TRAPPED IN TUNNEL.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20653, 29 June 1935, Page 11

TRAPPED IN TUNNEL.

Entombed Miner Rescued After Feverish Efforts by Mates. NARROW ESCAPE AT BLACKBALL. Per Press Association. BLACKBALL, This Day. SUDDENLY TRAPPED by a fall of earth and stone from the roof in one of the roadways of the Balderstone and Party’s Blackball Creek Co-operative Mine, Richard Brady, employed as a deputy, was entombed in the mine last night. He was rescued unhurt at 12.20 p.m. to-day. Feverish efforts were made during the night and throughout this morning by his workmates and men from the Blackball Mine to rescue him. Communication was established with Brady who advised those outside that he was not injured. Another man, Alec Thompson, narrowly missed the fall. He was able to make his way to the mine mouth and give the alarm.

Brady is a single man and a native of Scotland. The fall occurred at 7 p.m. and, from that time onwards efforts were made to reach him. Brady and Thompson, were working together retimbering the roadway. They had only about ten feet to complete the work when the timber started to swing and the roof of the drive came away.' Thompson ran towards the mine mouth and got clear of the slip, after which he gave the alarm. Brady ran inwards and was trapped by a large fall of rock and earth. Relays of miners worked continuously to reach Brady whose tappings could be only faintly heard at first. Despite every effort little progress could be made in clearing the fall, as the roof continued to come down. There was no relaxation of effort however, the work being continued in the hope of allowing a passage of fresh air to reach Brady over the top of the fall.. A Drive Cut. Realising that it was impossible to reach the man from the roadway where the accident occurred a detour was made by a large party of miners who drove a tunnel six feet by six feet through the coal, approaching Brady from another direction. Although the coal was hard and tough, excellent progress was made at the rate of four feet an hour.. • At 10.30 a.m. to-day the resells party considered that it had nine to ten feet to go to reach Brady whose tappings were heard more plainly. Mr J. G. Quinn, manager of the Blackball mine, arrived on the scene at 8 p.m. yesterday and throughout the night and the morning directed rescue operations. Dr H. Hutson, of Blackbal, was also at the mine, standing by in case his services are required. Communication was established with the entombed man shortly after eleven o’clock to-day and was maintained till he was rescu’d. So. grimly he set down to fight for his life. An experienced man, he knew exactly the terrible implications of his position and when the drowsiness began to assail him he knew that the battle was going to be a grim and merciless one. Through the hours of the night and and the forenoon he laboured in his

stygian trap, keeping his pick going because he knew that on the exercise and its effects depended his best chance of surviving. While he thus laboured within, as many men as could get to work laboured frenziedly without, battling their way to him. It was a fight with death and they knew it. The “ black damp ” affected them as it was affecting the prisoner within, but they hung grimly to their task and worked with the zeal of desperation. Their reward came at 12.20 p.m. when the last of the debris was hurled aside and they were able to bring Brady into the daylight again. He was immediately examined by Dr Hutson, who pronounced him as suffering somewhat from shock, but otherwise unharmed. GRIM ORDEAL. Sufferings Grew Acute During Night. BRADY'S FGIIT FOR LIFE. (Special to the “ Star.”) BLACKBALL, June 29. Fighting brimly throughout the night against the drowsiness induced by the “ blacy damp,” a drowsiness that would probably have proved fatal had he surrendered to it, Brady experienced a terrifying ordeal. Alternately tapping with his pick and digding, he managed by the exercise to fight off the tendency to sleep. Thirst added to his tortures, and his sufferings from this cause grew more acute as time passed. When the fall occurred Brady ran for it, but too late, for he was promptly stopped by a solid wall and realised with awful suuenness that he was entombed. Automatically almost, he had grabbed hiS pick as he started to run, and to the fact that he still had it when it the debris halted his escape he thinks he owes his life. He was imprisoned in pitch darkness, without the means to make a light, and with the knowledge that even if he had possessed the means he dare not employ them because of the danger of an explosion.