THE TUNNEL SUP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 811, 7 May 1910, Page 7

THE TUNNEL SUP.

SHTERESTINC. NARRATIVE. BY ONE OF THE MEN. . ■(By,-Teleffropli—Press Association.) Christchurch, May 6. James Doyle, one of thoso who wore pitoinhed ,in the Arthur's Pass tunnel £rom : Monday morning till Thursday (evening,: camo to town' to-night, and l«vas; interviewed on tho train by a VPress".'; representative. When asked Regarding, his; experience, Doylo rettnarked■that there was not much, to M..:-:f.

"We went to work at 8 o'clock on Monday morning," he said, "and about fk quarter of an hour afterwards wo assisted to/strengthen the support of the that afterwards came down. Beemer then told Duggan and myself to returh to our'previous work at the face, and had just got there when we heard la cracking. I did not wait to see what [was 1 happening. W6 were working at the : top heading, and as soon as ,1 heard the noise I jumped to tho bottom level about Bft. below, calling on Duggan;to jump too. When I looked up He .was coming down head first, and luckily; in doing •so he knocked down toy acetylene lamp. By this time we could - hear timber and stuff crashing flown,' and the run of earth from the inside. .'.This kept up for a long time. "We could hear some of the other {lads groaning. Some wont down the flevel. towards, the face, keeping away from the place whore the fall had taken place. When we collected our that we were blocked, land we'were' much concerned to know Sf the pipe convoying air to the interior, ■of the tunnel had been broken by the fall,'and'so we set to and undid a piece of the connection. It was a difficult task- with the tools to hand, but jwe presently found that compressed air was coming through, and we then knew iihat we-were all right. "We started tapping, but got no re-nly,-and :'we could not make out why no answering taps came. Wo could, however, hear the rescuers working, attempting to get to the others, but it was some time in the afternoon before an answering tap came. Other • men -told me afterwards that they had heard tapping,'but they could not make out •what it,was. They thought/that 'it-was lan echo of tho knocks mado in getting tto the otters. When the welcome anBworing knock came I didn't worry any more "until night. We .heard no, more •tapping,- -and then we heard voice fauitly? and afterwards learned that it ■was Mr. Gavin who was talking, and -asking how. many, were imprisoned, and if they.were injured. I could hear -him, 'but. he could not hear my reply. I kept calling-out however, and, at length,'those outside went and opened np'the : air-pipe and, thereafter, wo could hear each other quite plainly. 1 told them how wo, were situated, that 1 was not hurt, and that Duggan's arm and knee w ; ere bruised. ■: . _ . ■ "A long piece of twin was sent down ithe pipe,' ,b ymeans of which supplies were, conveyed to us. The pipe is a D-inch one, and. fairly-big parcels could be sent, through; it.' They sent us plenty, of gruclf and tea, and provisions;: which-'canie through about two chains-of pipe. .'.- ' .... "The-part of the tunnel in which we wofo entombed was about eight chains in length. Mr. Gavin told us, through the pipe, that ho had started ,to drive a level'from-the-river, higher up, in order:' to get to, us and, on Tuesday mdrning /we heard them working." able to sleep?—"No," .re? plied Doyle, "we had no sleep. Owing to'the pain in : .his leg, Duggan kept trampihaii'up and,-down-.-kept going as one of the first things which I/asked for was a._supply of carbide. i: ; 's-i-' . ''When we knew .what was being done outside' to reach' us, wo started working up to the level which was being driven in; .;The rescuers drovo the level in some 25 feet, and then had to sink D shaft about 18 feet. For our part we were able to rise about four feet.

"On" Wednesday evening the rescuers had to stop work until daylight, as the ground was so bad, and this was the only time that we felt uneasy. We thought. that the ground driven through-;'might give way, and that the rescuers' would have to begin work afresh.' '■', They - started again on Thursday morning at daylight, and we could hear.- them and the encouraging remarks which they made to us through the pipe.'"About B'o'clock on Thursday night we knew that'they were gotting close to us. ' Then, all of a sudden, I heard one of the tools ring,-and I knew that there was communication. They kept ■working .until there was a hole' large enough to get us through, and at 8.30 we got out. We had a ladder to get •up as'far as we could, and wo were hauled up the remainder of the distance by means of a rope."