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Dr. Appleby's report shows that death was not due to violence, but (in all the cases) to poisoning from inhalation of carbon-monoxide gas.

The area over which the explosion had extended could be traced by the presence of the coked dust on the props, crowns, tubs, etc., and on the sides opposite to the direction of the blast — if the point of origin of the explosion is correct.

There was little evidence of violent explosive force, none of the timber supporting the roof had been displaced, the brick stopping furthest in on the right of the road into the Fenham North district was blown out from the intake, the air-crossing was lifted from the intake, coal dust had been blown into the returns for a few yards on each side of it. The canvas sheets and doors were nearly all displaced. Wooden tubs were not broken, nor three tool chests used by the deputies and shifters.

As to the starting point of the explosion it would appear to have been lamp No. 105, for the following reasons :—

There was, so far as is known, no source of ignition other than the flame of a safety lamp.

All the lamps were locked when found, and there was no evidence that damage to the lamp in Kirk's "jud" was caused before the explosion, but was rather the effect of it.

All the lamps when unlocked were found to contain all their parts except No. 105, which, when unlocked, was found to be without a gauze, and George Mitchell, a shifter, had, prior to the unlocking of it, found a gauze lying near the deputies' chest in Fenham North, which fitted the lamp, and no doubt formed part of it.

It is usual, when drawing timber, for the deputy to take with him a lighted spare lamp in case his ordinary lamp is extinguished, and it appeared that the red lamp hung at the caution board was sometimes used for this purpose, Robson keeping a clear glass in his chest to replace the red one, and it would seem that in the process of replacement on this occasion that the gauze had accidentally dropped out and not been noticed, and the lamp taken gauzeless to the face. The red glass was found in Robson's chest after the explosion.

The fact that the gauzeless lamp had been taken in-bye and been in use sometime before the explosion shows that up to the moment of the explosion it had not come into contact with an inflammable mixture.

There was no indication that flame or force had travelled along the goaf edge to the other "juds" where Kirk and Conelly were engaged, nor had it passed down the returns leading to the air-crossing, by which route gas coming from the goaf where Robson was working would be carried away, on the other hand the crust of coke showed that flame had extended against the air current from the point of origin for 380 yards on the intake and horse road, and that when it arrived at the junction to Fenham West it, had passed in-bye under the air-crossing and up the headways, at the inner end of which Kirk and Conelly were working, and had also continued farther in and around some of the workings there, but had not extended out-bye to the return air-way. In fact it seemed clear that the flame of the initial gas explosion had been carried by coal dust by the somewhat circuitous route described, and had not come by the directer route along the goaf edge.

The explosion began practically in what had been the main horse haulage road into the Fenham North district, where there would consequently be more coal dust than usual.

The greatest manifestations of explosive force were in the direction of the fresh air where fire damp was least likely to be present, but where there was most coal dust due to the leading of the coal.

For some days after the explosion gas was present in the "juds" where Robson and Kirk had been engaged, and extended. from there for about a pillar in the direction of the return air way, although the ventilation was as usual and the barometer then be g an to rise a few hours after the explosion, and remained comparatively steady or several days, and there was no evidence of any unusual fall of roof having taken place in the goaf.

The workmen of the Colliery had under General Rule 38 examined the workings of the Colliery on the 11th and 12th January and their report was favourable.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

R. A. S. REDMAYNE.