FIRE IN WAIHI MINE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 157, 22 March 1918, Page 6

FIRE IN WAIHI MINE

QUICKLY GOT UNDER CONTROL, By Telegraph—Press AfißooiaUoD, Waifiij March 21. An outbreak of lire occurred last chining at the A'o. I) (plan.) level •»*' the \»aihi muie. in tue locality tuo umbers in tko level were particularly dry, and the lire spread rapidly along tne level and up two timbered rises lit. the vicinity, uirc-iigiiung appliances were quickly brought into requisition, aud the mo uheciied within a tew hours, of the outbreak. Men ou tuc siailt fought the- lire gallantly turougliouD the night. The me was confined to a small area, and is not regarded as serious. One of the fire -horses underground was sutfocated. Owing to the dense smoke spreading throughout the workings, the work iu the miuo is temporarily suspended. • Later. The fire has not yet been extinguished, and it is probable that the- timber in the small area affected will continue to smoulder lor some little time, preventing full resumption of mining; operations for perhaps three or four days. Tho fire, however, lias been confined to "its section of-the mine with a length of about 170 feet on tho cast end of the Martha reef, and tiiero is not the slightest prospect of its extension to the other portions of the level at which it occurred or to tho workings above or below that level. This means that when the affected area, agaiu resumes normal, the company, can, at trifling expense, regain orewinning point. Meanwhile the quantity of stono at-"Waikano is sufficient to enable the mill to be carried on as usual, and there is no reason to anticipate any appreciable reduction in the monthly gold output. Clearly in these circumstances there need bo no cause for alarm. It is'not an uncommon thing that a deadly gas known as carbon monoxide follows tires in confined areas in a mine, anr although ifc is considered improbable m this case precautions have been taken to combat sucli a happening. At the instance of the mining inspector caged canaries have been placed at several points adjacent to the fire. These birds, it is understood, are peculiarly, sensitive to the presence of the gas, and on its first appearance ,a drooping of the wings of the birds is noticeable. This indication, should it come, would give all the workers employed in connection with the extinction of the fire ample time to reach a point of safety.