MINING TRAGEDY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 39, 16 February 1933, Page 6

MINING TRAGEDY

THREE BROTHERS DEAD

OVERCOME BY BLACK DAMP.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WHANGAREI, February 15. • A tragic accident occurred at a small privately-owned' coalmine near Hikurangi at about--noon today, as a result, of which three'brothers lost their lives one after the other. < The victims are James Ackers, aged 24, married, with one child, Jack Ackers, agp£ 20, and Albert Ackers, aged 18., . ' Tho mine was owned by the father, William Ackers, who was working on ■& seam at the bottom of the siding shaft. By knock signals he instructed that a descent be made of the narrow air shaft,, about a chain distant from the main-shaft,. It was -sunte a-year ago, but' has not 'since' been" used. - He did. this with the object of ascertaining what further distance would be required to reach the seam. Albert-started the descent, and ap.parently was fatally overcome by black; damp fumes. When part'of the way, down he fell to; tho bottom. The second brother sensed that something was amiss, and entered the shaft 1 for the purpose of effecting a rescue, ' but he too became a .victim of the ; poisonous fumes. The third brother attempted the same perilous descent, and he also lost his life in the'same way as his brothers. _ " Another brother, Robert, was also about to descend, but he was restrained, s William Reed, a miner, put a rope over his shoulders and the shaft. j When halfway down he cried, .'l'm going,*' and was hauled back unconj. scious with a bjack face. He soon recovered. A canvas chute was obtained from ,_ the Waro co-operative mine, .and. after " the gaseous fumes--had been cleared by this means the bodies of the three yic- % tims were recovered. '^\ ' l An indication that the three were asphyxiated during the descent is furnished by the- fact that head injuries , which each received showed that they fell some distance, the air shaft being *_ 32} feet deep. " The full complement of mine operatives"i 3 five, comprising the owner,'hia two sons, and two other employees. James Ackers was merely on a visit to Hikurangi at the time. - <. „\'> James Ackers was down the shaft oa Monday, and found the air «bad,="hut -was' able to return. . VT . " ~—l . The deceased are all „ weU-knowa. ' athletes, particularly in regard-to Soe- , cci1. The family'came from Lancashire eight years "ago. _-' . ' "■