FATAL ACCIDENT AT WEATHERSTONES.

Evening Star, Issue 3614, 22 September 1874, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT AT WEATHERSTONES.

A fatal accident happened on Thursday afternoon to Mr William Carr, a miner, who had been working at Weatherstones for about eleven years. He was working in a claim on Post Office Hill, when a fall of earth came upon him, killing him on the spot. The principal evidence at the inquest was given by Edward Firth, a partner of the deceased, who said“ We were mining on Post Office Hiil, ground sluicing. The depth of the ground was about eighteen feet. We had be 3n tunnelling, and started on the morning ot the accident to sluice. The right-hand side of the claim was old broken ground. I turned on the water in the morning, and wc worked on safely up till two o’clock, about which time our tailrace got blocked up. Deceased asked me to go down and clear it. After I had been down a few minutes, and cleared the race, I heard a fall of earth, and the water suddenly stopped. I ran up to the face where I had left my mate. I looked around for him, but he Was not to be seen. I also called, but received no answer. The place where I last saw deceased was covered with earth, and I then ran down to the township ft r Mr Kemp, whose place is about 200 yards from the clqim. We then returned together to shift the earth from the plape where 1 last saw deceased. Vfe shifted a quantity qf earth, and cquld not find him, JVemp then wept to seek further assistance, and returned with the brothers Coxon. We then started to sluice away the earth. Whilst doing this, the head race broke away. 1 left to repair it, and on my return the men employed seeking deceased had found him. I believe he was quite dead when discovered. This would be about half-past tour o’clock. We had expected a fall of earth at the place where it came down. The water was running over the face, and the ground appeared to me to be dangerous. Where deceased was killed was the opposite end of the claim to where I left him. I cautioned him about the dangerous nature of the ground, and told him to be careful. He said the ground looked rather dangerous, but he did not express any fear. Carr was a native of Cumberland, and was forty-three years of ago. There were only two of us working in the claim. I think deceased put himsTf into more than usual danger in working where he did. Mr Carr was mnch respected on the goldhelds, behaving always taken a promine»t part in any matter where the interests of the district were at stake. He was a member of the first Mining Conference held in Dunedin, and in this and other public matters devoted his best energies for the public weal. Deceased leaves a widow and large family to mourn his untimely