HUNTLY DISASTER

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2255, 15 September 1914, Page 7

HUNTLY DISASTER

HEAVY DEATH ROLL":;;; THE EXPLOSION MYSTERY RESCUERS BUSY '! FORTY MEN LOST—THIRTEEN STILL MISSINC. IBy Telegraph—Preea Association.) Auckland, September 14./. Describing the scene- at Huntly on Sunday, a correspondent says: A mourn-' fill crowd around the shaft waited patiently hour after hour for newsof the missing miners. Those unaccounted for now number forty. There, were fiftyeight, but seven came \\p the main shaft and eleven found safety via tho western outlet. Of that'forty at least twenty-three were married men. Late in the afternoon tho rescuers began to got nearer to the scene of the-explosion, about aoi hour's walk from the western shaft. At half-past 4 fyvo men oamo up and took away a number of stretchers which had been hastily improvised,from sacks and rails. They remarked that they had found a man alive. • At 5 o'clock the cage shot up, and a tall fellow with clothes in tatters and his face as black as an Ethiopian's staggered out, supported by two rescuers. "It's Billy Brocklebank," shouted someone. Tho crowd broke into cheers. Brocklebank was sent off home in a motor-car. '

Darkness fell, and tho pale-faced women, cheered somewhat by the sight of Brocklehank, went away to their lonely homes. Then the men brought to the surface that which they had boen hiding mercifully at tho bottom of the shaft—the bodies of Hincho, Robinson, W. Eurt, Skellcrn, S. Jackson, Whorskoyf and Peckham, sen. The bodies ware taken to the Oddfellows' Hall.

A new gang of rescuers was formed, and all night a crowd of miners waited at the western shaft, anxiously crossquestioning every man who came to the surface to replenish a lamp or obtain ; breath of fresh air. Five more bodies were found during tho night, those of C. Maloney, W. Slavin (two lads), Jacob Thompson, R. Munse-y, and John Holdon. Buriscl Under Debris, Two bodies wore discovered beside a big heap of debris, and it is thought probable that some,others missing m;i.\ be buried underneath it. ' ' Tho men who descended on Saturday morning were generally recognised as amongst the most respectable and steady men in- the town. ' . FURTHER EXPLORATIONS. A SEARCHING FIRE-BLAST. Auckland, September 14: Tho dead bodies Of Bowler (a trucker) and Mayland (a clipper) were recovered at Huntly, this morning. Uommunication was established on Sunday between the two main down oast shafts, a mile and a quarter'apart, establishing a good current of ventilation and making the main, roadway safe lor exploring parties. a- Considering the violence of the explosion, the damage to :the property • is not serious. ....To-day's exploration is expected.--to effect tho'recovery' of most of tho' missing nieu. Somo may' be under .the debris. ■ . ... There arc ovidences that the. fire blast wont pretty well round tho workings. One of the last bodies recovored was Bowler's. Although ho was in tho, main air shaft, Bowler had apparently not suffered from lire as most of tho other dead had done. • ' David Patterson's body was found in the same' locality in a sitting posture. Before going to Huntly Patterson was a mine-manager on tho West Coast. Water Rising Rapidly. Great difficulty is now being experienced in tho rescue work owing to the lloding of the mine, the pumps having been disabled by the explosion. Six further bodies have been discover ed, but the depth and rapidity witli which the water is rising prevented these from being recovered. The- bodies of James Darby, W. Mitchell, and A. Huston have been recovered. . ■ ■ RESCUE WORK DESCRIBED. HOW THE MINERS WERE FOUND. Auckland, September 14. A striking description of tho scene at the Huntly mine on Sunday morning is given by a "Herald" representative. Hβ says that just when tho rising sun was bathing all tho low-hilltops in the golden yellow of a spring morning, four bodies woro brought to the surface. The minors, gaunt and heavy-eyed ■"' after many,-hours' struggle with the fumes, wore -forced by: the narrowness of the cage to bring up eacli body standing upright between two or three of them. i The four corpses were laid in a row 'near the p.it-mouth, and 20 or 30 miners who had waited about all night in the hope of joining the rescue party and slept fitfully in the corners of the engine shed, gathered round and tried to idenify them The bodies were brought m on the Taupiri Company's private rail--way, and in the early morning a sad little procession of minors carried their mates through the main street to the Oddfellows' Hall, where 12 bodies were now laid out.. A couple of hours before the body of Jacob Thompson had befound by the party working in from the main shaft, and- had been convoyed to the hall. The four latest arrivals were later identified as C. Maloney and W. Slavin, two lads, and R. Munsey and John Hold-on, two ' shiftsmen. Those trying to elucidate tho mystery of , the explosion made inquiries about the positions in which tho bodies wero found, but the rescuers could givo little information. The bodies, it appeared, were discovered in all positions- Somo/ tho men had simply fallen forward on their faces; others had boon thrown backwards, and lay with their arms bent as if they had been trying ■ to shield thoir heads; others lay against walls as if they bud benn swept aside by the rush of air, and somo were buried beneath falls of coal-dust. Tho essential evidence of a mine explosion lay thickly everywhere. Difficult Rescue Work. All Sunday morning tho work ijf rescue went on steadily from tho foot of each shaft. The miners by now wero practically unanimous in believing that not one of the missing men could possibly be still alive, but thay pushed on to recovor the bodies quickly, and with ns little risk as possible. Thorn wero still great quantities of foul air in tho mine, and men wore constantly coming to tho surface to recovor froni its offccf.s. The more advanced parties carried canaries, which, providing an early and infallible indication of the. presence of treacherous gases, were simply invaluable. By Sunday afternoon systematic and scientific bratlieing and stopping was beginning to have a pere&ptiblo effect, and the men from the mnin shaft, expecting always to be delayed by a heavy fall of coal, were .a-blo ultimately to win right through, and junction with tho men from tho western shaft. ■ Mr. W. .Woods, tho Extended Mine

