Tragic Events Described.

Shannon News, 14 July 1922, Page 3

Tragic Events Described.

CORONER ENQUIRIES INTO ARA-

PEIT DISASTER

EVIDENCE AS TO GAS DANGER

TUNNEL NOT WELL ENOUGH VENTILATED FOrWSAFLTY.’’

The Coronial inquiry into the disaster at Arapeti on tne morning ol July 3 was resumed at Shannon yesterday, before Mr A. Fraser, District Coroner. Mr C. A. Loughnan appeared lor the Public Works Department. Mr E. P. Simpson (Hastings) watched the interests ol Mrs Maxwell. Mr bergen (Foxton) appeared lor the relatives of the deceased Bernard Butler. Mr C. (iraynuier, represented the JNew Zea-

land Workers' Union. Inspector McKinnor conducted the proceedings on behalf ol the police. Mr Furkert, chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, was also present. John Hurrell, Assistant Engineer at Arapeti, stated he knew the tunnel. On Sunday about 12.45 a.m. witness was knocked up- by a messenger and told of the accident. He dressed and

went down to the sub-station. The 'deceased were being brought out, and were undergoing resuscitation. The men there were anxious to re-enter the tunnel, and witness went in about five and a-half chains. He felt the gas fumes then, and thought, it. useless to risk any more lives until the fan was working. It was evident that as the men got out were 18 chains in, the others were further up than that. He could see when he arrived at the tunnel that the fan was not working. He came out of the tunnel and saw

that everything was being done for the men who were brought out. it was 45 minutes from the time he arrived at the tunnel till the fan start-' ted. The electric fan was run by power from Mangaore during the week, and it had been their endea-

vour in the past to get the power on at 7 o’clock on Sunday night, so that the fan could be started. The pump which was run by compressed air, and the electric fan stopped at 8 o’clock on Saturday night, when the whole work stopped except the pumps. One pump was worked by a 4£h.p. gas engine, the engine being between 14 and 15 chains in Ihe tunnel. The second engine of was about 27 chains in. During the time the pumps were working at the week-ends, ventilation was afforded by an engine situated outside the tunnel and driving a propeller fan. On the Saturday previ-

ous to the accident a kerosene (engine was installed for the purpose mf working a Sirocco fan. This fan jbroke dowin but Witness was not present when the breakdown occurred. The bodies of the last two victims •(were not recovered until after the (electric fan restarted. Witness went Into the tunnel alone.

To the Coroner: He had been told earlier in the evening that the engine was stopped, and that a man had been sent into the tunnel to tell the men in there to come out and to start the fan again before going back. The Coroner: Do you know if any atteiupi was made to start the kerosene engine fan? Witness: No.

To Mr Loughn.au. The fail was very powerful. It made 3600 revolutions per minute and drew In 4000 cubic feet of air per minute. The fan was . sufficient to carry .away all the fumes i discharging into the ventilation pipes. .The ventilation .was by a 16in pipe. "The auxiliary fail was driven by the VKerosene engine. This had only been working one day. Witness had been months on the works. J Mr Lougnnan: Have you lwd any co .vijplaints about ventilation;'— No. yv 'oaiid complaints come under your

notice’ —-Yes. To ldljr Simpson: Witness knew Maxwell for IS months, and Maxwell was not likely* to take risks. He was not foolhardy, .and .would look after the m--16 W?Uie°ss see . , Ma t xwell w^ e evening of the ,accident. .Witness knew nothing of the report that Maxwell had been' instructed n°t to start the engine in the e nf had nothing to do wiv.& tbe ot

the new engine installfe’h ™ir Jtijoiiu would have -that duty. H .p Tn h SP ne ported to witness that -,the i^iosene

engine was not working , 011 night. Witness did not ku'°w ~whd man was working in the tuifoei a only heard of it after the acckctem. Did you take steeps to inlom,i the man in the power .station that- me engine had stoppedP-yNo. Witness did not kno vv if the man m ■the power station knew or not. To Mr Bergen: Witness heard men had had headaches when working l the lunnei previously. Tie had nevei heard that a man had been came To Mr Grayndler:' H the fans ped the exhaust from the engine nearest the face would t ake the shortest way out and come ba*£k t * , o ,i The engine would have 1 1° he starieu on Sunday to pump the out, so the men could start woi’M- y l ®' D !°

pump would clear the tiannel hours. Oil the Sunday oJI the accident he did not know if ti\e enginewere running satisfactorily. Herbert Edward Kinzett, tun f h p foreman at Arapeti, said that mi tneSunday he went on to work at p a.m. Maxwell relieved him at 3 p m., atm witness was going on shift again ai

