Harold Clayton Gabourie, 33, miner, died as the result of helping to save James F. Sizer, 22, miner, from suffocation, Falconbridge, Ontario, January 2, 1936. While on the top landing of a manway in a raise that extended almost vertically upward for 220 feet from the floor of a room in a mine, Sizer became affected by carbon monoxide and started to descend. The manway consisted of ladders that connected 11 six-foot-square timber landings. Sizer reached the 10th landing from the bottom and fell unconscious. Another miner climbed up the manway, noted Sizer’s condition, placed him in such position as would prevent his falling through the ladder openings, became dizzy, and descended. He told Gabourie and Dmetrie Benuik that Sizer was overcome by gas and that he was weak from gas and asked them to render aid while he went for other help. Gabourie and Benuik, who knew that carbon monoxide collected in raises, ascended the manway and reached Sizer in 10 minutes. Although Gabourie and Benuik were somewhat affected by the gas, they carried Sizer, and placed him in an upright position in an 18-inch-square steel bucket that had been hoisted on a cable in a shaft that extended up the manway. The bucket was open at one side and the top. They tried to fasten him in the bucket with chains across the open side. In the meantime three other miners had ascended, two of them becoming slightly affected. At Gabourie’s request two of the other miners helped to fasten the chains. Gabourie then started to descend; and Benuik, who was affected, followed him. Sizer was lowered; and the others started to descend, following Benuik, one of them keeping his hand on the cable to prevent Sizer from striking the shaft. At a point 40 feet from the bottom Gabourie fell from the ladder and through landing openings to the bottom. Benuik descended to the second landing, was prevented from failing by others, and was aided to the bottom. Sizer was removed from the mine and regained consciousness in two hours. He recovered. Gabourie was taken out of the mine and died several hours later from injuries sustained in his fall.
35325 – 2953
35325-2953