ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 28, 16 January 1912, Page 6

ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

(Per Press Association i Auckland, January 15. The manager of the May Queen mine, in his report to the directors regarding the recent fatality, states: “The other live men are getting on all right. Too much praise cannot be given to Messrs Crowley, James Alexander and Herival for their efforts in rescuing their mates. At present I am unable to give any cause for the sudden inrush of gas.” While playing on the river bank at Huntly to-day, Gavin McVie, aged two years and eight months, fell over a bank and was drowned. Deceased’s father is enginedriver at Ralph’s. Wellington, January 15. Eileen Leslie, aged 11, the daughter of the custodian of the Town Hall, had a marvellous escape from severe injury yesterday. Rising early, she ancT other children were playing , on the flat roof of the building, when the little girl jumped from the higher part of the building on to a skylight six feet below. The skylight was not sufficiently strong, and she crashed through, falling over thirty feet on to another skylight, where she was found semi-conscious a little later by her father. She was badly cut about the head, arms and legs, but no bones were broken. She was removed to the hospital. Timaru, January 15.

At the resumed inquest into the death of P. O’Neill, killed by a premature explosion of a blast at the Harbour Board’s quarry a week ago, when between fifty and sixty kegs of blasting powder were fired, the principal evidence was that of Hayes, who assisted O’Neill to prepare the blast. His evidence showed that O’Neill, in order not to keep members of the Harbour Board waiting long to see tlio blast, disregarded the usual precautions. The fuse was laid in a groove in the timber from the face of the rock to the charge, and loose powder laid in the groove beside the fuse. The powder should not have been, laid within live foot of the face, but O’Neill laid it all the way. The fuse beyond this should have boon two feet long. O’Neill rut it down to six inches, and some loose powder was King outside. Hayes remonstrated with O’Neill that it was dangerous, übt the latter said it was all right. Hayes said he had seen every shot lin'd in the quarry for twelve years, and never before bad the powder been laid right out to the fare. W. J. Bardslcy, secretary to the Harbour Board, gave evidence regarding the experiments with the kind ol f use that was used. If the charge had been laid according to rule it would have taken over four minutes to go off. Laid as described by Hayes it would take only 27 to 28 seconds. The inquest was further adjourned for the evidence of the harbour engineer, who was seriously hurt and is in hospital.