ACCIDENTS AND TRAGEDIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 February 1939, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND TRAGEDIES

MINER STRUCK BY ROCK [PEE PRESS ASSOCIATION.] NEW PLYMOUTH, February 4. Injured in a fall at White Rock coal mine, 27 miles up the Mokau river, at 5.30 p.m. yesterday, John Joseph Spiers, aged 28, single, had to be taken 12 miles in a rowing boat, two in a launch, and 70 in the district nurse’s car to New Plymouth Hospital, where he arrived at midnight. Spiers, whose, home is at Hunt.ly, suffered a fractured pelvis. A piece of rock fell, away from the mine roof without warning, and struck Spiers in the back. Another fall started, but the injured man was removed in time by 7 H. Jones, part-owner of the. mine. Jones carried Spiers to the river, and placed him in a boat to take him 12 miles before a launch was met.

WOMAN INJURED

TAIHAPE, February 4

An unusual accident occurred near Taihape yesterday, when a car driven bv .1. Stellin, of Wellington, crashed over a bank. The driver was accompanied by his wife and two daughters. Mrs. Stellin, who was in rhe front seat, received a broken collarbone.

While negotiating a sharp bend on a down grade the driver swung wide. The car, which had a caravan attached, skidded in the loose metal. The brakes were applied, and the caravan forced rhe car on and over the bank. The caravan, swerving across the road, was struck by a following motorist. The car, after a fall of 20 reel, (•arno to rest in trees, and was badly damaged. Mrs. Stellin is making satisfactory progress.

BULLER COUPLE INJURED

WESTPORT, February 5

Rider and pillion passenger on a motor-cvcle. Mr. and Mrs. J. Griffiths, of Birchfield, were both admitted to the Buller Hospital to-night with what are believed to be serious injuries. When they were returning from a cricket match at Hector, the rear tyre of the motor-cycle blew out, and tney were thrown from the. machine, Mrs. Griffiths being picked up at least. 20 vards from the bicycle. Griffiths is a Buller representative cricketer.

FOUND DROWNED WHANGAREI, February 4. The body of Mrs. Edward Will, aged M mother of three children, was found floating in the Palana, river yesterday. Mrs. Will had left some time previously on horseback to visit her Jither, and had to fond the river, winch was about three feet deep at that epot. No one saw what happened, but. the horse was found riderless. TRUCK DRIVER CRUSHEDOPOTIKI. February 6 Charles Smith. 35. single, employed bv A. E. Reece, as truck driver, died in the hospital of internal injntics, to reived when his truck slid down a gullv. with a load oi moral. He -led to jump out. hut was caught ano crushed beneath the cab.

LAUNCH CAPSIZED

HAMILTON, February 6

As the result of a launch overturning when struck by a large wave, on the Raglan bar last evening, two men experienced a narrow escape from drowning. One. an elderly man. named Appleby, who was unable to swim clung to the wreckage for over an hour, whilst the younger man, Galvan, was swimming two miles to the shore, where he summoned, assistance for his companion.