It will be seen from what I have said under heading 4, that the mice employed as indicators of carbonic oxide did render useful service, as I was able, whilst standing on the surface, to determine without the slightest risk to anybody, the depth at which the air in the mine really began to get very bad, and to obtain proof of the presence of carbonic oxide in it. A mouse was also of use to me underground in testing the air below the 115-fathoms level from platform to platform, and enabled me to say without hesitation that no one should descend beyond a certain point. However, it gave no indication of the small proportion of carbonic oxide in the air above the highly poisonous part (Plate III), either on the Thursday or on the Saturday. It is necessary to recollect that I was using the mouse for the first time, and that consequently I may not have been so keenly alive to the early symptoms shown by the little animal as I should have been if I had practised this mode of testing before ; and, further, I must add that on the Saturday, when my party suffered from carbonic oxide poisoning, I was using a tame white rat, as my supply of mice had become exhausted. The larger the animal the less speedily does it become affected, and if I had used a mouse on the unlucky Saturday, it is quite possible that I should have had earlier indications of danger. On the whole, I must confess that the test with the mouse does not appear to me to be so delicate as supposed by Dr. Haldane, or at all events it is not so delicate in the hand of an unpractised observer.

Many persons will be surprised to learn that underground fires have upon several occasions been the cause of a loss of life comparable to that of the worst calamities by colliery explosions.

As far as I am aware, no complete record of such fires has been published, and I can merely call attention to a few which happen to have come to my know ledge. The two worst cases of underground fires of late years are the disaster at De Beers Diamond mine⁸ in 1888, and a still more deplorable catastrophe at Pribram⁹ in 1892. At the former, 200 natives and 24 white men were suffocated by the smoke and fumes caused by the timber lining of one of the shafts being set on fire accidentally, whilst at the latter, 319 lost their lives in a similar manner.

Several disastrous fires have occurred at copper mines on Lake Superior. In November 1888, eight persons perished through an underground fire at the Calumnet and Hecla mine¹⁰, whilst very many more narrowly escaped death. The origin of this fire is unknown ; it has been ascribed to incendiarism by some, and by others to carelessness or friction. And there appears to have been a fire there in the previous year, for I read in a cutting from the West Briton, of the 22nd December 1887, "The fire at the Calumet and Hecla mine in North America is more serious than was at first imagined. A cable from the mine reports that on Monday 'the fire caused a cave-in of the main engine-shaft, extending 15 feet, directly followed by an emission of dense volumes of smoke and gas ; cave-in then spread directly from between engine-shaft and No. 1, Hecla ; supporting timbers all on fire; more than an acre of ground fallen in and further settling continues.'" The fire which happened in this mine last January¹¹ was fortunately unattended by fatal results. The worst catastrophe in the Lake Superior district happened at the Osceola mine,¹² in 1895, when 30 persons perished. The plank lining (lagging) of one of the shafts took fire, and it is supposed that the ignition was due to a "candle or snuff thrown there carelessly by some of the men or boys."

As lately as the 2nd February this year, two men were suffocated by a fire in the timbering of the "plat" or "lodge" of one of the shafts of the Tamarack mine.¹³ "How the fire originated is a great mystery. Someone must have carelessly thrown away a lighted candle or the snuff from one which kindled "the fire." A third man who was brought out alive succumbed to the nervous shock and an attack of pneumonia. This fire, therefore, caused 3 deaths.

In the mines on the Comstock lode, Nevada,¹⁴ several fatal fires are recorded one of which claimed 34 victims.

According to von Humboldt,¹⁵ some of the rich silver mines of Mexico were abandoned on account of underground fires. "The wooden work which supported the roof of the galleries (in the famous mine del Encino) was consumed by fire, and the greater number of the miners were suffocated before being able to reach the shafts. A similar conflagration in 1787 put a stop to the working of the mines of Bolanos, which were only again begun to be cleared out in 1792."

At the Broken Hill Mines,¹⁶ in New South Wales, there have been several large fires and, unfortunately, that of last September caused the loss of three lives.¹⁷

On the continent of Europe, in addition to the great calamity at Pribram, I may mention a fire at Cleophas colliery in Upper Silesia and another at a colliery in Austrian Poland.

