In the early part of the 20th century, the Main Trunk Line between Christchurch and Invercargill, which had been made fast, cheap - and slow to run - in the 1870s, was straightened and double-tracked for speed and efficiency. Many of the original tunnels needed widening and others abandoned and replaced. Two of the tunnels in the Dunedin area were replaced and one of them was the first Chain Hills tunnel, between Abbotsford and Wingatui, which had seen a fatal accident during its construction in the mid 1870s.
ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.
FATAL EXPLOSION IN TUNNEL.
Dunedin, May 9. While working at the north end of the Chain Hills tunnel, putting in gelignite plugs, one of the employees named Harry Smith received such injuries as proved almost instantly fatal. It appears that Smith was putting in the plugs, and another employee, named Charles Gardiner, was pushing them home, when from some unaccountable reason a premature explosion took place, Smith receiving the full force of the charge in his face. Gardiner was knocked about a bit in the arms and breast, while two others, named Barker and J. Hutchison, received minor injuries. The express from the south was stopped and all the men were brought into Dunedin. Gardiner is now lying in the hospital, but it is not thought that his injuries are very serious. Barker and Hutchison, after being attended to, were able to go home. Smith was a single man, and resided with his mother at Rockyside, Caversham. He was about 32 or 33 years old. -Stratford Evening Post, 10/5/1913.
FUNERAL NOTICE
U.A.O.D. The OFFICERS and MEMBERS of the PRIDE OF MORNINGTON LODGE, No. 14, U.A.O.D., and Sister Lodges are respectfully requested to ATTEND the Funeral of their late Brother HARRY SMITH, which will leave the Dunedin Hospital (Cumberland street entrance) THIS DAY (MONDAY). 12th inst, at 2.30 p.m., for the Southern Cemetery.
F. LAWSON, A.D. -Otago Daily Times, 12/5/1913.
CHAIN HILLS FATALITY
A PREMATURE EXPLOSION.
NO ONE TO BLAME.
The District Coroner (Mr C. C. Graham) held an inquest yesterday afternoon concerning the death of Harry Smith, a miner, who was killed through the premature explosion of gelignite in the Chain Hills tunnel on Friday evening. Smith was a single man of 31 years, who lived with his mother and sister at Caversham. Mr J. F.M. Fraser appeared for the department, Senior Sergeant King for the police, Mr C. J. Payne for the deceased's relatives, and Mr Thomson (Inspector of Mines) for the Mines Department.
James J. Owen, a miner employed in the tunnel, said that Smith was assisting to charge a hole —placing a plug of gelignite in position. Witness was removing a prop, and Gardner (acting ganger) was using the tamping bar to push the charge into place, when the explosion occurred. Gardner used no force in guiding the plugs into place, and the primer was not attached. After the explosion Smith fell huddled up and partly on his face. Witness picked him up quite unconscious, his injuries being to the head and jaw. The south express was stopped, and deceased was brought to the Hospital.
To Mr Payne: The permanent ganger, Douglas, was away through illness; and Joyce, the permanent machine man, was off work also. In the absence of these two Gardner did the work they would have undertaken. Witness added that if the absentees had been there, and two machines were being worked, Joyce would work one and Gardner the other, Douglas merely supervising. When Douglas and Joyce were both away, all had to work.
Mr Payne: Are you aware that it is necessary for a man to have a certificate before he is allowed to charge a bore with gelignite?
Witness: Yes.
To Mr Fraser: He was within 6ft of Gardner when he loaded the hole, and was satisfied that every care was used.
Inspector of Mines (Mr Thomson): Was the plug on the bottom?
Witness: No; it was not on the bottom, and Gardner was gently pushing it down when the explosion occurred. (It transpired that the hole was almost a horizontal and not a vertical one.) Witness added that the cartridge was not frozen (a source of danger); if it had been it would have been thawed in a pan used for the purpose.
Herbert Warner Gosling, machinist, said he was about a chain ahead of the scene of the accident. Having occasion to see Gardner to find if he was ready (as there were three wet holes in the heading), he went down, and Gardner said: "You go and get ready, and I will sing out to you." Witness had not been back a minute when he heard the explosion. When he ran back the deceased was propped on the staging. The ganger sent him to telephone for medical assistance and to bring the stretcher.
To Mr Thomson: After the accident he picked up the primer intact (showing that the charge had not been ignited in the orclinary manner).
Charles Robert Gardner, acting ganger, said that deceased was putting the plugs in the bore, and he was pressing them home with the ordinary copper tamping rod. The first cartridge put in was a little tight, but the second went down easily as he followed it with the rod, using no force. Just as he felt the cartridge was home the explosion took place. The rod was in his left hand, and what he could not understand was how this rod was not driven through him. He was lifted and thrown two or three yards by the explosion. Witness held a certificate for using all explosives. He had had experience for eight years on the Midland Railway tunnels, on the Otira and the Hill tunnel. What he did that day he had done hundreds of times, and every precaution was used. He could not conjecture the cause of the accident.
To Mr Payne: As far as he knew, the cartridges were not examined before use.
To Mr Thomson: He handled the gelignite before use, and knew from touch that it was in good condition — not frozen. He had instructions to look out for freezing of the gelignite plugs.
Dr Stewart, house surgeon at the Hospital, stated that deceased was admitted at 7.20 p.m. on the 9th inst., quite dead. There were several deep lacerations on the head down to the skull, but no external evidence of fracture. The right collar-bone was broken. The cause of death was severe concussion of the brain.
The Coroner recorded a verdict — "That the cause of death was concussion of the brain, brought about by the premature explosion of a gelignite blast, and that no blame was attachable to anyone." -Evening Star, 13/5/1913.
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