouring to loosen a pump stuck in a hole that was being bored in rock in the Borough Council’s stone quarry at Gleniti. Death was accidental, and no blame was attachable to the officials of the quarry. -Timaru Herald, 3/11/1922.
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