THIRTY-FOUR LIVES LOST.

Dunstan Times, Issue 880, 28 February 1879, Page 3

THIRTY-FOUR LIVES LOST.

(From the Dunedin Dailies.) Early on Friday morning a telegram was received in town slating tint an evplosion had occurred in the Kaitangata Coal Company’s mine .at Kaitangata ; that a large number of men were in the mine, aid that there was little-hope of any of them being got out a iv *. The acei cut happened shortly after nine in the m u a ui g, hut how it was oceasio ie I is at present a mere matter of cot jccuire. The inhabita its «»f the township observed a dense column of spike issuing from the mine, and many hastened to it, knowing that it betokene I a very serious accident. It appears that there was hardly any icport, hut a boy named Edward Dunn, who was entering the mine, was thrown out of it by the explosion a distance «*t ab nit 20 yards ; that a horse and six empty trucks were projected from tlie pit’s mouth a similar distance; and that another lad, named James Hawke, who, noticing smoke and dust coming from the pit, was trying to escape, was b.ow u some distance, but falling in a slight hollow escaped serious injury. The b *y Dunn was killed ins an. aneously, a nl wis much lacerated; but, strange to say, lie horse was dot kibe I, although it was great y injured. Wi houb delay the men fro n iho neighbouring pits met together ..nl organise I a volunte r party to ny to rescue th* men, an I simultaneously the women and children gathered at the mouth of the pit When the extent of the catas tiophe became known the scene at the pit’s mouth was indescribably sad. The women ami children huddled together on.a hillock and gave vent to their anguish in the most heart ending cri* s. but only the children wereabe to lind relief in tears The si in pi* statement of the facts that some twenty woin n knew Hint in all probability the\ li.i*l sp ikeii o their husbands for the las tbi.e, and that ihe strong arms ot the brea Iwhine s of 100 children lay still in death, will perhaps m st a 'equa cly convey the •dei of the feelings which sought ex press" >n in tlu pit**dus cries wid th went u » from "lull an assemblage of wi b»ws and orphans l‘he n scuing parly made but si »w progress. \l hough on y iwo fdis had been caused by the explosion, the drives ha 1 been cleared of the ‘•brattices,” or par iti ns. which c mse the draught necessary to tinsafety of the mine, a id these hid to be re place I wi:h canvas or th • rescinds could not have live 1 live minutes in the mine. As it was. several of the men were well nigh stiff ci'ed At H st. they did nob work in | regular shifts, 'me those who starte woiked tin-h r such exei emeut that they c mid no '•e induced to desist when they were unable to continue the work effective y. an i had t-i lie bragged out when they became faint. On reaching the mouth of the pit hey were in a «leplwaole state, but r-*c »• vered within 20 or .H) minutes of their »e----------moval to the open air. W neil it was found that the •‘after-damp” which follows an explod. »n of gaK was so stro g. all hope ot rescuing at y of the n e > was ahan hmed by ill the vxperi need miners. Despite the 'hang* r the work of rescue was carried on with nefliggi ig spirit. During the afterno n 21 miner* from the Green Island pits arrive I by special train, and re'ieve I the men who had been working throughout the I day, and by 7 pm « f the Unties were 1 ree -vered, tne following being the minis:— Kd. Dunn, Chis Mac Donald. Win Hay, j Kd Be•rd-onore. Jas Bear 'smove. juu., Ivl. ( B iid'more. «• n . i ’aleh B -ar* Ism ore, Kiidri ; IV vt smore, VVni Hay, 1). I/wkhart. Jo in ! f'huk, *f *hn t»ag-*, Thomas Kin k, Thomas j Frew, Heorgedarvey. Thomas Frew. J se»*h | Mon I ton. It. H Pi, I). 1 »n.