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Sir,

From exhaustive written particulars supplied by Mr, J. B. Atkinson, relative to two Colliery Explosions which occurred in his District last year, incidentally mentioned in his Annual Report, viz.: the Benwell Colliery Explosion which happened on Tuesday, 19th March, 1907; and the Whitehaven Colliery Explosion which occurred on Tuesday, the 26th November, 1907, I have taken what seems to me to be of importance, and in this edited form have the honour to submit the reports as follows :—

WHITEHAVEN COLLIERY EXPLOSION (CUMBERLAND).

This explosion, one of fire damp and air, occurred about 1.50 p.m. on Tuesday, the 26th of November, in a stone drift known as No. 6, or Taffy's Drift, which was being driven from the intake air-way and endless rope haulage road leading to the Lowca and Countess districts of the undersea workings in the Main band or seam of the William Pit. The shafts of the Whitehaven Colliery are situated in the town of Whitehaven, and the Colliery is being worked by the Whitehaven Colliery Co.

Five men were killed and seven injured by the explosion.

The inquest was held on 27th and 28th of November, and 3rd December, 1907, and 7th January, 1908. The witnesses included four of the injured workmen, the three deputies who inspected the drift, the two surviving shotfirers, the overman, under-manager, assistant general-manager and manager of the Colliery, two of the workmen who inspected the mine under General Rule 38, Mr. R. W. Williams (the contractor for driving the drift); Mr. R. W. Moore (Lord Lonsdale's Mineral Agent); and Mr. J. B. Atkinson (H.M. Inspector of Mines for the District). The verdict of the jury was as follows :— "The jury are of the opinion that the five men lost their lives in No. 6 Drift, William Pit, by an explosion of gas, but how it occurred there is not sufficient evidence to show. But they are also of the opinion that there was not sufficient ventilation."

623 persons were employed underground in the William Pit. 369 hewers in three nearly equal shifts, the hours from bank to bank being as follows : —

Morning shift	6 a.m. to 3 p.m.;
Afternoon shift	2 p.m. to 11 p.m.;
Night shift	10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

The remaining persons employed underground — consisting of trailers (putters), haulage men, joiners (timberers), drifters (stonemen) and officials — were spread over the various shafts.

The only seam at present being worked at the William Pit is the Main Band, a thick seam of which 9 feet is worked giving a daily output of 800 tons of coal.

The downcast (drawing) shaft is 12 feet in diameter and 200 yards deep to the Main Band; near it is the upcast shaft 13 feet in diameter, of the same depth to the Main Band as the downcast, and it is surmounted by a Walker's Indestructible Fan which exhausts from the Mine 115,000 cubic feet of air per minute. But both. the shafts are sunk 76 yards further down to the Six-quarters Band. The seams dip westward or seaward, but as will be seen from Plate IV. this dip is counteracted by several upthrow faults, so that the depth from the sea bottom at the point where the explosion originated is approximately 202 yards, the depth of the sea at high water being 80 feet.

The system of haulage is endless rope running below the tubs, self-acting inclines with hand-trailing or putting — no horses or ponies being employed.

The endless rope travels at a speed of about 3 miles per hour, and sets of 20 tubs with a clutch bogie at each end run at intervals. The workmen ride both in-bye and out-bye over certain lengths of the rope road.

One rope 13,500 yards long extends as an endless rope from the shafts into the Countess District. The haulage of the Delaval and Lowca Districts is performed by compressed air engines situated at a point called the friction gear and marked on Plate V.

Except near the downcast shaft where there are acetylene gas lights, no lights other than locked safety lamps of the Marsaut type are used, the latter burning paraffin oil, and being magnetically unlocked and fitted for electric lighting. Twelve electric re-lighters were placed at different points in the workings, one being placed at the foot of No. 6 drift.

No explosives were used in getting the coal, but in driving the Stone Drifts Saxonite, a "Permitted Explosive," fired by No, 6 Detonators and electric battery was employed.

The plan on Plate IV. shows such of the general features of the Colliery as are necessary for the purposes of this report. Plate V. gives in plan and section the position of No, 6 drift and the workings antiguous thereto, and Plate VI., in large scale, the immediate locality of the explosion.

In order to replace a section of haulage and intake air road which included a right-angled turn and which also, at several parts, was small in sectional area and of varying gradient — namely that portion represented by the letters A, B, C, D, on the plans on Plates IV. and V. — it was decided, some years ago, to make a new straight road of ample sectional area and of uniform gradient.

This road which was started from the out-bye end and known as No, 5 drift was driven with a dipping gradient of 1 in 17 for 900 yards. Some water was met with and operations were suspended in June, 1904, and the water filled the drift for 100 yards from the face, the road remaining in this condition until August, 1907, when it was unwatered by means of a compressed-air driven pump. No. 5 drift leaves the present engine plane at the point marked A on the plans (Plates IV. and V.) and for 480 yards was driven directly beneath it, the distance gradually increasing until the drift turned more to the north at B.