FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 32, 26 February 1879, Page 2

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.

We take the following report faom the Nmo Zealand Times : — . ... :■-.': At Kaitangata, at abput 9 o'clock, a dull, long report was beard-' *y those working at the place where the coal is loaded! outside* The men were working some 250 ftet a^ayy fortauately. The first thing theyj saw wa3 a cloud of dust, which came out of. the mine 3at the mouth of the bay. ' i Edward ■Dunn, who is supposed to have been outside the entrance of the mine, was blown* distance of about 150 ft. He lived for abput • five mihute3, : b"ut was-fiever sensibl&c The horse was blown nearly the same distance, ,and though, still alive, is of course seriously, injured! Mir. William Barn was the first to run to the township for hands; but the people having, heard the report met him on the road. Nearly everyone m the township, was at the miue'a mouth m a few minutes. ; Men, women j and children all gathered at the mine's mouth, and the scene was something awful. The air was filled with lamentations of women. It was also found the ' air was so bad that no entrance could be eftected. Those who' went m took Davy's safety lamp, but as there were becoming extinguished the rescuers had to; return." The next four who went- m were Mr. Win. | Shore, manager of the, adjoining mine, John Shore, Michael Hennessy, and James Muir. The party got m as far"aß the first point, when the main tunnel was choked .with smoke, and they could not get any' farther. They got the body of the boy Charles McDonald, "of Green Island, who was found nearly two hundred yards from the mine's mouth. They had to come back m order td get there lamps. This corpse was found m the main drive. As he and the bo y who was killed outside were the only two who received fractures, it is supposed that 'he was down some distance. The following is the roll of the. dead: — Saml. Coulter; leaves five children — one boy of 13 able to work ; girl, m Dunedin, about 12 ; all the rest are young. He is an aged man, and arrived lately from Scotland m the ship Taranaki. David Buchanan, about 27, leaves a wife and two young children ; is son-in-law of Coulter's, and is a new arrival. William Watson, 40, [leaves his father-in-law who is a very old man, and four children, th£ eldest of whom is about nine years, blames Spiers leaves eight children, the oldest \en years and'the youngest fourmontns. Andrew SJarvie, an .elderly man, leaves eight children and three grown up girls at service. Spiers, Jarvie and Arch. Hodge, the last named of whom is deputy manager, are still m "the . mine. Arch. Hodga is unmarried. His? brother, A. Hodge, general manager, aged- about 85, single man, "isainong the dead.: Chas, Smith, between 35 and 40, leaves a wife and five children, all young find unable to work. Btvmey "McGtee, marrie'i man? about 40, wife arid 'three children'/ unaßle to work, John Gage, wife and three of family, all young children. G-eorge Jaryie, wife and two young children! Several of the dead men's wives have not only young children but are also near their coafiuemeut. Wm.

