THE BRILLIANT MINE FIRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13106, 17 October 1904, Page 5

THE BRILLIANT MINE FIRE

; HANGSP.S OP KESdOE .WOEK,

Press Association—By Telegraph-Copyright,

BRISBANE, October 15.' (Received Oct. 15, at lO.'iO.a.tn.) Besides those previously riatned, A : . Jordan, who went with tho manager of tho Brilliant riiine to show tho way; afc the fire, lost his life. - ' Five bodies have been recovered. ! Rescue work is hot and dangerous, but there, is no lack, of volunteers, und' it is being conducted with great yigour. Relays are sent- down at short intervals on tho others becoming exhausted -by the fumes.

The iiameS, which spread into tho shaft, had to be extinguished before tiho men could descend, and the flooding oE the shaft drove tho fumes into other minesj from which 60 men were rescued in a state of collapse. Several of 'tWsfc/ latter were restored with great difiiy culty.

■ Experienced men believe that tho fnmes arise largely from dynamite, 'Of which there was a considerable quantity in the mine.

The noxious gases are most poisonous in places where there was no smoke ov fire. Here the men were immediately overpowered when'the gas struck them. Others, with the greatest difficulty, managed to make their way to fl place of safety.

Tlie rescuers displayed splendid heroism, groping blindly ill search (if the mining. ■■

As soon as the serious nature of 't'nft outbreak was discovered all the mines in the block were closed.

The fire is still burning. Large bodies of men are engaged in

attempts to check the spread of the fire and in searching for the missing. Pathetic scenes are witnessed when the dead are brought to the surface. •

(Received Oct. 15, at 11.20 a.m.) There are immense quantities of old v timber below the connections between the Brilliant and five or six other mines. There are almost continuous collapses of a serious nature,' and it is possible that some of the mines wilt never be worked again.