TERRIBLE TRAGEDY AT MANGAHAO.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2449, 4 July 1922, Page 3

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY AT MANGAHAO.

SEVEN MEN SUFFOCATED. TWO MEN OVERCOME BY GAS FUMES. FIVE OTHERS SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES. Bright and clear, there stands Oat, XX 02IX dhe details of a dreadful tragedy at the Mangahao Hydro-Electric Works a record of extraordinary bravery. In the tunnel being driven into the Tararuas from the Arapeti basin seven men lost their lives in the dark hours of Sunday night. Five of these men went to their deaths in an effort to rescue two of their comrades. The tunnel, owing to a break-down in the ventilating apparatus, became charged with a deadly gas, principally a mixture of carbon monoxide and dioxide, caused by the exhaust from a gasolene engine operating the waterpumps. Two men were known to be in the tunnel, and five men, who knew the deadly nature of the fatal gas only too. well, went instantly to the rescue—and their own deaths. Volunteers to rescue the rescuers came forward unhesitatingly. Two of these were seriously gassed and are now in the Palmerston North Hospital. The victims were:— William Robert Miller, engineer in charge of the Arapeti section of the works. Albert Ernest Maxwell, tunnel foreman, of the firm of Maxwell and Mann, Wanganui. Frederick J. Birss, tunneller, and his son, William Birss. Phillip Graham, tunneller, and his brother, Frederick Graham, tunneller. Bernard Butler, pump attendant, parents residing at Shannon.

THE INVALIDS. The two men in hospital, who were reported last night to be making good recoveries, are H. E. Kinzett, tunnel foreman, supervising a shift other than Mr Maxwell’s, and C. Trigg, attendant at the electrical sub-station. 111-effects from the fumes were suffered by a number of other workers who participated in the rescue, but their condition did not warrant removal to the hospital, and they have since thrown off their indispositions. ' A CAMP OF GLOOM. , The whole camp has been plunged in the profoundest gloom. All the men were known well in the cameraderie that prevails on the work and the seven deaths in such tragic circumstances were a severe blow to all those whose lives are cast for a brief period in the little township away up in the stern surroundings of the ' Tararuas. Work has ceased at the camp for a week. The seven* bodies lie in the Y.M.C.A. hut, where an inquest will be opened to-day. This same Arapeti tunnel is the one in which Alexander Murdoch was killed and Michael Lynch was blinded for life by an explosion twelve months ago. Arapeti is a basin in the hills, which is to be converted into a storage lake supplied from the Mangahao River by a tunnel under the hills. Another tunnel—that in which the disaster occurred—ls to take the water from the Arapeti lake under the outside range to the generating station on the Shannon side. From the Arapeti side the. tunnel has been driven in 31 chains. Water pours through the sides and top unceasingly, and it is only by unremitting pumping that the work can be carried on. For this purpose a benzine engine, which is now 27 chains from the entrance. Is run without intermission. Another problem, ailil one which is accentuated by the presence of the benzine engine in the tunnel, is the air supply. This is maintained by suction, created by electric energy from the power-house, through a shaft leading up to the face. When the foul air at the head is. withdrawn a draught of pure air from tin; mouth of the tunnel is caused. - ''J At 8 o’clock on Saturday evening work ceased, as .usual, until midnight on Sunday, except that a pump attendant was on duty, as the work of the pumps is unceasing. As the electrical supply was cut off when work ceased, an auxiliary benzine engine at the mouth of the tunnel was thrown into gear to create the suction in order to keep the tunnel clear for the pump attendant’s periodic incursions to the pumping engine. This ran satisfactorily, or nearly so, until 5 o’clock on Sunday afternoon, when a defect occurred, and the engine ceased running. There was accordingly'no ventilation in the tunnel, and the fumes from the gas engine accumulated thickly at the head. However, as there was no work to be done until midnight, and the electric energy was expected at 7 o’clock, this occasioned little concern. The current came on at 7 o’clock, but ceased forty minutes later,''owing to a breakdo wi at tlie power-house. - / A man named Ereeg was on duty at the pumps at the time, and states that when his relief (Butler) came on at 8 o’clock he informed him that the gas was very thick, and .“a man would not last five minutes in It.” At #.30, the foreman of the shift to go on at midnight, A. E. Maxwell, came down to make his customary preliminary Inspection, and on his way stopped for a chat with Trigg, the attendant at the electric sub-station. Trigg informed Maxwell of the failure of the current at 7.40, and was unable to-state when it might he expected again. g However, Maxwell went off to the tunnel. Some time later, Trigg, who had been growing, more and more uneasy and could! hear nothing of either Maxwell or Butler, determined either to dispel or get confirmation of his worst fears, and made for the tunnel. This was at 10.40 o’clock—on account of the daylight saving scheme in vogue at Mangahao, all times mentioned are half an hour ahead of local time. At the mouth Trigg met three tunnellers of the midnight shift— F. and P. Graham and IV. Birss—who had strolled down to see that everything was right, and told them of Ids fears and his mission. On their instigation lie returned to his post in case the current was switblied oh, and the three tunnellers went up the tunnel .for a distance of about 20 chains. They called out, and knocked on the pipes, but got no reply. As there was no proof that either Butler or Maxwell liatl entered the tunnel, ajid, as the fumes were overpowering further in, they returned for some definite information. Not a sign of either man could be seen in the camp, and the only alternative was that they must be in the tunnel. Not one of the three faltered at. the dreadful prospect. They donned their gum boots, these men, took their lights, and set out. The engineer, W. R. Miller, who had been a moment before dissuaded from going in alone, joined them. They were never seen again alive. When and where F. Birss, father of the lad who laid down his life, joined them is not known. His body was found lying amongst those of the men who composed this first gallant band.

