FATAL MINING ACCIDENT,

Kumara Times, Issue 968, 6 November 1879, Page 3

FATAL MINING ACCIDENT,

THE INQUEST. Ah inquest was held by Dr Giles, Ooroner, cat the Tramway Hotel, Main street, yesterday, at noon, touching the death of one George Bird. The jury, of which Mr Chisholm was chosen foreman, having viewed thebody, the, following evidence was taken : David Angus, sworn, deposed ; I am a miner, resitting at Cape Terrace, near WesM.rook. I knew the deceased George Bird. He was a mate of mine. I saw him last alive at four o’clock in the afternoon of Monday Inst; he came to relieve; me in our claim at that hour. I left when he came. About an hour and a-lialf after that a man named KholulT, in an adjoining claim to oms, heard singing out. I and another went to the front of the terrace, and Rholofl'w-is .standing on our tip head, then calling out, and making motions with his hands. We then ran down the terrace to the tunnel ; tin; ground was falling all the time from the face of the terrace. The terrace is about Bft at this point from the head of the tunnel. Tin; tunnel was .-.bout thirty feet long. 80 far the tunnel bad only gone through a. slip, and had not entered the main terrace. The tunnel was closed up when we got d<uvn. We immediately commenced to clear uway

the fallen ground. We were nearly seven hours working before we got the body of the deceased out. The body when found was lying on its left side partly ; a lat'a was across the neck, and the earth closely pressed on the body. There were some large stones lying in close proximity. The deceased was quite dead when he was taken out of the tunnel, and I have no doubt death was instantaneous. The drive was well timbered, and 1 cannot account for the falling-in of the earth. The only way I can account for it is that something must have struck one of the legs, and then the cap-piece came away. The deceased had worked with me about five weeks, but I have known him for some years, engaged in mining, off and on, I consider he was an experienced miner. Ido not know his age. By a Juryman; There was one joint in the reef running up and down, but J do not think it had anything to do with the accident. Carl Hold off, sworn, deposed : I am a miner residing in Kumara. I knew the deceased George Bird, His claim was near ours, at Cape Terrace. I saw him last living on Monday afternoon last, at half-past five o’clock, I saw him entering the tunnel of his claim with a candle in his hand. I came out of my tunnel about half-an-bour afterwards with a load of stones, when I beard a report like a cannon shot, I looked up, and I saw the tunnel in which Bird was falling in. I went up as quick as I could and sang out to him, but got no answer. His waistcoat was hanging outside the tunnel, I gave the alarm, and the miners at once came down and commenced working to get Bird out. I did not see the deceased taken out. I have been in the tunnel of Bird’s claim, and from what I saw I considered it well timbered, George Henry Acheson, sworn, deposed ; I am a legally registered qualified medical practitioner, residing in Kumara. On Monday last I was called out to a mining accident at Cape Terrace. On my arrival I found a man by the name of Bird had been buried in a tunnel. I remained until the body was got out. There were several contusions and abrasions on the body. The immediate cause of death was suffocation, caused by the earth pressing on the body. The same body now lying in the house which the jury have viewed to-day I identify as the same body. The Coroner having briefly summed up the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of “ Accidental death.”

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