MEN ENTOMBED.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 October 1925, Page 2

MEN ENTOMBED.

LAKE COLERIDGE DISASTER. fHY TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CH RISTCH I'RC'H. Oct. 2. l-'ive men were entombed l>v a fall of earth at the outlet end of the tunnel in the cinirse of excavation at Like Coleridge at fi.45 a.m. to-day. ~~~ Two of the men. Gordon Archer and Hugh Daly, are known to he alive. The Public Works Engineer has every reason to he hopeful of Ihe safety of the other three, who are thought to he Archie AlcDoiiald, Archie AlcFarlane and Richard Green. The. men were trapped aliout thirty a feet in from the surge chamber. y" Communication has boon established by n pipe, driven through the fall. There is a gang now engaged in pni-**-ting through a. small drive to release the men. In the hake Coleridge accident the mimes of the live men are confirmed. MacDonald is a Single man. MacFarhuio is married with two children. Green is also married and has seven children. It is not, known if Archer is married. .1. Shaw and .1. Maher, two other men were on the smile shift. wore out of the danger zone when the tintWring gave way and tons of earth fell from the roof. At 1.30 p.m. a conversation took place with Daly and Archer, and they were supplied with provisions. There is ml sign ot the other three men. Relays of men are working in the hope of recovering the men to-morrow. T HREE MEN BLRTED. BELIEVED TO BE DEAD. CHRTSTCHritCH. Oct. 3. Early this morning, a correspondent at Lake Coleridge telephoned that there was no warning of till- fall. A sudden (rack and rending of timber was heard, followed by the rumble of falling shingle. The fall consisted of two lengths of material, each of lfift. ’(Sin and the bodies of three men. Green, .McDonald and McFurhiiie are buried under the mass of fallen spoil. Two other men. Daly and Archer wero about 111 feet away when the fall Deemed.

The accident was caused through water percolating through the loose shingle and weakening the 'timbering. until it could not support tlie weight. The highest part of the hill was above where the fall occurred. The hill at that point list's TO feet. A by- $ pass tunnel is being driven round a very sharp curve, to reach the entombed men. Strenuous efforts are concentrated on this work. All other tunnelling at the end where the accident occurred is being suspended in the meantime. Seventy-four loot of the bv-pass tunnel lias to lie cut through to get tho mi'll out. and 30 feet of this was com* pic ted at midnight. The by-pass started fairly wide, but rock was onemtn tered and bad to he narrowed dnwiijk until it was just’large enough to into. Ihe rescue tunnel is not timbered, the work of driving a large pipe, was still in progress at '•> midnight. Sup; lies of fruit and food will he drawn through the pipe by means of i hue piercing the end of the- pipe, which is fitted with a pointed plug and tin- plug will he. forced out bv a smaller rod. wlu-n the larger pipe is driven through to where tho men are imprisoned. *