FATAL MINING ACCIDENT,

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1761, 6 April 1874, Page 2

FATAL MINING ACCIDENT,

[FROM THE HERALD.] • The inquiry into the death of Charles Anderson, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon, at Anderson's mine, was held at Dawson's Hotel on Thursday last, before the .District Coroner, Charles Broad, Esq., R.M. The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken : — | Andrew M'Kay : I am the working 'man iger of Anderson's . Creek Quartz Crushing Company at Black's Point. I know the body of Charles Anderson. He was 38 years old last birthday,' and was a native of Nairnshire, in Scotland. He was married, and has five children. He was employed at Anderson's in one of the I gangs in general work, and took charge of \ one shift, which, yesterday, was from 4 '• p. m. to 12 p.m. About half-past 4 I saw him in one of the s topes in the tunnel. I spoke to him about the pass. I said 1 thought it was chokpd about midway, and that I had had a man for a portion of » the day taking away part of the stuff until it stopped running. I had tried a cartridge, which failed to dislodge the stuff. I said I would not send any more stuff down that I , pass, but we would use the main pass. 1 ! cautioned him not to run any risk. He ' said that he would examine it. It was ( about 20ft . from : the trap>dcor at the >ottoui of the pass to where: the earth had stuck. The pass is about 2ft. 2in wide by 3ft Bin long. There were about 3or 4 tons of quartz in. ; all. We have had a stoppage in the same place bftfore, and cleared it by sending some one up from t below. i\ ( Jaketh Eddy Wearne : I am a miner f working in Anderson's claim., j went". on a with- deceased : Anderson j at four o'clock o yesterday, to relieve the. shift, and. to a work in the upper stopeV Shortly after- t

wards Anderson asked me to come down and give him a hand to run one of the passes that had got blocked. I went with him to the mouth of the pass. Ho said he would go up and run the stuff down. He said there was only about eight feet. I told him I thought it dangerous, and he told me to close the door behind him, _J aid itwasddhgerousi ' He saicf the eight* feet of stuff would run down .past him, and he could then go up through the pass after. He waited for me -to- : clo8e.~the; ?. door. He said, " I could get on better if 1 had a pick." ,He theii said, "Never mind, I can manage without it." He had - a candle with him. He thfin commenced to clear down some wet stuff that was hanging round the pass. lie then went up and commenced to work a.t the stuff. The dirt was coming down in Bmall quantities for about ten minutes, and some stuff had accumulated over the trap when .,'. I heard the heavy rush of dirt coraeaway, ;i . and I heard deceased sing out, and then immediately, after I heard a sort'ofesMfling sound. I got alarmed and immopiteljr. opened the trap and commenced working : at the stuff to let it run out. Ididflot come out quick, so I ran to the month of, , the tunnel and sang, out to my mates, to bring a crowbar, as I thought there 1 Was , something wrong with Charlie in the pass; ' and for one to go down from above and - try and relieve him there. Knox came with the bar, and we both set to work to get the stuff out as quickly as possible. After a bit the stuff came quicker, and Weisaw the feet of deceased come through the trap-door. Others came and proceeded to : get him out, while I ran for a- ; doctor. '.Ijr' was about eight or nine minutes from' the' time I heard the rush until I saw his feet coming through tho trap-door; John Knox : I am a miner working in, Anderson's claim. About half-pakt 4or 5 o'clock, I heard Wearne call me, saying he thought the.re was something wrong with Charlie in the pass, and. to bring a crowbar. I took up a long drill, and I called out for assistance. One went down from the top of the pass, and others came down to our assistance below.: The trap,., was open and I assisted Wearne to clear ; the stuff. In about five minutes 'we sawf the feet of the deceased coming through*tlfe pass. Wearne then ran for a doctor, and then with otMe'r assistance I got him out. That would be about ten or twelve minutes from the time I went intq.^he tunnel until we got him out altogether. About a ton and a half of stuff came out the pass before we got the body out. He appeared to be quite dead. Before he went in that afternoon he told me he was going to clear the passj andTL r tbld:him'it was a dangerous thing to dp> ,, He said he, V had been up to look at it, and, there 'Wo'o'ld ' ff be no danger, as there waij a ledge pro-" 3 jecting over his head. ■ ■ . • a The medical evidence showed that deceased had received no internal injuries^' 1 and that death had ensaed r fr6m auffoca«oii. , ■-:.:,, ® The jury returned a verdict of '* Acci- . dentally smothered." The remains of the deceased were in- ? terred in the Reefton cemetiery on Friday. Two hundred of Lliis: fellow-miners and " townsmen attended to. pay, a tribute of. respect to his memory. ' Deceased bore,^ ' very high reputation as $ skilful and ittv dustrious miner, which is sufficiently evij denced by the fact of his having been constantly in the employ of Anderson's " Company in a responsible position;' since j the commencement ofr operations three- , years ago. There can be no doubt but. ; ' that his expertness and fearlessness led to his untimely, end, as the task wh|ch he , undertook, though repeatedly accorii- • , plished by him successfully, was fraught with danger.