HOUSES IN A MINE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14259, 27 July 1910, Page 7

HOUSES IN A MINE.

Tile attention of the Home Office is to be drawn by the West ituling coroner to the conspicuous bravery 01 several persons, jnciudmg a llpniau Catholic priest, two doctors, and a Government inspector of mines, who tried to save some men who Jost their lives in a mine shaft at Woodlesford, near Leeds. A Jiew .shaft was, being sunk, and thy workmen were bricking up the sides near the bottom. Without warning one of the scaffolding platforms collapsed, and the men were hurled to the bottom, and buried in the debris. One of the men, Piitrick McCarthy got his leg wedged between some timber and the side of the pit, his other leg being doubled up under him. He was buried np to his thighs in earth. The contractor and others, at the peri' of their lives—for earth and stones were still falling—made desperat- efforts to release him, without result. To add to the horror <jf the situation, the watoi/ began to rise, and graduallv covered his body. TweCartliv became delirious, and cried out the signals u.-ed in lii-s work. "Ming down the hoppit, ;'iid give her a good steady and an av. Kids." ' • Father White. a priest, begged to betaken down .and finaliv, w.'i-n it v> 3 i.:11ml impossible to release .VcCartl'iv lie was allowed to descend and administer the last rites of his Church. At tins time the water was up to .McCarthy's neck, and the man in his delirium was trying io blow the water aw-v Mr f'ickerine;, the Oovennnent ml speetor, kept the man's lied ,„,, and death mercifully put an end to his sufferings, when the water was up to his ehm. Having .satisfied themselves that the. man was dead, and that the others had long since br-u lr, s t, th eparty returned to the surface.