-midnight. Hie arrived ten minutes or a quarter of an hour before that, ana should have met Maxwell, but he was nowhere to be, seen. Some of the concrete workers told him they •thought something was wrong. He then got the lamp ready and proceeded into the tunnel. On the way in he met Triggs coming out. He said a lot of men were gassed inside. Triggs went out to get hielp, and witness went in. He first e&une on F. Birss, unconscious, but still alive. He went thirty feet further in. and saw three more, Miller, one of the Grahams, and Birs's, jun. Miller aKUI Graham ap-

peared to be dead. Jjtirss, jun., was breathing. Witness wfent out. On the way to get a truck he met J. Quinlan. Witness then met a 'truck coming in and went back and go -t F. Birss on the truck and was puttin g Birss, jun., on

when Triggs collapsed and.the others had to beat a retreat. Witness tried to get Birss, jun., on by himself, but could not manage it. He tried to get out, and collapsed. He knew nothing more till he found himself lying in the canteen.

To the Inspector: The gas was caused by the fumes. The benzine engine was not working when he went in, and he could not hear the pump. He could have heard the pump if it hnu been working. When he saw the bodies he realised that danger was present. I

To the Coroner: He knew of men who had got headaches in the tunnel, but never of men being carried out. To Mr Simpson: Do you know of Hjorth and Newcombe, or others, being gassed?—No. To Mr Loughnan: He had been over a year at the works, and the last three or four weeks had worked on Sundays. Have you ever experienced gas?— No, not to stop a man going in. He had experienced a little gas at weekends but nothing to be afraid of. What, were the symptoms?—Tightening of the throat, followed- by headache. This was not always the conditions. On Sundays when the fans were working very little gas existed close to the engine. He could nearly always detect a little gas when the big lan was working. There should be no discharge of gas back to the face.

Would proximity to the engine affect you?—No. Have you ever complained of Ihe condition of the tunnel?—No.

Have any complaints been made to you?—No. To Mr Simpson: The auxiliary engine was ■ difficult to start on occasions, but was working all right as far as witness knew. Mr Maxwell was careful and capable, and would take no unnecessary risks or let his men do so. There had been gas in the tunnel on the previous week-end—-not to any great extent. To Mr Bergen: Witness noticed ike presence ol mines while on duty on Sunday morning, and may. have remarked on the iact to his mates, also to Mr Miller'. He told Mr Miller there si 4,,hitimPuW ;£oahavin li

was a lot of water and little gas 'in the tunnel on Sunday. II he had a complaint he would make it to Mr Hjorth. Is there any means ol telling there is gas in the tunnel—You can tell by the effect, on yourself. To Mr Gravndler: He had been foreman for one month prior to me disaster, and was working there 12 months last March. He had to leave the tunnel the Sunday previous through gas. Pickiord got a touch ol gas a fortnight previous to that. He heard that Askew had been gassed. The new engine worked all Saturday night and Sunday. There were no makeshift parts used in the engine so far as he knew.

Arthur Charles Trigg, employed on the air compressor at Arapeti, started work at 7 o’clock in the evening; When he got there the power was oir. He rang up the power station to learn it all was well to start" the engine up, and the. reply was yes. He gave a hand to connect up the electric fans, and went to the sub-station to see it everything was all right. When he got to the sub-station, the phone was switched off, but he was told it would not be for long. From then on ne waited at the phone for the call for power to be put on. Butler came on at 8 o’clock and came to the sub-sta-tion at 8.20 tor a bottle of oil. That was'the'last witness saw of him. He and Maxwell went to the sub-station, and-Maxwell was, there until 9.20, when he said 'he was going to see how the pumps were. When Maxwell did not return, witness thought something was wrong. He went, to tiie tunnel and could see no light, and went back to the sub-station. Being uneasy he deckled to go into the tunnel. When entering he met Birss, jun., and the two Grahams. They had come to see liow the water was in the tunnel. He told them his tears for Maxwell and Butler, and said they may be ga.ss.ed, as the fnus were not running. The other three said they would go and see, and, having no gumboots, they would go as far as they could. They returned about 10.40. They said ,they had- been as far as they could, 1 and knocked the pipes, but could not, get in touch with Maxwell and Butler. They asked witness if he was sure

