FIERY TIDE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17409, 6 November 1930, Page 11

FIERY TIDE

man trapped waist deep RED-HOT ASHES BODY TERRIBLY BURNED COR RIM AL, Oct. 29. Fighting his way through a sea of red-hot ashes, and blinded by a searing cloud of soot and escaping gas, Austin Eil wards'. -3, of Fairy meadow, had a terrible experience here yesterday when part of the ash heap ul .South Mu Hi mine either collapsed or exploded. Edwards Mumbled out o.t the fiery lido will) his clothes in l a tiers, and collapsed. He was smeared with oil Irom hea 1 to foot, and rushed to the Bulli Hospital, where he was admitted with his body badly burned. Eleven men, cm ployed by the North Ulnwarra Gouncil, have- been working on the removal of the thousands of tons of smouldering ashes in the heap, which is against a deep cutting, and is several hundred feet high. Yesterday, when tho gang commenced digginfg beneath the heap, unsecured access to the centre.

Thereafter came a series of what appeared to be explosions, and which, according to eye-witnesses, erupted ‘flames 500 ft into the air.

Officials at the mine, however, claim that the apparent eruptions were only the clouds of ashes caused by each successive “slip” as the base of the heap was disturbed. MANY ESCAPES The men were prepared for each disturbanacc, and jumped clear each timo the felouds of red-hot ashes rolled down.

Lute in tho afternoon, however, as Edwards was backing his lorry against tho heap, another eruption took them by surprise. All but Edwards jumped clear as hundreds of tons of ashes, spurting flame, came flying down. Edwards tried to start the lorry, but the engine stalled.

(He sprang to the ground, and was immediately blinded by the fiery clyud. He struggled through the waistliigli sea of ashes, falling finally into a little gully, his clothes smouldering and his face, eyes, neck, arms and legs and body badly burned.