The Snow Tiger / Night of Error Read online

  ‘And what were Mr Cameron’s views?’ asked Harrison.

  Cameron was pungent. ‘Jesus!’ he said incredulously. ‘You want to put the whole population into a hole in a mountain?’

  ‘It’s a shelter.’

  ‘Okay, it’s a shelter – I know that – but there are problems. So many problems. I don’t know where to start. For instance, when is this disaster supposed to happen?’

  ‘It may never happen.’

  ‘Exactly. So how long are they going to sit in there just waiting? They might stand it a day, but when nothing happens they’ll want out. Do you think you can stop them?’

  ‘The town council might.’

  Cameron made a hawking sound at the back of his throat which indicated his opinion of the council. ‘To tell the truth, I’m not too happy about anyone being in the mine if there’s going to be a fall. A million tons of snow falling an average vertical height of three thousand feet must set up some vibrations.’

  Ballard narrowed his eyes. ‘What are you getting at, Joe?’

  ‘Well, you know we’ve been cutting a few corners.’

  ‘I’ve seen some of the corners that have been cut. In fact, I’ve written a report for the board. I’ve not been here long, Joe; not long enough to put things right. I’m telling you now that it’s got to stop. Why, in the name of God, did you let them get away with it?’

  ‘I wasn’t high man on the totem pole,’ snapped Cameron. ‘My immediate boss is that spineless lump of jelly, Dobbs – and above him was Fisher with one leg in the grave and incompetent in the first place. And the men were just as bad. That production bonus you’ve been handing out is goddamn near criminal. The guys are only human and if a shot-firer, say, can earn a fast buck by ignoring a regulation he’ll go for the dough every time. And Dobbs looked the other way because he got a piece of the cake, too.’

  ‘And you?’

  Cameron looked at the floor. ‘And maybe me, too.’ He looked up at Ballard challengingly. ‘I’m not justifying it. I’m just giving you the facts. I’m not like Dobbs – I didn’t do it for the money. I did it for the job, Ian. I had to hold on to the job. This is the last job I’ll hold as chief engineer. If I lose it I’ll be on the way down – I’ll be assistant to some smart young guy who is on his way up – and when you get to my age you can’t afford to take chances like that. If I hadn’t played along I’d have been fired.’

  He laughed humourlessly and tapped Ballard on the chest. ‘But don’t tell me you haven’t had your worries already. I did my best, I tell you I really did, but those business sharks in Auckland are a tight-fisted lot of bastards – all take and no give. I pleaded with Dobbs – I pleaded with Fisher – for more money to go into safety, to go into supporting structures. All I got was the one answer – ”Make do.”’

  Ballard rubbed his eyes. ‘All that’s water under the bridge. What’s worrying you?’

  ‘I’ll tell you. If that lot falls off the mountain – wet snow or dry, it doesn’t matter – it’s going to make a hell of a big thump. Now, maybe we’ve been interpreting the rules a mite too freely but I wouldn’t want to be in there when it happens. I don’t think the supporting structures will take it.’

  Ballard drew in his breath. ‘That’s a hot one, Joe. Anyone in the mine now?’

  ‘Sunday maintenance crew. Half a dozen guys. Engineers and electricians.’

  Ballard’s voice was as cutting as a knife-edge. ‘Get them out. Get them out now. And bloody well jump, Joe.’

  He turned on his heel and went to the noisy argumentative crowd near the door. Arthur Pye raised his voice in a bull bellow. ‘Quiet! Let’s hear what McGill has to say about that.’

  McGill turned as Ballard arrived at his elbow. ‘We’ve been discussing Eric Peterson’s idea of using the mine as a shelter. I think it’s not such a bad idea. I think we can discount the suction effect if Joe Cameron can put a stopper at the entrance. And it will easily hold everyone.’

  ‘No,’ said Ballard. ‘Nobody is going in. I’ve just ordered the men who are already in the mine to come out.’

  There was a babble of voices, cut short again by a blast from Pye. He said, ‘Why not, Mr Ballard?’

