Men Trapped In Mine After Explosion

Chronicle (Levin), 18 August 1947, Page 5

Men Trapped In Mine After Explosion

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter,

Copyright)

Received Sunday, 7.30 p.m. . LONDON, August 17. Fifty-four bodies have been found in the William pit disaster, io men got out alive and little hope is held that the remaining 50 men will still be alive. Three men walked out from the far end of the explosion area and before collapsing from shock they said- they tried to persuade a group of other trapped men to go with them to the far end of the explosion area, but they refused. The men said they scrambled to the farthest reaches oi the mirie to avoid the deadly fumes, went aiong a back road and met the rescuers. One of the men, John Birkett, aged 16, said he and two others got out after being 21 hours ' entombed. He said he was an experienced man an 1 was able -to guide his companions out of the way of the gas eloud whicli swept through the area after the explosion. They found air fit to breath ' and husbanded their strength by taking turns to sleep. At last covering thei' faces with damped handkerchiefs thev walked through the gas to the main riaulage road where they met a free current of air. Birkett said: "On our way \Ve passed the bodies of 36 or 40 inen, mostly sitting crouched at the side of the road Their liglits -led us to the first fail and the rescuers. ' ' The men saw nobody alive and Birkett thought it unlikely another iiving man would be found. (Ari official said later that the bodies oi fhese men had been found.) One of the rescue party said: "B took great presence of mind to do whai the three mui did. Sheer cold couragc was required co vvalk awav from wherc they knew the pit shaft lay. It is a miracle they are alive after what we have seen down the pit. The falls oi the roof extend from the iioor to the top of the road. The three men aparl from shock were not hurt. They were given sedatives in hospital where their wives and mothers, whose earlieranguislied weeping turned to tears of joy, called to see them. Rescue parties scoured.the mine in .the hope of linding more signs of life. One member of the rescue party said; ' ' We found one party of 20 dead miners sitting at their nieal on the coal belt. They were still holding their sandwiches and looked as if they wero asleep. " A number of the entombed men were survivors of the explosion of 1941 in the same mine when 12 wcrt killed and 11 injured. Crowds assembled at the pithead bu. were kept awav from the point wherthe bodies were being brought u[i Many wives, mothers, fathers, brothers sisters and sweethearts kept vigil throughout the night and many stood on the surrounding hjlls vvatching the huge pitshaft vvheels raise the cage.with the bodies. Lord Hyndley, chairman of the Coa; Board, and the Bishop of Penright were .imong those encouraging the rescue r,s Their Majesties sent a message oi svmpathy to the relatives of the miners: "We are following with deep .inxiety the progress of the resue opera cions and pray that they will be suo cessful. " Earlier messages stated that -118 miners were trapped in Whitehavei colliery as a result of a big explosion They were four miles under the sea and in the William pit, where an explosion killed 10 and injured others three years ago. The William pit extendml seven miles under the -Solway Firth. but after the 1944 explosion a sectiou was sealed off and , the working was concentrated nearer the shaft.