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noou to swing the working barrels of the draw* lift, and was toM to stand by tlw crab*winch nt 'that'level, fur tho purpose nl lowering ‘.tie barrel to the 50) Icci level. Ho siting tho barrel on the ernb-wiueh yolks. ami it got j.imbed in trying to p u it down past thu yolks. Tiio nr.mug manager caiim down and they liberated tho barrel. It was necessary to lower it a little further, and Jones signalled tlt;» the man above to «lo so by knocking 2. It was red about 0 feet, ami an that was not citmtgh they signalled again, and it was being lowered ug.'.in when is went by thu run. Jones went in the surface. To the inspector o£ mines: One man is quite sullicienl to IdxViir lb.: weight by the crab-winch, but one Ilian could liot lilt ;L up. The whole weight was oti. tin) crab-wiuch, when it wont by .ho run. To the coroner ! Deceased was 21 years ot ago, of sliyhc buiM, bin did nor. want strength: Witness hau'seen him wield a hammer in tho blacksmith’* shop as well as any man could.John King, engine-driver, deposed that be saw the mining manager working the crab-winch, and ho then asked him to lower him to tho 400 feet level before going below. Ho in* ntructed witness that if bo knocked three he wan to go out and give assistance to t he deceased to hoist up. Witness was baling water when ho heard the crab-wiuch run nway. 1 In stopped tho engine and ran outside and saw deceased lying on the ground, and the winch handles wore running ruuiul at a great rate. Soma boys were standing about, amongst William Scarlett. Witness sent him for a doctor, and got assistance from (mine neighbor.-'. Jones knocked, and wituea- brought hint to the surface. l'» the coroner! He gave no as*i)tance to deceased at the er.ih-wincli in lowering; it was not thought necessary, lie ehnukl, a* directed by Jones, have helped him if he had been required to lift it. Deceased was an able-bodied young man. Tliu sign.ds at the mine arc two to lower, and thrcu'1 to pull up.William Scarlett, uelolt;»|-blt;»y. aged 15 yenra, deposed that he was plating m nr ihe mine and $aW tho deceased working nt a Cr.di-wiiich there. Ho suddenly saw hint let go the handle and fall ft Hen the h.iiuU- ■»! the crab-winch strult; k hiiti oil the Head, ami he was knocked back a few feet on the ground. Witness weut and told the engiao-iiriver, who canto to deceased's assistance. To the mining inspector: He heard the knocks given below; u was 2 each time.W. li. Grainger, inspector of mines, deposed that at ten minutes to six o'clock on Friday Jones, tho mining manager, reported the aces-dcut to him. Witness went a*, once to the mine, reaching there at six o'clock. 11found the crah-winch (double purchase) with the rope attached as described. He saw a large quantity ] of blood lying near the crab-which, and was m- ! formed that deceased had been taken to the hospital, lie went theru at once and saw do-beatcd, but he was insensible. Witness on Saturday rnorhing went below and examined the other Crab-winob at the -llM foot level, thu workiiig of the Ivirrcl draw-lift bad then beenlifted iuto its place. To tho coroner : Witness know nothing in contravention of the l.vguhi-tinu of Mines Statute 1S77 in connection with tho case. He lifted the crab-wiuch and lowered tho crab-u inch nt the surface with ease with the weight attached.Dr.. J. H. Poland, resident surgeon it the Bendigo Hospital, deposed that deceased never recovered consciousness after admittance to tlm hospital, and died at nine p.m. on Friday evening.- Tho cause of death \v»* n wound on the top of the .head about 2) iiichca in length. Thero .waa a fissured fracture of ilio skull, running down from the middle of tho head, and extending to thu base. The injuries were Urn extensive to attempt an operation. This was decided on consultation with Dr. Hinchclilf, one cl the hom surgeons... After tho summing up of the Coroner, tho jiiry (numbering fourteen) deliberated for half dn liOiir, and found a verdict of accidental ilcxth, iti which they were unauimou*, but it \V4s stated that two of them dissented from the rider attached, viz.. that The jury consider the miuiug manager to blnue for putting ou tho deceased to do such important work. Clio two dissentients were Gorge Watson (the foro-mau) and William Williams. The coroner also expressed his opinion that the manager, Thomas Joucb, was U0l entitled to censure; tho deceased being 21 years of age, was quite able to da tho work required; nud was, oven in the eyu of the law, uo longer an infant, but a man capable of performing hard manual labor, accordiug to the evidence adduced.
Newspaper Details
Sandhurst Bendigo Advertiser
Sandhurst, Victoria, AU
Mon, Jan 12, 1880
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
GB 07 Apr 2023
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Sandhurst Bendigo Advertiser