manager, was the man to make the journey and report all comparatively safe.; Six More Bodies Found. ,i! AUhough there was still danger from '-gases> tho rescuing parties had now greater liberty, and they pushed beyond rthe limit of their forinor explorations and late in the afternoon reported the discovery of six more bodies. They were those of Keely, Lyons, H. Burt, Sttsole, D. Patterson, and W. Patterson. Once more a little procession, of stretcherbearers took the bodies to tho Oddfellows' Hall, whore there wore now 18. Work was carried on vigorously at the main shaft all day on Saturday, under very groat difficulties. After being repeatedly driven back, a littlo party was able to penetrate u short distance into the mine, and forming a bucket brigade, made an attack upon the fire, which they discovered. This was put but, but the air was not clear. Further investigations disclosed other fires, fltid, tlicse also were put out. Then bricklayers and a supply of bricks were sent dwown. The bricklayers began to build' a series of stoppings to control and direct the ventilation. Tho ventilation system of a big mine is very carefully and scientifically arranged and adjusted,'and such an explosion as that described blow.out the stoppings, destroyed the guiding walls, and disarranged the whole circulation. Tbo work of remedying this was not only highly dangerous, but very complicated as well. However, tho passage of air through the mine gradually reduced the poisonous gases, and at two o'clock on Sunday morning between twenty and thirty men went below, and with bags of sand, cereent, and bricks, began to replaco the blown out stoppings between the main roffds and tho old workings, from which tho gas was steadily escaping. These mou went half-way into the mine, taking great risks to themselves, but although they searched they discovered no sign of the missing miners until they came upon Thompson's body, which was taken to the Oddfellows Hall

