A Serious Accident.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1795, 3 October 1874, Page 2

A Serious Accident.

A very serious accident—but, fortunately, less so than from the circumstances of the case it might hare been—happened this morning in the Queen of Beauty mine to a man named George Woodward. It appears that he and his mate Richard Feeny were working in a stope, and this morning about seven o'clock they put a shot in the face. The shot acted successfully, and no danger was apprehended until Woodward was proceeding in to the face again, when Feeny told him that the shot had displaced the . last props that had been put up in the .course of timbering. Woodward gave no heed to this warning, however; and proceeded towards the face of the stope ; but he had not gone far before the top fell in and felled him to the ground. The injuries received were most serious—five of his ribs are broken, also the leg immediately below the knee, and he is very much shaken. He was immediately taken to the Thames Hospital, and attended to. It is satisfactory to know that Woodward escaped a much worse fate ; for it is known that had he proceeded another foot when going towards the face, the loss of M 3 life would have been inevitable. Fortunately Feeny was unhurt. This last accident is but another example of the many which have been afforded that the greater number of accidents in mines are caused by a want of care on the part of the hardy miner, who, from constant association with danger, becomes too reckless. In this case, had Woodward listened to the advice tendered him by his mate, he would not now be lying in the hospital.