THE REDDING DISASTER.

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15360, 8 October 1923, Page 5

THE REDDING DISASTER.

SURVIVORS' SUFFERINGS.

MEN IN COMPLETE DARKNESS.

RENEWED RESCUE OPERATIONS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn. LONDON, October 5. The Falkirk correspondent of the Daily Chronicle states taht in conversation with a man who had been entombed and rescued, the man said: "We did not worry about hunger, but were anxious to get into touch with the rescuers and to escape. Once the water rose to our waists, but we groped our way to higher workings. Our clothes were soaked, but we wTung them out and dried them as much as was possible. After our

lights failed and our tobacco gave out we sought solace in chewing the remnants of tobacco left in the bottoms of our pipes. We chewed even the match sticks, not to satisfy our hunger, but for something to occupy our time. We also prayed." As a minister offered thanks after the men were rescued one of them said: 'We prayed, too; we thought it wasn't the usual thing to do, but we were facing death, and knew it." John Miller (25), who has a wife and young baby, was one of those rescued. He said it was an awful time. The anxiety, misery, darkness and long silence were terrible to bear. "We kept ourselves warm by huddling together on the slate door. Only the upper parts of our bodies remained warm."

The Dally Chronicle's special Falkirk correspondent says that In cold, drizzling rain, groups of miners stood waiting to-day near one of the shafts of the" Redding colliery, where rescue operations arc continuing with renewed vigour. High hopes are engendered by yesterday's miraculous recovery of five men from a living death.

They have had their spirits damped by to-day's recovery of the bodies of three of the victims, who had obviously been dead for days, and apparently drowned.

Nevertheless, there is still a chance that others who are entombed will be rescued alive.

When those who were rescued yesterday first heard shots signifying that rescue parties were blasting, they counted by throwing stones Into a tin. They saved oil by burning only one lamp at a time. Eventually all gave out, and the men were left dn complete darkness.