ONE KILLED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22464, 7 July 1936, Page 8

ONE KILLED

FATAL AVALANCHE SEVEN OTHERS HURT HOMER SADDLE WORKS MEN OVERWHELMED [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] TE ANAU, Monday Ono man was killed seven others were injured when an avalanehe swept down at 11.35 a.m. to-day on a party of workmen engaged in drilling the rock at the Hollyford end of the Homer Tunnel on the. ne T ,v scenic road from Te Anau to Milford.

The men were working at the mouth of the tunnel and were overwhelmed without warning by a mass of snow and ice, the avalanche being caused bv the heavy rain which has been falling over tho hills for the past few days. Details of the victims are: — Killed Mr. Percy Leigh Overton, single, aged 26, of Dunedin, who was attached to tho Public Works Department camp, Homer Saddle. Full details of the accident have not reached Te Anau owing to the telephone lino between Te Anau and tho Homer Saddle being broken by a heavy snowstorm. It is understood, however, that the following men have been injured, although their names cannot be definitely confirmed: — Seriously Injured J. McLauchlan, married, aged 50, of Mandeville; fractured thigh. W. McKay, single, aged 26, of Dunedin; internal injuries. Minor Injuries T. W. Smith, tunnel overseer. K. Smith, of Central Otago. V. Cook, of Temuka. W. Troon, of Dunedin. J. L. Brown. Fall Occurs Silently About 20 men were working inside the tunnel and 20 more were immediately outside the mouth. The avalanche was silent and the men had absolutely no waning. The cribhouse exactly at the mouth of the tunnel was directly in the path of the avalanche and Mr. Overton was, inside the house at the time. The house was smashed to pieces and it took searchers an hour to find Mr. Overton's body. It was lying face downward, packed in ice and snow, and badly mutilated. Buildings Levelled

Just out of the direct line of the avalanche was the recently-erected winch-house in which Messrs. MeLauchlan and Mackay, carpenters, were working. Mr. McLauchlan was thrown into the air, over a bank and 20 to 30 feet down into the pithead. Mr. Mackay was jammed against the winchwheel. A number of the other men about the mouth of the tunnel was caught as the avalanche spread and received minor injuries, bruises and severe shock. In addition to the crib-house and the winch-house the garage and the cementshed were flattened out, but fortunately no one was working there at the time. Rescue Work Begins

Immediately after the accident all the men were assembled and, under the direction of the overseer, the work of rescue was begun. It was not known how many men had been caught by the fall, but a roll-call was taken and the wholo party concentrated on finding Mr. Overton. It was 12.45 p.m. beforo his body was recovered. Ski Journey ior Aid

A heavy fall of snow during the past few days brought down the power and telephone lines, so that there was no means of communication between the camp at the tunnel and that lower down. As soon as the men had recovered from the shock, one of them set out on skis for Cirque's Bush, which is two miles below the Homer Saddle, to send a message for a doctor and the ambulance. Dr. L. G. Bell, of Lumsden, was communicated with and left immediately, as did the St. John ambulance from Invercargill. All this time a furious gale was raging and it was snowing heavily. At the Saddle itself conditions were very severe. The repercussions of the avalanche were so severe that the door of the storeroom half a mile from the tunnel was blown off.

By one o'clock the ambulance had set out on its long journey through rain and snow, and Dr. Bell was travelling as fast as conditions would permit from Lumsden to the new road. Ambulance Unable to Return

During the afternoon conditions on the road between the Te Anau Hotel and the tunnel became much worse. Not only did the telephone fail, but the road was covered to a considerable depth by snow. For those who were assisting with the transport of the injured men, it was a dangerous drive. The medical superintendent of the Southland Hospital had made all arrangements to receive the injured men this evening, but transport difficulties made it quite impossible for the ambulance to return until to-morrow at the earliest. Also Dr. Bell could not get back to Lumsden.