CRUSHED TO DEATH

Southland Times, Issue 19458, 24 January 1925, Page 5

CRUSHED TO DEATH

BY FALL OF GRAVEL MINE ACCIDENT AT TARATU. DEAD MAN’S COMPANION’S NARROW ESCAPE. A tragedy occurred at the Taratu Company’s mine (between Milton and Stirling) on Thursday afternoon. James M'Gowan, a single man, aged 53, and David Jordan, a married man. were working in a shaft which had been closed owing to fire, and which the management was preparing to close permanently with gravel. There was a big slide of gravel which buried both men to their necks. Jordan was rescued ten hours later, uninjured, but M’Gowan had been crushed to death. The Taratu coal mine, three miles from Kaitangata, which has been closed on account of fire since Christmas, was the scene of a fatal accident on Thursday night. Shifts have been working filling in the main shaft 180 ft and the air shafts with gravel to endeavour to suppress the fire. About 20ft of gravel had been put into one compartment of the main shaft, and just before knock-off time (4 p.m.) two men, James M'Gowan and David Jordan, descended to remove some dividing timber to let the gravel run through into another compartment of the shaft. FALL OF GRAVEL. While they were doing this, the timber higher up burst out, and let the loose gravel through. Both men were buried. Jordan, fortunately, Was pushed in to a corner, where he was slightly protected. He tried to pull his comrade to safety, but M'Gowan was caught by the fall and covered. When the men did not put in an appearance the alarm was given, and on searching it was found that they were entombed. VOLUNTEERS OFFER FREELY. In the corner where Jordan was were some down pipes for conveying steam to the mine water pumps. Those above tapped these pipes to let Jordan know that help was near. Jordan was able to answer by extracting the hammer from M‘Gowan’s belt. Volunteers were called for, and, within half an hour, 30 men were on the scene. Only experienced men were allowed to work on the casing built at the nearest point to the fall of gravel, which was removed in buckets, and the casing built up as the gravel was removed. Work was continued till about 3.30 a.m., when Jordan was reached. He was standing upright, buried to the chin, and in a weak condition. He had suffered from shell shock at the war. Jordan was brought to the surface and taken to Kaitangata Hospital. In freeing him it was discovered that M'Gowan was lying across the shaft face downwards, and covered by a quantity of timber and gravel. Life was extinct. The rescuers cannot remove the body till the timber and gravel are shifted. Shifts are working to-day endeavouring to cut the timber and remove the gravel. They expect to recover the body some time today. RISK TO RESCUE PARTY. Dr. Reekie went down the shaft at 2 a.m. to render assistance to the entombed men, and remained till 4.30, when he came up with Jordan. All hands worked willingly. The mine manager (Mr Hadcroft) was an efficient leader, and worked with the best. M'Gowan was 53 years of age, and single. He was to be married shortly. Jordan is about 40, a married man. with four children. The rescuers were risking their lives as 25ft of gravel were liable to fall on them. Jordan is suffering from slight shock, but is reported to be progressing favorably. He has no injuries. The fire in the Taratu mine covers a distance of five chains. The company is working Barclay’s mine, 200yds away. STATEMENT BY MANAGEMENT. The manager of the Taratu Coal Company (Mr G. Cheeseman) has gone down to the mine, accompanied by the Inspector of Mines. Seen yesterday morning by a reporter, the acting-manager said that the mines are working as usual. The shaft in which the tragedy occurred had been closed up since the fire early this month. M'Gowan and Jordan were down below working, it being the company’s intention to close the shaft permanently. Just what had happened he did not know, except that the gravel with which it was intended to partly fill up the shaft must have fallen on them from one part of the shaft to the. other. The company employed 60 odd men, and the top mine was working as usual.