TRAPPED IN SHAFT

Hokitika Guardian, 23 September 1926, Page 4

TRAPPED IN SHAFT

SYDNEY, September 3. For nearly a week a South Australian mining prospector, William Forth, who is 54 years of age, was trapped in an old mining shaft, into which he had fallen, and to assuage his thirst he nit cue of his arms and drank the blood. Fori; 1 * is one of a number of prospectors who camp near abandoned goldfields and fossick among the old shafts in the hope of finding a reef cf gold that has been missed when toe field was in full swing. Last Sunday week, about midday, lie left his camp to go on one of thise fossicking trips, and when he came upon an open cut. lie determined to, explore it. In the dim light he failed to notice the mouth of an open sdaft and in a moment he mis tumbling through inky darkness. 'When he recovered consciousness he was lying in the accumulated dust ol years, 100 ft from the cut. How he was not killed instantly is impossible of explanation. Forth lud a lew matches, and by their light he explored the planking of the shaft. With only a penknife he began the laborious job of cutting hand and toe holds. Tlis sufferings could have been made the theme of a grim Victor Hugo novel. In darkness, without food and water, cut and bruised, with every day seeing fresh outs and splinter wounds on his hands, arms, find legs. Forth worked with his poor implement, scratching his way ieebly to safety. Throughout six days and for portions of same of the nights he kept gamely at his task. In a weakened condition his strength was further depleted by the means to which ho resorted to keep life in his body and to ward oil’ the devils of starvation and thirst which were attacking him. To do this he made incisions in liis arms with the penknife and drank the blood. THE RESCUE. Early on Saturday afternoon Forth ! ' ad climbed 50ft up the shaft. Here he hung in his perilous situation, half delirious and on the point of collapse, hut working in an automatic frenzy in response to the instinct of selfpreservation. Suddenly in his dulled mind Forth heard a shout. It was repeated, and then, summoning up all his remaining strength, he answered. The next moment a. co'nstable was giving him promise of speedy relief from the cut above. Leading a search party, the constable had explored the cut and it was the scratching of Forth’s penknife in Hie shaft below that gave him the due to Forth’s presence. With a lantern, and/ropes lho constable descended the shaft and in a few minutes the hardy prospector was hoisted to the surface. Taken to hospital he soon regained strength, and in three days was almost hack in normal health.