TERRIBLE MINING ACCIDENT.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2166, 3 February 1881, Page 3

TERRIBLE MINING ACCIDENT.

The Sandhurst correspondent of the " Argus,” writing on January 21st, says:— A dreadful mining accident occurred this morning, the scene of the disaster being the New Ohum Consolidated Company’s mine, on the New Ohum line. A quantity of dynamite, which had been temporarily placed in the engine-house, exploded ; but as all the men about the mine were more or less injured, considerable difficulty is experienced in getting a connected narrative, Prom the particulars I have been able to gather, however, it appears that the men who had worked the night, shift at the mine were relieved, as usual, at 7 o’clock this morning, and those who had come up the shaft had just charged their their clothes, when the engine-driver, Ohas. Porter, observed smoke issuing through the floor of the engine house, which rests on piles, and upon going down he found that flames were rising from one corner of the building. He immediately proceeded to extinguish the flames, in which he was assisted by the mining manager, Thomas Shepherd, and the other men about the surface, whose names were P. Summers, miner; James Whitford, miner; G. Dobridge, lander; E. Hoskins, miner; and W. Qngg, miner. Summers, however, on first seeing the men approach the flames, called out to them to come away, and Boomed to be afraid that an accident of some sort would happen, but as the Are was of very insignificant pro portions, the men continued to throw water upon it, and Summers himself of terwardsjoined

them in the endeavor to extinguish the flames. Suddenly a tremendous explosion occurred, end the men were thrown violently down. Porter, the engine driver, was lifted clean off his feet and thrown close to the shaft. The

mining manager and Dobridge fell upon Grigg. Hoskins, the only man who can give any account of the affair, was pitched over an embankment into an old dry dam, and sustained no very severe injury, though he had several narrow escapes from being struck by falling sheets of corrugated iron and splinters. Whitford and Summers were also thrown down, and were severely injured. By the explosion the corrugated iron sheets which formed the roofing of the engine and boiler houses were lifted from the rafters and twisted up into indescribable shapes, and some of them fell 300 or 400 yards away. The deal boards of which the walls of the building were constructed were blown off, not a single board remaining on the walls, and hardly one of them was to be subsequently found that had not beep smashed into small splinters. That portion of the floor on which the engine driver would stand to work the handle was also blown away, and the building at present is a perfect skeleton, nothing but the wall plates and rafters remaining in position. Not a single sheet of iron was left on the roof, and not a board on the walls. The machinery, however, is uninjured. The noise of the explosion _ was heard at least 'farce miles away. The windows of some of the neighboring houses were smashed, and the flying splinters came down in a shower. The neighbors, in a state of the utmost alarm, ran to the assistance of the unfortunate men. It, was fout.d that Summers had sustained severe injuries to the left eye, over which ti o*e was a great gash, and his legs end body were greatly bruised, several splinters having penetrated the flesh. The mining manager, Shepherd, received very severe injuries to the left eye, the sight of which he will probably lose, and ho also hod several splinters in bis face and body. Grigg, who was to a great extent protected by the others haying fallen upon him at the time of the explosion, escaped with few bodilv injuries, but the shock to his system was very great; end Hoskins received only some wounds on the nose. All these men were taken to their respective homes. The cases of the other three, Porter, Whitford, and Dobridge, were found to be of a very serious nature, and they were conveyed to the Hospital. Porter was suffering from seven or eight severe scalp wounds, his head being in a really dreadful state. His right side and thigh wore out with splinters, his left arm was broken near the shoulder, and some ribs were fractured. Whitford received a dreadful wound on the throat, apparently from one of the scattered fragment!. His larnyx is smashed, and it is supposed that a blood vessel has been brokou, as severe internal hemorrhage has occurred. Dobridge received a nasty compound fracture of the left leg, and a great shock to the system. Dr. Welchman, the assistant surgeon at the Hospital, has been unceasing iu his attention to the three injured men who were removed to the institution, but at present the whole of them are in a very low and precarious condition, and it is impossible to say what chance there is of the recovery of any of them. The circumstances of the explosion cannot, as 1 have said, be fully learned, as the whole of the men who were on the premises at the time were injured. Taking, however, the various rumours which are in circulation, it appears that dynamite was nsed in the mine, and the men had been in the habit of drawing their supplies of the explosive as they required it from another shaft—known as Menzies’ claim—belonging to the company. A day or two ago the men commenced to timber the shaft, and it is said that some dynamite was procured, under the impression that it would bo wanted. On its being found, however, that there would be no immediate use for the explosive, it was placed on the ground, under the fly-wheel. There is no explanation given of the manner in which the fire occurred, but it is probable that a spark communicated with the dynamite, and hence the explosion. The occurrence of the accident was early known in the city, and during the day the claim was visited by a large number of persons. The quantity of the explosive which was ilaced under the engine-house is stated to !i«ve been from 101 b to 161 b. The shook caused by the explosion was distinctly felt at Quarry-bill on one side and beyond the hospital on another, whilst the concussion caused the windows of the houses within a radius of a mile from the claim to rattle as if an earthquake had occurred. On inquiring at the hospital at eleven o’clock to-night, I learnt that the three men who were taken to the institution are still unconscious, and in a very critical condition. The remaining four men, who are being treated at their own homes, are reported to be doing os well as can be expected.