The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-11-22

Coroner William B. Hennessy'S
finding. in which he absolves Pas
quale Parry ''or any other person
or persons" of guilt or negligence in
the electrocution of Anthony Brod-
erson and Louis Jones, who were
killed while working on a construc-
ton job at the Waterbury Too
company, East Aurora street, this
past October, follows in full:
ION october 26. 1899, the Aus
tin company of 10 Rector street,
New York, N. Y, was engaged In
the work of construction of an
addition to the plant of the Wa
terbury Tool company Oh East
Aurora street, Waterbury. and
leased derrick from Leake &
Nelson Co., Inc, of Bridgeport,
Conn, for use on the JOB. The
derrick consisted of a gasoline
powered engine, cabined and
mounted on truck and was
equipped with a boom 50 feet In
length operated through controls
in the cabin by Pasquare Parry,
an employe Of the Leake g. Mel
son Co.
The derrick was placed in opera
ton at about 1890 noon, October
26, 1899. on the grounds OF the
said Waterbury Tool company, at
a point near the southwesterly
corner of the factory building OF
said plant. and so placed that the
derrick faced and the boom eX-
etnded in southerly direction.
adjacent to and parallel with three
high tension wires of the Connec-
ticut Light g. Power Co. Said
high tension wires were strung
on poles and were at height
of approximately "a feet from the
ground at the place in question.
1.-THE said boom was equipped
with a cable having a spreader
hook, from which in turn extend.
ed two sings or cables equipped
at the ends with hooks for the
purpose of fixing to such material
as was to be moved.
cat the time in question there
were located on the ground west
of and adjacent to said derrick
and under said wires a number OF
steel Orders which were being
moved one at a time by said der
rick to the building under con-
struction and which was adjacent
to and left or east of said derrick.
Assigned to the job OF attach
ing the cable hooks to the Orders
were the two deceased, Louis Jones
and Anthony Broderson. employ
es of the Austin Company, the said
Pasouale Parry operating the con-
trolls of the derrick at all times
herein mentioned.
AT about 2:40 p. m, on said
day, the two deceased took one OF
the hooks each and proceeded
towards the pile of girders, draw
ing the cable with them towards
the said electric wires. The tip OF
the boom from which extended
the said cable was set at the time
some s or 7 feet above the charged
wires and the cable came IN con-
tact with one OF the wires cleo
trocuting both men. Neither re-
sponded to attempts at resuscita-
ton made by the pulmotor squad
of the Waterbury Fire Department
and doctors at the scene, who ar
rived soon after the mishap.
ut is the contention OF Parry
that he was in the act OF boom
ing out" or dropping the tip of
the boom below the high tension
wires when the two deceased grab
bed the hooks and pulled them to-
gether with the cable to which
they were attached, as aforesaid,
towards the electric wires, the side
of the boom being at the time
about four feet from the said
wires. The cable came into contact
with the charged wire about Is
feet from the spreader hook, as ev-
idenced by charred mark on the
cable. The two cables or sings, to
which the hooks were attached
and which issued from the spread
er hook, were each IA feet in
length. 1t is clear from the evil
dence that the cable was pro-
PEELED by the two deceased
towards the charged wires, and
that they were both in a position
to note the proximity OF the boom
and cable to said wires. 1t is rea-
sonably clear also, that the opera,
tor, Parry, performed no new act
in the interval. as by moving the
boom from below to above the
wires. to change the situation con-
fronting the deceased when they
grasped the hooks to one Of dan
ger from one of no danger or of