A SHOCKING DEATH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2527, 20 August 1902, Page 22

A SHOCKING DEATH.

(FaoH Oub Own Cokbesponbknt.) CJIRISTCHUTICH, August 15.

A workman named Samuel Williams, a. married man, aged 30, residing >n Horatia street, was slowly killed before the eyes of his horror-stricken mates by a fall of earth in a deep drain in the city this morning. At the time t!ie accident occurred Williams and a man natifd John Hogan were engaged in finishing off thp bottom of the treuch, which was about 7^ft deep. They wt>re the only two working on this particular portion of the trench, which immediately adjoined the East Belt. There were20 men altogether engaged in different parts of the treuch at varying depths. Mr Moore, on© of the contractors, was walking alonfc the top of the trench, and suddenly saw the ground on the opposite side from him, and just above Williams and Hogan, begin, to crack. He called out to the men, but they were unable to get clear in time, with the result that both were buried by the falling earth, Williams, who was working afc the extreme eastern end of tho trench, up to the chest and Hogan to a little abov» his waist. Immediately all the men on the job were put to work to extricate the entombed men, but though they worked with a will and put forth their utmost efforts it was about half an hour before they gofc the two men out. Williams was then quite dead. Hogan had escaped yithout any serious injury, but was sent home suffering from shock. The aocident caused considerable agitation amongst tho fellow workers of the buried men. Whilst the rescue operations were proceeding it was most pathetic* to hear Williams for some time prior to the pxtricaHon of his body asking them to hasten to get him out. Although Messrs Moor© Bros, have completed about nine miles of trenching within the past eight months, to-day* accident 13 the first of any kind that has happened. As one of the contractors baid, "We haven't had a man get even a finger hurt all the while W» h»vf b^eu 9ft the contrast,"