The Colliery Disaster.
There is a general impression, that the explosion at Mount Kemble was due togas. The remarkable thing is that gas was never known to exist in the mine before. The front shift was just coming out at the time of explosion —in fact s the men did not know that anything out of the common had occurred until they emerged from the travelling road, and saw. the crowd of men, women, and. children gathered there. t A singular circumstance was that the explosion was beard nine miles away, and not . even heard or felt by the miners who were leaving off work. In conversation with some of the rescued, it was learned that their first sensation was a sense Of deafness and a feeling of suffocation. Some, state that they were knocked down as if by a blow* Lights were blown out by the fierce rush of wind. In one case a miner stated that ho felt almost choked to death with the smoke,, and the onljr way he escaped suffocation 'Was by lying flat on the ground. Some crawled along bn their bands and kneea towards a place called the air reserve, and waited there until the Stuck© cleared away. explosion is supposed » have occurred about a mile and a half from the entrance to the pit. It is feared that the bulk of the men working there perished. Those whe got out alive were working'in places situated away from No. i district. The force of the explosion was terrific. The main road was abseluely wrecked for more than a mile from the entrance, and the-engine-room above the entrance was reduced to match- . wood. A huge cog-wheel was lifted 300 yards into the valley beneath. People made their way to the pit month; which is situated in mountainous country, from all places for miles around. One unfortunate woman was met with on her sorrowful journey home, having lost in the accident husband and son. , The dead as they were brought from the mind, were placed in the enginehouse. The appearance of the majority showed how sudden had been their •nd. There was nd mark or disfigurement and as the pallor of death was hidden by grime and dust, it would be difficult to tell that they were not asleep. Others were considerably disfigured by burns and bruises; The bodies were laid side by side on the floor ef the building. ... . Up to a o’clock bn ist August thirtyeight bodies were brought out, and the list is hourly Increasing. This leaves fifty to sixty unaccounted for. TKbec last recovered were, terribly disfigured, showing that they .must have beau near the site of the explosion and fire. The hope ef rescuing any alive it practically abandoned.
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Manawatu Herald, 5 August 1902, Page 3
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458The Colliery Disaster. Manawatu Herald, 5 August 1902, Page 3
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