THREE BROTHERS DEAD.

Thames Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 18732, 16 February 1933, Page 3

THREE BROTHERS DEAD.

VICTIMS OF BLACK DAMP.

Lives Heroically Sacrificed. «» ASPHYXIATED IX AIR SHAFT. HIKURANGI MINING TRAGEDY. (Special to Star). WHANGAREI, Feb. 16 Three brothers were fatally asphyxiated in a private mine at Hikurangi yesterday afternoon. They were)—• Janies Ackers, aged 24, married, with on e child. Jack Ackers, aged 20. Albert Ackers, aged 18. The first of the three was descending a narrow air shaft, constructed 12 months ago and not since used, and apparently when only part of the way was overcome by black damp, which had accumulated, and he fell tg. th e bottom. A second brother, assuming something untoward had happened, entered th e shaft on rescue bent. He, too, fell a victim to the poisonous fumes. As though this dual horror did not suffice, the third brother essayed the same dangerous task, and he also sacrificed his life. The victims of this . grim triple tragedy are well-known residents of Hikurangi, and prominent in Association football circles.

Minq Just Taken Over

The mine at which the tragedy occurred was taken over on Monday by Mr William Ackers, father of the deceased, from the Hikurangi Coal Company, Ltd., which was to take the supplies of coal from it. The mine is situated on a hill at Waro and was commenced over a year, ago, when; an air Shaft was sunk about 32ft. from the top of the hill and a drive was then let into the side of the hill about 40ft, but had not connected with the airshaft as required by the Coal Mines Act. Yesterday morning Mr Ackers went into the drive for the purpose pf knocking upon the wall of coal to determine how far away the drive was from the airshaft, as it was thought that if they continued boring the drive they would pass under the airshaft. On the top of the hill were Mr George Wilson, who was in search of a job in the mine, Albert Ackers and James Ackers.

Slid To Their Death

Albert could not hear the knocks from his father plainly from the top of the shaft, so he tied a rope on to the cross-beam at the top of the shaft and climbed down the rope. When half-way down he stood on the wooden supports for a few seconds and suddenly collapsed and fell head first down the shaft. His brother James jumped on to the rope before Mr Wilson could stop him and slid down, calling to Mr Wilson to go for help. When about half-way down he fell off the rope and lay at the bottom unconscious. Jack Ackers, who was working near-by, was called, and he, too, slid down the rope in spite of Mr Wilson’s efforts to stop him. When about 30ft down he also fell unconscious. Eldest Brother’s Escape. Robert, the eldest and only surviving son, might easily have shared the same horrible fate. He, too, was about to descend to the rescue when a premonition that he would meet death if he did so caused him to hesitate. On looking down the shaft he saw his three brothers motionless, which told him the worst had happened. “I’m Going!” Mr William Reid, one of several miners who rushed to the scene, disregarded the risk and commenced the descent in a gallant attempt at rescue, but almost immediately shouted, “I’m going.” Ho was promptly hauled to the surface in an unconscious state, from which h< was a long time in recovering.

A rescue party eventually recovered the bodies of the three brothers. Rapid Gas Accumulation.

The air shaft, which was sunl< two years ago, was inspected last Monday and declared safe from fumes. Experienced miners attribute the accumulation of gases in such a short period to a change of atmospheric conditions.

Th e Ackers family arrived at Ilikurangi from Leigh, Lancashire, in 1924, and had followed mining pursuits ever since. A formal inquest was held this morning., and adjourned after identification of the bodies.