MANGAHAO FATALITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11255, 6 July 1922, Page 7

MANGAHAO FATALITY

THE POSSIBLE CAUSE THEORY ADVANCED BY GOVERNMENT ENGINEER. GASES FORCED TO FACE. A new theory of the cause of the fatal accident, at tne ALar.gahao works a tew Jays ago, when several men lost tlieir lives through suffocation, has been formed by the officials of the Public Works Department as a result of further information that lias been obtained. The chief engineer to the department (Air F. W. f urkeiU told a ‘'Times'* representative yesterday that, contrary to popular belief, it appeared that the exhaust gases from the petrol engine did not deliver into the tunnel, but into a duct which also acted as a ventilating duct for general ventilation in the tunnel. At the outlet end of this duct was an exhaust fan, which drew the foul air both from the face where the men were employed and from the engine into the open air. This was quite a satisfactory arrangement and involved no risk whatever to the workers. When the accident occurred, stated Mr Furkert, owing to the stoppage of the machinery in the main power-house for Sunday overhaul the exhaust fan could not 'be worked; consequently the oil engine was shut down, and when Foreman Maxwell and his men signified their intention of going to the tunnel to do some repair work they were instructed not to start the oil engine. Owing to tho stoppage of the engine overnight, however, there would necessarily be a considerable accumulation of water in the tunnel.

It was presumed that doubtless with the idea of clearing out this accumulation and with Hie beet intentions the men must have started the engine; then, owing to the fact that the fan at the outlet end was not. working, and was, therefore, really acting as a stopper in the pipe, the exhaust gases found the path of least resistance, which was out the wrong end of the pipe to the working face, which was quite a short distance from the engine. The first two men, remarked Mr Furkert, would no doubt notice this after a short time and proceed to shut off the engine and retire from the tunnel. They evidently shut off the engine, as it was not working when the final rescue party entered, but apparently were unable then to struggle to the outlet. Alternately, the engine might have continued running until the petrol became exhausted.

OFFICIAL REPORT WAS THE AUXILIARY FAN STARTED? Details of the appalling affair are ■well related by the assistant engineer at Arapeti (Mr J. Hurrell) in Ins report to the Public Works Department. Ho states that Maxwell, before commencing the usual inspection of the tunnel carried out by the shift foreman at 0.30 on Sunday evening, visit. «d Triggs in the sub-station, where *»e was on duty from' p.m. until midnight, and was talking to him for 'some time. Therefore Maxwell was fully apprised of the current having been cut off, and that the electric fan was not running. “There is a probability, although this cannot be verified,” says the report, “that Maxwell and Butler started the auxiliary fan before going into the tunnel, as it is unbelie**sie that a nfan of Maxwell’s would have entered the tunv._: elthoui- firststarting the auxilkv fan. There is no evidence, thc;_gh, whether Butler was with Maxwell or not. Butler may have -been already in the tunnel when Maxwell entered. “At 10.40 Triggs, having seen no sign of Maxwell and Butler, became uneasy, and was on the point of going in to look for them when the Graham brothers and W. Birss came over to the tunnel mouth to ascertain if they would be able to go on shift- Triggs communicated his fears to them, and they decided’ to go in and see if tho two men were in the tunnel. Triggs went back to the sub-station to stand by. “The three men went in about 20 chains and called out and knocked on tho pipes, but got no reply. They came out and asked Triggs if he was sure the two men were in there. Triggs said he was not sure, but thought so, and suggested that they should go to Butler’s hut and see if he was there, thinking that perhaps ho and Maxwell had felt the fumes and come out and gone to lie down. Investigations proved that Butler was not in his hut. The two Grahams and W. Birss were in the act of putting on gum boots preparatory to reentering when Miller, the engineer, arrived. He decided to go in immediately, hub on Triggs’s advice waited a few moments for the two Grahams and W. Birss. This party went in at 11.20. There is no evidence where F. Birss met tins party, hut he evidently went in with them. When Triggs’e relief arrived at approximately 12 midnight, Triggs, not having seen anything of the rescuers, -went into the tunnel and found tho party, but was too far gone to do anything. He managed to reach the sub-station and tell bis relief, ‘They are down! Rouse the camp!”

BODIES OF THE VICTIMS. ARRANGEMENTS MADE. The bodies of several of the men who lost their lives in the Mangahao accident will bo Gripped south by the Mu ram a this eviming. The remains of F. and V.'. Birss, father and son, are to be interred at Christchurch. Tho body of P. Graham is also to be forwarded to Christchurch, for subsequent dispatch to Springfield. Tho fourth body which is to lie taken by the ferry Bteamer is that of AY. R. Miller, the enginoer-in-cliarge at Ampeti, which is to be interred at Dunedin. The pump attendant (B. Butler! was buried at Shannon, and the corpse of the .seventh victim has already been transferred to Wanganui. QUESTION OF COMPENSATION RAISED IN PARLIAMENT. Air 11. Poland (Ohinemuri) gave notico in the House of Representatives yesterday to jimU .tlm Prime Minister whether ho will give favourable consideration to the case of t widows and orphans of the recent tunnelling , tragedy at Mangahao with the object ( of providing that tbqy shall receive tho same compensation as is provided for the widows and orphans of those who died in the great w*f*? “This (stated the hon. member'! was not an ordinary fatal accident. These men wore employed by the State and died in an endeavour to save other ... men, and their widows and children

should l>e a charge upon the State funds equally with the dependant* of thos<» who died in the war, and to the same extent. They must not be a.'kod to exist on tho ordinary widows’ pension„ ,,