MANGAHAO TRAGEDY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 15874, 13 July 1922, Page 6

MANGAHAO TRAGEDY.

MAG ISTERIAL ENQUIRY. iPe," Press Association.) SHANNON, this day. The inquiry into the Mangahao tragedy) by which seven-men lost their lives oil July 3, was resumed to-day before the coroner, Mr. A. Fraser. Inspector McKinnon conducted the proceedings for the police.' Mr. C. A. Loughuan appeared for the Public Work.-, Department, Mr. Simpson for Mrs. Maxwell, a widow of one of the victims, .Mr. Bergen for the relatives of Bernard Butler, and Mr. C. Grayndlcr for the New Zealand Workers' Union. Mr. Furkett, chief engineer of the Public Works Department, was also present. John llurrell, assistant engineer, said ho became aware of the fatality at, 1.45 on the morning of duly 3. He dressed and went to the sub-station, where the men who had been brought out were lying. Resuscitation was being tried. .Yitness went into the tunnel about live chains. He felt the fumes of gas and knew it would be useless to risk any mote lives. When he arrived at the tunnel he saw the fan was not working. When iie came out of the tunnel be saw ar-

rangements were being made to start the fan as soon as possible. From the time he arrived till the fan started was 4b minutes. The electric fan was run by power from the bottom camp at. Manga - bore during the week, and stopped at 8 o'clock on Saturday nights, when the whole working of the tunnel stopped, except pumping. He bad never heard complaints about the ventilation. To Mr. Simpson, witness said that about a quarter to seven on Sunday evening the large kerosene engine in the tunnel stopped working. The overseer had informed him after, the accident.

To Mr. Bergen, witness said lie bad heard before that some men had headaches' working in the tunnel. Cross-examined further, witness said it had been the custom for nino months to start the engines on Sunday to cope with the exhaust and water, so that •the men could start work at midnight. He had been told earlier on Sunday evening that the kerosene engine had stopped and that one man had been sent to tell the men' to come out and start the fan bofore going back. The system ol" ventilation was an electric fan operated at the mouth of tiie tunnel. The fan was 'sufficient to carry all the fumes that went into the ventilation pipe. It drew 4000 ft. of air a minute. The discbarge of the gas engine would bo negligible in this <oooft. Herbert Edward Kinzett, tunnel foreman, gave evidence that when he went on about midnight he was told something was wrong. He got a lamp and wx-nt into the tunnel. He met Triggs coming out, who said that- a lot of men were gassed inside. Witness went on and found F. Birss lying unconscious, and further on Miller, one of the Graham's, and Birss, junr. Miller and Graham appeared to be dead. The rescue party arrived with a truck, and Triggs collapsed and the others had to retreat. Witness got one body on a truck, and was endeavoring to get another on when he collapsed. He knew nothing more till lie recovered in the canteen afterwards. To the coroner: He had known of men having headaches in the tunnel before, but none had been carried out. Arthur Charles Trigg, compressor attendant at Arapeti, said the power-was on when he went to work at 7 p.m. on the day 'of the tragedy. Shortly afterwards the power station informed him it was going to close down, b.ut not for long, At, 8.20 Butler entered the station and departed into the tunnel. An hour later Maxwell told witness he was going to the tunnel to lind out how the pumps Were working. As at 10 o'clock Maxwell bad not returned", witnes went to the mouth of the tunnel. As ho could see no lights he became uneasy. He went back to the sub-station, but being still uneasy went into the tunnel, and there met Birss, junr., and the two Graham's, and cxpresesd apprehension as to Maxwell and Butler. Xho three men said they would go and see, and at the same time ascertain the depth of the water. Witness added that he wished they would, as his place was at the sub-station, and be had no right in the tunnel at all. At 11.20 the men returned and explained that they had gone as far .as they but could not get in touch with the other two men, and later Miller came along, and on being advised of their fears entered the tunnel, accompanied by the three men. This was the last witness saw of any of them alive. He (witness) remained .at his post till five to twelve, then entered the tunnel and came on the first party of men gassed. He gave the alarm and went back with rescuers.