A Burning Coal Mine.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3700, 17 July 1906, Page 3

A Burning Coal Mine.

MEN ENTOMBED, . BUT RESCUED. Dunkmn, July 14. The Molyneux Coal Company’s mine at Alexandra South is on fi re - ~ Four men are entombed.. Their names are Sam. Churchill, Win. K ng, Michael Keane, Archibald Bruce. Churchill is married,_ with a family, and the others are single. Eater. The latest advices report that 150 men with pick and shovel succeeded in turning water into the mine. The entombed miners signal that they are all well. The manager and other experienced miners express the opinion that the men will be rescued by night. 1 July 16. King, on being interviewed after his rescue from the Molyneux C)al mine, said the fire broke out between 3 and 4 tm Saturday morning. " Churchill was boss of the shift. He went forward to see to the pump but found the pit on fire and came back to the face, "giving us the alarm by yelling “ Run for your lives.” “ We made for the shaft and seemingly got within a few feet of it but were driven back by the 1 fierce heat. Finding we could do nothing with the fire we barriciied ourselves off from it. ' ‘ Having disconnected the pump pipe we tried to get communication with the surface, but were unable to make ourselves heard. We distinguished knocks on the pipe, and replied, but could hear no voices. Our only fears were the collapse of the main shaft. We knew a rescuing party was trying to come to us. Our party took it in turns to try and find an outlet in that direction. “ After we thought the fire had been subdued we decided to go -together in the direction we expected the rescue party. The smoke and damp were very bad. “ Kune was the first to collapse. We left him with directions to keep his head close to the water and hold on for his life. Churchill and Bruce collapsed in turn, but I Struggled on and ran against Hunter just behind. I remember no

more till I came to, with my friends all round me. Kane adds that the place where the rescuers got them was pretty well at the bottom of the dip about chains down. They escaped by” building brattices across the clip to imprison an area of good air and also to keep the smoke and baid air out. They examined these stoppings from time to time to see they did not leak. King was first taken out and then Kane. By that time the Bannockburn miners opportunely arrived, for the local rescuers were pretty well exhausted. The Bannockburn men quickly rescued the remaining miners. Two rescuers, who were also affected, have completely recovered, as well as the four imprisoned men. The Minister for ■ Mines wired on Saturday to the local Inspector of Mines expressing distress at the occurrence and authorising the expenditure of money in securing help to save life.