A VISION OF DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 205, 28 August 1909, Page 9

A VISION OF DEATH.

MAN'S SENSATIONAL ESCAPE. THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN A WELL, The Narrabri correspondent of the "Sydney Evening News" ■writes: — Particulars are just to hand of a young man's sensational experience on a station 20 miles from town on the plains. The following are the exact particulars of the affair, as gleaned from a reliable source: A party of three men had undertaken to clean out and remove the timbering of a very deep well- One of them had been engaged at the last moment by the other two in consequence of having had experience in different mining industries in the State. He belongs to Sydney but has been working in the district come time. Previous to entering on the work of removing the timber and debris, the two principals on the job made a descent of the well. They found nothing wrong with the ground-below. While the third man was at the windlass above, and they beneath, he, gazing across the plain before him, had a distinct vision of the well, and a man at the bottom of it. The man was himself, and the well was caving in on him, and bringing him an awful fate; he waa being buried alive. When his mates came up, they were told of his vision, but they only laughed at him. The next day it was hie turn to go below and commence the more hazardous work by himself. When he was | lowered to the bottom he was horrified to find the excavation had already commenced to fall in. It was all right the previous day when his mates were downHe signalled to them the best way he could and they shouted down to bring up two implements which had been left at the bottom. By thin time the man was almost paralysed with fear, and his mates ?ihove almost in the same condition. It was touch and go with their mntf at the bottomGathering the tools he signalled to haul up, and the long assent commenced, the men winding for dear life. The man below had only gone up a few feet when, with a loud roar, intensified by the depth of the shaft, the sides cnvdd in. Had lie remained ten seconds longer he wou'd have been buried under ton% of oavth and timber. He had escaped an awful death. He arrived at the top safely to receive the warm handgrips of his mates. The man who went through thia thrilling -jcperience is an intelligent, self-con-trolled man; but he avers he never again want 5 to go through a similar ordeaL ■ I