The party entered at 11.20, and Trig>gr remained at his post hoping against hope for the current to come on, and bdfeide himself with renewed fears. At midnight, when the relief - arrived, he could stand it no longer. He ran from, the station, and this Ctime went into the tunnel and the fumes—alone. Exhausted and sickened with the gas, he re-appeared, and cried, “They are, down! House the camp!” and fell partly unconscious. Before the relief had roused the sleeping occupants of neighbouring huts, Trigg was up and had gone again, with desperate valour, into the tunnel. He #as picked up by a subsequent party, and carried into the air. \ Two different parties entered. The first had a fearful ordeal, and some of its members were rescued by the second. -Four of the bodies were brought out oh trucks, but as all hope was given up of those further in any attempts at rescue was abandoned until the current was switched on. This did not take place until 1.45 a.m., when the three other bodies were carried out. The bodies of Maxwell and Butler were found 23 chains into the tunnel, four chains ahead of-where, the bodies of the most advanced of the first rescue party were picked up. measures were applied for an hour and a-half, b.ut. without any flickering of life being perceptable. F. X Birss, one of the first brought out, breathed for a moment, but though the most vigorous and sustained efforts to retain the spark of life were made It was the last mortal breath. Medical aid was summoned hastily from Shannon, but the two —-first victims and the five gallant men who went to their rescue In the first instance were beyond"any aid. •' Butler, ' the pump attendant, changed with another attendant, a man named Lankshear, for the fatal shift in place of his own later one in order that he might spend the Monday in Shannon, where his parents reside. OFFICIAL REPORT. Details of the appalling affair are well related by the assistant engineer at Aarapeti (Mr J. Hurrell) in his report to the Public Works Department. He states that Maxwell, before commencing the usual inspection of the tunnel carried out by the shift foreman at 9.30 on Sunday evening, visited Triggs in the sub-station, where he was on duty from 7 p.m. until midnight, and was talking to him for some time. Therefore Maxwell was fully apprised of the current having been cut off, and that the electric fan Probability (although this cannot be verified),” says Urn report ' “that "Maxwell and Butler restarted the auxiliary fan before going the tunnel, as It Is unbelievable

that a man of Maxwell's experience would have entered the tunnel without first starting- the auxiliary fan. There is no evidence, though, whether Butler was with Maxwell or not. Butler may have been already in the tunnel when Maxwell entered. At- 10.40 Trigg, having seen no sign of Maxwell and Butler, became uiieasy, and was on the point of going in to look for them when the Graham brothers and VV. Birss came over to the tunnel mouth to ascertain if they would be able to go on shift. Trigg communicated his fears to them, and they decided to go in and see if the two men were in the tunnel. Trigg went back to the sub-station to standby. The three men went in about 20 chains and called out and knocked on the pipes, but go no reply. They came out. and asked Trigg if he was. sure the two men were there. Trigg said he was not sure, but thought so, and suggested that they should go to Butler’s hut and see if he was there, thinking that perhaps he and Maxwell had felt the fumes and come out antT gone to lie down. Investigations proved that Butter was not in.his hut. The two, Grahams and W. Birss were in the act of putting on gum boots preparatory to re-entering when Miller, the engineer, arrived. He decided to go in immediately, but on Trigg’s advice waited a few moments for the two Grahams and W. Birss. This party went in at 11.20. There is no evidence where F. Birss met this part, but he evidently went in with them. When Trigg's relief arrived at approximately 12 midnight Trigg, not having seen anything of the rescuers,went into the tunnel and found the party, but was too far gone to do anything. He managed to reach the substation and tell his relief, “They are down! House the camp!” The relief (A. Howell) roused the camp and Trigg meanwhile,- somewhat revived again, entered the tunnel. From here onwards it was a case of to the rescue, and the rescuers being rescued. Another party comprising A. J. Quinlan, S. Sinclair, H. E. Kinzett, G. McSeveny, R.-. Brown, W. Taylor and T. and W. O’Halloran went in. Kinzett, who had been twice slightly gassed previously on the same day, became unconscious. This party found W. Birss and Trigg and started to carry them out with Kinzett as well.