they were there. He could not say for sure, anil suggested going to Butler’s whare to see if he was there. They went and came back a few minutes alter and said they could not see him. They were about, to put on their gumboots when Mr Miller ap-

peared. He asked how long the power had been on, and did the electric fan run in that time. Witness said “No, and that he was afraid Butler and Maxwell were gassed, as he had not seen them. Mr Miller said, “All right, I’ll go in right, away.” He and the three tunnellers went in about 11.20. Having sfien nobody come out, witness went in to see, and became gassed. He came out and raised the alarm.

Witness went back with the rescue party and collapsed after a few minutes. He knew no mor* until he came

round in the engine room. To the Coroner: He had only to do with the compressor plant. To Mr Loughnan: He told Maxwell thd electric fan had not been running, but -was connected. Maxwell would know that the auxiliary lan was not connected. To Mr Simpson: Witness said Maxwell stated the pumps were working, and that the water would be out by twelve o’clock. He told Maxwell that the electric fan had not run during

the half hour the power was on. No message was telephoned to the powerstation to his knowledge through the telephone in the sub-station. There were other telephone stations. There was no telephone in the tunnel. To Mr Bergen: Butler knew the power was off, as the whole place was m “darkness. Witness expected it

through at any time. To the Coroner: He did not notice the smell of the gas until lie readied the four bodies. He could see the gas around them. It had a misty appearance. At the time he was in both engines were' stopped.

I -Ernest Arne Hjorth, overseer at AraSpeti, stated he got to‘the tunnel at | about 5 p.m. on Sunday. Maxwell, with Davis, Hearsey and Lankshear were alongside the auxiliary fan enI gine, which they - had just started. 1 After the engine had been going about a quarter of an hour it developed trouble through the ,air suction valve. He stopped the engine, but could not get it to run owing 'to losing a nut. He then told Lankshear to go Into the tunnel and tell the men to come out and staTt up the engine before they went in again. Being tired, he went home and retired to bed. About one o’clock he was awakened by a man named Marshall, who said there was

a lot of men drowning in the tunnel. Witness immediately dressed, and on going to the sub-station he saw three nien laid out on timber, and Mr Fin-

layson instructing others in the work of resuscitation. Going in to' the power house he found Trigg lying against Jhe engine and in danger of being burned. Trigg, who was groaning, was moved out of danger. He got into touch with Mangaore by telephone, and was informed power would be' put on in a few minutes. Witness then proceeded into the tunnel, and found the presence of fumes, and after what he had seen did not think

it advisable to go further without the fan. Witness later went in with a rescue party, and worked up to 19 chains in the tunnel, where he saw. the body of P. "Graham partly submerged in water. The body was removed to the sub-station. The party went on further and found Maxwell lying on planking above water level.. Further on Butler was also found on planking. To Mr Loughnan: He was aware of the danger from fumes , as" men suffering from headache were ■liable to swoon and be drowned. It was a direction of his that the men must, not go in the tunnel singly. He. had previous experience of gas in the tunnel. On 'that occasion he had gone, in the tunnel with one of the attendants. When they were standing over the engine affer several hours’ work his ! companion showed signs of weakness, and staggered over beside witness, and had to be taken out. Witness also got giddy and his head started to ache. He reported the matter to Mr Miller, who said he would see into it. Since the date of the installation of the new plant they had only one complaint from Maxwell, and that was the second Sunday after the big engine had been installed. They could not get the pump to pick up water, so decided to stop the engine and get a larger pulley, which was put on the next week and after a trial ran successfully. He told Maxwell to run no risk ,and reported matters to Mr Miller and told him theyj needed a larger fan for Sundays. To Mr Simpson: When the engine went out of commission at 5.30, witness did not‘‘know if it started' again. He told the men not to start-- the engine until a missing nut had .been replaced. Unless the engine was started pumping would cease. Butler had instructions prior to the accident not to go in the tunnel unless the fan was Working. Witness did not report to' Mr Miller that tpe auxiliary engine was not, working. Unless the electric power came on the men could not start at midnight, Counsel: Do you’ think Maxwell was so attached to his duty that he went in despite the danger?

