The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-06-19 00:00:00

PORTLA N D.

FATAL ACCIDENT. —A n accident of a very melan-
choly nature occurred on the Verne, on Wednesday
last, by which two men lost their lives and two
others were very seriously injured. The unfortunate
men were in the employ of Mr. Jay, the contractor
of the Government works, and were employed on a
" gangtree," a pondrous construction about thirty
feet high, and used for the purpose of raising and
lowering stone. On the gangtree a "traveller"
runs, in the centre of which the wen were at work,
lowering a stone, when one of the tension rods sup-
porting traveller, snapped, causing the beams to
break in the middle, and precipitating the men with
the " crab" below. The two men who were
killed were named Thomas Hooey and Moses

Hansford, the former leaving a wife and five chil-
dren, and the latter a wife to lament their loss. The
other two men who were injured were Benjamin
Bennett, who had one of his thighs broken, MO
Charles Harris, who wan severely injured on the
hips and side.—On Thursday an Inquest wee held
on the bodies of Thomas Hussey and Moses Hans-
ford, before F. C. Stcggdl, Esq., and a respectable
jury. at the Purtland-Arms, when the following
evidence was given : Robert Crawsbay, a
mason, in the employ of Mr. Jay, the con-
tractor of the I loyernment works said :On Wednes•
day evening, about 7 o'clock, I was coming out of
the office attached to the work, and saw the two de-
ceased falling from the gangtree. I immediately went
to thew and found them lying among the broken
iron and (Uebria of the "jenny." I assisted in turn-
ing Thuniaa Hussey over, and saw some frightful
wounds on his head, and blood flowing from them.
He died in a few minutes. I also assisted to partially
lift up Moses Hansford. There was a dreadful cut
over the left eye, and he also almost immediately
expired. I cannot account for the accident. As far
as I could see the work was carried on with the
usual mution. —William Way, labourer, employed
on the Verne work, said: At the tune of the accident
I was guiding the stone suspended from the gang.
tree to its positiou, when I heard a voice above say
0 clear, awl also a rattling sound, as if all the
werks were coming down. I iunneiliately ran aside,
and stumbled. I fell between two stoles, and on
recovering myself, got on the top of the road, and
saw the deceased lying among the wreck. I num°.
diately went up to them, and Robert I ,rawshay, the
last witness came up, and we lifted the deceased.
Blood was !lowing fast hour them, and they were
either dying or dead. I have been two months em-
ployed in guiding the stones from the gaugtree, and
have seen much larger stones lowered from it than
the one suspended at the time of the accident. Only
that morning a stone weighing 5I; tous was lowered
from it. The deceased had been employed at the
same gangtree nearly the whole of the time I had
worked at it. I never saw any carelessness
among the men, or any ' defect among the
machinery. I never heard any one refuse going to
work on the gangtrees on account of their not being
of sufficient strength. I cannot account for the acci-
dent. —Francis Wyatt,another labourer, said: At the
time of the accident I was on the gangtrue turning
the winch of the "traveller." At thus moment uf
its occurrence, I was looking below to receive
orders, when the winch turned violently round and
struck me on the head, rendering Die senseless for
a few minutes, so that I did not see the wen fall.
I in recovering I found that an accident bad occurred,
and went below, where I saw the two deceased
lying on the ground, apparently dead. I then
assisted in lowering two others from the guigtree.
I bad been employed on the gangtree about a fort-
night, and during that time had seen many large
stones suspended. I did not see that any of the
gear was defective. When first asked to go on the
gumtree to work I refused, as I had never seen such
a thing before, and was afraid of its great height; I
had not refused from supposing it not of sufficient
strength. —John Garbett, a private, belonging to the
Stallonlahire Militia, stationed at Portland. said: As
I was coming from the barracks on the night in ques-
tion I heard a sudden crash, which caused me to look
up, when I saw two men and smile machinery falling
from the gangtree. I ran to their assistance and found
one of the men dead and the other dying, and I
assisted to place thew on doors.—Joseph Green-
wood, finalise of the works on the Verne. said : I
was standing about 100 yards from the place of the
accident when, hearing a sudden crack, I looked
round and saw too men and *nue gear falling to
the ground from the gangtree. On going up to them
i I found Mews Hanslenl was dead, and Thomas 1,
I Hussey dying from fractures of the skull and other
injuries occasioned by the fall. I have been on-
ployed on public works Pi years, and I considered
the present gangtree to be as strong and good as any
I have seen during that period. Before the tension
rods were put up, I examined than carefully and
could see no flaw in them; if! had seen any imper-
fections I should not have allowed them to be put
up. I have examined the rods carefully since the
accident, awl find they were imperfectly welded,
and I attribute their breaking from the sud-
den check of the break applied by the
two deceased who were employed in lowering the
stone, because stones weighing 5 to 6 tons hail been
repeatedly lowered by the same gangtree. I have
been employed on these works nearly 7 months,
and it is my duty to see the machinery is in good
order. This gangtree was put up about 6 weeks ago,
and I saw nothing defective in it. The two deceased
bad been working on it during that time. They
appeared to be sober men and to understand their
work. The stone which was being lowered at the
time weighed about three tons and a quarter. --
Henry Walks .' nils, manager of the works,
sa.d : In the course of my experience I have seen
tension rods used extensively in the construction
of railway works. The rods are rolled by machinery,
but the eyes are wehhal on. The rods of the ring. ,
tree in question, I believe, were made of the but
Staffordshire iron, as they bear the trade mark,
awl I attribute tie :accident to their being imperfectly
welded—the cure of the rod not being annealed.
No supervision, or examination, could have detected
this. I believe every care was taken to provide
for the safety of the men. The height of the
gaugtree is :111 feet. —There being no other evidence,
the Coroner 111111111111Cil up the evidence, and the jury,
after a brief deliberation, returned a verdict of
" Accidental Death."

We understand that 11.A.S Colossus is expected
in the Portland roads daily, to succeed the Blenheim,
which left about three weeks since, as permanent
guard ship. Until she arrives, the Firebrand
paddle-wheel sloop, which arrived from South-
ainptan on the occassion of the threatened mutiny
among the convicts, will remain on the station.