LATE TELEGRAMS.

Northland Age, Volume IV, Issue 47, 13 July 1908, Page 4

LATE TELEGRAMS.

Severe Weather in the South

A Rabbiter’s Terrible Experience.

DUNEDIN, (Sunday

Advices from Naseby state that the government forest plantation has suffered severely as the result of snow, half the trees being crushed by its weight.

The cold is intense and the farmers in the outlying districts are suffering severely. Much anxiety is felt as to the fate of an issolated miner and some rabbiters who are known to be camped in the back country.

James McCormack, a rabbiter, has had a terrible experience. He left Naseby for Kyebum on Tuesday and being caught in a snowstorm sheltered in a small cave till Friday morning without food or fire. Driven out by cold and hunger, his feet severely frost-bitten, he crawled three miles to an outlying township, reaching it on Friday night. It is expected that amputation of both feet will bo necessary. Parties set out yesterday to relieve isolated persons. A special party has started for a point -15 miles up the government race where there are three race employees, Crawford, Gordon and Farquhar.

Mining Accident at Waihi

Two Contractors Killed,

WAIHI, Saturqay,

A fatal accident involving the loss of two lives occurred at the Talisman Consolidated Company’s mine, Karangahake, to-day. The victims were John Chester, a married man, and his mate, Charles Lewis. Both men were’contractors engaged in advancing one of the low level drives. Chester was found alive but unconscious and was convoyed to the Tramway Hotel where he expired three hours later without having regained consciousness. Lewis was dead and apparently had been killed instantaneously. From the position of the bodies the assumption is that the accident was due either to premature explosion in a hole being fired in the face of the drive or to the men returning to the hole which had missed fire and exploded just after they got back to the face. The evidence points to the men having been in the act of leaving the face when the explosion occurred. Lewis was injured on the back of the skull, apparently having been struck by a piece of flying quartz.

The District Coroner, Mr. Forrest, will hold an enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of the unfortunate