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2, Devonshire Terrace,

Newcastle-on-Tyne,

15th February, 1907.

SIR,

On Monday, the 17th December, 1906, about 10.35 a.m., an explosion, killing four men and injuring a boy, occurred in the 1st South district of the Busty seam of the B pit, Urpeth Colliery, situate near Birtley, in the County of Durham, and owned by Messrs. Charles Perkins and Partners. The persons killed and injured are shown in the table below :—

Name	Age	Occupation	Doctor's report.
Killed —
Edward Greenwell	38	Deputy	No marks of violence. Face and chest burned. Death due to carbonic oxide.
Robert Barnes	36	Hewer	No marks of violence. Not burned. Death due to carbonic oxide.
Charles Fowler Suggett	31	Hewer	No marks of violence. Extensive burning. Hair nearly all burnt off. Death due to carbonic oxide.
Henry Winn, jun.	21	Putter	No marks of violence. Face, neck, chest, and hands burned. Death due to carbonic oxide.
In all cases the red colour of the skin due to carbonic oxide poisoning was observed, and the pupils of the eyes were enlarged.
Injured —
Charles Frederick Henderson	15	Driver	Head cut and back bruised.

An inquest was held by Mr. John Graham, Coroner for the Chester Ward of the County of Durham, in the Miners' Institute, Ouston, on the 20th December, when 13 witnesses were examined, including Mr. A. P. Stoker, the manager of the colliery; Mr. W. C. Blackett, agent for the Charlaw and Sacriston Collieries ; and myself, who gave expert evidence as to the cause of the explosion; and Dr. Wilson, of Birtley, who gave medical evidence as to the state of the bodies of the victims and the causes of the deaths. The jury, after stating in each case the immediate cause of death, found they were all "accidentally caused by an explosion of firedamp through shot firing."

Mr. John Wilson, M.P., General Secretary of the Durham Miners Association, of which three of the deceased persons had been members, appeared for the relatives; Mr. Philip Kirkup, agent for the group of collieries owned by Messrs. Charles Perkins and Partners, appeared for the owners. I was present, as was also Mr. H. A. Abbott, one of the Assistant Inspectors in the district.