FATAL FALL OF EARTH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8367, 25 February 1907, Page 5

FATAL FALL OF EARTH.

THREE MEN KILLED. While a night "shift," comprising eight men and a ganger, was working in the Kilbirnie tunnel, Wellington, on Friday night, near the cityend, the clay overhead slipped, and many tons of material came down. Three men—Harry Barrett (the ganger), Alfred Harrington, and John Eli—were overwhelmed by the debris, and were killed. A fourth, Frederick Cocker, was also caught by the earth, and was injured. He was extricated without great difficulty, and was taken to the hospital. The other workers, Edward Lowe, Patrick Mooney, Charles Crew, Joseph Harles, and Alexander McLaren, escaped unharmed. The accident happened suddenly at about twenty minutes past ten. The men were preparing a "length " of timbering for the brickwork. It was practically the preparation for the last stage of the tunnel work, which was expected to be finished next week. The bricking had been done for a distance of 32ft at the city opening, then there was a gap of 36ft (three lengths) and then on, right out to the Kilbirnie side, the brick arching was completed. Before the bricks are put in, the tunnel is supported by heavy timbering—thick vertical "legs," surmounted by stout "sills," running acoss the top. When the men are preparing a "length," for bricking, some of the heavy timbering must be removed, to be replaced by ribs and lagging for the brick arch. It was while the men were engaged in this operation that the fall came. Apparently a sill gave way under the pressure of the overlying earth, a leg slipped, and down came a mass of clay, which "telescoped" the woodwork. Harrington and Barrett were immediately below the point at which the face of the hill began to subside, and were covered up among the timber. Eli was more fortunate, but only for a little while. His body was covered up ; but a truck, used for carrying away the spoil, saved his head. He was lying on his back across the truck-rails, with his head towards the Kilbirnie side. He was able to speak, but a second fall of earth, about midnight, covered him, and death soon ensued. One of the men, McLaren, had a marvellous escape from death. He was working among the timber in the upper part of the tunnel, and suddenly he found himself whirled upward. He must have been just outside the edge along which the clay began to glide, and "Was thrust on top of the descending mass, and thus came down into the tunnel. He helped to extricate his mate, Cocker, who was soon able to make his Way outwards to the Kilbirnie end, and came over the hill to Wellington. Harry Barrett was a married man. His wife is in Goodwood, Australia. Alfred Harrington was marriVd just a year ago, and leaved a wife and baby. The "shift" in which he met his death was to have been his last on the*tunnei. He commenced work at 4 o'clock in the • afternoon, with the others, and by midnight he would have bade farewell to the tunnel, for he had fresh work to go to on Monday. John Eli was single, twenty- , eight years of ag/\ He came originally from the West Coast. THE INQUEST. By Telegraph—Press Assopiation. WELLINGTON, "'February 24. An inquest concerning the death of • the' three men killed in the Kilbirni e tunnel was opened by the District Coroner and adjourned until Monday. The jury intimated that they thought it desirable that an independent engineer should be called for an Opinion as to the state of the workings. The medical evidence given showed that Barrett and Harrington had died from suffocation, and Eli from hemorrhage from the wound on hte head.