THE EXPLOSION.

All the evidence showed, and all the expert witnesses agreed, that the explosion was an explosion of coal dust and air alone, and was neither caused nor aggravated by fire-damp.

Fire-damp bad been reported in the Harvey seam in small quantities some few days before the date of the explosion, but no fire-damp had ever been found in the main haulage road of the Low Main seam for many years. In fact, there was no record of gas ever having been found there at any time.

The evidence showed that gas from the Harvey seam could not escape into the Low Main seam.

In addition, within an hour or so of the time of the explosion, examiners passed along this main haulage way with lamps and had reported "all right," and about the same time a man, Metcalfe (to be hereafter referred to), was in this main haulage road with a naked light. When to this is added the fact that this main haulage road was one of the best ventilated parts of the mine, any accumulation there of gas in dangerous or indeed in any quantity must be rejected.

Before the date of the adjourned inquest the officials of the mine had obtained expert assistance and made the fullest inquiry into the cause or causes of the disaster, and had not only come to the conclusion that the explosion was a coal-dust explosion, pure and simple, but had agreed as to the means by which the ignition was produced.

THEORY OF CAUSE OF EXPLOSION.

The theory put forward was that a man named Maddison, who was one of the victims of the disaster, had, entirely without authority, fired a shot in the main haulage road.

Sometime on the 14th October there had been a small fall of roof in this main haulage road. About 10.30 p.m. on that night (which was about an hour and ten minutes before the explosion), when the men were descending the mine, Maddison was instructed by the master-shifter, Murton, to clear away this fall, and to plote or remove the loose hanging stone which might be left at the spot where the fall occurred.

The job was thought to be a very small one, and one which could be done by Maddison unassisted, though another man was instructed to take a pony and tubs to the spot to carry away the fall, but apparently had not got there at the time of the explosion.

To plote and remove the fall required a pick and shovel, which Maddison was told to obtain, and which he apparently did obtain, for they were found at the place standing against the side of the road close to the spot where his body was afterwards recovered.

Quite close to that part of the way where this small fall occurred there was on one of the sides a projecting piece or elbow of stone, about five feet in height from the roadway. This was supported by props, and quite safe. It had existed there for at least twenty-five years, it was a source of danger to no one, and the only inconvenience it occasioned was that any person walking along this main haulage road, close to the side on which it existed, might have to move his head in order to avoid coming into contact with it. The theory advanced on behalf of the mine owners was that Maddison, who was a licensed shot-firer, without any authority, placed a charge of geloxite, a permitted explosive, on the top of this projecting piece of stone with the intention of blasting off that part of it that was projecting.

I had great hesitation in accepting this theory. I felt it my duty to investigate all other possible causes in order that this should only be accepted after others had been proved to be non-acceptable.

My reasons for adopting this course were, first, that if possible no injustice should be done to the memory of a dead man; secondly, the strong prima facie improbability of such an occurrence having taken place.

Maddison was a man of excellent character, a selected shot-firer, and a man of considerable experience.

All the officials agreed that he must have known the General and Special Rules of the mine relating to shot-firing well, and must, if he had thought at all, have been aware that he was breaking more than one of them in doing what he is said to have done. It in no way aided the work of ploting which he had been directed to do, and all the officials admitted that for a man, under any circumstances, to fire a shot in a main haulage road without receiving any authority was a thing unheard of and almost incredible.

No drill hole had been made, for Maddison had no drilling tools with him, neither had he any proper material for stemming. He did not remove the props which supported the stone. This all the practical miners agreed was a thing which they would have expected to be done by any shot-firer with experience.

The suggestion was that the charge of geloxite was laid on the top of the stone, a fuse attached thereto, and either fired in an open and uncovered state, or covered by a compound of coal dust mixed with grease. It was said to have been the concussion, or the flame caused by this firing, which set up the explosion of the coal dust.

Notwithstanding my unwillingness to accept this theory, I felt myself compelled in the end to do so.

This view of the explosion is also accepted by Mr. Donald Bain and Mr. J. B. Atkinson, His Majesty's Inspectors of Mines, and it was the view put forward, without exception, by the expert witnesses, who examined the mine after the explosion.

My reasons for reluctantly arriving at the conclusion that Maddison did fire a shot in the main haulage road are the following :&nhash;

1st. That the starting point of the explosion was clearly on the main haulage road, very near the spot where the shot was fired. Nearly the whole of the damage was in the Low Main seam.

The man on whose body the greatest injury from burning appeared was Maddison. He was probably nearest to the point of explosion.

2nd. It was common ground that the explosion was started by some flame.. The lights in this main haulage road were the following. The electric incandescent lights near the down-cast shaft, the safety lamps of the examiners and workmen, and a naked light, which had been carried up this main haulage road shortly before the explosion by the man Metcalfe, before mentioned. This naked light was an ordinary glass hand lamp. It was found after the explosion, and produced at the inquest unharmed. All the expert witnesses agreed that the explosion travel led towards the electric lights, and consequently was not originated by them. The same may be said of all the other lights, except that belonging to Maddison. Maddison's lamp, which was a Donald lamp in good condition according to the expert witnesses, would not have produced an explosion unless brought into contact with a considerable quantity of gas.

I was very jealous for a time of the naked light, carried by Metcalfe, and found, after the explosion, close to his body in the refuge hole nearest to the point where the explosion originated.

The evidence, however, finally showed :–

All the witnesses examined on this point agreed that had the flame from this lamp been the igniting element, the lamp itself would almost assuredly have been completely destroyed.

3rd. Maddison had materials for firing a shot with him at the time. When, as before stated, he was sent by Murton to clear away the fall, he asked his mate Armstrong for the shot box and took it with him when he left him at the junction of the Stable way. Armstrong swore that this box contained eleven half cartridges of geloxite and two pieces of fuse when he handed it to Maddison. When it was found after the explosion, in the refuge hole near Maddison's body, it contained ten half cartridges and one piece of fuse; Maddison also had a box of detonators with him, although the number of detonators in the box before the explosion was not ascertained.

4th. A piece of spent fuse, about a yard long, and some pieces of coal dust and grease which might possibly have been used as a rough substitute for stemming, were found quite close to the spot where Maddison was working, some few days after the explosion, showing that a shot had probably been recently fired in the locality. No authorised shot had been fired on the main haulage road for years.

5th. A piece of the projecting elbow of stone, before referred to, was actually broken off. All the experts agreed, that having regard to the thickness of this piece of stone and the way in which it was broken, this could not have been caused by the force of the explosion itself, but had been produced by the firing of a shot.

6th. A number of the jury, among them several practical miners, descended the mine and visited the place in question during the course of the inquiry. On their return they expressed their opinion, through the foreman, that they were satisfied by their own examination of the place, and the manner in which the piece of stone was broken off, and the stone surrounding the part from whence it was blown shattered, that a shot had been fired there, and in the manner suggested by the officials of the mine and the expert witnesses.

* See Plate II.