DOBSON MINE DISASTER

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 61, 6 December 1926, Page 12

DOBSON MINE DISASTER

NINTH VICTIM DIES FURTHER TERRIFIC EXPLOSIONS MINE BEING FLOODED In striking contrast to the usual signs of activity a stillness reigns in Dobson township. The strained faces of women and children, the subdued tones in which men refer to the dead miners, tell plainly the effect the disaster has had on the people’s nerves. Further explosions have 'occurred, adding to the nervousness of the people. Water from the Grey River is being poured into the mine. The funeral of four of the victims was among the most impressive ever held on the West Coast.

Dominion Special. Greymouth, December 5. I The death of Eric Ashton, the last i<f th? mine victims of the tragic dis- ' aster which overtook the Dobson mine ■ on Friday morning, occurred at the . Grey Hospital yesterday afternoon, thus severing the last link of evidence which might have helped to unravel the cause of the tragedy. In contrast to the noise of the motor traffic along the road from i Greymouth to Dobson, visitors are struck by the strange stillness that ’overshadows the erstwhile busv mining township. Along the road vesterday 'groups of men watched the preparations that were being made to flood the mine and speaking in subdued tones of their ill-fated workmates, five of whom were never brought out of the mine lying under the peaceful-looking verdure-clad hills, which thev entered on Thursday night in the full vigour of their health and strength. STRAINED FACES OF WOMEN. The strained faces of women and children tell their own tale ’ of nerves shattered bv the disaster and the succeeding explosions. Another j explosion terrified the Dobson residents at about nine o’clock on Friday evening, when four miners named Andrew ’ Alindores, Jack Armstrong, Dave McTvor, and Albert Hill had a narrow es- , cape from death. The men were eni gaged in-the work of resealing the main entrance to the mine, the clav stoppings having been blown out by ; the previous blast which occurred during the afternoon. .. A TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION. i Mr. Alindores, when interviewed by a reporter, gave a vivid description of ' the fourth explosion. “We had been 1 instructed by the manager,” he said, “to keep out of the line of danger as much as we possibly could, and after i finishing the sealing operations on the sides we had made a start on the front of the tunnel. I heard the mine rumbling,” be continued, “and cried out a warning to my mates. There was no other way of escape, but to clamber up on to the bank. "When I 'got on top I helped i to pull my mates’up, and we lay stretched on the ground. The explosion forced the roof of the tunnel out, dislodging tons of rock. One huge rock in its descent crashed into the ground between myself and Mclvor, who were lying close together, just missing our bodies by , inches. ITS EFFECT The transmission wires supplying electricity-to the mine were smashed, and l, rocks and stone hurtled through the air, , causing further serious damage to houses. A stone crashed through the roof of Mr. Roberts’s house into a bedroom, and landed close to a cot, in which a little child ,was sleeping. Another big rock penetrated the roof of Mr. Alindore’s house and went through the ceiling of the sitting-room. A rock, weighing abput 1501 b., was deposited on the road near the hotel about a quarter of a mile away. Strange to say, the clay stoppings at ! / the mouth of the mine resisted the force of the explosion. All the re--1 maiming windows of the lamp room 1 and bathroom were shattered. Extra precantions have been taken to safeguard the public from ’ further explosions. The road leading to the mouth of the mine has been barricaded off about a chain distant from the main J Grey road. Patrolmen are guarding both the main entrance and the air i drive. A VITIATED ATMOSPHERE. Billows of black smoke were issuing •from the fan-house and air drive yesterday, whilst the atmosphere was vitiated with fumes from the burning , mine. As the result of the dislocation of the electric power lines the work of flooding the mine was considerably delayed. Repairs to the transmission wires were effected yesterday afternoon by the Power Board’s staff. . The preliminary work in connection with the flooding of the - mine was carried out, under the ; direction of Messrs. George Miller, chief engineer of the State Mines, and Gordon McKay, of the National Electrical Engineering Company. The work ! was accomplished at great personal I risk. Blinding smoke issued from the mouth of the air drive whilst the pipes were being connected from the river to convev the water for flooding the mine. The electric pump which has been lent by the New River Dredging Company, Ltd., has been erected on the banks of the Grey River, directly opposite the air drive, which enters the mine from the Main Grey Road. FLOODING OF MINE COMMENCED. - At 5.15 p.m. yesterday pumping j operations were commenced, the water being lifted into the mine at the rate of twentv-five thousand gallons per hour The water is being pumped i from the Grev River to the mine through a double line of pipes. A ■ . larger pump is being erected to-day, which, it is expected, will be in action this evening. With two ptimns in operation it is exnected to have the mine flooded in about four days MORE EXPLOSIONS. At one o’clock this morning another slight explosion occurred. This was followed bv two more at six o’clock These were accompanied by loud reports, which could be beard for a considerable distance, while low rumbling sounds resembling a thunderstorm ema nated from the mine between six o’clock and seven o’clock No further damage resulted. The chairman of directors of the com panv, Mr. F Hogarth, of Wellington, and the Auckland representative of tin directorate, who arrived in Grevmouth , bv vesterdav’s express, visited Dobson this morning Thev were accompanied bv Mr Allan Smith, the resi dent director. Since the disaster everything possible for the relatives of the

