THE FATAL FUMES

Evening Star, Issue 18020, 14 July 1922, Page 7

THE FATAL FUMES

INQUIRY ON MANGAHAO TRAGEDY. ADDITIONAL AIR PUMP ENGINE. The inquiry into the Mangahao tragedy which occurred on July 3 was resumed at Shannon yesterday before the coroner, Mr Fraser, S.M. Inspector M’Kinnon conducted the proceedings for the police, and Mr C. A. Loughnaa appeared for the Public Works Department, Mr Simpeon for Mrs Maxwell (the widow of ono of the victims), Mr Bergen for the relatives of Bernard Butler, and Mr G. Grayndl«r for the New Zealand Workers’ Union. Mr F. W. Puikert, Chief Engineer of the Public .Works Department, was also present.

John Hurrell, assistant engineer, said he became aware of the fatality at 1.45 on the morning of July 3. He dressed and went to the sub-station, whore the men who had been brought out were lying. Resuscitation was being tried. Witness went into the tunnel about five chains, and met the fumes of gas. He knew it would bo useless to risk any more lives. When ho arrived at the tunnel he saw the fan was not working. When bo came out ■ of the tunnel he saw that arrangements were being made to_ start the fail going as soon as possible. From the time lie arrived till the fan started was forty-five minutes. The electric-fan was run by power from the bottom camp at Mangaore during the week, and stopped at 8 o’clock on Saturday night, when the whole working of the tunnel stopped except the pumping. Ho had never heard complaints about ventilation. To Mr Simpson: li was about 1 a quarter to 7 on Sunday evening that the large kerosene engine in the tunnel stopped working. The overseer had informed him of this after the accident. To Mr Bergen, witness hoard before that some men had headaches working in the tunnel. Cross-examined further, witness said it had been the custom for nine months to start the engine on Sunday to cope with the exhaust and the water, _ so_ that the men could start work at midnight. Ho had been told earlier on Sunday evening that the kerosene engine had stopped, and that a man had been sent to tell the men to come out and start the fan before going back. The system of ventilation was an electric fan operated at the mouth of the tunnel. The fan was sufficient to carry off all the fumes that went into the ventilation pipe. It drew 4,000 ft of air per minute. The discharge of the gas engine would bo negligible iu this 4,000 ft draught. Herbert Edward Kinzett, tunnel foreman, gave evidence that, when he went on about midnight he was told that something was wrong. Ho got a lamp and went into the tunnel. Ho met Triggs coming out, who said that a lot of men bad been gassed inside. Witness went on and found F. Birss lying unconscious, and further on Millei - , one_ of the Grahams, and Birss, Jun. Miller and Graham appeared to be dead. A rescue party arrived with a truck, and Triggs collapsed, and tho others had to retreat. Witness got ono body on the truck, and endeavored to get another on, when he collapsed. Ho knew' nothing more till he recovered in the canteen afterwards. • To the Coroner: He had known of men having headaches in the tunnel before, but none had been carried out. Arthur Charles Trigg, air compressor attendant at Arapeti, said tho power was on when he went to work at 7 p.m. on ' the day of tho tragedy. Shortly afterwards "the power station informed him it was going to close down, but not for long. At 8.20 p.m. Butler entered the station and departed. An hour later Maxwell told witness he was going to the tunnel to find out how the pumps were working. As at 10 o’clock Maxwell hud not returned witness went to the mouth of the tunnel, and as ho could see no lights ho became _ unoasy. He went back to the sub-station, but being still uneasy went into the tunnel, and,there met Birss, jun., and the two Grahams.’ He expressed apprehensions as to Maxwell and Butler, and the three men said they would go and see, and at the, same time ascertain the depth of water. ' Witness added that he wished they would, as his place was at the substation, and he had no right in, the tunnel at all. At 11.20 p.m. the men returned and explained that they had gone as far as they could, but could not get into touch with /the other two men. Later Miller same'along, and on being advised of their fears, entered the tunnel, accompanied by the three men. This was the lastwitness saw of any of them alive. He (witnessl remained at his po-st till 11.55 p.m. He then entered tho tunnel and came on the first party of men gassed. Ho gave the alarm, and went back with the rescuers. Ernest Hjorth, overseer at Arapeti, said he got to the tunnel at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Maxwell and the others were alongside the auxiliary fan engine, which they had started. It stopped owing to air suction valve trouble, and they could not geWt going again owing to losing a nut. Witness told Lankshear, one of the men, to go into the tunnel and tell the_ men to com© out and start the engine before they went in again. Being tired, witness then went home. He was awakened at 1 a.m. and told that the men were drowning in the gas in the tunnel. Ho went to the scene”, and found that three of tho men had been brought out. He telephoned to tho power house at Mangaore, and was told that the power would be on in a few minutes. He then went into the tunnel. He found fumes there, and did not think it advisable to go farther without the fan. Later he went in with the rescue party. Cross-examined: He was aware of the danger from fumes. It was a direction of his that the men were not to go iu singly. He had had previous experience of gas in the tunnel. An assistant of witness had become giddy and staggered, and had to be taken out. Witness also became giddy. He reported the matter f o Mr Miller, who said he would see into it. Witness told Maxwell to run no risk. Butler had instructions prior to the accident not to go into the tunnel unless the fan was working. Counsel: Do you think Maxwell was so attached to his duty that ho went in despite the danger? . . Witness i I have come to that opinion. Witness said he had never heard of men previously being gassed in the tunnel—only suffering from headache. l'o Mr Grayndler: He instructed the men to-go in. pairs, on account of the discomfort of headaches, losing shift, and fear of being overcome, not from the fear of gas. Alfred Lankshear said he was sent into the tunnel at 5.50 p.m. to tell the men to coma out. He did not know whether anything. was said about not going back Butler and Maxwell knew the fan was networking. • Eric Davis, engine fitter, said ho told Maxwell at 7 o’clock that the gas was Tory thick, and a man would not last five minutes. He had never bad direct inetructions not to go into the tunnel alone. Mate Erceg deposed to feeling the effects gaa in the tunnel at 8 o’clock on Sunlay morning. Butler and) Lankshear were llso suffering from the same cause. John Chenie, engiuema-ii at Mangaore,' laid the electric fan-was stopped because it had developed, a knock. - He told Mr Mißer he wished to close down, and was iater advised he could do _ so. He was not informed that the auxiliary fan was not working. ... Alexander Dennie, engineer an charge. *aid he considered every precaution had been taken all along to minimise danger from gas. He could nob comment on the evidence regarding the working of the engines; but he had had no complaints previously of men gassed or “headachy.” Since the disaster the engine had not been running, and! tbo department proposed to procure an additional engine to do the air pumping electrically. It was not proKsed to run the tunnel until that had en done, and no more benzine engines would be used in it. To Mr Loughnan (for the department): Witness had no reason to suppose that Mr Miller expected danger, because he re-

quisitioned for a big engine to be installed. Mr Miller never expressed dissatisfaction or anxiety about the plant. To Mr Simpson (for Mrs Maxwell): A relief engine would have averted tho accident.

To tho Coroner: Had witness been at Arapeti after the kerosene fan ceased he would have thought it safe to have benzine engines working, though not for_ long. He had a petrol engine at Otira without a vent pipe. To Mr Grayndler (tho Workers’ Union!; The local tunnel was 9ft and the Otira 15ft high. A verdict was returned that the seven men came by their deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning, caused by the exhaust of the benzine engine used in the tunnel. The coroner said that the tunnel, not being used during the afternoon and evening of July 2, was not well enough ventilated for the men to work with safety.