PERILOUS ADVENTURE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 984, 2 July 1883, Page 4

PERILOUS ADVENTURE.

A telegram from Eaglehavvk, in the Melbourne Argus of the 4th ult., says: £ of terrible experience, involving much agony of mind and physical suffering, was passed by a young named "Robert Raynor, about 30 years of age, from about half-past ten o’clock .last night till seven o’clock this during which time he remained imprisoned in an old, abandoned , shaft some 30 feet in depth, and containing about 12 feet of water. Raynor, who works ras.a miner at Sebastian, but whose parents reside at Elysian Flat, had been making some purchases here yesterday, arid;delayed his return until after Vdarfc : s ! Avery heavy fog enshrouded'the district during the eyen- ■' mg., j Just before ten o’clock last night he called at Moorhead’s store, Sailor’s Gully, and, made some other purchases, which were placed in a heavy waggonette which Raynor was driving. Raynor then proceeded towards his home, but fell asleep, and when just opposite to,the. North Eaglehawk State School on the Ray wood road, the horse turned. frpm the road and proceeded on to tfie {top of' a range covered by an Outcrop. of sandstone, some of the boulders being two feet and three feet High. For about two hundred yards the horse wended its way over rocks and stumps until at length Raynor was awakened by hearing a crashing sound, and-t&e horsd'comidg to a standstill, he ina hal?&azed state, and not noticing thatihfeJ&pnt. pff wheel of the vehicle was withm eight or ten inches of an old shaft, jumped from the trap, landed on thefsoft mound near-the mouth of the ~shaft, and slipped into the excavation. The sudden immersion in about twelve feet of water completely sobered him, and he discovered, by feeling the sides of the shaft, that it had been sunk on the incline. He called lustily for assistance but no help came, and be then tried to work his way to the surface by placing his back against the lower and his feet against the upper \sgll. He ;was unsuccessful, however, although once he got to within about--5 feet of the surface, but on every occasion he became exhausted and slipped back into the water. At about half-past five, p’clock this morning a person named ’Pollio living about 80 yards from the shaft heard an unusual noise, and two of his sons were awakened, but .the>noise ceased, and thinking it was that from some animal they retired again. Shortly after six they again heard the sounds, and * the family dressed and proceeded to investigate. When about forty yards from their house c they, heard „ the noise again, coming as it appeared to them from immediately beneath them. After a few minutes they discovered the vehicle and the horse near the mouth of the shaft, the formef -beirlg tightly jammed between two saplings. Ropes,were procured, and after, some trouble, at a few minutes before seven, the unfortunate fellow was raised to the surface. He was in 'a very exhausted condition, and his clothes were torn to ribbons, evidently in his endeavors to climb the shaft. The Pollios promptly took him to their house, administered restoratives, and put him in bed. Raynor, who is a strong muscular young man, slates that he could not have held out an hour longer. He remained under the careful attention of the Pollios until this afternoon, when he persisted In proceeding on his journey home, although he was by no means fit. Before getting the vehicle free, it was found necessary to cut down the saplings between which it was wedged. Had the ifaaft been perpendicular nothing could have saved Raynor from being drowned.”