BURIED IN SHAFT

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 April 1933, Page 7

BURIED IN SHAFT

; GERMAN GULLY FATALITY FATAL FALL OF GRAVEL Buried by a fall of gravel, while working in a shaft at German Gully, near Ngahere, yesterday afternoon, Richard John O’Connell, 28, single, was killed. He was an employee of the Brian Born Gold Dredging Company. Two shafts are being sunk, about half a mile from the dredge, with the object of increasing the supply of water to the dam. The shaft in which O’Connell was working has a depth of thirty feet. Deceased’s mate, Edward Mulcare, was working the windlass at the top of the shaft, and on noticing a movement in the debris, he called to O’Connell, but the latter was not given time to retreat through a drive that extends to the second shaft. He was immediately buried, there being four feet of gravel covering him, and this would cause almost instant suffocation. Mi* George Millar, of Runanga, who happened to be in the vicinity when the accident occurred, directed operations for extricating the body. The work took considerable time, as much of the gravel had to be hauled to the surface. The body was recovered about six o’clock last evening. Mr Thomas Burley, also an employee of the company, had been down the shaft securing measurements for pipes to pump water, but had returned to the top just prior to the fall. Deceased was a native of Queenstown, Otago. Prior to engaging in outdoor work, which he undertook for health reasons, he had been in the school-teachi?.g profession. He was an old boy of Christian Brothers’ School, at Dunedin, where he matriculated. His employment with. the Brian Born Gold Dredging Company had extended over twelve months. His father, Mr John Edward O’Connell, resides at Queenstown, and there are four sisters and one brother. Mrs L. F. Casey, of Greymouth, is an aunt.

The funeral will take place at Greymouth, leaving St. Patrick’s Church on Monday morning at 9.30 o’clock. An inquest will be held at noon, on Monday, at the Greymouth Courthouse.