CRUSHED TO DEATH

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10847, 12 March 1921, Page 8

CRUSHED TO DEATH

MINERS’ FEARFUL FATE

FURTHER DETAILS OF CADIA DISASTER.

NINE AIEN KILLED

By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright (Received March 11, 11.5 p.m.)

SYDNEY, March 11.. The disaster at Hoskin’s mine at Cadia, by which several men were buried, was caused through an explosion of a. plug of gelignite dislodging over a thousand tons of ironstone. Only nine men were buried, all of whom were kilied instantaneously. Within five minutes of the explosion the first .victim was dug out. He was still breathing, but almost immediately expired. The accident occurred at 2 o’clock, and within an hour and a quarter all the bodies, except- Christie’s, had been recovered, all being frightfully crushed. In some cases the features were unrecognisable. One man was disembowelled.

Christie’s body was recovered at 7 o’clock.. Jenkins was the first dug but. He would have escaped, but when he heard and 'saw tho tumbling mass ho attempted to save the horse which h© was in charge of, and was overwhelmed.

An extraordinary fact in connection with tho disaster is that not a man received minor injuries, the nine ’ victims comprising the complete toll, the doctors’ only work being to pronounce life extinct.

Air J. Dooley, the Acting-Premier, is leaving for the scene.

The names of the men killed are: Stanley Jenkins, Patrick MaKeon, Alfred Campbell, Harry Burns, Charles Moore, Philip Bright, John Allies, George Christie, and Richard Johnston. The majority of them lived at Orange.