TRAGEDY IN MINE

Hokitika Guardian, 16 February 1933, Page 5

TRAGEDY IN MINE

THREE MEN KILLED FATALITIES AT HIKURANGI (Pt Press Association— Copyright.) WHANGAEREI, February 15. ’ An unprecedented , awful incident occurred at a privately-owned small coa. 1 mine, near about noon to-day, when three brothers, one by onp, ]ost their lives.

The victims are: Jamas Ackers, aged 24, married with one ch'ld ; Jack Ackers, aged 20 ; and Albert Ackers, aged 18. The mine is owned by their father, William Ackers, who was working a iseam at the bottom of a sidling shaft.

By a knock signal, the father instructed that a descent be mad e of a narrow air shaft, about one chain distant from • the main shaft. Thi s air shaft was sunk a year ago, hut had not since been used.' The object of the descent wa, s that of ascertaining the further distance- required reach the seam.

Albert Ackers started on the descent. (He apparently was fatally overcome by black damp fumes when part of the way down, and he fell to the bottom, Then a second brother sensed that something was amiss, and he entered the shaft for the purpose of effecting a rescue, hut he, too, became a victim to the poisonous fumes.

As though this dual horror Jailed to suffice, the third brother assayed the same perilous descent, and he, also, gave the sacrifice of his life.

Since noire of the three brothers appeared aeain, and gave no signal, George Wilson, another employee who was on the surface, rushed to procure assistance. He obtained a canvas chute from the Waro Co-operative Mine, and, after the gaseous fumes had been cleared by this means, the bodies of the thre e unfortunate victims were recovered.

A doctor from Hikurangi pronounced life to be extinct in all three csaes. An indication that the victims were asphyxiated during the descent i? furnished !bv the fact that head injuries were sustained, showing that they fell some distance, tli 6 air shaft being 32£ feet deep. The full complement of the mine operatives is five, comprising the owner, his two sons, and two other employees. James 'Ackers was merely on a visit to the mine at th.g time. The mine disaster at Hikurangi occurred in a small mine taken over only on Monday from the Hikurangi Coal Company by William Ackers, father of the deceased. The had n n t worked fo r orer a year. The ai r shaft .had been sunn when it was last worked about thirty-two feet from the hilltop. A driv. e 'W"s' then - put. in from the hillside, but it was not connected avlth the air tehaft. When Ackers took over the mine it was necessary to join the shaft and the drive, so as to get fresh air. To-day William Ackers went into the drive for the purpose of knocking on the iseam and determining its distance from the air shaft.

Albert was unable to hear, his father distinctly from the top of the shaft. He tjed a rope to a cross, beam .of the shaft and climbed down. When about half wav down, be -stood upon wooden supports, a few seconds. Suddenly he collapsed and fell head fh s down the shaft. His brother James then slid down the rope, hut when half way down lie lost his grip of the rope, and also fell to the bottom.' Jack then a-lso slid down the rope, refusing to'listen to another man’s advice to tie a rope round himself. When about 30 feet down, be also became unconscious. Anothe r brother, Robert, was also about to descend, but was restrained.

William 'Reed, a miner, put a rope c-ev hie shoulders and descended the shaft. When half way down he cried, c Tm going.” He was hauled back unconscious and black in the face. He soon recovered. ' Fresh air was fanned into the shaft and the bodies of the three brothers brought up. Resuscitation efforts fadJames Ackers was down the. shaft on Alonday, and found the air bad, but was able to return. The deceased”were all well-known ■athletes, particularly at soccer. The family cam e from Lancashire only a year ago.

HAVELOCK QUARRY FATALITY.

HASTINGS, February 15

Through being overwhelmed by an unepected fall of shingle in a quarry at Havelock North this afternoon, Richard 'Seddoh Cooper, aged 25 years, carta sis contractor, last his life. The deceased had just drawn up in a lony in the shingle pit, and loading was a bout to be commenced, when a large section of the bank of the quarry fell upon him, inflicting severe injuries, which caused almost immediate death.