Soon after daybreak on Sunday there was work for hundreds of men below ground, and volunteers wero innumerable, but there was a lamentable scare- , ity of safety-lamps, and not more than twenty-five men could work at either shaft. The Hunty mines have always Geeii regarded as so safe that safetylamps wero never considered necessary, and were never stocked, Tho miners habitually worked with a- naked light. Complaint was also made that there was not available a supply of that make of helmet which enables miners to go with; safety into placee where there aro 'poisonous gases. However, from very early on Sunday morning tho work near tho main shaft proceeded briskly in shifts, with the excellent result that, as described, direct communication tweeh the two airshaftswas restored on Sunday afternoon. There were five horses in the mine at t!io moment of the explosion, two of them in a stable about one .hundred yards from the foot of the main shaft. Four of them perished miserably, but tKe first, which was. being driven,in a tram near "the little dip," when the explosion camo, -and was abandoned, displayed almost human intelligence It made its way through the smoke and fumes to' the foot of the main shaft, and being discovered waiting there by the rescue party, it was put into tho cago and. taken to the surface. THE POSITION UNDERGROUND., OFFICIAL STATEMENT. An official statement of tho position underground was obtained this morning from Mr. James Fletcher, mino manager, and Mr. E. S. Wight/ late manager. Owing to an injured' kneb 'Mr. Fletcher had been ' unable to go below, 'and Mr. had 'suporin- ' tended ;bperatiohs since - Saturday. Mr. .'Fletcher,.'.however, lias'Jeeu' indefatig,ablo in Ins efforts /to"organise matters above ground. ','-.' i /"Tho work , of exploration is proceeding > satisfactorily," remarked Mr. Wirfit. "Connection was effected yesterday 'between the. two main downcast shafts, which aro a mile and a quarter apart, thus establishing a good current of ventilation throughout the main roadway, and making the mino safe for exploring parties. ■ Questioned as to the damage to tho property, Mr. Wight said that considering the , 'violent nature of the explosion as evidenced in all parts of the, mine, the damage to the property was not serious. FURTHER BODIES RECOVERED. THIRTEEN STILL .MISSING. . \ Hamilton, Septembor 14. The list of the additional bodies recovered to-day is:—. ' James Mayland. Thomas Taylor. C. 0. Moulcsworth, married. Thomas Casson, sjngle. Frederick Taylor, married. William Mitchell, single. Arthur Ruston, married. One bo'dy is unidentified. Thirteen are supposed to be still undorground, for whom there is no possible hope, making in all forty lost. Requiem Mass was said in the, Roman Catholic Church this morning for tho dead Roman Catholic miners, of whom six were buried to-day. ' . Auckland, September 14. • Latest advices (11.25 p.m.), from Huntly state that bodies are still being recovered from the mino. Tho work of the rescuo parties has been continued all day. So far no one has come out alive, except those mentioned yesterday, and it therefore seems certain that the death roll will comprise the list telegraphed yesterday, of thoso already dead and those who were tlien missing. THE FUNERAL. PROCESSION.A MILE AND A HALF LONG. , ;■-- Auckland, September 14. "-The funeral of twenty-one victime of 'the disaster took place this afternoon. ■when about four thousand attended. j-M&'ny of tho deceased were members of the Territorials or volunteers, and they I were accorded military honours. Tho procession was fuly a mile and a half long. Tho ooilins wore placed on' fivelorries, and wore draped with flags. Arhong those present wore the Hon. W. ITrascr, Minister of Mines, and Messrs. Robertson, Webb, and R. F. Bollard, M.P.'t.' 1 ' Representatives of the Taupiri Uir-j-.tois and '.f rna>'y Wa l bodio* nlsb attended. RELIEF PROPOSALS. CITY FUND OPENED IN ATJCK- ; LAND. ' ; . . Auckland, September 14. Of the men who have lost their lives as a result of the disaster, or who aro .still missing, at least 23 had been married. A fow of these wero widowers without dependents, but the great majority had wives and children, nearly all of whom havo beon loft without resources of any kind. In a number of him bereaved families thero arc five, six, and.seven young children. None of those people arc in immediate want. It was-pay day on Friday, and even where tho women and children aro short of -money thoir present needs will bo attended to by other minors, in the way that minors invariably do on occasions -such, as this. Many of the head miners virero 'members of lodges, and wero insured, and 'money will bo forthcoming I from tl:esc sources. The majority i-t Hie dependents of the dead men, however, now that thoir breadwinners havo gone, must look upon a future that offers little- beyond a hard strugglo for existence. I It would bo difficult to estimate the I number of mothers and sisters of singlo ! men and the wives and children of those i married who, in consequence of tho cs-

plosion, are in need of assistance, but they must represent many scares. Whorskoy had been employed at Lluntly for twelve years. He leaves a family of six. Holdcn had been in Huntly four years. Ho leaves a family of live. J. Skellem was a widower with four children. H. Packhnm leaves a family of twelve. Alfred Packham is a son of H. Packham, and was a wellknown athlete in his younger days. James Darby, aged between 55 and 60, leaves a grown-up family of two. William Smith, aged 55 years, one of the missing, has a grown-up family. William Gowans, also missing, was underground manager. He was a married man with one child. Relief measures have been under discussion at Huutly, and a proposal that a considerable sum of money collected there for tho Patriotic Fund should be diverted for the purpose of relieving the distress caused by tho disaster lias received general support. It is pointed out that in Huntly' there will probably be many cases of distress requiring assistance more urgently --than the Patriotic Fund required money. The Mayor of Auckland lias opened a city fund. MOTIONS OF SYMPATHY. Dunedin, September 14. ,• The Otago Patriotic and Welfare Association to-day passed a resolution of diepest sympathy with the widows and families and relatives of those who have perished in the Huntly disaster. Tlmaru, September 14. ■. Tho Borough Council passed a resolution of sympathy with the Huntly disaster, and asked the Mayor to call a meeting to open a relief fund. Tho council subscribed eleven guineas v> osart the fund. . Has Worship tho Mayor. (Mr. •J. P. Luke) nae received the following telegram from Mr. J. P. Bailey_, chairman of tlie Huntly Town Board, in reply to the city's oifer of assistance: —"Accept sincere thanks for kind telegram. Will telegraph you if assistance required."