ACCIDENT AT THE THAMES

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9322, 27 March 1889, Page 5

ACCIDENT AT THE THAMES

[FROM our OWN correspondent.] Thames, Tuesday. A painful accident occurred this morning to two men, named Alfred Sawyer and William Hoskins, tributers in the Caledonian mine. They were being lowored down the shaft, in company with two othor men, by moans of tho cage, and when about GO feet down the cage bocamo jammed, leaving several feet of slack ropo to fall upon the top of tho cage, the weight of which freed tho cage and allowed it to fall away suddenly until the slack was all picked up. When the cage fell away it lifted the safety-roof on top uf the cage on the side on which they were standing, and jammed the right and left hands of Sawyer and Hoskins respectively between it and a cross-bar to which they were holding, with the result that all tho fingers on each hand, were badly lacerated, tho third linger of Sawyer's hand, and tho middle linger of Hoskins' faring tho worst. Tho men at once came to surface, and proceeded to the Hospital, where Dr. Williams attended to their injuries, but it is feared that both men will lose at least one finger each. No blame is attributed to anyone for the accident.