User talk:Athol2712

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Welcome!

Hello, Athol2712, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Unfortunately, one or more of the pages you created may not conform to some of Wikipedia's guidelines, and may soon be deleted.

There's a page about creating articles you may want to read called Your first article. If you are stuck, and looking for help, please come to the New contributors' help page, where experienced Wikipedians can answer any queries you have! Or, you can just type helpme on this page, and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Here are a few other good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes ( ~ ); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you have any questions, check out Questions or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! SatuSuro 11:17, 28 November 2010 (UTC)
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Please
Try a blog, or somewhere you can put this - this is an online encyclopedia and your contribution fits WP:NOT - please find somewhere else to share your knowledge - sorry about that - and thanks for your understanding - I hope... SatuSuro 11:20, 28 November 2010 (UTC)

Forty three men were killed in that disaster. My father Robert Friday was working in the mine on the morning of the fire and gave evidence at the Royal Commission. His evidence is available in the official archives.

Dad was Platman at the 700 foot level, meaning that he was responsible for signaling the cage driver and in charge of loading and unloading the cage at that level. At about 10.30 am, while delivering a load of timber to the 1000 foot level with his off-sider Harry Montressor he noticed smoke in the main shaft. He spoke to a man named Fowler at the 1000 foot level and they remarked on the smell of smoke. Fowler suggested the smoke could be coming from the Fitting Shop on the 850 foot level, but Dad disagreed and suggested that the fire could be at the bottom, 1100 foot level. Dad, Fowler and Montressor immediately went down to the bottom, but Sam Bray at that level said there was no fire there. Dad noticed that the smoke smelled like pine wood burning, and the Pump Room on the 700 foot level was lined with pine, so Dad decied to go to the 700 foot level. As they approached the 700 foot level the smoke became dense black. They stayed there only a few seconds, groped for the bell in the darkness and quickly went up to the surface and informed the Braceman of the fire. Dad then went back down to the 500 foot level and would have gone further, but for the dense black smoke. He rescued some miners at that level and they all returned to the surface. Dad gave evidence that he thought all the miners could have been rescued if the miners themselves had taken the fire seriously when they first noticed it.

Athol Day, Sydney