Mining Disaster

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 142, 3 July 1937, Page 5

Mining Disaster

-Presa Aasn.-

DISASTER AT N0RTH STAFFORDSHIRE Second Outburst Traps Rescue Party AT LEAST 24 DEATHS

(By I'elegraph-

-Gopy right.)

(Received 3, 11.0 a.m.) 4 LONDON, July 2. Fixe caused an explosion in the working face at the Holditch main colliery at Chesterton, North Staffordshire, killing three men and injuring 13, one of whom died at hospital. During the rescue operations and the sealing-up of the affected area a second explosion occurred, inyolving 18 men, who included mine otficiaJls and inspectors. Pour members pf the rescue team were overcome by gas and all these are trapped in the pit where their recovery alive is believed to be hopeless. A later message states that tliero were 200 men underground when a sheet of flame from the neighbourhood of coal-outting machinery caused a stam pede A cdunt disclosed that two men were left behind and wero cut oif by the fire. An overseer, although lacking a respirator, tried vainly to reach them but they perished. Three men were killed by the first explosion. The second explosion occurred three hours later while the rescue work was in full swing. Flames desperately hampered the work. Lorries rushed tons of sand to the pit to seal off the buming area and ten rescue teams worked until midnight but, thougk it is understood that tbe fire has been smothered, tbe heat prevented access to the actual scene of the disaster. A message received at 1.30 p.m. states that the casualty list is now 24 and aight men are in a critical condition, It has been ascertained that the fire is not' extinguished but is spreading and engineers have decided to flood the pit immediately, Seventeen bodies that were located below the ground have been removed. -