1. About 1.15 a.m. on the morning of the 18th of April 1882, an explosion, resulting in the loss of 37 lives, occurred in the Brockwell Seam of the Tudhoe Colliery. A coroner's inquest was opened by Mr. Dean, the coroner for the district in which the colliery is situated, on the next day, the 19th of April, and was adjourned until a thorough examination of the pit could be made. The inquest was continued on the 22nd, 23rd, 24th of May. Mr. Edge, barrister-at-law, instructed by Mr. Stanton, of Newcastle, appeared for the owners of the mine ; Mr. Bowey, of Sunderland, appeared for the National Miners' Association ; and Mr. Marshall, of Durham, appeared on behalf of the Durham Miners' Association. Mr. Thomas Bell, and Mr. James Willis, Her Majesty's Inspectors of Mines, attended the inquest, as did also Mr. Atkinson, assistant inspector to Mr. Bell. I attended during the three days of the adjourned inquiry on behalf of the Secretary of State.

2. The Tudhoe Colliery is the property of the Weardale Iron and Coal Company, Limited, and is situated about five miles south-west of Durham, on the western portion of the Durham Coal Field. Three seams of coal are worked by the company at this colliery ; the Hutton, at 45 fathoms from the surface ; the Busty, at 67 fathoms ; and the Brockwell at 87 fathoms. The coal produced is principally used for making coke, but is also sold for the manufacture of gas. The colliery is worked by three shafts, the East shaft, the West shaft, and the "Success" or Ventilation shaft. The effect of the explosion, which occurred in the Brockwell seam, was entirely confined to that seam, and to the shafts which were also damaged. The East and West shafts were about 58 yards apart, and the "Success," which is the upcast shaft, is about 180 yards from them. The Brockwell seam is worked by both the East and West shafts. The Hutton and the Busty seams are also worked from the West shaft.

3. The ventilation of the whole mine is produced by a fan 40 feet in diameter, which is placed at the Success shaft, assisted by the exhaust steam from three pumping and hauling engines in the East and West pits, which passes up into the Success shaft. The steam for these engines is carried down from the pit bank by means of pipes. The workings in the Brockwell seam, as will be seen from the plan accompanying this report, are divided into the northern district, including the Sunderland Bridge-way, and the branch districts, called the Shiledfield-way, the Croxdale-way, and the Coldstream-way ; the southern district, which was not affected by the explosion ; and the western district, included the Main West-way and Alma Bank, with the branch districts called No. 6 way, new No. 5 way, and old No. 5 way. The north and south districts are worked from the East pit, and the west district from the West pit. The Brockwell seam is connected by a drift from the Croxdale-way with the workings in the adjoining Croxdale colliery, which belongs to the same colliery. Across this drift was placed a stone or brick stopping.

The total air current passing the workings was estimated at 174,603 cubic feet per minute, and of this amount 89,000 passed into the Brockwell seam ; 23,898 going into the Sunderland Bridge-way ; 32,928 into the Main West-way and Alma bank, and 28,177 into the southern district. In each district the intake and return air-ways are distinct passages, although, as will be mentioned further on in the report, they are separated in some places only by a single door.

4. The workings are carried on on the Bord and Pillar system, and in the greater part of the West and North districts has already been reached, and the pillars are now being withdrawn. The floor of the seam consists of a hard seggar, and the coal, except in places, comes away easily from the roof, which is composed of grey metal and post girdle. The rolley ways were watered nearly every day, and this had been done for 10 or 12 years, and occasionally the dust was taken off the timbers. It appears from the evidence that the mine, considering the character of the roof, had been sufficiently timbered. Naked lights were allowed in the Brockwell seam as far in as the caution board marked "C" on the plan, but beyond these points safety lamps only could be used. The lamps used in the Brockwell seam were principally the "Davy" lamps, but a few "Stevenson" and "Clanny" lamps were also used. The out-put from the working seams at the time of the explosion was about 6,000 tons per week ; and the Brockwell seam was worked by three shifts, each shift being composed of an average of 220 hewers, of whom 144 were employed in the North and South districts, and the remainder in the West district. The staff in the North and South districts consisted of one fore-overman, one back-overman, and 13 deputies ; and in the West district, of one fore-overman, one back-overman, one night shift overman, and nine deputies. It appeared from the evidence that in one or two instances the officials, whose duty it was as overman, deputy, or master shifter, to make a report of the state of the mine after his inspection, was unable to write, and had a somewhat vague knowledge of the rules applicable to his duties in the mine.

5. The certificated manager of the Tudhoe Colliery, William Johnson, had been connected with colliery work for nearly 50 years, and had held in turn every position in a coal mine except that of a "putter." He had been for thirty years in the service of the Weardale Company, and fro the last nine years of that period he had acted as manager. At the time of the explosion he was also acting as manager of the Tudhoe Grange Colliery, and as agent for the Croxdale Colliery. Until shortly before the accident Johnson had acted as sole agent and manager of the Tudhoe Colliery, but about two months before the explosion the managing director had appointed a Mr. Crone, a mining engineer of Tow Law, to be the consulting viewer of the colliery. It appeared that although Mr. Crone was nominally in a superior position to the certificated manager, he as a fact seldom went down the mine, and, as Johnson himself said in his evidence, left the management entirely to him. In my opinion, William Johnson, from a long experience in the different grades of employment, had obtained a thorough practical knowledge of coal mining, and in his position of manager took every precaution, and spared no pains or trouble in order successfully and safely to work the mine, but I think it doubtful whether he had not too much responsibility thrown upon him, and whether he did not, upon matters of detail, rely too much upon his own personal supervision, and not sufficiently on the overmen and deputies who were acting under him, and by so doing lose the safety of the complete system of responsibility, which the different grades of overmen and deputies, each having their own department to supervise, were intended to give.

6. The general manner in which ventilation of the mine was carried out appeared to be good, but there were one or two points in which sufficient care and judgement had not been exercised.

7. Shortly before the explosion, the mine had been examined on behalf of the men under General Rule 30 of the Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1872, and the following are the reports with reference to the Brockwell Seam made upon such examination.

Barometer 30.65.

Thermometer 66.

West Pit, April 6, 1882.

Travelled from shaft with John Naisbitt into No. 6 workings, back over by engine plane in No. 4 workings, found all right and clear of gas. Travelled with T. Thompson into No. 5 workings, and back over by return and found all right and clear of gas.

(Signed) James Linsley.

Robert Blenkinsopp.

West Pit, April 7, 1882.

Travelled with Mr. Rivers from the upcast shaft by return into No. 4, and from there into No. 6 through the return ; went into the return on the east side of No. 6, travelled back over the undercast, found all in good order and clear of gas.

(Signed) James Linsley.

Robert Blenkinsopp.

Mr. Joseph White.

East Pit, April 11, 1882.

Travelled Croxdale whole in the return on to the fan, and to No. 1 engine plane into the Team Valley workings and back by the return, and found all places in good order and free from gas.

With Charley Hetherington.

Michael Mahedy.

John Goulden.

East Pit, April 12, 1882.

Travelled in Croxdale North Brokens and in the return to Coldstreams and the working faces, and in Coldstream north, and Sunderland Bridge and Pipeway workings, and in the return to Shieldfield off take and found all places free from gas and in good order.

(Signed) Michael Mahedy.

John Goulden.

Charles Hetherington.

East Pit, April 13, 1882.

Travelled in Shieldfield and all working places, found a little gas in the second right hand flat, and in the return. We found all things in good order and free from gas.

Travelled with Charles Hetherington.

Michael Mahedy.

John Goulden.