Witness: I have come to that opinion. Counsel: Do you know of cases of men being gassed in the tunnel ? Witness: Only headaches, not gassed.

Counsel: You have never at any time been affected? Witness; No. He did not. know of any other man being gassed. Witness, continuing, said he had three years’ experience at tunnelling, but had large mining experience. -Mr Bergen: When did you instruct Butler not to go into the tunnel—when the fan was not working? Witness: A fortnight before the accident. There were two attendants on duty at the big pump. Counsel: Should anyone have been on with Butler on the last shift? Witness; Yes. The Coroner: Mr Hjorth has stated in evidence that the men should work in pairs, though th^, don’t appear to have done that bn this'occasion. Replying to another question, witness said he did not know if instructions had been sent to Butler not to go into the tunnel alone. To Mr. Grayndler: The engine could not- be started' unless the nut was replaced. Butler, Maxwell and two others went into the tunnel on Sunday

afternoon_because it was part of their work 1 , to attend the engines and get 'them ready. '* Mr Grayndler: Why did you instruct the men to go in pairs? Witness :Because of the discomfort of headaches and losing shift, "and the lear of some being overcome. Mr Grayndler: Was it not from gas? Witness: No; not particularly from gas.

Mr Grayndler: Did not a man named Newcombe get gassed and had to be helped out? Mr Grayndler: It is possible to detect the" presence of gas by eyesight, or smell.

Witness: You can smell the benzine fumes.

Mr Grayndler: But monoxide and di-oxide gasses? Witness: Bad .headaches were the only indication he knew of to detect the presence of gas. Alfred Ernest Langshear stated he went on shift at 10 a.m. on Sunday and worked on till 8 p.m. The auxiliary fan was workng at intervals during the day. The pump engine was not working all the time. They could not get it to pick up the suction. Butler, witness and two others held, begn endeavouring to get it Going properly. Witness was sent in to the tunnel at 5.30 to tell the men to come, out. Witness did not know if anything was said to the men not to go back till the engine was fixed. The then had come out immediately when told to do so. He saw Mr Maxwell about- 7 p.m. The pump was working then, hut the fan was not. He saw Butler about 8 o’clock before he went

Q n - shift,, also about half an hour after, when Be came out for oil for the engine. Butler knew the fan was not working-. Maxwell knew also. To Mr Simpson: When the men were told to come out there was nothing said that they were not to go back till the. engine was fixed. Witness had often gone into the tunnel alone. Mr Hjorth had not instructed him not to go in alone. Mr Maxwell was near the fan at different times and must have known it was not working. Eric Davis, engine fitter, employed at Arapeti, stated he went down at 2.30 on Sunday to repair and startthe auxiliary engine. He made several minor adjustments and attended the priming, then went- to the tunnel mouth to see if the water was coming out. it. was not doing so, but after further engine adjustment it commenced to work. On the way out he learned the fan engine had stopped, i and on getting out was ordered by Mr MaxvVell to connect up with the electric power, but the power was off. To Inspector McKinnor: He told Mr Maxwell.-on coming out of the tunnel prior to thg__accident that the gas was very thick, and a man would not last five minutes in it. Maxwell made no reply. To Mr Simpson: That was about seven o’clock. There was no mention made that thei men should not go back in the tunnel till the engine was repaired. He had never had direct into go into the tunnel alone. Witness had noticed the gas as bad on a previous occasion.. That was the first week the large engine was running, about three weeks before the accident.

Counsel: Were you affected by the gas then?

Witness: I was sitting behind the engine and did not notice any ill effects until I started to get out. A small fan was working then. The engine working the auxiliary fan not running satisfactorily on the day of the accident naturally affected the workng of the fan. The Coroner: What is. the object of these questons? They do not affect the matter. Counsel: To establish that the machinery was not in working order.

The Coroner: That fact has been established.