ill-fated miners has been done by Messrs. Smith and G. Hughes (the mine manager). Billows of thick black smoke and nau- " seous gas fumes were still coming from the air drive and fan house this evening. A report from the mine this afternoon stated that forty thousand gallons of water per hour were being pumped into the mine. This amount will be probably doubled as soon as the extra pump is installed. PROBABLE CAUSE OF DISASTER. Of the manv theories advanced as to the cause of the explosion the one most accepted is that it had its origin in a defect in the electric installation. The Dobson mine, like other mines on the Brunner field, is described by miners as a gasometer. Miners state that when cutting out preparatory to firing shots in the Dobson mine, the sound of gas hissing can be heard like a steam engine. A" reporter was told by several of the miners that it was quite a common thing for men to become dizzy and sick in the mine through gas fumes. When affected this way the usual course was to rush, to the mouth of the drive for fresh air, which quickly restored them. Another old miner on the Brunner field stated that prior to the Brunner disaster, over 30 years ago, a common practise of miners was to flick the gas away with their coats before entering the working places. He expressed the opinion that the miners on the Brunner field required extra ventilation shafts on account of their gaseous nature. An inquest concerning the disaster will be formally opened by the Coroner (Mr. W. Meldrum, S.M.) at noon to-morrow. (Monday). FUNERAL OF FOUR VICTIMS. The funeral of Robert Hunter, James Richards, John Lindsay, and Eric Ashton, four of the victims of the explosion, took place at Karoro this afternoon. The funeral was one of the largest seen on the West Coast, a gathering of over three thousand people, representing ■ the whole of district, being present. Special trains ran from Runanga and Brunner to Karoro, picking up passengers at all the stations en route. On the arrival/ of the trains at Karoro a procession, headed by the combined Greymouth Municipal' and Runanga Bands I was formed outside the gates of the cemetery. Impressive scenes were witnessed at the cemetery. The bodies of Hunter, Lindsay, and Ashton were laid to rest in three graves side by side, while the remains of Richards were lowered itno a grave some distance away. During the service the Dead March and the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee” were played by the combined bands, whilst added solemnity was lent to the proceeding by the dirgelike sound of the waves of the Tasman Sea as they lapped the beach adjacent to the cemetery, The services at the gravesides were conducted by Archdeacon Car, Rev. L. Collins, Rev. J. F. Martin, and Ensign Frieberg. Richards and Lindsay were members of the Masonic fraternity, the Masonic burial service being read by Bro. H. Hart, of the Advance Masonic .Lodge, Brunner. Following the burial ceremony, numerous wreaths and floral tributes were laid on the graves. References to the tragedy were made at the various churches throughout the West Coast to-day. ADDITIONAL DETAILS By Telegraph—press Association. Greymouth. December 5. Ashton regained consciousness for . brief intervals, and was thought to be recovering, but sank to a dying condition vesterday afternoon, without giving any information as to the location of the explosion. His father and brother arrived half an hour later by express from Ashburton. The wife of Thomas Black, one of those whose bodies remain in the mine, after giving birth to twins a few days ago, is reported to be in a grave condition consequent on learning of her husband’s fate. The Mayors of Grevmouth, Brunner, Runanga, and also Mr. Janies O’Brien and others are moving for the organisation of a relief fund. The Mayor of St. Kilda, Dunedin, has already lent co-operation. SYMPATHY FOR BEREAVED The Acting-Prime Minister (Hon. W. D. Stewart) has received from His Excellency tile Governor-General (Sir Charles Fergusson) a message asking him to convey to the families of those who have lost their lives the heartfelt sympathy of Her Excellency and himself on their sad loss. Messages of a similar nature have been forwarded by Mr. Stewart and the Minister of Mines (Hon. G. J. Anderson) . Telegraphic advice received in Wellington on Saturday stated that Mr. Hitches, the mine manaver. had taken ill The manager of the collier’- fflr. Lpitch) had suffered a nervous breakdown about ten davs before the disaster. BOTH PLEASED I wonder if your wife thinks vou are spending too much, especially on Cigarettes and Tobacco. If so vou can continue to do vourself well and get a laugh out of her. Smoke Bears Tobacco, Mild and Cut Plug, Pd. per 0z... and tell her that you have found something nice and new and expensive. When she finds out how really cheap it i», »he will be pleased too, r— Advt.