The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-06-25 00:00:00

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FATAL ACCIDENT AT DOIECHESTER NEW
CORN EXCIANGE.
Os Tersday afterneou thelet ens • sad mourreme at
the sew Coro lisebaage, Bomberger, resulting le the
modem death of • 'shower on the work. w
, named ;sa
Wellspring, • widower with esweesl children. as eel
killed through the glirlag way of some sea/folding,
owed In order to elevate the principal aeteilbreilill for
forming the roof into their please, which the ease seaght
to Wre advantage of in getting one of these prleelenin
1050 due position on the ground door before heisting is
wollealsrly. TM seadolding wes of restangular
but lacking one of the smaller sides—tbe Booth
end —that being ocoeunied by the parapet el the Taw**
hall wall, which was Winch brisk-work sureeeented by
dem coping. Irs height was about 30 feet. The two
long sides extending north and south of the building
were lame balks of timber capable of sustaining elroo.r
ally weight, and they were lashed to the north
sA4 e.g the uprights thereunder by staffolA ropes
age inon gem while the two upngbte were sup-
Ported by rpurs at • rather acute angle. The
sad and west sides were neither braced together
nor tied at the south out; they simply rested
on tbe parapet. The workmen requiring to more the
"misdeal" several yards laterally on the ground door,
and finding damn), in doing no by physieal strength
alaa,. earoireg on ftrieging iato serviee two "coralee-6
mull dee/fiction of wane using as • fulcrum for mph
the beams east end west. Ropes were attached to those
beams shoot 12 feet from the parapet, to the r, (geha,e
shoat 40 fre, from the south end of the new building
sad shoat 19 feet from the west MI6, sad
to the principal. From this it will be gathered
that the strain when the "Grabs" were employed would
he at the southern gods tithe side beam., and, from its
sowing in • diagonal direction, the tendency would be
tO pull the ends together,
...bus great weight was
thrown upon the parapet. Before commencing to hoist
two men were plated on the look-out, one above and
as. below, bat the ropes had seemly been drawn
" tout," when, alit is now easy enough to ronticopete
after the sadden e even ley unprofeesionale, the parapet on
srhieir the west beam rested gate way, and dm hewn
having no other support it fell, and • similar dlowter
ostarred to the east beam As soon as the timbers Wean
to fell, en alarm wss given and each of the
men below did the best he could to romps
injury from the falling beams and masonry. The
deotented men ran to the aouth-welt corn. r of the new
mom, where fell • mass of ed brisk work and coping of
the parapet. Re emeireek on Me imet by • beta or
• stows, which iraseerred double in • feared mentme, be
was instantly Menstille, and Itia In a very fur siesta..
As inquest was held Were Harm Leek, Reg, wormer,
in the evades, at the Town ll.llthe Mineola for
elucidation being whether the eseffelallug wes eroded
In snob • seientille manwer se to have resdered this
mourrenoc was owl white might luve been anticipated,
or orherwim.
William Hunk hrisidayer, said lam in the employ
of Kr, Wellspr;ere builder. At the new Oornernsheng•
this everting, shortly before 6, we were envied getting
op • portion of the red --etre of the "minarets." I
was the getter of the roof rof the Town Hall, on the
look out : se as to give nodes to thee below if any-
thing moved. The men below were 'mistime to hoist
'be "prinelper —some at the Grebe, and others to help
It forward at the lower earthy levers. The willies,' then
described the poetical of the "mate and nature of the
scaffolding to the same effete as we have before done.
except that be added that the western beam was
moported by two poles, done it the diegention, of Mr.
W. glade, who he described ed • "sort of gentleman
elerk of the worka, Memos he was • member of the
Town Mandl. and lasting by their request;" and that
the eastern beam was supported he two pieces of timber
clamped to it by two lee dep. He pmeseded tl helped
to pat up the staging. I ein in the habit of mitring isp
staging of this kind. I sod Leveler superintended the
work, we had the entire superintendence. Coroner:
Awarding to the hest of your ability Al yea sonsider it
.nEeiently strong for all the pommel for which it
would be remind ? Wibs,2st Wedld. 'The parapet
had the whole bearing of the balks et timber.
Cormier : From your experience 4. you madder that
in this can it was proper to have allowed the *og to
hear entirely on the permet t Witness: Will, we
thought it site or we should- not have pit It there, Q.
Could you not ham so econstrueled the staging as to
have had other hearings iodides that of the parapet?
4,. Well, sir, we meld not block up any of the gutter
hut that wonld have been no safer : webad the solid
wall. Mr. Wellspeinr thinks us tempted to pet up
snob • scaffolding. I eased Mr what was the came
of the hears shifting. Thy "minded" was liftml only
about 18 inches *hen de amident'aeleorea. ft Mrs
way suddenly. I gave an June and ash ma did the
bast he amid. In conclusion be wished to say to the
jury that as a body of workmen together, they were
not likely to put up any orsuffolding to meet with any
accident. The jury conearred in saying they did coot
think it, but one added that mementos men erred in
judgment.
