NARROW ESCAPE

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1925, Page 3

NARROW ESCAPE

MEN CATGUT JJY FALL OF EARTH WELLINGTON. March 31. 'I wo corporation hiLom-ors working in a trench cutting at Karori yesterday morning had a narrow escape from death. A mass of earth slipped -way am! partially buried them. Both men were .severely injured and were removed to the hospital. They were .John Mngoreii. single, suffering from injuries to his hip. and George Knsor, < married man. who sustained I'ai uu■d ribs. An extensive city work is in progress ran the highlands Karon, •' here a -l!it).(l!lt> galh n service reiser, voir i.s being constructed on the to. >f a hill. The main egress will ran airily through a tunnel and between

the I'uad reservation L inniary and the actual road. 'I lie trench cuts through rising ground, and i.s about 7ft deep at the roadside anil i2 Mat deep as the ground rises towards t! < reservoir reserve. The job was almost completed, and all throng'll the vertical sides of the Uvm h (which is 3 feet wide) had stood up so well that li boring Was considered unnecessary. Toe two labourers were working in i.,. 11 en. 'll towards the deep end at li. a.m. when, without- any warning, mass of rotten rock and t lay slipped away from the no: them side of the trench at a height of about lift. Mugorew. who was in the act of making out of the treinh, was caught by the falling earth, pinned against the opposite side of the trench, and buried up to bis chest. while Elisor, who was further in at the working fare, was buried up to the waist. An alarm was raised and the rose - voir gang summoned. The position was extremely ] rerarimv; since the ,sl-:n exposed an almost vertical “greasy back.” overhanging which was some four feet of surface earth which, had it fallen would have buried both men. The lirst action of the rescuing gang was to secure timber to form a rough protection above t.lie h-cat'.d of the partially buried men. ami the work ol digging them out was »• vigorously undertaken that both mm were released in less thru a <|iiarter < hour. [u the meantime medical aid had he.-n summoned from the city, and Dr. M’Evedy was i n the spot soon after I tin: men were- earned out ol the trout h. After an examination Dr M’F.vedy expressed the opinion that Magoren , pelvis had been badly wrenched or ; twisted and one el Knsor s short vies [ hail been broken. Both men were removed to ihe Wellington Hospital "here they are re- j polled In he progressing as favourably as can Ip expected. , 111 order to complete the trench < through which Die "ater main is to I pass the rides are being "tummed” up I ill ease of further accidents. I