MINING TRAGEDY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19915, 30 April 1930, Page 16

MINING TRAGEDY.

BODY OF SECOND VICTIM RECOVERED. [THE PBES3 Special Service.] AUCKLAND, April 29. Working with almost complete disregard for thp danger of their position, miners at the Eotowaro mine, near Huntly, succeeded in recovering the body of John Yates at about 7 o'clock to-night. In three shifts they had been tunnelling into the huge wall of debris for about 30 hours. With a fellowTfibmas Hart, iMr ' Yatea was buried by heavy falls' of stone in a section of the mine shortly before 1 o'clock on Monday afternoon. Although it was known that he could not havo survived, volunteers exerted every effort to find his body. The two men were engaged in pillar working, removing tlw last of the coal after it had been systematically tunnelled, when the fall occurred with unusual suddenuesß. The body of Mr Hart was found two hours after the fall, which occurred about a mile from the mouth of the mine, and about 250 ft below the surface. Ho was within a yard of safety when he was buried by the fall. He had a broken shovel in 'his hand. ; There were volunteers in plenty for the rescue work, and three shifts were arranged, each of 16 men. Owing to the restricted space, it was impossible for more men to be employed. Too much praise cannot be given to the men who took their lives in their hands to recover the bodies. Each shift worked about eight hours under most trying conditions.