FATAL MINING ACCIDENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3926, 24 September 1875, Page 2

FATAL MINING ACCIDENT.

(From our own Correspondent.)

Arrowtown, September 22. An inquest was held at Queenstown on Monday, at 11 a.m., on tho body of Thomas Hancock, a miner, thirty years of &ge, a native of Cornwall, and a member of the Queenstown -iOilge of Good Templars. He was suffocated m a drive at Arthur's Point, Shotover, on Saturday last. 11. Beet am, Esq., Coroner, p-esided.

Samuel Edwards deposed : Deceased was ono of my mates. Wo havo been driving a prospecting tunnel into a landslip at Arthur's Point, and he come to relieve me at the face at 10 a in. on Friday last. Tho tunnel was then in 32ft., and close timbered up to the face, the sets being 4ft. apart, and close lathed. He took my pick Rnd went close to the faee and I stepped b.ick to go out. Ab I wa« going the second set of timber from the face gave way and a large stone and a quantity of ear .hj fell into the drive, separating me from' deceased, who called out to me to extricate him. I ran out to get a "spreader" to secure any more sets fi om giving way, and, having done this, gave the alarm to my neighbors, and in half-an hour twenty men wore on the ground, and remained there working for twenty-seven hours without intermission until the body of deceased was recovered. The work of recovery was highly dangerous, as the gtound waß crushing all the time, and shortly alter the body was not the whole drive collapsed. Deceased was heaid moaning up to 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, but not afterwards. A jjreat deal of water was running on him from the faoe ; this was very cold, being snow water. He was also quite barred up by mullock. Other witnearess testified to the finding of the body and its n-moval toQueenstown, and a verdict of " accidental death " was returned. The Good Templars attended the fuuerd o l ' deceased and formed a circle roun the grave; and after tho Churoh of England burial service had been read, their chaplain (Bro. Mackliu) read the service of the Order in a most im, ressivo manner. As thisiß the first case of the kind, all th ■>. four local lodges combined to render it effective.