*h mao, John F. j Mol'oy, J.dm Malloy, sen.. E Mollov. W n. j WMoney Barney ••» *oee. J >mes Coining J William 110-lge (mana.;ei), W. S. Wilson, W. Watson. Hall, .f?»hu MhMidan, John , Ferguson. C«m't f, sen. ■bi Sa*urday m »r mg the holies of T. Spies a d T Smi hj \\e»e recovere 1, a d on Sun lay mor ing th ; only two rmiib.ing A. Jarviea.nl A. Molge, the deputy mieager, were brought to the surface, an*l f'*»m the poabi.ni in which the decease 1 H‘»dge wag discovered, and oHier circuiusanew*. the re cuers an I Hi * general bo-ly of the red lenta entertain little donb‘ of the cause of the terd *l* citastrophe Hol .e was found in the mi Idle part of a working Hut had l«»ng sine been separate 1 from Hi • •resent workings by means of a woolen 'oo ', which was s uppn-e I to he constantly locked, a i*l of win hj the deceas'd Hol.e ha I char e of the Key. He, ‘oo, wis stro ched face d* wnwards Ili J bo !y ami face were S'?vcrel\ scorched, ami hi* cloth s fr* m th** w.*ds‘ onwards had been 'unit ofl* him I'm being tu* led over. Hie skin of his ■eft hand fell off as if it ha I been a 100-e g’ovc. The nnfor'umVe man. evidently havi ig gome occasion to enter the old woi Icing, must have done so wi'h a n ike 1 i :ht, li‘r’e dreaming of the fearful risk he ran What took hj m thee can, so far, only bf U*ft t • cn >j lernre. S »ma ol 1 m n *rs a«se t that nn lor no s ha i he a right to en‘er with a light a working in which a tremendous quantity • f f-.nl air mn«t. hj .ye a'-cnmn’atc'l. whi'sh othe s evplain Ids c-m Inot by the sn-mise that he went for the pnrnose of obtaining some rdis. One person assure 1 me tint he ha' board the d< c* sed sav he knew the Old Man ” hj i 1 been imm iaonc I in this working, an 1 he would one d *v hj m‘ him on*. ; •nt the idea see ns altogether too ahmn* 1 to be wo thy of anv credence. Of this, however, there can b* l no doubt, that Hodge’s ac-ion has been th * menus of ennsi g the stop minus calamity that without the sli Irest warning rut short the lives of «•» many of his feßow-hab Mirers. The fa‘e of all who were working in the mine at the time, therefore, has now Ivin ascertained bevrnd all question : an 1 after recovering the bo.lv of poor Ho Ige, the labours of those who so nobly an I with so great an amount of self sacrifice handed themse’vcs tocet-h r to search for the mntila‘e l remai is of HiHr bdlo\v-*Tea‘ures. were discontinue I It may here be explained that the mini dr ve runs back fr*»m the month for a distance o r som tli ng like four huudr d yards About half-way in there is a fork, one branch running to Hie left and the other to the right, the right hand one being that wlvch is accoutred the continuation of tlie main drive. Both of these branches lead to thf present, work in s. On the right hand side of this right branch, or lather main i d’ive. and abaut half way between the fork an 1 the nre-ent worki »•»«, are print*- the loM workings Jt was fom these that tin j exnlosi n came. These ol 1 wo-Uin s are on a very lar*.e scale The prinei**al driv< j through them is, roughly speaking, near\\ 20d yards long, end was f-wmerly th* 1 mail id*iv of the mine. Extensive woikings which have been closed an I ah an lone 1 run I f omi it, and from these workings th ve wort [ no 1- ss than six o** seven op*min s on to tht J present main shaf‘, b« side the opening f on the obi nnin shaft t/» the new Wh<*n ] say Hut they were elosed. it must not l*( liu lopwfoo 1 that. ♦ hey would he accounts * snfiioi nt tinker any system of * {3l i -».t. in , gneoHon of cod w-w tugs.. They were dm plv c’os'm! with con' and yith hoards, wlvne n** they should hri’m been brieke I U'\ or. ?•! the Vast, hon’d have been cl off wiH close board*nflr t qti 1 canvns. T h oy c'nnui 1 jdc-Pn ' whh thn main drive by o?i*» do*fr Nubudy bad any business, or, so far a;s 1 cat

