Coal Mine Disaster.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 October 1922, Page 4

Coal Mine Disaster.

HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE. LONDON,* Sept. (i. About 40 men were entombed under itlie sea as the- result of a coal-mine explosion at Whitehaven, on the Cumberland coast,, yesterday morning. Twenty bodies had been recovered up to a late hour last night. All hope of saving the others has been abandoned. Oats and heavy falls foiled the gallant efforts of the' rescue parties. Tlie scene of the explosion is the Haig Pit, belonging to the Whitehaven Colliery Company. It was at the same company’s Wellington Pit- that 130 lives were lost in 1910. Some of the colliery workings run westwards under the sea, and yesterday’s explosion took place about a mile and a half from the pit shaft. There were some remarkable escapes WHITEHAVEN, Sept 6. The explosion occured a few hours after the day shift had descended. At 10 o’clock the people of V hitehaven were informed that an accident had taken place at the colliery by the loud clanging,.of an alarm bell, which reverberated throughout- the town. This was followed almost immediately by the mournful booting of the alarm sirens—two long and three short blasts. . Thousands of peoplo flocked to the pithead and almost immediately there were hundreds -of volunteers prepared to form themselves into rescue parties and enter the sixth quarter seam o( the pit, where the explosion had been located. .. , Among the volunteers were .Mr Look, erne of 11. M. inspectors of mines. a dozen local pit managers, Mr. Steel and Mr Miller, managers of the Whitehaven collieries; Mr Evans, minors’ agent for the Whitehaven District; Mr Tom Cape, the Labour M.P. for .the Workington division of t umberland : and Major Stoulnr, secretary of the Cumberland Mine Owners’ Association. Mr Steel and Mr Cook were in the first rescue party, but shortly after descending ami establishing telephone communioa.tiou with tho surface an urgent “K. 0.5.” was sounded and the cage was hoisted. Mr Steel and Mi Cook were taken out in an unconscious condition, having been overcome by gas fumes. They were Ixith removed to Whitehaven Infirmary.

Nothing daunted, the second rescue party proceeded down the shaft. This was composed of Mr Keans, Mr Tom Cape, and Mr Scouler. They remained below for a. considerable time, but were compelled to return without having been able to help the entombed miners. Again and again rescue parties heroically volunteered for service, but they all returned with the same sad news, that gas prevented any practical help from being rendered. A member of one of the rescue parlies told me that it bad been impossible to get into touch with the entombed men. There is no sign of life anywhere. in addition to the gas fumes, he said the rescuers had encountered several srious falls of the root, anti it was beyond all doubt that the work of rescue was so dreadfully hampered as to appear almost hopeless. WOMKX’S VIGIL. On a slight summit overlooking the pit hundreds of relatives—wives and sweethearts, mothers, fathers, . and brothers and sisters ol the entombed men are waiting <|iiitly. onsious. hut still hopeful that their menfolk will be saved.

One young wife with a ha by in her arms said to me. “I shall not give up hope until 1 know.” Colliery officials as well as miners’ leaders hourly inform the patient watchers of the progress that is being made in tile, work of rescue.

Among the entomb,<l mu is the son of til Rev [•’. K. Fell, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church. Whitehaven. This young man. who was studying at the Armstrong College., Neweastle-on-Tyne, for his degree as a mining engineer. mallei his first descent into the pit this morning as a workman. His father has been a. pathetic figure at the pithead, where lie has stood awaiting news of his son throughout the whole of the day.

Tlio offices non i- (lie pit have been transformed into a first-aid dressing station, and many doctors and nurses are in attendance in the- hope that tliev may yet l>e of service. Along’ the railway I navy goods trucks are bringing hundreds of lengths of timber, and carpenters are making screens which are being lowered as fast as possible to the relief parties l)(*lo\v. LATER. All hope is nhnmlono.l of saving the entombed men. Rescue parties have made herculean efforts. The engine-house has been utilised as a mortuary and Red Cross nurses are laving out the dead. Tho scene at the pit-head is a tragic one. In the light of scores of arc lamps men and women are standing waiting for the dead to he brought up. As the huge gear wheels revolve to bring up another body the crowd stand with hared heads.

1 have watched in all 18 bodies carried on stretchers from the pit-head to the mortuary. One cage that came up bore a father and two sons, who were found dead together with clasped hands. , ,

The bereaved women are wonderful. They wait for the dread hews. and when they hear it slowly leave the crowd and walk home.

I have just heard that the underground manager’s son is among the on tom lied. The manager has insisted on going down tlie pit again and again to help in the rescue work. SURVIVORS’ STORY.

| I h:i vo I Kiel a. talk with Mr Andrew I Richards, of Chapel Street, 'Whitehaven. who was in the ]vi t when the explosion oreiired. ‘'l heard a treinenI dons hooni.” lie said. “Oust and I smoke (lew through the workings 1 was in. I knew that a tragedy had occurred and rushed for safety v. itji my 19-vear old son. We got a few yards and found a man lying moaning. “Don't, wait for me.” he said, j “hook after the poor fellows down lielow.” AVe carried him to the pit shaft and met the relief party.” Mr Tom Hope, of 10, Scluiolhouselane, Whitehaven, whose brother is among those whose bodies ha.ve boon recovered, wastonoofi a party of about. I(i men working in another part of the pit about 190 or 500 yards away from where the explosion occurred. He told me that he did not hear the explosion, hut anotlir man and his son | who were working a little nearer the j scene heard the explosion and immediately went in different directions I warning other men. They all made for the place where the explosion was heard, hut lacking proper tools they could do little or nothin*; owing to the heavy falls of roof. After an hour they went to the surfaces MUTTT-ATED BODIES. PIT HOAD-DJAKEft'S ESCAPE. AVESTfLAVEN', Sept fi. Up to 10 o’clock 20 bodies have been recovered; 12 arc believed to he still down the pit. Rescue work is still going on. The first sign of the explosion to those oil top was the blowing from its

hinges of a large iron grid weighing several hundredweight covering the uptake shaft, up which had air normally passes. Tile rescue parties found tlmt. heavy falls of roof had occurred within loi) yards of the big shaft, and the main force was' felt in the side workings, in which the entombed men are believed to bo.

The bodies of the men recovered were badly mutilated by tbe explosion and tho irons on the clogs of Hubert Telfer, together with the front part of one dog, were blown away. Forty-eight men went down the ; shaft at fi a.m. Twelve or 13 locally called drifters who were making a new road managed to escape 15 minutes alter the explosion. The pit head, apifrt from the grid, was not damaged.