Colliery Disaster

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1921, Page 2

Colliery Disaster

ENTOMBED. A MhXE DISASTER. 70 MEN ENTOMBED. AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. BRISBANE, Sept. 19. There has been a terrible colliery disaster iu North Queensland, where an explosion, which is believed to have been caused by gas occurred in the Mount Milligan coal mine, in the Cairns district. The explosion has entombed seventy miners. There are about 50 surface hands now working feverishly to rescue them. The superintendent engineer of the mine, however, Fold? that there is little, hope that any of the miners will lie rescued alive. Assistance is being despatched from Marouba. (Received This Dav at 8 a.m.) | ’ BRISiBAXE, Sept. 19. 1 There, were heart-rending scenes at ' Mount Mulligan Jnine. Relatives of the entombed miners gathered at tho : pit head when the news of the disaster,' ' which occurred at 9.30 in the morning, was received. I Inside the mine feverish activity re- ' reals where a. mountain of debris lias to he removed. ' The rescuers are working until they drop from exhaustion. The task facing them is a stupendous one, as hundreds of tons have fallen in the drive. RECOVERING THE DEAD. (Received This Day at 10.15 a.m.) BRISBANE, September 20. It is believed at least eighty men ' ;ij-,. entombed in Mulligan colliery explosion. Foiij dead bodies have been recovered. Rescue work is impeded by a rush of gas in the tunnel. Little advance is expected till fans arrive to relieve the gas. One theory of the explosion is that the miners broke into gas hitherto unsuspected. The men always used unprotected lights. The bodies recovered were badly burned indicating little hope that the remainer are alive. Mulilgiin mine is owned by Chellagoe Company of Melbourne. H is situated 103 miles from Cairns and has been working for eight years. The output is three thousand tons monthly. The whole productive area estimated to contain 52,800 thousand tons, sufficient for two hundred years.

THREE BODIES FOUND. (Received This Day at 10.15 a.m.) BRISBANE, Sept. 20. The Mulligan explosion was so severe, that it wrecked the workings throughout the mine, and was heard eighteen miles away. The number of men in the mine is not certain. One report mentioned about one hundred. So far as is known only two escaped from under ground and the under manager. Evans, was got out badly injured. The bodies'of three miners Thompson. ( O’Grady and Riunmin were aft badly burned.

Rescue work is greatly impeded by large quantities of gas coming from the workings. .Sonic rescuers were overcome. Supplies of gas masks and oxygen have ln*en obtained and are now facilitating progress.

AN EXPERT’S VIEW. (Received This Day at 11.30 a.m.} *- SYDNEY, Sept. 20. John Evans, consulting engineer, father of the injured underground manager, states sometime ago lie officially' inspected Mulligan mine, which was extremely dry and dusty. As no firedamp was known to exist, it was worked with naked lights. The mine was well equipped throughout and was mechanically ventilated by pov cl till electric fans. He considers the probable cause of the explosion was dusty atmosphere producing earhmretted hydrogen. From his experience of explosions it is unlikely under the circumstances that any of the entombed men will lie got out alive. J. T. Watson, General Manager of Oh All ague mines, after spending some time in New Zealand received his pre-’sc-nt appointment. One report states there were a eerie's of explosions olosely following each other.