John Lovelace, cerpetter, deposed; I wee dem to
one of the orate," whets I heard • shoat, and saw
timber falling, and I ran for my life. The deemed was
close by my side at the "crab" sad I was talking Is him
not a minute before. He went towelds the motheest
corner. All! had to do with Use stagier: MN 10 giv.
'or opinion when asked as to whether anything wen
suMeiently strong. It Is usual in work ef this rod to
Mks every man's opinion as to the martins of anything
requiring greater skill of strength than ordinary scaffold
' leg, anti we did so here. There was no woo appetite,
remelted, to superintend It. Every exteriorised men
I employed by Mr. Wellepring was 000ddered by him not
to require any one to ouperintend him *hen erecting
maffoiding. Mr. Welkpring, jun.. saw the staging after
it wee emoted that morning. Ms more no direstio*
about It. He added the nese did not expose any meldent
word 1 orour.—The Coroner said he must go further Mos
that: the person responsible nawsteniploy mientille men
able to tell before-hand whether the stoging b,4 been
properly onn.treeted.—The witness said no men fould
he more nedieallar than they were.—The Coroner said
the jury had to awertain whether the deemed met his
death through the esalfolding being eroded in an on-
@dentine in neer, bemuse, if so, there was dame to be
attached to some porton —Witness arid they were goo-
fined In worn there, and be attributed the accident to
the strain being at an angle, Which mum& erse of the
balks to swerve sideways and form down the 'ovine
done of the parapet. They were (amoeba to mist the
"principals" at an angle beee-Ure they were afoot wider
than the deer of the walls.
Samuel Griffin, another workmao, spoke to seeing the
memory falling about the deceased. Re went to him
4irestly after, as he die not come out, and feted him
leaning over on his Nee. Re lifted up hie head, and
see brood streaming from him. He called seridassee,
and Mr Good was fetched.
Mr. Good, sermon spike to examining the deceased,
end ending • levers; fracture of the skull, quite saffi•
Went to amount for his speedy death. fle had no emit
hut that the Injury was indieted by a lame srone or
some of the brinks which he saw lying dem to decemed.
Mr. John Rieke, debited and surveyor, said he had
been at the bull-llsp sines the aseideet. sad had seen
the staging erected for the purocree of lifting the
prinal. Re thong's% the balk. of timber were
strong enomb to carry auy weicht they had to lithe°
bat ennsidered they were Inuillsieetly braced to reed
the steam pat upon them by the wale for lifting that
web/M. The balks oeght Mimeo been tied and brand
together so as to prevent their mewing either way.
There wan nothing but • 9.insh brick wall said a seeing
to prevent it moving. The same of the accident
waned to have been the diagonal drain on them perk.
Re should not have been satisfied with the esestruetion
of the other part of the staging. Re did not thine it
right to trod workmen eetirely to treat snob a
meffoldiag : they bad theft own work to do, and did not
always me the weak points in • seaffold. No doubt
everything was done with as much ears as possible to
prevent seeideet. The staging eould have been sleeted
Independent of that Mistreat god doping, or nearly
so, and I think it oared to have been.
Mr. lanes, foreman at Ile Wellspring's, was in
attendee's. In answer to the Coroner be knew nothing
about the scaffolding sit the Corn Ezobsdge and had
not men the works for three weeks.
The Corouer thought Kr. Wolbpring should have an
opportunity diriviag any explanation before the inquiry
64 ,and at his smiestlon the tequert was edloureed
till Wednesday morning.
The adjoined incrust was held on Wednesday morn
lag, when Meer& Wellspring and Bon were in oaten.
deltas, and Mr. Weston was orment on their behalf.
Hunt In exemination by Mr. Wades said: The scaf-
folding was not put up solely by Lofoten and himself,
bat under the direetioa of the whole body of men on the
works. Mr. Sleds was present tele, yesterday. Mr.
Blade was extensively segued in the building trade
before he retired, and erected the Town-hall. Re aided
se • sort of clerk of the works at this building. Mr.
Blade thought it necompary they should put one prop
ander meal the balks of Umber dose to the block, end
they pal two, Mr. Slade suggested nothing they
omitted to do. A short time ago he sesieted In
meeting the sesEold for getting • girder double the
weight of UM mewled into In plus, apd at Milton
Abbey he was mageged pitting up so ffoldtng on •
larger male than this, He muddied himself own-
ed/et to jades what was necessary and what not. If
any additional bearings had hem engeested by Mr.
Blade or any am else in authority they would base got
them. He eensirtered the widest mom from unfore
sun eirourestenem, and not from using improper
materials. —By the Coroner: The staging for the girder
arum the same priaelple as this, but they had no wall
to red Me balk ott, sad had to we an uptight timber.
Made no difference in the &instruction of the scaffold
whether they wets going to raise diagonally or per-
pendicularly.
Larders reeelled. said he agreed with the &newels
Hunt bad given, and oomeralag the girder, he said
they were obliged to use an upright timber not haring
a solid wall es la this as..
A jamas& suggested the timber was the hider of
the two.
Loyola's said that may be fora opinion, it is not
mine.