practical men that the explosion was preventable. In another respect, assuming the explosion, there is every appearance that, ha I due precautions heon taken, the lives of 29 out of the 31 victims should.not have been saeriticed. The mine hel no sufficient •" return air-course. ’ Had the mine been duly fouh I in that respect, the Jives of Archibald Uodgo ( he manager), Jarvey, Spiers (who was killed hy the debris), and the boys M‘l)oual I and Dunn would probably have met their fate all the same ; hut there was n i reason why the wh le of ih : remaining 29 men should not have escaped. The explosion proceeded from the old wo. Icings, at a p ant less thru half way from the fu k to the present workings. The gas iame out of the old workings, blowing away the woo I work an I coal which had closed up every old opening. The explosion rrav lied from that point inwa.d as far as the hj. ad of die tunnel, then it rebounded back as far as the tunnel mouth, blowing everything away before it for a distance ol tiltv or sixty yards outside tile m uch ot thed ire. Then the men, having no return air-course by which they could esc ipc, had to run down the mam drive, where tliev were met ami cut down by Hie deadly choke-damp. One ot the proofs that the . explosion originated in, and travelled from i he old wo. king, w.u that the boy ,\l‘Donald

and the horse w Inch w;is near were boned, | while the men who had run from the new workings, troin which they had run towards the old workings, were not even singed, but were choked by after-damp while lying on .heir fa-es, having thrown ;hmnselves down lo avoid the suffocating atmosphere. The only safety lamp used was by me fireman in tlie morning in examinin' the mine. 'ldle men could not make their escape down the return aii -course, as it had been destroyed oy the explosion. The return air-course was separated f. om the main diive merely ny brattice-work, every vestige of wnicu was of course blown away, so mat the men nad to face the pms mows atmosphere. Biuh a return air comse would not tie adowed in ■ ■oal-workings in tlie old country, the p»ecan.ion ilieie being rigidly enforced that a permanent return air-cou se must be indued ied l*y some safer meois than a wo »d«n o irtition dividmg 10 from the nnin coil >e. In ;iie old c'Uiury it i.-> compulsory upon ■ he fireman 10 examine tiie reumi air-curse aircfully with a .sil’.uy lamp every day, and i>eu who have wo. ke I lor a i«*ng lime in the mine say that ibis examination never was in ale. Neither was it possible t**r a man to pass a oog ilie re nin air-course, at .c*st without i*reat oiHiculty, the reason being tua it was partly tonne by a narrow sh ill 18ft nigh, and then travel e*i ah -u. 200 ya ils "li the cage of die old Wo. kings. The IBfc .-hail was ox 4 and there was i.o ueans of ascending it. It was llms kopi le» lor ihe men to enoeavonr to esc «pc by the return air-curse ha*l it remained int.iet Asa fact, a'i that pot *f it which was separate I from the main drive by a wooden pa titiou ha • no 1 *nger any exi- r e ic- of ils own, having been blown away. I i ling and the Uewspape.s always warn miners to be more cue u. in close w cat hi r, there being a grcatei pressure of air on the earth, and

consequently giva*e»* liability to falls. No b iroiiieccr will kept hj *re. nor were any of the old workings ’.ricked u »>, which by law is lequhel in the oM conn ry. Tue nightInft ‘elt at about aqu ti ter past seven, ami the air was belter in the new workings that mold -g than it ha 1 evei been lief*ire. Mo ti e-damp,’on •of the men tells me, was ever sin -lr, in i he old workings, b ir. as they were i nearly 23ft high, lar, e quan ities ini.Ut ! have been there without it being nonce I. | ' I mi lers'anl, however, that the existence | : of lie (I nnp in luge quantities was known. ! Wh re t ;e explosion turne out from the old j : wo. kin s ttie iLht s. do of the mat i drive . has iieen blow i away for a long hj of more I than a eliain and a half ir on e i.ing to door. ) : Inside ihU f ill th re is a large pool of wafer I ca .sad i*y the fall backing it up Here Mr Twining, the engineer, was overpowere i y th • oas when exp oring for the bo lies ; and fallug on his face was nearly drowned, Uit | was f n run.ir.t ly seen in lime an I canie I I ; out Tin* mine can l>e icpiaeed in i s old • ! order ;n l«>a film a we k, nut of c n.rso Hie i lateral •m i y will in all probability h-ad to i j a prop r re' Urn air-cui se luring constructed j j at on- c. s > i hat no n in ease of an • x il »s? m | j will not. ha»e thei iefcr-a', cut . IF. The j : necessity fir it is all t lie jivateriu this mine j | as Hie expe bent of inning "ii clu pimps | j and s moi ig d--wn water, wnich brings iowu ! I with it • current of an*, which i< the liist j ; thing-lone in an Ivigish cod pit when it j |li os. cannot »»e adop el in iliis mine. Mor | i is there any iinsh.ifr by w hicii Hie men ca • 1 cse ipe by tne fa; a ice, nor any sli.ain fans I for Facing i • air. I am t*d i that not a I vestige of firedamp now leiuams in the 1 ndne. but ihat tli re is a li tie choke-lamp. I Practical miners from Green Is an were | surpiis d t.lia men should go into Hie mine an i wnk with nak d Siji s, whin the ol • workings weie s» unpru eeted Hal there • ■een a nr-'perly c ms no ted aircu sc, th ■ prob.ibili v is that 2d out of the .’M nnf >rtunate l« I.*-ws wool I have* sea -e I A ptactie.i.l in m lei's me Hi-C a little cmv s ju icious'y u-e l, w-.nl I have kept up a o ns ant. current in the old workings, and pr - vented the accumulation* oL lire damp and eli ke-dnuip in th in It m*Ty aUo l»e mmIloi\ d that tw* of Hie'lea I men—Ga..c a id Moulton left Shore’s pit lately, con-i ler ing the Kail I 'gata Company's mine to be the a ifer o* llie two The seen sal the min **s mni'li will ivd re »• lily »e elFicel Yro-n the memo *y of those wh > witnessed them A worn n knew th.v licr husbaii 1 or m»h, or p *rh >ps li eh. were lying -a I nisi If, yet * ore li-rs if emu p s••illy ; bur when the b*»dy • roiiHit out was rha r «»f • »ne near an I dear to hj *r, her m m testation of anguish was sum “thing

