A MAN FALLS DOWN A SHAFT.

Thames Star, Issue XI, 25 November 1880, Page 2

A MAN FALLS DOWN A SHAFT.

One of those accidents which cast a gloom over a mining community like ours happened yesterday afternoon, the news reaching Grahainstown just at the moment of the declaration of the poll at the Municipal election. The victim was a well-known miner named John McGregor, who has resided with his wife and family of eight children for many years at the foot of the Waio-Karaka. The unfortunate man was in the employ of the Moanotairi Goldminiug Company, and after taking a lively interest in the election in the morning, was observed going to his work about 3 o'clock. Happening to be a few minutes behind the rest of the shift, McGregor could not descend the shaft by means of the cage, and was observed by Mr Nicholas Taylor, one of the underground bosses, and a young man named Waite starting from the Tunnel level chamber to go down the ladder way. Both of these- state that they noticed nothing peculiar in the unfortunate man's manner, and they had no suspioion that he was the worse of liquor. Mr Taylor, after seeing McGregor safely dowu the first section of the ladder proceeded on his round of inspection to the other workings on the Tunnel level, and it was not until close on six o'clook that he returned to the shaft. He descended the ladder-way to the 150

level where the first premonition that something was wrong struck him, through seeing McGregor's billy-can and crib-bag lying on one of the stages near the 150 feet level, which is divided from the bottom level by well boards. The unfortunate man was found quite dead with his head battered in. Assistance was speedily obtained, and Dr Huxtable was at once on the spot but pronounced life to be extinct. Steam in the meantime had been got up in the winding engine, and the body was raised to the Tunnel level, and thence conveyed out to the All Nations Hotel to await the inquest.