Mr. Hicks in reply to Me Weston said he did not me
Me staging wills it was eleading : his opinion as the
matter was formed from what he eubsequeutly saw.
In reedy to the Conner, tervelaes said they bad no
instreetiens to anted to Mr. 611411'e directions any more
ibm this, if he gave soy ceders they were to obey them
if in a Mee metter bet crehererhe vepert the same to
Kr. Welktpleg. Kr. Loa- g Was did „t wtdontood
that Mr. Made we. there in am oared eameity
Witness: Oh yes; be Said me he was asked by the
Towu Clessoil to emedeeaßy leek in sad as, that the
wort was arried on in a swum
Jame. Stevenson. lehereer„ experienced in scaffold
building, ode he considered this raging was erected in
a workmanlike manner. 'rimy sometimes rouei a
difference in the war they erected seroltdd when it
ou to bow a strain diagonally from what they did
.hoit the strain wee perpendicular, and Irometimes they
did not If the bake had been braced se Sir. Risk.
mgepoted in his evi .000 P be thought the staging w mld
have goes over into Cartis's yard, an I that the parapet
was the proper pleat to rest the balk epos.
In reply to • Jerrie Mr. Wellspring, jun., said he
°Doddered that the slight woes strain there would
wish the perpeedroular strain, the timbers did not
require any erces-Mseing.
Ile W. Made said he WWI formerly • bolder, sad be
was said by Mr. Nell, the arebileet of the We Corn
litettrume, earl alto by tis• Town Nene% to look in at
abs weeks, oesmional y Somehow they were mice on,
Mr. Gregory was saked to do the mese with hint, but he
said he wee dig& • Re (Mr. Slid,) bad no power to
4EIO ile=vitareptSl:boak bed sass aseike4
was is to the amides* Mid

i ;;41isal
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alitisigajtee onee ere tirkee abut ilideffieg Hu
"liri .. es be essiddid it • relier iimit
thine When they liak•airly gist Hsi Week%
ttilltio 'Ye co Toyed", be wall View Old iggigeMeli e
.h , tine elf keg
,I
fed It we. bay,
se! they
nide the ll Ti Oria6l7 they 601•U'd
It perpeadissiarly. He wee mot aware of the meelead
on whist) they were going to Sad. He thought the
, staging would have been aeon; enough if the two ends
ea the hull had been fasteoad. It was Rot ode without to
work on there ID ea angular dinged's. He was not
wikad by MI , ON In tAII works to glee his opinion gs en
rltdebility a the &wind. Did set tell
Wellsoriwy he was SUillefiftil to look over th•
t. lie eowdderod whet be we prineipally required
to no wits to pull the work forward. He b. hered
shore was no clerk of the works, but that Lorelaw
uted ea foreman, cud in that e•pui,, for Mr. Well.
'Min& Observed the supPorta in the nfirkihtd : the/
were of sufficient strength, if kr enough In the ground.
By Mr. Welton : it WY sot the clerk of the works.
Wu not rorilyyrd se a'' nigger driver'—(lanehterl.
Wes not "a We in authority." Dtri not amider be
bad any power there more than Mr. Region bad.
tie rag merely wilted lie • favour, to
No AM the works orog
Slreseed properly.
was not a core of Peal pry.—Mr. •do 001nPildood of
the iashrealgoos of Kr. setae, and the foremen of
the idn7 agreed with hint.—Kr. Weston said he should
net Itat questions he liked, and the Coroner rid he
wordi stop Mr Weeton if he asked anything improper.
—Witneee consltered things were going on vary well
when he wee here on Tuesday, and that it we. sufficient
to carry the work out—By a Wyman : If I had
koown the timbe:a on the parapet had been an fastfood
I should have mentioned It to the workmen. .

ikovr4..

The Coroner eel I the jury had to (lewd° whet wwl
the owe Of the death of the deceased, and chillier any.
body was to blame. There was no doubt death was
sawed by the I.lling of the debris from the parapet.
Whether or not neybody was to blame depended on the
manner in whieb the seaffolding wee constmated ; for if
it was done loin insecure sad oneelentific moos,, the
Parties engscd in its eountruedion were retool:l.4bl* for
the result he persons liable were Messrs. Welisprieg
.nil A.m. or. If thfir entreated proper perm.a with the
work, it was shifted to nob pawn&
Ti.. jury having &Aloft-red their verdict< in privete,
the Coroner, white the Court resumed, said the jury
had taken • merciful consideration of the case, and
gave a verdiet of "Accidental Death," but they wished
to caution Sews. Weilepiing for the (stare I Any eoft•
„id,r4 that Worn staging of that kind wan used it
ought to be examined and prooounceal properly eoe.
strnoted bye eatentile person.
Mr. Weston remarked the opinion of Mn. Risks lieu
that the Town Council were to blame in not providing •
Clerk of the Works.
Mr. Hicks said he oonvidered Mr. Blade was al much
or more to blame then the hunter, for he took anon
himself the oMee of • Clerk of the Works, and didn't do
the work.
Mr. Slade denied be ever acted in thsk capacity, or
wee supposed t do no.
The proceedings then terminated.