A TERRIBLE FALL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3002, 9 November 1882, Page 3

A TERRIBLE FALL.

Despite all the contrivances for protecting life at mines, every now and then a terrible accident happens, which shows that all precautions are in vain., Something or other that was intended to act in a particular way in certain emergencies does not act, and the result is mutilation or death, generally the latter, for some unfortunate. Here is the account of an “accident”in a Sandhurst mine, which happened on Oct. 27: —A miner named Hugh Clemence, aged 23, was working at the 1560 ft level, Acquiring another truck from the surface he got into the cage, and knocked for the engine-driyerto pull him up,. All went right till within about 200 ft of the surface. The min: is worked with double winding gear—that is, as one cage ascends the other is descending. In this case, when the ascending cage rose to within 2Coft _ of the surface with only the weight of the man on it, there was—the shaft being nearly 1800 ft deep—about 1600 ft ■of flat Manilla rope hanging down the shaft with the other cage. ' The consequence was that the ascending cage began to run up the shaft, owing to the excessive weight on the descending .one. The engine driver went to the engine in order to turn off steam, •so as to let the cage with the man come up gently. However, on getting to the •engine, it is stated that he found one of the valves out of order, and consefluently could not turn off steam, With

increasing velocity tho v doomed man was rushed up the shaft, and the cage striking the poppet heads nearly 100 ft above the surface of tins ground, the couplings broke, and the end of ihebioken rope flew over the poppet-heads, 'i he safety catches on cage, which should then have come into operation, did not act, and cage and man fell crashing down the shaft. The rest can easily bo imagined. At 15130 U there were l( doors,” in the* shaft, of strong hard wood timber. Through these the cage and man fell, and through to the next staging at 1660 ft from the surface, and considerably over 1700 ft from the poppet heads. Here the shattered remains of the unfortunate young man were picked up.