204
THE SHAUKIWAN BUILDING COLLAPSE.
CONTRACTOR TO BE TRIED FOR MANSLAUGHTER,
The inquiry concerning the deaths of 17 Chinese, occasioned by the collapse of buildings 24 to 27, the Praya, Shaukiwan, in the typhoon of July 27th, was continued before Mr. J. H. Kemp and a jury at the Magistracy on Sept. 15th.
Mr. F. B. L. Bowley, Crown Solicitor, repre- sented the Crown, and Mr. Otio Kong Sing appeared for the owner of the property.
A delay was occasioned by the non-appearance of Mr. Raymond, who sent a telephone message saying he would attend as soon as he was able.
When he arrived Mr. Kemp said- You were not here in time, Mr. Raymond?
Mr. Raymond - You got my telephone message!
Mr. Kemp-I got it after time. Mr. Raymond-I'm sorry.
Mr. Kemp You must make it your business to attend in time. You have been keeping the Court, the other jurors and the Crown Solicitor waiting. I don't see why you should come at whatever hour you think oonvenient and keep as waiting,
Mr. Raymond-I am very sorry,
Mr. Kemp-I shall call upon you to show cause why you should not be fined after the inquiry is over.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
Mr. H. E. Haggard, assistant engineer in the Public Works Department, said he joined that Department in February, 1902, since which date he had been engaged on work exclusively under the Building Ordinances. When the plans for these houses were sent in, Mr. Tooker was in charge of the building work, Mr. Crisp, and witness being his assistants. Witness checked the plan put in, and found it was correct with the Ordinance then in force. It was then referred to the Medical Officer of Health to see
that it complied with sanitary requirements. On August 20th the plan was acknowledged as being in accordance with the Ordinance. It was Mr. Crisp's duty to inspect the buildings during the course of erection. No record had been found in the office to show whether Mr. Crisp did or did not inspect these houses. A book he kept showed that during the period of building operations he visited Shankiwan. The notice regarding alteration of the plan passed through witness's hands. It was in accordance with the Ordinance and he altered it. On May 23rd be received an application from the owner for the buildings to be inspected and passed. Witness then inspected them, and passed the buildings on June 2nd, 1903. From his inspection witness could see very little of
the back wall. He did not cut into it. There was a departmental order in force at that time that walls should not be cut after buildings were completed. His inspection was a super- ficial one, but so far as he could see buildings and plans complied with the Ordinance. It was possible for a wall to appear as if properly built and bonded, whereas in fact it was not so.
Witness visited these houses last week and
examined what was left of the back wall. The lower two floors were of stone and the top one of brick. It was very badly built, there being spaces through the middle and several false headers. Portion of the wall at the rear of house 27, and the whole of 29 appeared to be built dry, there being no mortar in the heart of it. There was very little bonding between the party walls, the external wall and the rear wall. The briok work was badly built. Por tions of the stone wall had fallen. The defects in bonding and the weakness of the mortar, which was of an inferior quality, affected the stability of the wall.
Examined by Mr. Kong Sing, witness said he expected a report on the plan from Mr. Crisp. He could not remember any being made, and took it that the construction was proceeding in a proper manner. It was possible for Mr. Crisp to make any kind of report, so long as it was not a bad one, without witness inquiring. If a wall was plastered, witness could not tell whether it was properly bonded or not, but the wall in question was whitewashed.
Mr. T. L. Perkins, executive engineer in the Public Works Department in charge of Build. ing Ordinance work, deposed that he
arrived in the Colony about a year after the houses in question had been passed. He had inspected them several times since the collapse. The back wall, of which the greater portion fell, was 74 feet long and nearly 40 feet high. At intervals of nearly 14 feet
external and
there party walls of
the
houses joined. Had the wall been properly built and borded it was not a wall likely to collapse-it would have been a very substantial structure. The stone work in the wall was exceptionally bad, and the wall $85 not substantially bonded with the party and external walls. The brickwork was better than the stonework, but it was not bonded any betler. The morlar, as the specimen before the Court showed, was about as poor as it could be. That specimen was taken from the heart of the wall. Witness did not notice any mortar clinging to bricks which had fallen from the wall; they were nearly all clean. These defects of con- struction and material would seriously affect the stability of the wall. As a general rule it was nearly always impossible to detect defects without cutting into a wall.
After the solicitors had addressed the jury, and Mr. Kemp had explained the law to them, they retired to consider their verdict.
After an absence of nearly ten minutes they returned into Court, and the foreman announced the finding to be :-
(1) That the 17 deaths were due to the fall of
the wall.
(2) That the fall of the wall was due to the bad workmanship of the contractor, Chung
Yee.
(3) That the contractor Chung Yee was guilty of gross negligence, amqunting to manslaughter.
On this finding his Worship directed the arrest of Chung Yee, and fired bail at $2,000.