  ‘Because I don’t think it’s safe. Mr Cameron has just pointed out that a million tons of snow hitting the valley bottom will make quite an impact. I don’t think the mine is safe.’

  Pye frowned. ‘Not safe?’

  ‘It’s my decision, and I’ve made it,’ said Ballard. ‘As soon as the men are out I’m having the entrance sealed.’

  ‘Well, that’s it,’ said McGill. ‘No need to argue any more about it.’ He looked curiously at Ballard before he turned to Pye. ‘I want four men, experienced in the mountains if possible. They’ll need ropes and ice-axes, if you have them.’

  ‘Some of the scouts are good climbers.’

  ‘They’ll do,’ said McGill briefly. ‘Where’s the secretary you promised me, Ian?’

  ‘And that’s how it was,’ said Ballard.

  Harrison opened his mouth and then closed it. He leaned back and said to the assessor on his left, ‘Do you have any questions, Mr French?’

  ‘Indeed I have.’ French drew his chair around so that he could get a good view of Ballard. ‘You know that I am from the Department of Mines, Mr Ballard?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I have followed your evidence with great care. Are we to believe that you ordered the mine sealed because you thought there would be a danger of tunnel collapse in the event of an avalanche?’

  ‘That is correct.’

  ‘Are you aware that because of the particular nature of this country the mining regulations are framed in such a way as to take account of earthquakes?’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘And so, even if a large quantity of snow did come down the west slope above the mine, there would be little or no damage providing the regulations had been followed. Do you believe that?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And so, by pursuing the course of action which you did, you evidently believed that the regulations, as laid down in law by my department, had not been followed?’

  ‘I believe, with Mr Cameron, that the regulations had been rather too freely interpreted, largely in the interests of economy. It was not a thing I would have relished arguing with an Inspector of Mines, had there been one there.’

  ‘That, Mr Ballard, is a very damaging admission,’ said French coldly.

  ‘I admit that, sir.’

  ‘And so, believing this, you had the mine sealed. In the ensuing disaster fifty-four people were killed. After the disaster the mine was unsealed and the supporting structures had, in the event, proved to be equal to the shock. Nothing had collapsed in any part of the mine. If the whole population of Hukahoronui had sheltered in the mine, as was proposed by Mr Eric Peterson, they would have been all safe. What do you say to that, Mr Ballard?’

  Ballard looked troubled. ‘It has weighed heavily on my mind ever since the avalanche. It is evident that I made the wrong decision, but it is only evident in hindsight. I was there and the decision was up to me, so I made it on the basis of available evidence.’ He paused. ‘I must add that were I placed in the same position again I would not vary my decision.’

  There was an uneasy rustle from the public gallery and the floor creaked. Harrison said gently, ‘But the mine should have been safe, Mr Ballard.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘And it was not?’

  ‘It was not.’

  Rolandson leaned forward, his elbows spread wide on the rostrum, and looked across at French. ‘Was the mine unsealed by a member of the Inspectorate of Mines, Mr French?’

  ‘Yes, it was.’

  ‘What were his views on the supporting structures that he found?’

  ‘His report was unfavourable,’ said French. ‘I might add that he made a verbal report to me immediately after his inspection, and his remarks were unprintable.’

  Ballard said, ‘I made a similar report to
the board of the company. I request that it be introduced as evidence.’

  Harrison leaned forward. ‘Mr Rickman, can that report be produced?’

  Rickman conferred in whispers with Crowell for a few minutes, then he looked up. ‘I am instructed to inform the Commission that no such report has been received from Mr Ballard.’

  Ballard was pale. In a controlled voice he said, ‘I can provide the Commission with a copy of that report.’

  ‘With respect, Mr Chairman,’ said Rickman. ‘The fact that Mr Ballard can provide a copy of a report does not necessarily mean that a report was sent to the board of the company. In point of fact, any report that Mr Ballard may present to the Commission may have been written post facto.’

  Harrison looked interested. ‘Are you seriously suggesting that the report Mr Ballard has offered to me has been fraudulently written after the event?’

  ‘With respect, I am merely pointing out the possibility that it could have been written yesterday.’

