REDDING MINE DISASTER

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15358, 5 October 1923, Page 5

REDDING MINE DISASTER

FIVE MEN RESCUED. - • AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE. NINE DAYS UNDERGROUND, Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn. Received October 5, 1.30 p.m. LONDON, October 4. Rescues are reported at Redding as the result of ten days' gigantic toil, digging through the debris in the direction of the elevation pit known as Spionkop. Here five men were found huddled together, and they crawled out on all fours like frogs. All except one were in comparatively good physical condition. They kept themselves alive with water, cheered by the sounds of blasting and boring. During the last four days four more bodies were recovered. The survivors said they tried to judge the passage of time by the growth of their beards. They only had half a slice of bread between them. The survivors, interviewed, said their experiences were most trying. They used all their matches in the first two days in an attempt to keep a light burning, which was impossible owing to the black damp. They crawled up and down in the darkness throughout the workings. They kept moving to keep warm, occasionally crawling to the edge of the water for a drink.

They were on the verge of despair when they heard a. shot, and crawled to the roadways trying to locate the direction. When the shots were repeated they shook hands with each other; confident of rescue they were in the best of spirits. When reached their first request was for cigarettes. Restoratives and blankets were rushed to the spot, but the survivors insisted on crawling to the shaft bottom. They were unable to say whether other entombed men were alive, as they were cut off from the others at the outset.

The rescued men occupied themselves underground -\Vith_writing farewell letters "in the''darkness. They were soaked the-first day, being waistdeep in water.

A huge crowd collected at the pithead when the possibility of rescues became known. Desperate efforts were made to blast, ar'passage to the entombed,! whom many comrades refused to believe were dead.

Suddenly those engaged in blasting heard the murmur of distant voices, and the rescuers wore reinforced. Working feverishly they broke their way through falls of coal. In reply to a question the entombed men said they were astounded to learn that they had been nine days below. When they first heard the blasting they crawled in all directions in the darkless trying to locate the sound.

Their last food, a slice of bread, was divided on the third day.