Reefton miner’s bravery

An act of bravery is reported from Murray Creek coal mine near Reefton. It appears that a miner named Warren, one of two working in No 4 level, was left to ignite the fuses of three charges. Owing to some delay in attending to the second and third, the first charge exploded before he could gain a point of safety, injuring him in the back and both legs. The force of

the explosion put out the candles, and the other miner, Ecklund, in the darkness above, heard Warren moan and apparently call for help. Without a light and without the slightest hesitation, Ecklund went down to the assistance of his injured mate, disregarding the fact that the other two shots were due to explode at any moment. He got to the bottom, and, seizing the injured man by the shoulders, lifted him bodily up 24 feet of ladders to the floor of the level above. He had scarcely accomplished this feat when the other two shots went off. Ecklund’s action is to be brought to the notice of the Royal Humane Society.