  ‘An interesting suggestion, Mr Rickman. What do you think of it, Mr Ballard?’

  Ballard looked at Rickman who looked back at him blandly. ‘Mr Rickman is imputing that I am a liar.’

  ‘Oh no!’ said Rickman with an ingenuous air. ‘Only that you very well could be.’

  ‘Mr Rickman is also not improving my present frame of mind,’ said Ballard. ‘I would delight in answering any questions concerning the safety of the mine from Mr French, from Mr Gunn, who represents the General Mining Union, or from any other interested person.’

  The smile disappeared from Rickman’s face as Gunn seized upon the offer. ‘Mr Ballard, you have said the mine was not safe. Apart from this disputed report, did you mention the matter to anyone else at that time?’

  ‘I did. I talked about it in conversations with Mr Dobbs, Mr Cameron, and Dr McGill, both before and after the avalanche.’

  ‘Had you taken steps to right matters?’

  ‘I wrote the report and was preparing to follow it up.’

  ‘How long was it before the disaster that you took up your position with the company?’

  ‘Six weeks.’

  ‘Only six weeks!’ echoed Gunn in well-simulated surprise. ‘Then Mr Rickman, or even Mr Lyall, can hardly suggest that you were responsible for the state of affairs in the mine.’

  ‘I had no intention of suggesting it,’ said Lyall drily.

  Rickman remained silent.

  ‘But someone must have been responsible,’ pursued Gunn. ‘What, in your opinion, was the reason for this scandalous state of affairs?’

  ‘The mine was teetering on the verge of profitability. If it was not to make an actual loss all margins had to be shaved. Any money that went into the mine went towards productivity – towards profit. Anything that did not conduce towards productivity went to the wall – and that included safety margins.’ Ballard moved in his chair and looked towards Rickman. ‘Now that a rich vein of conglomerate ore has been struck one hopes that more money will go to safety.’

  Rickman leaped to his feet. ‘Mr Chairman, I must protest. The witness is giving away the very secrets of the company – secrets he acquired in the course of his duties. Is this the conduct of a responsible managing director?’

  Pandemonium broke out in the Press gallery. Lost in the uproar was Ballard’s retort, ‘Don’t you mean ex-managing director?’

  TWENTY-ONE

  When the Commission of Inquiry reconvened in the afternoon Harrison said acidly, ‘I hope we do not have a recurrence of the behaviour which led to the adjournment of this morning’s session. Whether Mr Ballard was wise to say what he did is not for me to judge. However, I believe he was goaded into it by the adversary tactics I warned against at the opening of this Inquiry. Mr Rickman, I give you a final warning: you must not be over-zealous in the protection of your client’s interest. One more instance like that of this morning and I shall have to ask your client to find someone else to represent him.’

  Rickman stood up. ‘I apologize to the Commission if I have offended in any way.’

  ‘Your apology is accepted.’ Harrison consulted his notes. ‘I would like to ask one further question of Mr Ballard. It will not take long and you may keep your seat. Mr Ballard, you say that you consulted with Mr Cameron. I have looked through your evidence most carefully and I find that Mr Dobbs, the mine manager and Mr Cameron’s superior, has figured little. Where was Mr Dobbs all this time?’

  Ballard hesitated. ‘I don’t really know. Something seemed to have happened to him.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘Something psychological, I’d say. He seemed to retreat into himself. He relinquished all his duties into my hands. Naturally I was perturbed about this, so I sent Dr Scott to talk with Mr Dobbs to see if he could discover what was the matter. I think his evidence would be best. I am not a medical authority.’

  ‘Yes, that would be best. I will call him later, if it proves necessary.’ Harrison consulted his notes again. ‘Dr McGill seems to have effectively taken charge at this time. He was, as it were, the organizing force because only he had any idea of what was to come. I think we had better hear his testimony.’

  McGill took his seat, and said immediately, ‘I think I can clear up a point that was worrying Professor Rolandson. The mist.’

  Rolandson looked up. ‘Yes, I’d like to know about that.’

