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From: "Daryl Crabtree" <>
Subject: [AUS-VIC-West] WEST WIMMERA MAIL
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 10:16:20 +1000


Friday March 2,1906

SHOCKING ACCIDENT

On Saturday morning, about 10 o'clock, a shocking accident occurred while
the thresher was working at Mr E. SANDERS' farm, Polkemmet, which resulted
in the death of Mr James SWAN. Deceased, who was a nephew of Mrs H.
BUTLER, but whose parents live at Moyston, was the eldest son, and only 18
years old. After the accident SWAN was driven to Dr BIRD at Natimuk, who
advised his removal to Horsham, where he died late in the afternoon.

An enquiry was conducted on Monday by Cr. ARNOTT, J.P., at Horsham.

A. SCOTT, labourer, of Natimuk, said he was working on Mr J. D. P.
WILLIAMS' thresher. He was feeding on the machine at SANDERS', and
James SWAN was bandcutting. As SWAN was kicking a bundle of straw into
the drum he slipped and fell face forward onto the cover over the drum, and
his left leg slid down the board into the beaters. Witness shouted, and
the engine was stopped. The machine had stopped before, through the belt
jerking off. Witness lifted the guard, and he and Mr. WILLIAMS lifted
SWAN out. They had to reverse the beaters before the beaters could be got
out, and the boot was left in. Could not tell how he got in that
position, for there was only about six inches when the guard was down
through which a mans leg could pass.

Mr WILLIAMS stated that he heard what he thought was a whole sheaf going
into the drum. After laying SWAN on a tarpaulin with D. SCOTT'S help, he
cut the trousers off the leg, which was so smashed that there seemed no bone
left; bound the limb with towels and a sheet, sent for a Doctor, and sent
SWAN in a trap to meet the Doctor. Every care was taken to avoid accidents
on his machine, and SWAN must have been too far forward. A special
guard was provided, and had it been fixed, the leg could not have got to the
beaters. The witness SCOTT said he pulled the guard away when he ran to
assist SWAN. The guard was kept in place by cleats at each end, and he
did not know how deceased's leg got over the beaters.
Dr READ, who saw SWAN about half past two on Saturday at Horsham
hospital, said he was in a state of collapse from shock and loss of blood.
The left leg and foot were mangled out of recognition and thigh crushed and
torn. He applied restoratives immediately, causing him to rally
sufficiently for surgical treatment. The left leg was amputated above
the middle of the thigh, but the patient succumbed just as it was completed.
The cause of death was shock and hemorrhage.
E. SANDERS deposed that he employed young SWAN as bandcutter, he drove him
to Natimuk, and than to Horsham.
Deceased said no one was to blame but himself, and that in kicking some
loose wheat he fell. Believed he had been warned not to wear light boots
on the machine. The machine was quite safe to work on, and well guarded.
Peter SCOTT, farmer, of Natimuk, gave corroborative evidence.

The Coroner recorded a death from shock and hemorrhage accidentally caused
by deceased getting his foot into the drum of the thresher.


(Sorry for this one, a bit yukky, but that's all part of the research )
Daryl Crabtree
Gladstone
C.Qld
Australia

West Wimmera Mail extracts are on the Web
www.ballaratgenealogy.org.au/goroke/index.html





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