FATAL ACCIDENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2879, 25 December 1890, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT.

RALPH'S NEAV MINE, HUNTLY. FOUR MEN KILLED. O.v Tuesday morning news reached Hamilton that a very serious accident had occurred at Huntly, whereby it was feared three or four miners would lose their lives. Dr Kenny was the first to receive intimation, as he had been wired to to proceed to Huntly. to attend a man rescued from the scene of the accident, but terribly, and it was feared, fatally injured. On the arrival of the train at midday the details of the disaster were gathered from the men who had come up with their injured mate, Hyndman. The accident took place at about half-past nine o'clock on Monday night, in a new dip that is being driven to stiiko a seam of coal known to exist under the township, and it is generally supposed to have arisen from the giving way of the false set of timbering at the heading, causing the other timbers behind to cave in. The work was being carried on by twelve mm in three shifts of four men each, The following are the names of the men at work at the time of the accident, who went on at 2 o'clock and would have finished their shift at 10 o'clock:—John Treacey, James Smith, Alexander Harris, John Sampson and John Oasby, who was at the mouth of the dip emptying the trucks,but who had been called down to help bail the water. They were working on the face of the dip when J. McLennan, who had gone down into the drive with D. Weir, noticed the false sets shifting, shouted out that the mine was coming-in and to clear out, Treacey looked round and said that there was no danger. McLennan saw that the earth was coming in and tried to pull him out, but it was no use. Seeing the timber falling he ran out, pushing Sampson in front of him. About eight sots of timber, thirty feet, fell in. This was all permanent work, but the ground on which they were working was very rotten, the bottom being too soft to cany the weight.

The men were just going to put in the last set of timbers and then knockoff till they got the Tangye pump and pipes fixed. Treacey and Smith were buried in the first fall whilst Harris and Casby who had run back thinking themselves safe had stopped to see what had happened and wore caught by a second fall nearer the mouth of the dip. Rescuing parties under tho direction of Mr Collins, the mine manager, who had been sent for immediately after the accident, were organised and started to dig the buried men out. Harris and Casby could be seen, and were spoken to over tho fallen debris, and a drink was given to Harris. Both men were pinned by the legs by the fallen timbers. To keep the water from rising men were employed scrapingthedirt from about Casby's head, to prevent him being drowned. Hyndman was engaged in this, when another fall took place, almost covering him, and completely shutting off communication with Harris and Casby, and it is thought they must have been killed at this time. Hyndman was at once dragged out by his mates, and on being examined by Dr. Broom it was found that he had received severo injuries to his spine. Dr. Kenny was sent for in the morning, and arrived in time to arrange for Hyndman being removed to the Waikato Hospital by train, where he now lies in a precarious condition, although during yesterday symptoms giving some hopes of improvement set in. Work without intermission was continued, and, although on Tuesday evening the bodies of Casby arid Harris could be seen, they were not recovered until 5.30 a.m. yesterday. When found, Harris' arm was round Caaby, as if raising his head from .the water. As they wpre, when last seen, apart, the second fall must have, enabled Harris to free himself, when he went to his mate's assistance.

The work of disentombing the bodies of the unfortunate men buried has been going on unceasingly since the accident.

As the other men are supposed to have been buried close to the face of the drive 20 feet further on, it is thought probable they will not be recovered for some days yet. The melancholy accident has in great measure extinguished all the teeling which may have been engendered through the late strike as the men could not have worked more vigorously and harmoniously together than have the unionists and free labourers in their efforts to extricate the unforTttnate victims.

An indescribable gloom is cast over the township, saddening this usually happy time of thu year.

(BY OUU SPECIAL ÜBI'OKTRR.)

Hu.VTf.v, Yesterday. Since yesterday there is little new to report. The rescuing piutirs are now working in shifts of one hour, there being from twelve to fourteen men in each shift. About half-past five this morning the bodice of Cashy and Harris were found togethcr. Harris had his arm round his mate as if he had been trying to lift his head up out of the rising water. Cashy was terribly crushed about the leg* and appeared to have suffered considerably, while Harris does not seem as if ho had had any pain, his lace being quite composed. It is expected that one of the two men now entombed will be rescued before morning, and there is some probability of both being found. The following is the description of the accident, as last reported by one of the men who escaped. Thero were seven men in the drive at the time—B.-10 p.m. on Monday— when the first slip occurred. They were all near the face of the dip. The slabß of the facings had been driven home, and the falsa set placed in position, the main set of timber having beon brought down suddenly, and without the slightest warning, the false set moved forward, and the slabs giving way, drew the main set of timbers behind them. The caps of several of the main sets along the dip were thus displaced by the first fall of sandstone and clav, which caused more debris to fall, thus displacing the sets nearest the end of tlia dip. Three men ran out and managed to escape Harris and Casby ran some of the way out, and, thinking they were safe, turned round to see the slip, but another fall of earth corning down caught them. Tins slip was different from those which have occurred from time to time in tho old drive. In the old drive a fall was proceded by loud rumblings, thus giving the miners time to get away. In this instance, howevor, there were no premonitory warnings and the men were caught almost at their work.

The waggon which was at the face where the men were working whon the accident occurred has been reached, and it is expected that the bodies will not be far distant.

Mr W. N. Searancke, J.P. and Coroner fot the district, arrived here about 2 p.m., to-day, for the purpose of holding an inquest. The following jury was emuannelled :—Messrs Richard R. Ramsomo (foreman), Noah Harry, L. Barclay, W. I Gearey, J. George and R. Mills. In acI cordance with the Act half of tho jury, tho first three were settlors and the remainder minora. The coroner decided thai, it was not advisable to hold the inquest until the Government Mining Inspector, Mr George Wilson, who arrived from the Thames by the mid-day train, had made an inspection and is able to report. The inquest was therefore adjourned until Friday morning, at II o'clock, but it is probable that should the other bodies be recovered in the meantime that the inquest on them will be hold at fl o'clock, so as to allow of the evidenco, a good deal of which will be duplicated being got through with as early as possible. The bodies recovered were examined by Dr. Broom and viewed by the jury, after which a certificate allowing of their being buried was given by tho coroner. The lad Harris will be buriod at Huntly to-morrow a*: three p.m., while Casby's body was taken down to Maketu to be interred beside that of his wife, who wits a Miss Pratt, the daughter of a resident in this district.

'i'lio (loverniuent Mining Inspector, Mr Oeorge Wilson, was at thß Thames at the time of the accident, but on receipt of the news ho at oneo set mil and arrived on the scene this morning. Ho has made preliminary inspection of the mine, but will make a more thorough examination when the end is cleared out,

The mine managers from the other mines have been at the spot almost continuously since the accident, and have rendered all the assistance in their power. The men from the Taupiri Extended Company's mine, under Mr Tattley, the manager, worked on till last night with the other men, when they returned and resumed work at their own mine. The Telegraph Olfico is just closing, and I must close. Latkr. Mr Collins, Mine Manager, has just made the measurements, and finds that the men working aro now only about fifteeu feet from the end of the drive, so that they cannot be more than that distance from the entombed bodies.