EXTRAORDINARY MINING FATALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 15, 18 January 1905, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY MINING FATALITY.

tSILLED IN A SHAFT. (gy Telegraph- 0 ™ Correspondent.) WAIHI, Tuesday. 4 mining accident, resulting in the un- • w death of a young man named im f 7 Brislin, occurred in the Waihi dedGM Co.'h shaft this afternoon f 430 shortly after the afternon a. • fc.H relieved "the day shift. Deceased 8 Sing in company with his mate, wa " \ Ern est Bedford, both being memnam „ f „ nartv of contractors engaged operations below the 500 ft J" .1 on the new section recently cornSeed in the shaft. In the chamber the 500 ft level there is a place wheie Jlock trucks coming up from the new ion of the shaft are tipped, and an • r oa bar fits over this particular place Xre the trucks run under. There are ie, two trap doors over that portion of 1, shaft sunk from the 500 ft level "here the bucket passes through before I man can step out into the chamber. Tt was here that deceased met his death. Bedford states that they had only been working a short time when deceased said h e would go up and bring down some timber Deceased accordingly ;iscendet2t to the chamber in the bucket, and on reaehin* it he rang the bucket back to Bedford by means of the signal rope. After <=ome eight minutes Bedford became uneasy at the non-appearance of his mate, and consequently he got into the bucket and came to the chamber. There he was horrified to find Brislin lying dead in one of the trucks near the near bar mentioned above. The only conclusion Bedford could arrive at Waj} that deceased slipped after ringing down tea bucket, fell over on his back, and struck his neck or head forcibly against the bar. and then fell over into the truck. Deceased was apparently quite dead, and must have been killed instanttmeouslv. Bedford immediately gave the alarm, and the body of deceased was brought to the surface in the cage. Serjeant Sheehan, who was on the gpot, had the body conveyed to Power's Central Hotel, where it awaits the inquest. The fatality caused quite a gloom to "reread over the township. Deceased is the nephew of Mr. Johns, manager of the Extended mine, and his mother, who is on a short visit to Waihi, was stopping with Mrs. Johns at the time of the accident. Much sympathy is expressed at her loss. Deceased was greatly esteemed by all who knew him. Mr. Evan, the resident Inspector of Mines at Waihi, had only just left the Extended mine when the accident took place. He immediately returned and inspected the scene of the accident.