South Australian Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1895) Sat 15 Apr 189397412

FATAL ACCIDENT AT HAPPY
VALLEY.
The City Coroner held an inquest at the
Hospital on Wednesday on the body of
Frederick Tannebring, a teamster, aged 23
years, who met his death at the Happy Valley
waterworks by the falling of a bank of earth
on April 10.
Frederick Tannebring, a cousin of the
deceased, said he was working at the
waterworks when another man called out
that the bank was falling. Saw the bank had
fallen on the deceased, who was rescued as soon
as possible and sent to the Adelaide Hospital.
Another witness named Evans said on
the date in question deceased backed his team
onto the face of the embankment and took his
shovel and commenced to work on the face.
Suddenly the embankment cracked and fell
upon the deceased, some lumps pinning him
to the ground. Considered that it was safe to
work on the embankment or he would not have
remained at it.
Dr. W. R. Cavenagh-Mainwaring, house
surgeon at the Adelaide Hospital, said
that the deceased was admitted to that in-
stitution on Monday morning. He never rallied
and died the same morning. Had made a post-
mortem examination and found 10 ribs on the
left side broken and another on the right side.
There was a laceration of the right lung,
probably from the crush, and the right plural
cavity was full of blood and other injuries.
The cause of death was shock consequent
on the injuries received.
Henry Tonkin, ganger at the Happy
Valley waterworks, said they always
worked the earth embankments by
benches so that the earth would have no
distance to fall. The men who picked the
earth watched for slips and he was always on
top of the embankment watching for landslips.
Was on the spot at the time of the accident and
did not see anything that gave him the
slightest idea that there would be a landslip.
The only way he could account for the
slip was that there might have been
a little loose dirt at the bottom of the
embankment. Inspected the ground after the
slip and could not see anything to lead him to
the conclusion that his theory was correct.
No one was to blame for the accident. Between
30 cwt. and 2 tons of earth fell.
Charles Mann, resident engineer at Happy
Valley, said that at times inexpe-
rienced men were employed, but they
always tried to guard against acci-
dents by giving the gangers instructions
to keep a sharp look out. Con-
sidered that the men were protected as
it was the ganger's duty to keep a sharp
look out for slips when working embankments.
Could not form any opinion as to the cause of
the slip.
The coroner summed up, stating that they
had heard that the deceased's back was broken,
also one leg and eleven ribs—injuries sufficient
to kill half a dozen men. The jury returned a
verdict of accidental death, and added a rider
to the effect that more care should be taken in
the future to prevent earthslips.