THE EXPLOSION OF GAS IN OATLANDS PIT.

HOW THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED.

(Evidence of the Injured Man, Hind.)

On Friday afternoon last, Mr. Gordon Falcon, coroner for West Cumberland, held the adjourned inquiry at the Whitehaven Infirmary touching the death of James Canavan, who was injured by an explosion of gas in Oatlands Pit, on the 3rd of December last. The inquiry had been four times adjourned. There were present Mr. Hedley, H.M. Chief Inspector of Mines ; Mr. Nicholson, H.M. Assistant Inspector; Mr. W. H. Chapman, representing the Moresby Coal Company; and Mr. Thorn, manager.

John MacDonald, recalled, had his evidence read over to him, in which he said that they had once previously observed just a shade of gas.

By Mr. Hedley : Can you tell us how often you have seen gas there? — Only once, about a fortnight ago.

Were you working with safety lamps, or what? — With safety lamps.

But you were firing with fuse? — Yes, sir.

And deceased and the other man Hind were the only two men in the place at the time? — Yes, sir.

Had you seen the place just before the shot was fired? — Yes. Hind sent me away with a tub of metal, and deceased went for the charge.

How long do you think you would have been gone before they set to work to fire this shot? — From ten minutes to a quarter of an hour.

How far were you off when the accident happened? — Somewhere about 100 yards.

Did you feel any effects from this explosion? — Nothing particular. There might be a little extra explosion, but nothing on what they could pass any remarks.

Was everything done in the ordinary cause, and had the usual practice been carried out in this affair? — Yes, sir.

The Coroner: As far as I understand you, MacDonald, you went out on account of them firing the shot, and they told you not to come back until the shot had gone off. The last thing you saw was the deceased examining the place for gas. He was making the usual search.

By Mr. Chapman : About seeing "this very little bit" of gas a fortnight before. Were shots fired just after? — Yes, sir.

And it was too small to be reported? — Yes, sir.

Archibald Thom, jun., produced a plan of the working showing the scene of the accident.

Michael Hugo said he was a deputy at Oatlands Pit. He remembered the deceased and others coming to work on the 3rd of December about midnight. He knew that Canavan, MacDonald, and a boy were going in, and he examined it perhaps about a quarter or twenty minutes past ten, as near as he could say. Deceased and the others followed on a previous shift, and there was a hole ready bored in the right-hand side, ready for a shot. When he got into the working the previous shiftmen had left the working, and he examined the place with a lamp for gas, but he could not find any traces whatever.

In answer to Mr. Hedley, witness said it was an irregular roof.

Continuing, witness said when the men went into the working he told them there was a "head" to set, and he told Hind that everything was all right. He was told of the accident about half-past eleven. He never had any call to ask the deceased or Hind if they had met any gas. After the accident both Hind and the deceased told witness that there was no gas, and that all was as clear as crystal.

By Mr. Hedley: About the position of this shot hole. Did you see the hole? — Yes, sir.

Before the accident or after it? — Before the accident.

And what position was it placed in? — It was placed in the stone on the right-hand side.

Had you any opportunity of judging in what position the hole was? — It was what they called an "upper," towards the coal.

And the shot was fired when? — Between my leaving and half-past eleven.

Did you stem the hole or see that it was stemmed? — No, sir. I was not there to fire it.

When the accident happened did you examine that hole, or what was left of it? — Yes, about half-past four in the morning.

And did you notice in what condition the place was in — had the shot done its work or had it been blown out? — It had done its work, and there was some stuff which had fallen.

When you examined that shot did you consider that it had been placed in a proper position? — Yes.

Have you got any gas reported? — Yes, but not before the accident.

Have you ever seen gas in any other part of the mine? — Yes, a little; but it was not in the same district at all.

Joseph Hind stated that he lived at Pica, and worked at Oatlands Pit. On the 3rd of December last, he and Canavan, MacDonald, and a boy, were in a drift working up to a higher seam. They went down about 10 o'clock, and on their way to the working place they met Hugo. He examined their lamps and told them they were all right. Hugo also examined the working place and said this was all right. When they went in the first thing they did was to set some timber. Witness was the shot-firer for his company. When they went in there was a hole bored which had been done by the previous shift. Witness stemmed the hole himself. He charged the hole with gelatine, putting in four cartridges and a half. This would be about nine ounces. They examined the place before they charged the hole, and after it was charged. Their lamps were hanging seven feet up in the air all the time, and they never saw any signs of gas. He fired the shot with a piece of touch and a piece of wire. They had been doing this all along.

By Mr. Hedley: Did you try over the timbers for gas? — Yes. Everywhere where we could get. If there had been any collection of gas it would have been further down than where they fired. The ventilation was pretty good where they were.

Witness, continuing, said when he was ready to fire the shot he told MacDonald and the boy not to come back. Witness and deceased always kept together when they fired the shot. He could remember that an explosion took place. After the shot went off, it knocked both deceased and witness over. There was a quantity of stuff fell out of the roof between the time of lighting the fuse and the explosion.

By Mr. Ellwood: It is a strange thing that there has been no gas seen since in this place.

Mr. Hedley said it was not an unusual circumstance for gas to come off under conditions such as the witness has told us, and the very fact of gas being there was the result of the fall, which was caused by the pressure of gas.

Continuing, Mr. Hedley said he did not wish to ask the witness any questions. He had given his evidence in a very lucid and straightforward manner. He had given a very fair explanation, and they could not get any further. He would, however, ask the witness how far he was from the working place when the explosion happened? — Perhaps 30 or 40 yards.

Can you say whether you were injured by the explosion of gas and not by the direct effect of the shot — a blown-out shot or anything of that sort? — Gas must have come from some place and the shot went off.

Were you struck by anything that you remember? — No.

You were burned? — Just burned.

Mr. Chapman said he agreed with Mr. Hedley that this witness's evidence cleared up the whole affair.

Mr. Hedley said gas coming off unexpectedly like this was one of those things which could not be avoided.

The Coroner, in summing up, said it was unfortunate that this fall should have taken place just as the shot was going to be fired.

The Foreman: They seem to have taken every care.

The Coroner: Yes, it seems so.

A verdict of "Accidental death" was returned.