Miraculous Escape from Death.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 16 May 1891, Page 2

Miraculous Escape from Death.

# An accident which would no doubt have resulted fatally, but for the timely assistance rendered by Messrs B. Spelman and A. G. Brebner, who were on a visit to their sections in ' the Pohangina district, occurred last Tuesday afternoon near Ashurst. On travelling through the bush they heard moans from some one as if in great pain, and not knowing the exact place from whence the cries came, one of them ' coo-eed ' and received an answer of " Come quick, quick." Striking out in the direction they thought to be the right one, which was in a frightful state of bog, they were horrified to find a man pinned to the ground by a log, some three tons weight, laying across one of his legs. It may be mentioned here that the sufferer, a young man named Alfred Gardiner, who is employed at Mr Warne's sawmill, was returning to the mill with a load of logs on a trolly, and the log he was sitting on, on going round a very sharp curve rolled off, taking him with it. They saw that the only way to get him out of his perilous position was to scrape the dirt away close to the leg, which they found to be no easy matter, as lumps of wood were met with in several places, the man being in agony the whole time. At last their efforts were rewarded, and on being extricated it was found that his thigh was smashed. They lost no time in having him taken to the mill, and Dr. Macintire having been sent for, attended to his injuries. The poor fellow must have laid quite an hour under the log, and probably woulcl not have been clis-

covered until hours after by the bushmen returning from work. We -.. are informed he bore his sufferings with great fortitude, and is progressing as favorably as can be expected under the circumstances,