THE LAST TIME DOWN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 54, 5 March 1937, Page 7

THE LAST TIME DOWN.

GRESFOED PIT TRAGEDY. LOXDOX, February 28. "We shall go down sonic day and never come up. We shall he blown to hell," said a miner as he was about to <ro to work in flresford colliery on the morning of the disaster in 1034, in which he and 200 others lost their lives. This incident was related in the House of Commons by a Labour member during discussion on the report of the court of I impiirv. The debate was initiated bv Mr. David' (Jrenfell, formerly a Glamorganshire miner. He said that a study of the report impelled serious disquiet about the whole machinery for supervision and inspection which Parliament had been building tip for nearly a eenturv. He felt that inspection at < iron ford had proved ineffective. Mr. George Griffiths, a Yorkshire Labour member, told the following story:—"On September 9, 1i)34, I met a mail who was in the same class at school i w'itli tne. He was catching a train to work in the (iresford pit and one of m\ I relations said to him, 'You arc »omi! down for the last time. Ja.-k.' The l-'i i day night shift is know n a* t lie hist time.' This great smart, fellow said, cs, we shall f-o down for the lust time some day ami never come up. We shall be blown to hell.' That man idow n in (irestord pi' to day. He knewj what was happening there, and lie w. i - ' sacrificed for the sake nt j.11.i.>." Captain I'eake ((on l.n.N -prakinj as a coal owner, v;i i< 1 . ■ -ml i< - ht 1 firesford had made a di-astet ie-'» it a !>!<' sooner or later. *