ter i >le. Theie was mi.* occii retice which was, perh«*i|r*. the most p.i ful of these seen s. Apo >r wuin iu, who, ) when her «iea I hnshainl was hroujit out.

\»:is in ;i frightful in Htal agony. thowi g ■ the co’ p'C to her little daughter. siid, “Oh how lie n<e 1 t*i weary to conic h<>m • to nurse i you on Ins knee ; ami see wli.il lie is n nv.” . The l»r**k n wail-* a«d prayers nml lamentations of the women could not hut move ilie , he irt ; a i l it, was no w.-mler as . big strong im r slowly carrel the «le*• lon the hurriedly nn 'e w »o ten sfe c'revs from » the mine to the railway, ami from tin* , railway to the hot* I, that the tears, der, spite their efforts to control themselves } sometime* sprang t* their eyes The » case of Mrs Molloy was a spe«*.allv hir t j on**, the poor worn in losing hj r iins- , band ami h‘*r tvo sons, ami being I«fd in hj r o'd ago without, a relative in the * country. T; e brothers Hall, who cmw . out to this C »|o .y 1 itely, arrived in tho Easier Hill, ami had not comnl te I a f*»rt- . night's work in the mine. Eich *-f them r leaves a large family of votin' children. , Mis Shore, senr., was busy all that, fatal ; Friday a‘ the mine’s month—covering the t dead n-* they were brought out. a task whi hj 3 must, have keen trying to the nerves -f any woman, an I when m«t s » eimage I was coni- , furling her grief stricken ft lends. [ On Sum lav. *2S of tlie bodies were in--5 terred in the Kaitan.ata cemetery, a large I I aßscnddage being present, and the Revs. . i Ibmalds m, Chi-holm, an I Allan taking - 1 pa’ tin the aid pr ove lings. Three. of the . ib-ce ipi-d were ermveye 1 to Dtr-obii. where t they had friends, and were bailed on Men- \ dav in tlm northern ceme»e y.. A. Jarvoy - and A. Hoi e. who-e b»d »s wo*" tin* last to I pr c -veif- \ wer.*bniel at K n’r n at i a MuiaUy. The inquest vas opa*:ui

learn, any special reason for entering them, I and if entere I, a safeiydainp should have been use<l. It is usual to have a printed hoard, marked *• danger,”or "no entrance’ at such places, but no such board was up. These old walkings are very lofty—27 feet high—and large quanti ies of gas could ‘.rather in them,without being noticed. At the same tone, the existence of gas in them was a circumstance of which the miners were aware, or at least some of them. It was c msi lered at the mine that these old w trkings eouhl not have been ventilated, hut the Green Is’aud people hold the opinion that they could have been ventilated easily, and that the tire-damp mid choke-damp as hey arose in them could easily and safe'y hare been carried off by a properly directed draught, all source of danger being thus oh. viated. In that respect, I have it from Uefore Mr Oarew. 11. M., and jury, on Saturday, when, after the holies then discovered were identified, it was adjourned till the fo'lowiug Monday, on which day all local evi I ncc "as taken, when it was ad journed till Mon av, the 3rd prox , to admit of the atten lanee of Mr Allan Holmes, the Managing Director, wh i was at the time in the North Island, and who wished to he nailed as a witness. Mr Commissioner Weldon uas present on behalf of ;he Poliee.