PRECAUTIONS AS TO SHOT-FIRING.

The unavoidable conclusion having been reached, viz., that Maddison's rash act produced the explosion, it becomes necessary to consider whether all proper methods had been taken by the management of the mine to instruct fully the shot-firers as to their duties, and particularly as to the danger of firing shots in a dry and dusty main haulage road.

No doubt Maddison was an experienced man. It was said by the officials that he was well acquainted with the General and Special Rules as to shot-firing. The under-manager was of opinion that he gave him a copy of the Rules when he got his licence as a shot-firer, as this was the usual practice, but he had no special remembrance of doing so.

Further, it was proved that a copy of the whole of the Rules as to shotfiring, both General and Special, were posted in a conspicuous place near the fan on the colliery, where every workman might read them.

The special authorisation given to each shot-firer is a printed form signed by the Manager authorising "A. B." to fire shots in the part of the mine described, "in accordance with the General and Special Rules as to shot-firing."

Maddison had an authorisation of this kind.

In these ways alone were the Rules as to shot-firing brought to the knowledge of the shot-firers. I do not think the system is altogether satisfactory. The shot-firer may, and of course ought, to read all the Rules and make himself cognizant of them. He can obtain a copy of them if he chooses to apply for them, but there appears no particular duty resting on anyone to see that he does. Thinking it might be advantageous to have at all events the substance of the General and Special Rules and Orders, as to shot-firing,. printed conspicuously on the form of authorisation given to each shot-firer, 1 made a suggestion to this effect to Mr. Armstrong, the Manager of the mine, who not only approved of it, but promised to adopt it in his mines in future.

TRANSGRESSION OF RULES.

There is no doubt that Maddison, in firing the ill-fated shot, was guilty of a breach of the General Rule 12 (i) of the Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1887, and of Special Rules 131 and 135 of the Special Rules of the Colliery, in firing a shot on a main haulage road, without observing precautions described. He' was also guilty of a contravention of the Explosives in Coal Mines Order of 20th December, 1902, in firing a shot, otherwise than in a properly drilled hole, and with proper stemming.

The witnesses were cross-examined by Mr. Heath, who represented the Miners' Association, and who very properly protected, as far as possible, Maddison's character, and the interests of his relatives, directed to show–

In my view, assuming ignorance or forgetfulness of the Rules on the part of Maddison, there is much to be said in favour of the first of these possibilities.

IGNORANCE OF DANGER ARISING FROM COAL DUST.

All the employees of the Company from the Manager downwards appear, from their evidence, to have been unappreciative of, indeed generally sceptical, of the danger which may arise from coal dust. Mr. Armstrong frankly confessed himself a sceptic as to the explosive capabilities of coal dust, until the happening of the present explosion in his mine. I think it is not too much to say that no one of the employees of the Colliery had regarded an explosion of coal dust, pure and simple, as a factor in the danger of coal mining until the occurrence of this disaster.

On the other hand, every expert witness stated that an explosion of coal dust, pure and simple, was a scientific fact which had been repeatedly proved, and was now admitted to be possible by all the mining experts in the kingdom who had studied the question.

The inference which I think should be drawn from the foregoing facts connected with this disaster, is that this accident was a preventable one, and would not have occurred if the officials and servants of the mine had been more fully alive to the danger of explosion from coal dust. In saying this I make no reflection on any of the officials or servants.

The colliery appears to me to have been admirably managed, and it cannot be treated as a reproach against either officials or men that they did not more effectively guard against a danger of which they were in ignorance. The conduct of the officials of the mine and members of the rescue parties after the disaster is deserving of all praise.

Mr. Bain, Mr. Atkinson, and myself endeavoured to extract from the expert witnesses their opinions as to the best mode of rendering harmless the coal dust which will collect on main haulage roads.

They all recommended watering as an effective means, but these recommendations were all accompanied by the qualification that it must depend on the character of the material composing the roof and sides of the ways as to whether watering can be resorted to or not, and this must be left to the manager of each mine to judge.

They all agreed that in some cases it would be unsafe to water roof and sides, but towards the end of the inquiry Mr. Charles Spearman Carnes, the present agent of Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co.'s Collieries, was called. He had recognised the danger of dry haulage roads, and had had to deal with them at the collieries which he managed. He admitted that there were many main haulage roads which could not with safety be watered, and said there were some such at Messrs. Bolckow Vaughan & Co.'s Collieries, but that his practice, in all such cases, was to have the dust brushed from the roof and sides by men with hand brushes.

I think a few answers given by this gentleman so important that I venture to set them out in his own words :–

Later, Mr. Carnes said, in reference to a suggestion, that if the dust brushed from the roof and sides on to the roads was considerable, it might make the roads either objectionable or more dangerous, that he had the dust removed from the roads at night when there were not many travelling on the way.

I am of opinion that if the system pursued by Mr. Carnes in his collieries were adopted generally it would greatly minimise the risk of explosions by coal dust.