The Fatal Mining Accident.

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1140, 8 November 1904, Page 2

The Fatal Mining Accident.

Coroitial Enquiry,

This morning, before Mr, Mas D. King, coroner, nnd a jury comprising Messrs, R. B. Ready (foroman), George Poy, William Clark, Samuel Wheoler, Eugene O'Sollivan, and William Gilder, an inquiry was held into ciroumstancou connected with tho death of Jens Christian Neikon Dnhl, who was hilled in one of tho slopes of the Waihi mine yesterday morning Tho inquiry was hold in the SStorling Hotel.

After the jury hud been sworn an adjournment was made to tho eceno of tho aecidont. The visit occupied About an hour. On re-assembling, evidonce was taken. Amongst tboso.present were Messrs, 11. P. Barry, K. E, Williams (rppresentii g Waihi Goldming Company), aud J, Uyan (who appeared on behalf of the Minos Department). SergoaiitjShoehnn conducted tho enI quiry for the police, 4 The first witness, BJchaid Toy, deposed that he was employed by tho Waihi G,M. Company, He had only known deceased recently, having started work with him last weou, Ho was satisfied d( ceased was a practical miner, and a very careful man. fie and dooeasedwent to work at 8 o'clock yesterday rnorniDg, Bofore commencing work they looked rouud to sec that nil was right, and sounded the roof of tho stopo in ordor to bring down any quartz that might imvo become looßoncd. They were both satisfied that everything wtts sate. Ho and deceased were clearing away ibo stuff at the mouth of the p'iss, and deceased was in the act of picking up a slodgo hammer nour tho pass, when, without any warning, a big picoe from the hanging will suddenly came away, falling on and wishing deceased. Witness wmb only two fret away from deceased when the full occurred, lie did not know how tho acoidont could have , boon averted. The gionnd looked perfectly safo, audit was seldom the hanging wall gavo way, Deceased never spoke or moved after tho accident. By Sub-Inspector Ryan: On going to worn yestctday morning he mot one ol the men who had been on night rhil'r, in the stope in the level, Tho man coming off work warned witnoss to take all tho loose ground down. Ee had been working about three hours when tho accident happened, During this time 110 shot had been fired, None of the mine officials had visited the place prior to the accident, Mr Brown, tho hoad contractor, had visited tho stopo where they were working that morning, and assisted in knocking r away anything looso from tho roof and ' wall.

By a juryman: Ho bail novor hoard that that particular atope or that part of tho mine was dangerous. W. J. Brown deposed that ho wis a contractor and employed about 33 men, Deceased had worked for him since the fith September last, Ho was nAM that deceased was a goud miner and know his work. Deceased camo from Mount Morgan, and had since been working on tho Empire lodo, Witness nmrti it a prnntiro to inspect tho workings of his contract evory morning. He did so yesterday, and everything was aafo. By Mr. Bynn: When ho examined tho ground in tho morning the quartz in tho stope had covered tho portion of the wall that had fallen on deceased, The stopo' was nearly full of quartz, and the lowor part of tho wall from which the stuff had fallen was not visible. His instructions were to carry a stope 8 feet high, By a juryman: Ho rememberd a fall taking place threo slopes down about six months ago. He tested the roof overhead, but not tho face. Tests by sounding wore ineffective owing to the nature of tho ground. Dr. Clavidgo deposed that ho went to the mlno and found thnt deceased was dead. Since then he had ruado a post mortem of tho body. Ho found oxtonsivo bruises over tho region of the right shoulder, Four of tho ribs wore fmolnred, tho inner onds piercing the lungs, The wholo cavity of the chest was full of blood, 'i'horo was oho a compound fracturo of tho lower jaw. Tho cause of death was Byncopo,. duo to internal hemorrhage, Death, he thought, would be almost instantaneous. Farquabar Stowart, shift boss in tho Waihi G.M, Company's mine, deposed that he had not visited that morning, the stope where the accident occurred. Ho

was on his way to tho atopo at tho time. He visited thj plnoe list on Saturday, Everything was thon satisfactory, and he

snw no reason to anticipate danger. He had hoard no complaints of that parti, cular part of the mm being dangerous,

THE VERDICT

After a short retirement the jury returned tho following verdict:—That the deceased, Jens Christian Noilon Dahl, mot his death in one of tho stopoi in tho Wftihi Gold Mining Company's mine by a fall of innllook from a greasy hond off the hanging wall of the reef, and that no blame is attachable to anyone,