Whenney, a young man, leaves a wife and two children. James Beardsmore, large family, five of whom are grown up and. unmarried, and three of whom are little children. Joseeh Beardsmore, brother of last man, acting foreman of mine, leaves wife and grown-up daughter and two sons. Ed^ ward Beardsmore^ young married man, son of James Beardsjypre, leaves wife and two children. Caleb son-in-law of Jame3 Beardsmore, leaves wife and three young children. James Beardsmore, junvj son of James Beardsmore, already mentioned, young man, unmarried. One old man and a boy, a son of Jos. Beardsmore. and' the only one grown up> of the families now remaining alive*. The old man is the late Caleb Beardsmore's father. In all five . bread-winners of the Beardsmore.^family are among the dead. Jas. Molloy, an elderly man, and his sons John, aged 18, and Ed- j ward, aged, 16. Mrs. Molloy, who is a woman about 60, has thus lost husband and sons, and has not a relative here. James Cruston leaves a wife and three children. He was a young man about 25. Clark, late of Green Island, was roadman m the mine. His. wife, sons, and daughters came up by the afternoon train. John Ferguson leaves a wife- and five young children, the eldest about seven years of age. Charles McDonald, son. of John Mcdonald, pony driver, aged about 14. Edward Dunn, son of George Dunn, a hawker, who is well Jknown m upcountry districts, was a boy of {about 15 years. Wil liam Wilson, late of Green Island, and nephew of the Sampsons, of Green Island, leaves a wife and four children, all young. William Hay, a young man, unmarried, who has no relatives m Kaitangata, but has a sister and brother m the colony ; his married sister, Mrs. Hardie-, is the wife of a baker, of Green Island. John McMillan was a young married man ; he leaves a wife' and four children, the eldest of whom is about six years; Mrs. McMillan's' only relative m the c olony is a brother at Green Island, who came to Kai- '. tongata; this evening. . Thomas Frew, middle-aged man j he leaves a wife, and five children residing m Dunedin ; two of them are, grown daughters, who, I hear, are working m a factory there. Thomas Black, "elderly single man, of about 40 years, no m district.— he- once, had" lease of boal quarry at Levels. Two Welshmen, newly at Home> whose names I cannot ascertain. Daniel Lockhart, a young man; unmarried, brother-in-law to. Hunter, another warkman m the mine. The last of the list fatalities* is John Moulton, who leaves a wife and child. Irt all there are thirty-four dead,, and of all the strongmen) nearly everyone of whom was m his prime, , who went into the mine this morning, not one remains alive to tell how the accident occurred. , It was sight sad as anyone could aeej and., enough to affect the' most ineenrsible, to soe the dead men brought out one by one from the mine and placed on stretchers which had been hurriedly knocked together, covered with sacks, and then.put on the railway by which they were conveyed to the Bridge Hotel. This is, a new building on the site of one that was .latelyburnt, and is as yet unfinished and un- ; unoccupied. In- the commercial room and parlour of that house, while I write at nine o'clock, some thirty-one men who werean, their strength this morning are now stiff m death. The two young fellows who had the j horses were battered about the-, head having been blown some distance. All the f rest,: with thebrowa dust of the coal still m their face 3 and clothes, were as. calm as if they lay m sleep. Alfred Dunn, brother ;pf- the deceased boy, and son of the hawker, was blown a good distance from outside the tunnel without being hurt. The- flight of sticks and stones at the time of the explosion was tremendous, and a thick, green, smoke .like a London fog hung fike a pall over the tun> nel mouth for about ten .minutes. It viwi; this Bmoke, more than" the noise of theSe-' port, which attariwted general, attention... The air was very calm at the time the machinery stopped, and a rush was ■■ made for* the; pit. .Four who went m first soon found the indications of their safety lamps and it would be suffocation to go any further,, and to return ,• they got about' 150 yds., being about as: for as the air shaft. . Regarding the. mineV which I have been through on a for*-' mer occasion, it may be mentioned that it is entered by a main drive or tunnel. > The t workings rise as they penetrate the hill, so while the mine can be worked advantageously as regards the putting out of the coal and facilities of ' drainage, the ffall, which carries out water and aids haulage, of coal, causes foul air to accumulate m- the upper part of the- mine. , The ventilation has to travel all round the mine and come back to the air shaft, which is situate at a point 150 yards from the mouth of the mine. The workings extend, back 503. jrards from, the entrance, and 350 ' yards from the air shaft. One, of, the horses/were completely singed. The^greater part of the innera were- killed to all ' appearance by the explosion itself. They had es(»pedfiredampV^d;%ei«vtaaking for r the mouth of the mine;- when they were overpowered by the after-damp, as the the minera met the : atmosphere; which remains after an explosion.:. Some of them must ' have- win from 1 to 2 hundred yards ' before they ,feU,A$ one- point i thirteen bodies were found m one heap. Regarding' the cause of.the explosion, there is nothing yet known stronger, than surmise. It is thought that the origin of the^explosion can be pretty ofefinitely, fixed -Trhen the place !in which. Arch. Hodge's body' is lying^has 1 , been ascertained. The. men ;woj*kpd with" naked bodies. They all carried the usual small collier's lamp, upon the peak of their caos: ' The gas has lately been increased a good deal m. the mine. There .? was; a slight explosion last ni»ht m the mine, when the •men were employed oa ! the- night shift. Therehas been several cither small explosions of fire-damp lately, but these were liable to' happen at almost any time; and no fear of general danger was apprehended,' so far as they were concerned. This explosion jsof; the' first colliery explosion on ah extensive scale m New Zealand. The present surmise amonsr those who know bestwas that Archhitld Hodsre was m the waste workings m the higliesfrpart of the mine, where the fault isj when the exploaion occured. _ The greater number were found about 300 yards'in front of the mouth. The explorer*, ha.ye goWe ; thrpiigh all the workings, but could not get into t he bnck draught drive- when I4eft;the., mount of the mine at about nine o clock. The Green Island men were m the mine driving fresh into that part of the mine. Air was first got into the workings about three o'clock, and it took half an hpun after that to drive out the fonl atmosphere before the re3cuera cdued make any progress m exploring. The men worked hard, 1 , persereringly, and continuously, with energy from the time of the explosion to get the.' foul air turned out, but owing to ; what 1 * called the brathee and the air stopping having been blown out, they cauld not do much for some time, alfchou b, numerous tradesmen m the town and men not miner* working m the locality boldly entered into the mine, and' assisted the few njineke. The want 'of skilful men was geatly f elfc^ .hut few mimer3-vemained alive m Kaifcangatft after this dreadful occurenee, the day *hift being the main shift, only four five tneri working nt night. The men who desewe honorable for their perrliou* task of bringing lout the A dead bodies are Messrs Knowley, W. Atchson, G/ Hunter, W. Love, jun., Daniel Taylprj W. Bain, and some others, whose name 3 I cannot m this confusion ascertain . The adjomiiig.wo^ also supplied volu«tee?B

notably Mr. W. Saor, (who is tne mtduer), James* Wilson,- James M'Lennan,, jphn Shore, Thomas Rowley, Robert Renne, Mid Riohard Msrton. The kindnew of the people to their neighbors m dittoes n Mail/ tender. In .some of the private house* fajedY .were made upon the floor and m every avail* able part for poor women and children- who couldnot pass their husbandleu an<ititharless houses. Number* of the volunteers ia the mine were carried out fainting' doting day. Though it hard to make distinction, : special praise deserves to be giyen'to Mr. Shore of Shore's pit,'' wb6 wm m th* mine nearly all day, coming out only four^ttmea. Some of those brought out were a little de-' leruras, I have: just fpund out thatHaU ie ' the name of the two men whose names I. could not previously ascertain. They have wives and large families and had "jony-ju«£-arrived, they were English not Welsh. I have not counted up the number c£ children left fatherless but am just sold they numbers about 100. I have'to give my thanks tp-iMr., Wm. Shore who helped me Very/ triatlyv^ get particulars of the number of children A*, famtlies.and Mrsw Owens, wife of local tele* graphist, who kindly gave me the use of he» room to write out my notes; also' Mr. flearjr M'Coll of Wangalos* -'nho, fcelpaediaVia the- searches. . '' ! '.;;.;.:.Vf ' •