GRAHAM'S BODY RECOVERED.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 227, 26 September 1898, Page 5

GRAHAM'S BODY RECOVERED.

SUFFOCATED WHEN 'TRYING TO

ESCAPE,

DESPERATE ATTEMPTS AT RESCUE.

(By Telegraph—Own Reporter.)

WAITEKAURI, this day.

The dead body of Graham was recovered on Saturday evening, hanging over a slab three feet from the bottom of the man-hole leading from Christie's drive into the Queen drive.

The unfortunate man had evidently known the best means of exit, but was suffocated before reaching pure air in the Queen level.

Wallace's body could not be recovered, and it is thought he must have endeavoured to escape by the same level as he entered, namely, Christie's, and was overcome by smoke.

The Jubilee miners and volunteers made desperate efforts to penetrate the mine in search of the lost miners, biit they were driven back.

Mr Barney, the mine manager, was lowered down the winze by means of a rope, and was hauled up in a fainting condition-. • ■ . Yesterday every opening which could admit air into the mine was. blocked up in order to extinguish the fire, and it is considered a week may elapse before the mine can.be re-opened.

The following particulars, showing where Wallace and Graham were, may make the facts clearer:-—An engine was placed in a chamber cut out in the Moonstone level, from which level a rise led to Christie's level.Above Christie's level another rise led to the surface. The smokestack from the engine was carried up thefirstrise nearly to Christie's level, from which to the surface the smoke went up the open rise. Another rise further in along Christie's drive also led to the surface, and Wallace and Graham came to work along Christie's drive, then up the second rise 23 feet,and were working in the face of the intermediate level from the rise. This second rise also led down to another level, the Queen, and it was along this level and up the second rise that the search parties came and discovered Graham's body with one leg hanging, over a slab. Wallace is probably lying between where Graham was got and the point where the fire- broke out, at the top of the flume Messrs Coutts and Ryan, mining- inspectors, were on the scene all Satxirday afternoon and night, and. everything possible was done to discover Wallace, but without avail. The search parties got up the second rise and into the level where the men had been working, but found it impossible to get along Christie's level towards the fire. In any case, it is probable that born men discovered the smoke long before it was felt by the engineer below, and endeavoured to escape before the alarm was given below. The sad fate of the two miners has cast a gloom, over Waitekauri,, business -being -suspended, and indeed throughout the whole district the fate of the unfortunate,men is the sole subject of conversation. An inquest was proceeding, this afternoon before Mr J. Nathan, acting

Coroner. Though all the outlets have been closed as fast-as possible smoke still forces its way through,. and will no doubt continue to do so for some time.