MINE DISASTER

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 120, 16 November 1929, Page 10

MINE DISASTER

THREE MEN KILLED

FOUR IN HOSPITAL

HEROIC RESCUE WORK

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) I INVERCAEGILL, 15th Nov. Three men were killed and four injured as the result of an explosion in the Linton Coal Company's mino at Mount Linton, about fifty miles from Invercargill, this morning. Those killed were:— ROBERT JOHN JOHNSTON, aged 44, a miner, of Ohai, married, with a family of five children. ANTONIO M'COY, aged 27, a miner, residing at Nightcaps, married, with one child. HARRY KITTO, aged 22, a miner, residing at Ohai, married, without family. Those taken to hospital were:— John Chamberlain, aged 30, a trucker, residing at Wrey's Bush, single. Badly burnt about the face and arms. Robert Ross^aged 55, a miner, resid; ing at Ohai, married, with four children. Badly burnt about the face, head, and arms. ■ • James Robb, aged 32, a trucker, residing at Xightcaps, married, with three children. Severe1 burns on the face md arms. Arthur Pennock, aged 58, a horse driver, residing at Ohai, single. Badly fractured arm. -..'-, The explosion'occurred at about 9.30 a.m., and came with startling suddenness. Altogether there were 27 men in the areas affected, and the loss of life therefore can ,be considered light f . Investigations carried put later in the day indicate that the seat of the.explosion was about 11 • chains from the pit mouth in one of the more recent workings. Some indication of the force of the explosion can be gained from the/fact that a horse driver named Pennock, who was standing near the mouth of the mine, was thrown bodily through the air for a distance of about a chain. Windows in the winch-house, more than a chain from the entrance, were blown out and the winch operator was thrown against the far wall. - RUSH OF VOLUNTEERS. ■Immediately after the explosion' the alarm was given and volunteer reserve workers hurried to the scene from neighbouring mines.' All the other mines in the district were soon practically doserted, and the suffocating men were brought out as speedily as possible. Many of the rescuers suffered from the effects of the "fumes, and several were temporarily gassed and had to be 'assisted out of the mine. Practically all the volunteers were strangers to the mine and ■ were hampered by lack of knowledge of the workings. E. K. Shoen, surveyor of the mine, was also in the mino when the accident occurred, but was not badly injured, and performed very valuable work in helping the others out. The first men to be brought out reached the pit mouth in about ten minutes from the time of the explosion. From- then onwards men wero. brought out in rapid succession. Many were so badly gassed temporarily by fumes, that, they had to be carried out. As . the injured men were brought out in. such rapid succession ,it appeared that one physician would not be able to give all the assistance desirable, and the services of 'two doctors from Otautau ■ were requisitioned. News of the tragedy spread rapidly through the district, and the relatives of the men working in the mine assembled at the headworks anxiously awaiting news from the scene of, the tragedy. It was a pathetic group that watched the parties of injured men being conveyed to their homes or to hospital. ••• . • THE RESCUE WORK. The body of Johnston was brought out very shortly after the accident. It was apparent he had received the full force of the, explosion, and death must fcave been almost instantaneous. A fairly considerable time elapsed before the rescuers' recovered the body of M'Coy, which was brought out some time after mid-day. The body of Kitto was not found until 3 o'clock. Throughout the period of rescue dense suffocating fumes hampered the work of the volunteers. Compressed air and the ventilating fan were utilised, and after several hours the air became more pure. -" An investigation of the damage was carried' out. Many of the stoppings wero found to be smashed, but otherwise the damage was slight and less than might have been expected. One or two minor fires were' discovered, but these were extinguished. The mine will be inspected.by the Inspector of Mines and the tragedy will be fully investigated. ' All the miners pay a tribute to the presence of mind shown by a miner named Rogers, who removed the nozzle from the compressed air pipe, thus liberating sufficient air to keep the men alive until rescue came. "Had he not done that," said one miner, "we would all have been suffocated." The injured men, who are at present inmates of the Biverton Hospital, were reported at a late hour to-night to be fairly comfortable. The condition of the three who were suffering from burns was serious, but they are progressing as well as could be expected.