MARVELLOUS ESCAPE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2483, 5 March 1881, Page 4

MARVELLOUS ESCAPE.

A few days ago a workman employed on the St. Gothard Railway near Sisikon had a marvellous escape from a terrible, and,'as it seem, an inevitable death, or terrible bodily injuries. Together with a number of his companions he had been drilling holes in the face of a perpendicular rock, a portion of which it was desired to blast away. When the holes were filled with dynamite, it fell to his lot to fire the charge. After waiting till the shouts of the others apprised him that had reached a place of safety, and lighting the long mesh which served to explode the cartridges, he essayed to make good his own escape. In order to accomplished this—for it was now too late, and would have been extremely perilous to take the way his comrades had taken—he attempted to ascend by means of a rope placed there for the purpose, to a spot where he would have been out of danger. He seized the rope and began to mount, but it had seen so wetted by a shower of rain which had fallen shortly before that, although he struggled with the frantic energy of despair, he only succeeded in mounting a few feet. His comrades saw, but could give him no help. The mesh was growing shorter every moment, and the explosion was now an affair of a few seconds. It came, the earth shook, the great rock trembled to its base, huge stones flew through the air and for several moments everything was hidden in a cloud of dust. When the navvies issued from their hiding-place to look for the remains of their comrade, they found him quietly slipping down the rope. Not a hair of his head had been injured,