Accident at the Chain Hills Tunnel

Bruce Herald, Volume VII, Issue 674, 12 February 1875, Page 7

Accident at the Chain Hills Tunnel

TWO MEN KILLED

(From the 'Evening St:ir,' Feb. 10.) A serious accident happened at the Chain Hills Tunnel this morning, resulting in the instant death of two men employed on the work. The accident happened at the North, or top end of the tunnel, and this side is divided into three shifts (that to which the accident occurred consisting of fifteen men), under the direction of Mr Kerr. From what we can learn, it appears that about seven o'clock this morning Thomas Kerr (foreman), Patrick Dempsey, Geo. Turnage, and — Wedlock, and others commenced working on the tunnel, and they had been so engaged for about an hour, some seven or eight feet of Milestone fell from the roof of the tunnel, covering the four men named. Wedlock and Turnogfi WPf» oomouoly iojvurwd, olicy were immediately taken to the Hospital ; the others must have been instantly killed, for when their bodies were uncovered, life was extinct. Kerr's head was split open from the rigt eye across the temple, and his neck was broken , Dempsey's skull was split open about 3in. wide behind the right temple and across the face to the left e3'e. The upper portion of the head was almost severed from the lower part 'and a more complete disfiguration could hardly be imagined, while any attempt at identification of the features would be altogether out of the question. Kerr's watch, which was broken, had stopped at five minutes past eight. Kerr was a married man, and his wife and seven children reside at Fairfield, close by, and his eldest daughter was working within a very short distance of the scene ot the accident. He was about forty years of age, had been fourteen years in the district, had been working at the tunnel for about twelve months and was greatly respected. Dempsey was about thirty years of age. In his purse was found a ticket for admission to the hospital, bearing his name. William F. Pattison who was in charge of the shift, saw the stone after it fell, and uncovered the men at the risk of his own life, as the stone continued falling after they were got out. The tunnel was timbered withi> five feet of where the men were killed, and bricked to within twenty feet ; this would ba about seven chains from the m^uth of the tunnel. Sergeant-Major Bevan, from Dunedin, was almost immediately on the spot, and had the bodies removed to Jenkins' Rose, Shamrock, and Thistle Hotel, where an inquest will probably be held to-morrow. Tbe saddest part of the affair is that Dempsey, Wedlock, and Turnage only went to the works for the first time an hour before the accident occurred, and all had been thoroughly enjoying themselves at a ball held at Green Island on the previous night. About six.ty men are now working in the tunnel, and after the accident work was immediately suspended. On making inquiries at the Hospital this afternoon, we learn from the injured men that no warning was given of the ground falling. Wedlock has his right leg broken ; ' Turnage both legs broken, one being a compound fracture. He is besides very much I cut and bruised about the head.