FATAL MINING ACCIDENT AT THAMES.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 107, 20 June 1885, Page 2

FATAL MINING ACCIDENT AT THAMES.

About four o'clock on Tuesday after noon last a shocking accident happtnel At the New Prince Imperial mine, resul ting in the i ataut death of a man named Hugh McConnick. tt appear* the deceased was working 1 with Mr Diwsou Crawford, at No. 5 level, in the drive on the footwall branch of No. 2 lode. Crawford had assisted lrm in drilling a hole in the Face, and then went away for some time, leaving deceased to charge, and ignite the fuse. While he was absent, the hole was cxp!o led, and on his return to the drive he found that deceased had made good progress in clearing away the stuff thrown down by the shot. Crawford ha I scarcely made his appearance near the face, wnen a niiiss of lock fell from the hangingwall si'le of the drive, burying- tlie unforfcunate man underneath it. Crawford ir mediately gave the alarm, and the mine manager and iyTmi fixm the other workings hurried to the scene of the fatality-. The superincumbent rook, which weighed about 5cwt, was speedly removed, and it tfas found that tlte poor fellow w.isdouliled undm>e.ith it, lifeless, his pipe being still in his mouth. Constable O'Biien ha I arrived underground by this time, ami the remains were removed to the surface, and conveye 1 to the Prince Imperial Hotel. Deceased leaves a widow and one child. The accident appears to have been quite beyond the control of the deceased or any other person. The piece of rock which fell weighed about a ton, though only about a quarter of the whole mass struck the unfortunate maa. A clay seam was found to have run at right angles with the course of the duve, and it is probable that the shot, having removed the support from the upper portion of the mass, caused it to topple over. At the inquest on Wednesday last before H. Kenriek, Usq., District Coroner, the Jury returned a verdict of •' Accidental Death." — Advertiser.