A SYDNEY FATALITY.

New Zealand Herald, 12 March 1901, Page 6

A SYDNEY FATALITY.

A MAN CHOKED BY FOUL AIR. Duuing the luncheon hour on March 4 thru* '■' men who had occasion to descend a sewer* , ■ , manhole in Erskine-street, §ydney, were ' : overcome with foul air. One of them, John Stevens, plasterer married, succumbed within a very fewminutes of being overpowered. He leaves a wife and one child.. The others, Samuel ChaUi* (59), labourer, married, and Michael ' Conheady, labourer, were taken to Sydnev Hospital, suffering from collapse, but otherwise condition was very satisfactory Several other men who gamely attempted ' a rescue were overpowered by the foul ai, m the shaft, but were able to proceed U then: homes.

As soon as the news of the accident & ! came known nearly 1000 people, quickly gathered round the mouth of the shaft Z watch the rescue operations. A number «* those present descended the shaft KSr f ' Constable Davie., of the Skine-Sei police station; Michael Conheady, couS one of the survivors Isaac Parr, employedat> HalUday Brothers' engineering and i James Hay, a■; labourer. pVvS; Chalhs, seeing Stevens in difficulties cl down, followed by 'the two gSSKTIS til were at once overpowered. Parr Wuc fcn„ - * followed with a rope round his waistaS despite the fact that the noose slipped about his neck and nearly strangled £im X ' needed m bringing up two of the men. ' £"„. stable Davies and Hay risked their own liZ' in saving the others. »» yes >In the meantime, Inspector Hudson, who , was in charge of the workmen, gave ink™,. t.'ons to have the end of the pipe about & away from the manhole, ; broken.r or dlfto - afford an outlet for the water, and S! a current of air. This was done, -andlhehS to render the work of the rescue -s so me X ' "% ess dangerous. As it was, however all who went down encountered foul air ™a were prostrated for some time afterwards As the survivors and rescuer* ™1 brought up, they were taken Sdethl Stuart-Turner manufacturing companS ' " premises, and treated with ammonia tin der the influence of the drug and ran d v ' procured by a wise forethought by & Henry Stuart, M.L.C., rapid recover?! i ' brought about, and the men, who at on! time seemed in a hopeless state,; were sZ able to collect their senses and proceed to Sum ° me3 ' " Challis - and CbnCdv of . course, were more seriously atfected ~S bad, as has: been stated, to he Sved* - gade llo^ l the CiVil -4-b«~B I happened to be nearVhS °nd SSS W tS ln reSt °i rin S animation d Sk , ■ vens condition was hopeless, however and he died before, the hospital was reached " « It has been stated tkt the pipe to which the manhole leads was a new one and had BoVgot into quite perfect working order d . be xt circumstances of the accident can only - t know & ascertained, as the survive* moment thi f°/ ? ha ? ened hom ** - SKA foul air cboke d them. When Porter cLfe^l 137 a Dai l Telegraph " porter, Chalky who was then rapidly reup ™f Sr collapse ' expiained " Vhafc w

spectlr f id > " en under InS:™S' at *, sevver ar;Huddart, iMilvei, and Company's wharf. ■ Stevenswwas's s ' • renewing some plaster work, but found g eat W difficulty m completing his labours owing - Se sha?t eS T e ° f a 3 uan « t y of moisture in . the shaft. Fearing that there.was a leak in the pipes somewhere, we knocked off at twelve o'clock, and walked across to Era-kine-street, and removed the lid of the manHole just below, Sussex-street. Stevens deMended the ron; steps, holding on to the rungs a, he did so. We were looking down ' from above I noticed when he was at the bottom of the steps that , he quickly released rTwS V th ? run S s > an< * as quickly renewed it with his left hand. He repeated this several times, and finally F fell "J into about 18in of water on the floor of the hole. I rushed down the steps after him, realising that his™ ms* TF™* and Ca^h Aold o his arms. By doing so I was able to keen his head and shoulders out of the water Just at that moment I must have been over! powered, as I remember nothing more until I found myself being brought here in an X? of the , water I was careful to Tint«7i! e 2 : T thm * the ™. it was •' ' when T \ o by ad ° Pting this S when I became unconscious I did not sink back mto the water. The bruises on my £ ?r, con ™.™ ™ that it must have ££ the whole strain of my body on it I also sustained a slight scalp wound, but I can ' not understand how I came by it"