FIRE IN BROKEN HILL MINE

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 11022, 13 September 1897, Page 2

FIRE IN BROKEN HILL MINE

THREE LIVES LOST. (PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

Sydney, September 13. — A fire broke out yesterday in the Proprietary mine, Broken Hill. It has been definitely located in ground known as Brodribb's intermediate slopes, below the two hundred feet level and immediately above the three hundred feet level.

A large number of men who are acquainted with the mine volunteered for service below. Men who f Qame up from tho mine roportad that they were unable to roach the seat of the fire owing to the noxious fumes from the burning Oregon pine.

Barriers constructed of sandbags are being used to prevent the extension of the fire, but the work is being carried out uuder great difficulty, the men beiug repeatedly overcome.

Four doctors are in attendance on the surface, where a temporary hospital has been erected.

Over two hundred men are below fighting the fire. Fifty have beon removed to the hospital in a half -suffocated condition. 'J he doctors say the symptoms are temporal ily alarming, a.s in some instances the patients, are almost pulseless, and the strongest stimulant" have to be given before relief cau be experienced. The effects are generally experienced from fifteen minutes to an liQur, and sometimes longer. Stewart, general manager, and Harwood, mine manager, have been p'estrated once or twice, but are now better.

Instructions have bees issued that no man once prostrated is to go below again. The scenes as the men are being brought up from below and carried from the surface brace are most pitiable. Some of the men are comatose, whilst others are kicking and shouting Tho pungent fumes, which, ava now spreading and coming u,p. vaoyo strongly through Stewart's and Darlings's Bhalts, ca,n. be noticed freely down tho town. Water fortunately is plentiful and every means is being utilised to send it below.

At a late hour last night the fire con tiiiued to gain mastery All the workers had beon driven out of the 20ft f^eb Je ft. 1 Tho fire is very similar to. that >n Blook EJoven two years ago, and similar steps aro boiag taken to combat ii. The worst feature has yet to be recorded. About 8 o'clock last night the draught underground turnod, and the 30) f oet level was cleared somewhat of fumes. This enabled a party to enter the level tp, see if anyone was there, as. ru,rao,ura wero curront that soYeraj TForo, musing. The party came on throe bodies, and medical examination showed that life had been oxtinot soven or eight hours. These wero identified as William Kneo, marriad ; William MaoAHater, single, and a youth namod W. H. Stranger, who voluutoored. It is boliovoi] tho Hro will bo confiuod to tho Boat of its origin. Hopes are ontortaiucd tint it wll bo forced up through tho bottom of Baxter Saddler's Cut, in which cn«o thoro is a good possibility of getting comploto control. Tho smolttrs ftro being shutdown, thus throwing niat.y men temporarily out of employment.