Mr. Kemp then asked Mr. Raymond what business detained him.
Mr. Raymond said he missed the Peak tram and was unable to arrive in time. He was sorry that it so happened.
Mr. Kemp did not impose a fine;
JAPAN AND THE GRAND EXHIBITION.
41 The
has been Consulate,
September 19, 1908.
THE DANGER OF ELECTRIC WIRES.
A JURY'S ADVICE TO PROPERTY OWNERS.
Before Mr. J. H. Kemp, sitting as coroner, and Messrs. W. Ironside, A. B. Rouge and J.M, S. Rozario, jurors, an Inquiry was held at the Magistracy on Tuesday into the cause of death of a coolie named Lai Kwan, who fell from some scaffolding at the Kowloon Godowns and cime into contact with a defective electric wire.
Dr. Macfarlane deposed to examining the body of deceased, and finding that death was due to hemorrhage caused by a rupture spleen.
Tsang Tsan spoke to finding deceased dead at the foot of a ladder behind the godowns. The ladder was a bamboo scaffolding used for baul. ing up materials. The coolies went up by two ladders on the Praya side of the godowns.
Mr. T. W. Robertson, superintendent engi. neer of the Wharf and Godown Co., said that between 200 and 300 coolies were employed round the godowns repairing typhoon damage. He told the coolies to take all precautions. The wire in question was a high tension wire put up to light the Star Ferry Wharf, and Godown 51, He understood that the high tension current was 2,000 volte, and that would be sufficient to cause death. The wire was insulated all along, but the insalation might, of course, be faulty. They had no non-insulated wires except telephone wires, The climate here was hard on insulating materials,
Mr. G. L. Hales, in charge of the Kowloon Works of the China Light and Power Co., said he examined the wire in question. He found that at one point in the wire the insulation was damaged, just where the soaf- folding was put up. Possibly it was damaged by the baskets as they were being pulled up, or it might have been damaged by falling tiles during the typhoon. There was no means of discovering such defects by tests along the wire unless the wire was touching something at the defective point. He thought the wire had been put up about two years. They had no definite time after which they renewed such wires. He would not touch a wire even if it had been up only a week, as it was not safe. Witness would not like to say within what period he would expect to find an insulation defective through exposure to the weather. It might develop defects very shortly after being- put up. Such wires were always guaranteed by the makers. He thought it was generally were dangerous, even when recently erected. The Company would always cat the current off, if notified of repairs during the day time. Running wires underground would cost perhaps six or seven times as much as running them overhead.
The following communication received from the Japanese Hongkong
re examination and new analysis to which the Japanese Government have found it necessary to subject the project of a Grand Exhibition in 1912, has convinced them that the intervening time-33 years-is insufficient for the completion of all the various prepara-known that wires tions and works which are essential to a success. ful realization of the undertaking. In revis. ing and re-casting estimates it was made abundantly clear that the Budget already voted would have to be largely augmented in order to carry out the Exhibition on the scale now proposed.
"The industrial energies of Japan being fully employed to meet existing demands, it would be impossible within the allotted time to prepare the exhibita without disturbing the manufacturing activities of the country. Nor is there sufficient time in which to prepare the Exhibition grounds, to erect the Exhibition buildings or to make the necessary arrange. ments for the suitable accommodation and convenience of visitors. In these circumstances it was deemed best to make the inevitable post- ponement at this time, rather than delay action until an adjournment would cause inconvenience and be prejudicial to rights and interests. Again, the Japanese Government, following a very commendable custom, desire that the projected Exhibition may be commemorative of a very auspicious event in their history. 1917 will be celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Accession of His Majesty the Emperor. That will be, for all His Japanese Majesty's subjects, a season of a great rejoicing, and it is proposed to take advantage of that happy cossion to insugarste the Exhibition."
In
The Manila Merchants Association has invit ed President Roosevelt to visit the Philippines, which in their letter they describe as "these treasure islands of the East,
In reply to a juror, witness said they were not advised of these particular repairs. The wires were tested every morning, and the insula- tion to earth. They could not test for defects such as the one in question, as there was no means unless the defect was touching something.
James Hyde, the olerk of works at the Godowns, said he gave instructions that the workmen were to go up to their work by the Such instructions were issued Praya side. because he had seen
men going up the scaffolding.
In answer to a juror, witness said he had no idea that there was any danger to the men from the wires. He was afraid of damage to the wire.
The Jury found that the cause of death was hemorrbage from a ruptured spleen, caused by a fall which was due to decessed's stopping on a high tension wire which had a defect st that point. They wished to call the attention of property owners to the danger of these high tension electric wires, which, though completely insulated when put up, might develop defects st any time owing to exposure to the weather or to things falling on them. They also wished to express the opinion that property owners and accordingly, and should have the current cut off contractors should take special precautions when any repairs were being done to a building.
#
Page 10Page 11
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.