THE MEN RESCUED FROM THE GREAT NORTHERN JUNCTION MINE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1099, 9 November 1869, Page 3

THE MEN RESCUED FROM THE GREAT NORTHERN JUNCTION MINE.

We borrow from the Ballarat Star the following interesting particulars connected with this thrilling incident: — "To show how unharmed the men were in their dark prison-house, it were almost enough to point to their having come up unaided, and gone home at once, as if going from an ordinary working shift. Talking to Disney, we learned that Mountjoy lived less than an hour after the men got to their place of refuge. Thomas Woodley Mountjoy was a fine hale man, about 30 years old, and was a member of the 3rd Ballarat Rangers, having acted last Sunday week as one of the firing party over the grave of the late Sergeant Ahrens. Disney stated that Mountjoy said but little. Once he said, " Oh my poor wife and children, they will suffer greatly for me." Then, after a while, he said, " I can't breathe, give me air." Disney added, "He died so quietly we did'nt know he was dead till we put the caadle to his mouth and saw there was no breath, and we felt his pulse and found it did'nt beat, nor his heart.' Being asked how they got on for food, Disney said : — ' To-day we found a bit of bread and butter, and divided that amongst us, and on Sunday we found two billies of tea, and had that among the seven of us.' He went on : — ' About three-quarters of an hour ago we heard them (the rescuers) in the , drive, and a shout, • Come down here,' and we asked ■who was there, and they said they couldn't come up for the air. I thought this was Monday morning.' This is just the experience of almost all miners buried in similar circumstances. They all seem to lose the power of reckoning time ; and no wonder either, seeing that they are in the dark, and generally become more or less drowsy and bewildered. The place of reluge from the water whence the men were rescued was 619 ft. from the shaft, and 12ft. above the upper level chamber. 'We sat on some air-pipes,' says Organ, * and had the water at our feet. We found the water going down, and then we found it was dammed back by stuff fallen down, and the boy Smith pulled away some of the stuff and crawled through, and gave the signal to us.' While they had a light they could, of course, easily measure their chances in so far as the water was concerned, but they had no light after Saturday afternoon. Smith says:—" We lit matches, and marked with a stick on a bucket to see how the water was, and when we could not burn any more lights we felt for the water with our hands.' From a long conversation with Selman we gathered further details of the men's dreary prison-house. Further, in reference to the scene below ground, he said : — " We never lost hope, any of us. We knew they were working for us, and that as soon as the water got below the cap we should have air. Our only prayer to God was to &ive us air, if it would please God to give us that. I never suffered a bit of hunger, but we felt thirst very bad. Sometimes our mouths got quite dry and sticky, and then wo put a little water in and rinsed our mouths. We might have all got up to the surface easy enough if it had not been for the wounded man, but we couldn't leave him. And when Frank Bennetts and I were going up the jumpup, Mountjoy said to us, 'Don't leave me, boys.' I looked at Frank, and Frank looked at me, and neither of us said anything, but we took him up the incline in a truck. The water rose fast up the jumpup, and I could hardly keep my feet on the ladder. I saw it come quick up the shaft, and as soon as it got to the top it rushed along the drive and rose till it was not 13 minutes before it was 4ft. 6in. high, just where we got upon the airpipes. The pipes were in a cross-drive, higher than the other one, aud so we were dry all the time, the water being just at our feet. We had lit a candle, and it burned for four or five hours, but then it went out the air was so bad, but I never found the air worse than air I've worked in many a time ; but then, of course, it might be worse, as when a man is working he feels it worse. We got sleepy sometimes, and dozed a good bit. The young chaps, they laid down and doubled themselves up to sleep very often. We could hear the cages working in the shaft, and we knew that as soon, as the water was

below the cap we should have air, and our prayer was to God to give us air. Sometimes we could feel the water sink a little and then rise a little. We thought, when We heard the noise of the hose and the men in the drive, that it was only Monday morning. To leave the case of the rescued men, we must now proceed to give some particulars of the after incidents. Mr. Sleep went below, and at about half-past 3 p.m. he came up, saying they had got the body of Mountjoy wrapped up, and it was put on a truck, ready to come up, the already-commenced decomposition of the body having made the air very bad below. Now there came the saddest scene of all upon the brace. A crowd of spectators was intently watching every motion of the shaft apparatus. Just before 4 o'clock the signal from below was given, and the rope wound slowly up, while men brought a stretcher handy to the pit-mouth. The truck soon came 'to the surface, and two miners lifted but the body — a wet canvas mummy-like figure. It was laid upon the stretcher, and borne away in silence, the brave mine manager, who had done so much to save the men, following gravely as the large and mournful procession went slowly with the corpse to the Junction Hotel, adjacent." After 96 hours of a living burial, Thos. Smith, senior, was safely rescued this morning from his perilous position in the Great Northern Junction claim. It apgears that when he got to the jump-up :om the lower level, and ascended it, the water rose after him and put his candle out. He then managed to get on to the top of the wheel in the chamber cut, immediately over the jump-up, and to remain there until this morning, when he first heard voices calling out for him and M'Donald. He answered these, and was shortly afterwards brought up to the shaft, duly attended to, and driven home. He was very weak, but did not complain of pain. The following is the brief statement he made after his rescue : I have had nothing to eat since Saturday. Did not feel very hungry. Was thirsty, but afraid to drink the water. I was praying and crying all the time. Believed, from the exertions I knew the men would put forth, that I might be saved. Bid not sleep all the time I was buried. I did not know anything about the other men. Was by myself all the time, up to my waist in water, and shivering with cold. If I was not of strong constitution I should have died long before now. My candle went out as soon as the water came in. Can scarcely believe it is Wednesday morning. Do not feel unwell. I heard some one shouting for Smith and McDonald, and I said ' Here's Smith,' and then I began to pray again. They came to me and led me out. May God bless Mr. Eobertsoh, and all the others that assisted in rescuing me." The body of McDonald was subsequently found at the bottom of the shaft, and brought up to await the inquest. An inquest has been sitting to-day on the body of Mountjoy, but the jury have not yet agreed. — Argus.