DAY OF AGONY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21999, 4 January 1935, Page 13

DAY OF AGONY

NIGHTMARE JOURNEY INJURED MAN'S FORTITUDE Behind the account of a leg injury suffered by Henry Bellows in the scrub at Mar.umbar mill, near Murgon, Queensland, recently, is an epic of the bush—a tale of an injured man's great fortitude and of an all-day struggle by his mate, a first-aid man, and ambulance bearers to convey him to the Kingaroy Hospital, about /0 miles Jack Shay, Air. Bellows, who is a married man, living at Kingaroy, was cutting pine about three miles from the Manumbar mill. They were endeavouring to split a huge log, when it rolled on Mr. Bellows, fracturing his right leg below the knee. Mr. Shay released him, and after making him as comfortable as possible raced back to Manumbar, where he enlisted the aid of Mr. J. Heritage, an honorary ambulance bearer, who is employed at the Hurriedly assembling first-aid appliances, Mr. Heritage hastened back into the scrub with his guide, and finding the suffering man he set the fractured limb. , . , The next, and easily the biggest problem was to remove Air. Bellows to Manumbar, where he could be picked up by the Murgon ambulance, which had been summoned. Mr. Heritage and Mr. Shay improvised a stretcher and carried Mr. Bellows to within a mile of the road. Mr. Heritage stayed with him, while Mr. Shay went on to Manumbar for a car. To return he had to cut his own track through the heavy growth. In the meantime Mr. G. VV. Amrose, superintendent of the Murgon ambulance, was jolting his way over what he later described as Queensland's worst track" to Manumbar. He reached the party about 12.30 p.m., and left immediately with Mr. Bellows for Tingoora, where the injured man was transferred to the Kingaroy ambulance and taken to the hospital. The accident happened about 10 a.m., but it was not until sundown that Mr. Bellows was admitted to the hospital. He suffered agony throughout the fearful ordeal. "The wait in the scrub while Mr. Shay went for help was terrible," he told the ambulance bearers. "Actually he was not very long, but the minutes seemed like hours ,|r not even have a cigarette to while away the time."