  ‘It worried me, too,’ said McGill. ‘Although I tried not to show it. I couldn’t see how there could be so much mist in a rapidly falling temperature. It was quite thick – almost to be classified as a fog – and was very troublesome to us. It was only after the avalanche that I got it figured out.’

  He knew he would be giving evidence all afternoon so he made himself comfortable in his seat. ‘You may remember that the first avalanche blocked the river as well as the road. The river had been frozen, but of course the water flowed freely under the ice. When the river was blocked the water rose and broke the ice. That water was relatively warm and on contact with the cold air produced the mist. It was actually freezing out into frost all the time, but as the water spread over low ground there was a great deal of surface area presented to the air, and mist was being generated faster than it was frozen out.’

  ‘An ingenious theory,’ said Rolandson. ‘And no doubt correct.’

  ‘As I say, it gave us a great deal of trouble that day. It hampered our operations considerably.’

  ‘What was the prime consideration in your mind?’ asked Harrison.

  ‘The safety of the people,’ said McGill promptly. ‘And I had a great deal of co-operation once the gravity of the situation was made clear. I would like to say now that those who had already realized that gravity gave of their utmost. I would like especially at this time to commend John Peterson.’

  Harrison nodded and made a note. ‘What steps were taken?’

  ‘It was important to communicate with outside. Two teams were sent to climb out of the valley as soon as light permitted. One team was to climb the avalanche debris blocking the Gap, while the other took a more circuitous route. Once that was set going, I had all the children rounded up and sent to Turi Buck’s house which was on the record as being safe. At this time I became worried about the vulnerability of the central, and I – ’

  ‘The central?’ queried Harrison.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said McGill. ‘A transatlantic – or transpacific – confusion. You’d call it the exchange – the telephone exchange. It was right in the open and sure to be hit – and yet we had to have communications. A failure of the telephone system during the organizing period would have made things most difficult. I discussed this with Mr Ballard and Mr Peterson, and one of the mine electricians volunteered to man the board. However, Mrs Maureen Scanlon, the operator, would not give up the board. She said she would be derelict in duty and refused to leave, She also said that it was her board and that no one else was going to touch it.’

  McGill lowered his voice. ‘The telephone system worked perfectly all
during the organizing period and right up to the time of the avalanche, when the exchange was destroyed and Mrs Scanlon was killed. Mr John Peterson was also killed at that time in an effort to save Mrs Scanlon.’

  The silence in the hall was total, and then there came a long, shuddering sigh.

  Harrison said quietly, ‘You seem to have had your hands very full.’

  ‘Well, Mr Ballard and John Peterson were very able joint chiefs of staff, as you may say. Mr Ballard provided all the resources of the mine and did the organizing from that end, while Mr John Peterson did the same for the town, aided by the other members of the council. The main problem at first was to convince the town people that we were serious, and this is why the telephone system was so important. The council members spoke personally by telephone to every head of household in the valley. For myself, I merely provided overall direction in order to prevent mistakes being made and, after a while, I was able to think of what to do after the avalanche hit.’

  Professor Rolandson said, ‘How certain were you, at this time, that there would be another avalanche?’

  ‘I was not dealing in certainties but in probabilities. As a scientist I am accustomed to doing this, but it does tend to preclude exactness. Avalanches are notoriously unpredictable. I know of a case in Switzerland where a five-hundred-year-old-building was swept away, thus proving that no avalanche had followed that path for five hundred years. No one could have predicted that. But based upon my investigation of the slope and upon what little theory we have and my own past experience I put the chance of an avalanche at about seventy per cent – and rising as the temperature fell.’

  ‘Would you say rising to eighty per cent?’

  ‘Yes, I’d say that, or even higher.’

  ‘Let me put that in lay terms,’ said Rolandson. ‘What Dr McGill is saying is that the chance of not having an avalanche was the same as throwing a die and showing a six on the first throw. The chances of an avalanche occurring, in his opinion, was about four or five to one.’

  ‘Odds that only an inveterate gambler would accept,’ commented Harrison. ‘I take it that the people were advised to go to safe places. Who determined those places?’