A second party, consisting of S. Nash (contractor No. 1 tunnel), J. Shaw, E. Madden, E. Devereaux and J. Olsen went in and found Birss, senr., lying on a truck, evidently put there by the first party. They also put Miller and F. Graham on trucks and brought them out, picking up W. Birss and Kinzett on the way.

After this there was no further attempt at rescue until the power came on at 1.45. A party then followed the fumes in as the tunnel cleared and sent out P. Graham and afterwards Maxwell and Butler. Miller, F. J. Birss, W. Birss and F. Graham were 18 chains in. Graham was found at 19 chains. Maxwell and Butler were found at about 23 chains. All were lying with their heads pointing to the mouth of the tunnel. THE VICTIMS The late Mr Miller was the engineer In charge of the Arapeti works. He was a single man, 26 years of age, a returned soldier, and markedly popular with his fellow-engineers and subordinates alike. His home was in Dunedin, and he was an old-boy of Otago Boys’ High School and the University. On service with the N.Z. E.F. he was a sapper in the 2nd Field ■ Company, Engineers, and was for some time attached to the Topographical Survey Section. Mr Miller took his discharge in England, and crossing to America, had some experience with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Washington Highways Board. He had been at Mangahao for over two years. The late Mr Miller was a brother of the Clerk of the Court at Wanganui. The interment is to take place in Dunedin. A life experience in tunnelling and mining work was that of the late MiMaxwell. He was a member of the well-kown Arm of Maxwell and Mann, contractors of Wanganui, which carried out the work of installing the lift in Durie Hill, and he had also had experience in the West Coast and Newcastle (N.S.W.) mines. He had been at Mangahao for 12 months. Deceased was aged 55 years. He leaves a widow, who resides in Wanganui, and five children. The other deceased were all experienced tunnellers, having come, with the exception of one, but recently from the Otira tunnel. The late Mr Birss, who took over the contract for the tunnel about three months ago, came from Arthur’s Pass, and his son, the late Mr W. Birss, aged 20 years, had also been employed on the Otira tunnel. Mrs Birss. who is left with a family of four children, is living at Arthur’s Pass. The Messrs Graham, P. and F., were'both married men. The former leaves a wife and four children at Arthur’s Pass, and the latter’s family of four and widow reside in Hastings. The late Mr Bernard Butle’r, a single man, was a son of Mr and Mrs Butler, of Shannon. SURVIVORS INTERVIEWED. It is the nature of men .who do gallant deeds to speak of their acts simply, straightforwardly. So it was that a number of the rescue party told their stories when interviewed. A couple of typical ones:— J. Quinlan, concrete-mixer, a member ofthe rescue party that recovered the bodies, said he went in with a number pushing- a truck They reached the body of F. Birss and lifted it on to the truck. Then they pushed on to where Miller, W. Birss and Graham wore lying. They tried to lift Miller on the truck.■ but Quinlan felt himself going and became unconscious. He learned later that T. O’Halloran carried him out. He went in again after the l'an started and helped to bring out the other Graham. • ’ Another of the party, Sinclair, when he entered the tunnel, saw R. Brown, done up, and struggling' lo lift Kinzett. Sinclair picked up Kinzett and carried liiin live chains and then collapsed himself. Kinzett was then picked up by E. Madden and carried a few more chains until a truck came up. Kinzett was laid on it and restorative measures were applied successfully at ilie sub-station. Of such poisonous nature are the exhaust fumes from benzine-driven engines lhat many fatalities, have occurred from this cause. In the Jubilee gold mine, Waitaliauri, some 2 0 years ago, two men were suffocated in a shaft in similar circumstances to this latest disaster. In motor garages (here have been numerous .incidents of serious ill-effects being suffered from fumes from benzine engines. In a confined space, of course, the danger is greatly intensified.