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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 156, 3 July 1874, Page 2

The following singular ucei dent, which fortunately led to no ar jrious result, is related by the Lear «rionth correspondent of the Ballarat £ Har: — Returning, home on Tuesday c vening, with bis horse and dray, darko' iss overtook a man named Phelan, an d though knowing tho turns and twif itrof the various tracks to avoid tho holes, his off wheel came in contact v. /ith a post and rail fence, and becac je jammed. Phelan, without a momer it's thought, jumped off the dray on iVta near/. side, and into a hole fifty i&ei •tkep. On the

g - i r -_ i dllotving rriorning, a neighboring farmer named btorm, on piaßWg , he . S p ot uottced Phelan's horse and dray, and took them to the farm, tnd was surprised to learn that Phelun had not returned homo on the previous ni»ht It was npticc-d by .storm thatfPhelan's dog dtd not follow him with the horse and dray, but remained atthe hole, and fears being aroused, Storm and the neighbors went to the shaft, a «d calling out « Below," a l Ußt y an3wer wag rO . turned; Ropes were immediately procured and lowered, and Phelan having secured Inruaeif, gave the signal, and wes qukkly raised to the surface unhurt, though stiff arid cold. A cobbler of whisky restored the circulation, and 1 faelau truged home without any assistance, and as if nothing had happened. The mo3t eiogular coincidence iv connection with this most miraculous escape* remains to be told. AVout six monfhs ago Phelan was breaking in a young horse for dray purposes, and on one particular day was putting tho animal, harnessed to a dray, through his facings, and in close proximity to the hole in question. The horse became ungovernable, aod ultimately fell headforemost, dray and all, down tbo hole, or rather midway, and was soon choked to death by the pressure of the collar. -Vo save the dray, the harness was cut away, and tbe dead horso descended to the bottom. It was on this decomposed matter that poor Phelan aiighted* so that his position may be more easily imagined than described, and woich he evidently bore like a true philosopher.