Terrible Mine Disaster

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10710, 14 October 1912, Page 5

Terrible Mine Disaster

TASNIANIAN M NE ON FIRE

HEAVY DEATH ROLL FEARED

(Rewired This Morning, 1jJ.35 o'clock) 1 HOBAiIT, October 13. Ono hundred men are entombed in the North Mount Lyell mine as a result of a fire at noon on Saturday in the seven hundred feet level, caused by the blowing out of a water pump. FLAMES 'SPREAD QUICKLY. The flames quickly spread to the chamber house, which is lined with inflammable wood, stored with oily waste bagging. Thence the oro body was ignited, and the lire spread with alarming quickness. Smoke permeated the various workings, where 150 men were employed. ALARM GIVEN. The alarm was quickly spread, and 1 a number of men rushed to the Hat and escaped in a cage, about fifty reaching the surface, assisted by the heroic efforts of some miner* who battled through the smoke. ! The news of the outbreak was sent |,to Queeustown, and doctors and oth|er helpers arrived, including many men from the Mount Lyell mine. j ' RESCUE PARTIES AT WORK. Rescue parties arc at work, untier the direction of the General Manager and engineer of the Lye',l mine. Compressed air at the rate of seven thousand feet to the minute is being pumped into the workings. Other urgent efforts are being made to save the entombed men. "FOR GOD'S SAKE—MORE AIR,"* A telephone message was receive/] from the thousand feet level, convoying the words, "For God's sake give us more air!" Dense volumes of smoke are issuin i. : , from the main tunnel. A big crowd is gathered round the mine. The last report was that four men had been rescued from the five hundred feet level, which is regarded as about the worst position from the point of smoke. This lends the hope that most, er all of the men, will be rescued. NINETY-THREE MEN ENTOMBED {Received This Morning, 12.50' o'clock) HOBART, October 13. The latest reports are less hopeful. Ono dead body was found in the five hundred feet level. The rescuers w?ro then driven hack by the smoke. When the alarm was given, 72 men escaped. Ninety-three men are still entombed.

NINETY THREE i'NERS ENTOMBED.

them. The rescuers made desperate and heroic efforts to penetrate the deadly fumes arising from the ore. SPLENDID DEVOTION. A magnificent spirit of splendid devotion is being displayed. PATHETIC SCENES. The scenes at tho mouth of the mine were of a most pathetic character. Strong men, with tear-stained faces, were standing in groups, hoping for the best. Streams of people from the surrounding township are gathered at the mino mouth. DIVERS' SUITS IN USE. Divers' suits have been obtained, and will be utilised in penetrating 1 the lower levels. A SLENDER HOPE. Chemists and mine officials hold tho view that the men at the bottom levels, have a change of escape, as the tendency of the poisonous fumes is to rise and not descend, though they admit that the chance is slender. It is now feared that the loss ff life will be heavy. • The firo is still spreading; \