BURIED BENEATH A TREE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9938, 15 January 1900, Page 3

BURIED BENEATH A TREE.

A htartling accident happened on January 1. At Tel'iitree Gully, a popular holiday resort near Melbourne. About half-past 12 o'clock four ladies, who loitered behind their party in a walk from tho railway station to the upper portion of tlla gully in search for <l cool spot, Srtt down in the scrub upon the right of the track, about a mile from the station. A fino big bluegum, fully 60ft high, threw a splendid shadow over their camp, and tho ladies, having eaten somo lunch, were preparing to leave the spot, rear which a number of otlier people had gathered. With this intention they were rising to their Icct, when a crashing sound caused them to look up the lull, and immediately afterwards they were buried beneath the branches of the huge gum tree that had afforded them protection. The tree trunk had pnapped rlo&e to tho ground, and the crashing sound was due to its stripping the branches of another tree in falling. The warning thus given was sufficient for fully half a-dozen picnickers in the vicinity, and they escaped to a place of safety j\ist in time, but the four ladies were struck I down as they stood, and il was lcared that they had been killed. Willing hands weio soon at work to relieve them. The first to bo rescued was Mrs Cave, who suffered no injury other than a shock to the '.-stem, and who fainted tho moment she was extricated. Mrs Cave's daughter, Eva, was not ho fortunate, and she was removed in an unconscious toudition. Miss Mary Foreman was in a similar state when taktn out, and a nasty wound about three incht'3 long on tho top of her head told its own tale. The fourth member of the party, a sister of Miss Foreman, escaped unharmed. The tree which caused tho accident waa a green (jum tree, with all the signs of vigorous growth, but the bush fires of two years had eaten out the base of the trunk to a height oF 6ft from.tiic 1 ground, and loft only a shell of green timber sohie three inches in thickness for threefourths of its circumference. Above the ca-s ity, in which a man could stand with ease, the tree was strong and full oi sap. There was no wind blowing.