MOUNT KEMBLA DISASTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 511, 26 August 1902, Page 4

MOUNT KEMBLA DISASTER.

' A MINER’S REMARKABLE EX- ’ PERIENCE. WORKING THROUGH THE , DISASTER, TRAGIC TALE OF A TERRIBLE JOURNEY. At the inquest concerning the Mount Kembla disaster Edward Meurant, a miner working at tho Kembla mine, said Henry and William Meurant, two of tho miners who woro killed in the mine, were his brothers. On July 31 last witnoss was working in No. 6 left, No. 19 bord, with Francis Stewart. Stewart loft him at ten minutes past two. Witness continued his work till about 4 o’clock. George Walker , was working closo to him, Witness was working what is known ns a cut-through, 1 and Walker and his mate were working a . bord. He was not awaro anything unusual o had happened at the time ho knocked off. , Walker and witness prepared to go home i at 4 o’clock. They followed tho usual J road, known as the wheel road, out to tho 1 flat. Witness knew the main heading, and wont towards it. When about forty 1 or fifty yards off tho main heading ho noticed the air getting bad, and thoro was j a smell like boiling tar. Walker remarked that it was' from tho new canvas, known f as brattice cloth. AVitness said, “ I believe i. tho pit’s on fire.” He said it more in a joke than seriously. He continued on to 3 main heading to see if tho wheelers had gone homo. Ho found their tins and bottles thero. Still .noticed a peculiar smell as strong as before. They continued j along tho main heading, known as tho ongino road, When they got through tho canvas they found the body of Hugh McListor lying alongside tho rib near the road. Witness put his hand inside Me- ® Listor’s shirt, and found he was dead. He left McLister there, and proceeded . towards the furnace on tho road to the tunnel’s mouth. Ho continued on to Jenkin’s Fiat, and found there a horse lying dead. Ho placed his lamp on tho floor to try tho air, to see if thero was any black damp. Tho lamp burned, and he know there was no black damp. They - then throw away their tools, and continued t to go towards the furnaco. They wero " then about 400 yards from tho flat. They passed soveral horses and men lying on the road. He saw a man named Meredith sitting against a rib alive. His lamp was burning. Witness said to him, “ Come on Joe.” Meredith had his senses, but appeared like a man intoxicated. Meredith said, “ Como and havo a smoke.” Witnoss had no further conversation with him, and Walker and he proceeded on. Meredith made no complaint about anything unusual having happened. They met no one else till they got to the flat. Thero s they met Kelly and Ernest Allen. Kolly . and Allen had safety lamps, and wero [ trying to keop tho men prone on tho ground. Kelly said thoro was an explosion in No. 1. AVitness said to AValker, ! “ You had better go out, you aro an old man, and I’ll stop and help .carry somo of these men out,” AVitness then wont on to the little flat, and carried three men from there. One, John Ryan, was dead. The others were Hartley, Olsen and another man. They then ' went towards

No. 6 right section, and found several bodies lying there, but ho couldn’t say whether dead or alive. They met there Matthew and Adam Frost. They left the two live bodies at Mat’s Flat, because the air was good there. Witness said to Mat Frost, “ Did you st?o Will ?” meaning witness’ brother. He replied, “ Your Will is alivo.” M. Frost then hold the lamp down, and witness saw his brother alivo—ho was lying with his shoulder up against the rib, and Mat Frost said, " I have just sat him up.” Witness’ brother Henry was lying alongside William. Witness could not say whether he was alive. Witness said, 11 1 will go and tell the women,” The air was not then quite as bad as what they came through, but was worse than on Mat’s Flat. Price, Kelly, and witness, then carried another body up to Mat’s Flat. Witness was very nearly exhausted by the foul air. Kelly and Price were ail right. The two Frosts remained where witness left his brothers, and witness then proceeded along the engine road to the mine entrance with Meredith and Sullivan, and eventually got out through the travelling road. He did not again sec his brothers until next morning, when he saw them dead in the engine-house. He had no idea of the cause of the explosion. To Mr Bruce Smith : The place where witness was working was about IGOO yards in the mine, Witness did not know anything had happened up till the time ho knocked off work. Ho had gone about 809 yards from his working face when he came across the first body. Witness did not attempt to remove that body to another part where the air was good. He did not ask Meredith any questions, although they knew something must have happened, as they were ready to drop then. They were expecting to fall themselves every minute. They did not go back to whero the air was good, because the bad air was travelling that way, and concluded they could not carry 7 the body with them. They were going towards the c-utlct and doing ,what they could to assist others on the way. He did not think they could have done any good by lifting up the bodies they found lying against the rib. He was very much scared before he got to Mat’s Flat. The feeling that overcame him was as though he had walked a longdistance and wanted to lie down. There was no shortness of breath, but he felt as if he could not lift his feet—not a weakness of the joints, but a weariness.