1928 BURIED ALIVE
This newspaper report is from 1928 and is another example of the lucky escapes that some workers had from injury or death in the course of their duties at the power station and the coal mine at Yallourn. In this extract, Mr Bloomfield was actually buried by coal in a bunker; and it was only the knowledge, experience and quick-thinking of a fellow worker that saved him from death.
A search of newspaper reports from that era shows that not all workers were as fortunate as Mr Bloomfield. One year before this accident occurred, an employee of the SECV, named William Grace, perished in a landslide at the old coal mine site at Yallourn. (See the ‘Kalgoorlie Miner’ 7th July 1927).
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20th July 1928 ‘MORWELL ADVERTISER’ Page 3
SAFETY ROPE SAVES LIFE OF YALLOURN WORKER
SHOWED HE WAS BURIED BY COAL
W. Bloomfield, a Yallourn workman, narrowly escaped death from entombment, when he was trapped on Friday, by several tons of coal in a bunker at the boiler-house of the power-station.
A safety rope and the prompt action of the employees at the boiler-house saved him. Bloomfield was suspended by a safety rope while he was trimming coal at the bottom of the bunker.
Whether the coal slipped under him, or fell in an avalanche over him is not known. A man passing saw that the safety rope had tightened, and, looking into -the bunker, found it passed through the coal. Bloomfield, he thought, must be trapped under the coal. The alarm was given and a chute leading from the bunker to the fires was disconnected. Coal was hurriedly released to the firing floor, and the trapped trimmer was found suspended to the safety rope.
Bloomfield had collapsed under the strain. It was found, however, that he was not seriously injured. .
Note: This article has been reprinted in good faith. The only changes, from the original copy, were in regard to font size, font style and spacing so as to enhance the presentation of the story on the Virtual Yallourn website.