To Mr Grayndler: The accumulating gas from the engines underground would stay in the tunnel if the lan was not working. Mate Erceg, engineman, employed at Arapeti, gave evidence largely corroborative of the previous witness. Mr Hjorth, he said, left the tunnel at 2 o’clock on' Sunday morning, telling witness to keep the fan going till the water was cleared out. He worked on and at about .8 o’clock felt the effects of gas and came out of the tunnel. Alter breakfast he went back to the tunnel. The kerosene fan was working all the time from 9 till 11.30. On entering the tunnel again he met Kinzett and asked how he was. He did not reply, arid meetng Butler the lattet said he had been gassed and was gbing out. Langshear also said he was not too good. This would be about noon on Sunday. He and others found the pump engine not working ,and they effected repairs and got it going. John T. Cherrie, engineman at the Mangaore powerhouse, gave evidence that he was in charge of the machinery that day. At 5.30 he received a ring for power from Arapeti. He had the power put on. After running for 20 minutes the engine developed a “knock.” He got in touch with Mr Miller, telling him he wished to close down, and would he phone when he was ready. Later witness got a ring saying all was ready, and witness could close down. The engine was repaired, but power was not ready at midnight. • He then received word that, an accident had occurred at Arapeti, and asked that a doctor be phoned for. He did so. He also informed Mr Dinnie of what had happened. . It was about 1 a.m. that the power was turned on again from Mangaore. He kept the engine going till 4 o’clock. To Mr Simpson: When he asked to disconnect he was not informed the auxiliary fan was not working. If he had continued running the engine after knocking there would have been a certain amount of risk; and the engine would probably have smashed something. Aleaxnder Dinnie, Engmeer-in-charge of the works, stated that, in his opinion, it was the fumes from the engine which caused the poisoning. He considered every precaution had been taken by using the auxiliary fan. To the Coroner: Witness had never heard of any men being pi eviously overcome by gat. If any com o’amt.; had been made they would be made to Mr Miller. It- -./as not proposed to work the tunnel until they got an additional engine at Mangaore to work the pump electrically. To Mr Simpson: If there had been a relief engine at the powerhouse the the accident would not have happened.

To Mr Bergen: He had never anticipated the fumes getting into the tunnel. Mr Miller had never mentioned that it was likely to happen, or that it had happened, or that there were fumes in the tunnel.

To Mr Grayndler: He had never received any complaints as to tion in the works under his supervision at Mangahao between September, 1921, and July 1, 1922. To the Coroner: Had he been at Arapeti after the kerosene engine had stopped working, he would havethought it safe for the men to go into the funnel, as he. had a petrol engine working in the Otira tunnel, but not for long. James Quinlan, concreter, stated he went to work at midnight. He was working about ten minutes by himself when he heard of the accident, being informed by Trigg. A few minutes after he started work Kinzett, the tunnel foreman, went to relieve Maxwell. Kinzett said “This is a nice thing happening every week-end.” A few minutes after Trigg came out of the tunnel and said, “For God’s sake come in. They are all gassed.” Witness described 'his* attempt to rescue the men until he became overcome with

.he fumes

lo Mr Loughnan: He did not feel the effects of the gas when he got to Birss. He first mit it when he was lilting the men on to the truck. Replying to Mia: omipson, witness gave the names of three pieii whom he nad heard of being gassed previously. Mr Bergen: Did you go into the tunnel alone that day.£ Witness: Yes.

To Mr Grayndler; It was about three months since Newcombe was gassed. He could not say if he. was carried out. Complaints from the nien were made as to the foul air in the tunnel, but he did not think the overseer yvas informed.

Herbert K. Ne.wcombe, a concrete contractor, who, was not present at the, tunnel on the date of the accident, recalled having been gassed in Ara-' peti tunnel early this year. - « John Olsen, tunneller, stated that he worked in the No. 2 tunnel about Christmas. time, and on one occasion suffered with a bad headache as, a result of the exhaust from the little engine when the exhaust' pipe came off. <.

George B. Anderson, assistant engineer at Mangaore, said he had never heard a cumpianu uncut the presence of gas in the tunnel until after the accident on July 2. Witness stated that the gas which caused the trouble was invisible and odourless. Thomas Arthur Johnson, engineer in charge at the upper camp at Mangahao, stated he knew the late Mr Miller and often discussed general points in connection with the work. He had no recollection of him discussing bad air in the tunnel. At the time of the strike the ventilation was not quite sufficient. The fans were installed after this complaint by the men’s representatives.

VERDICT OF GAS POISONING. The Coroner’s verdict was that the seven victims of the disaster came to their deaths by carbon monoxide gas poisoning, caused by the exhaust of a benzine engine used in the tunnel not being, during the afternoon and night of July 2, well enough ventilated for the men to work in safety."