The former was the worst accident which happened in Germany¹⁸ last year. In a manner which still remains unexplained, some timber in one of the shafts was ignited, and the smoke which ensued caused the death by carbonic oxide poisoning of 104 persons, before they could make their escape. The fire was of small extent, for the shaft in which it occurred was walled ; but the crossbeams for supporting the guides, platforms and ladders, provided a supply of fuel quite sufficient to cause very disastrous effects. I have already explained that the combustion of a very small amount of timber is capable of polluting the whole atmosphere of a mine to a dangerous extent.

The latter occurred at a colliery near Polnisch-Ostrau¹⁹ on the 14th January last year, when 16 persons perished from suffocation by the smoke of a burning shaft, the timbering of which had taken fire accidentally. The precise cause the ignition has never been ascertained ; but it is supposed that it arose from some defect in the electric cables used for lighting the onsetting places and a machine room by incandescent lamps. Possibly there was short-circuiting between the two cables ; or possibly the wire in one of the cables broke and caused sparking, which heated the insulating material and eventually set it on fire.

If I had time to make a thorough search through the mining records of our colonies and foreign countries, I believe that my list would be considerably increased.

Our own country has not been free from like disasters ; the worst is that which took place at the Mauricewood Colliery in 1889, when 63 persons out of the total pit's crew of 65 were asphyxiated.²⁰ In 1893 three persons met with their deaths by carbonic oxide poisoning at Orbiston Colliery²¹ ; the gas was generated by a very trifling fire, which originated from a pump rod being set ablaze by friction.

In Cornwall there have been some narrow escapes of late years. A serious fire took place at Dolcoath mine in January 1890. It is described in one of the leading Cornish papers²² as follows :— "On Wednesday a serious conflagration broke out in Dolcoath mine, which nearly resulted in the death of several miners. The outbreak occurred amongst the 'stull' timbers at the opening of one of the levels at the 265 west of the man-engine shaft, and is supposed to have been caused by the dropping of a lighted candle snuff by one of the men on a dry 'stull.'" It is evident from the description of the accident that had it not been for great gallantry displayed by some of the Dolcoath miners, several of their comrades would have perished. The symptoms exhibited by the men who were overcome resembled those of poisoning by carbonic oxide.

In speaking of this fire, a newspaper correspondent says,²³ "A similar fire occurred at St. Ives Consols some forty years ago with fatal results, and three months since Tincroft had a like visitation, but happily loss of life was there averted, as has been the case with Dolcoath."

I wish to insist upon the fact that I have been dealing here not with cases of spontaneous ignition of the mineral underground, the "gobfires" of collieries, but with fires which were due, in most cases, to candles or naked lamps placed accidentally or carelessly against dry timber, and which in no way had their origin in the mineral worked.

The fatal accidents I have referred to are summed up in the following table :—

In one way, I believe, the Snaefell accident is unique ; for in no other case, I believe, did the victims meet with their death by descending into a mine which they believed to be entirely free from danger. In previous disasters the unfortunate men were overtaken by the poisonous fumes while at work or while trying to escape ; but the Snaefell miners were like rats entering a trap unawares.

Enough has been said to prove that the danger from burning timber is evidently a real one ; and the omniscient "man in the street" will probably remark that it should not require such a death-roll as that which I have brought forward to lead one to this conclusion. He will say, "Is it reasonable that men should be allowed to work in timber-lined excavations with naked lights, which they constantly stick up against this inflammable material ?" There would be much force in this remark were it not for the fact that in very many cases the timber is damp, and therefore not readily inflammable; but in dry places, and especially where the timber is of an easily ignitable nature, such as the Oregon pine so largely used in the United States and in Australia, the danger is one requiring serious consideration.

It now remains for me to try and draw some useful lesson from the Snaefell disaster and from the other fires which I have mentioned, and to suggest means either of averting entirely, or at all events of greatly lessening, one of the dangers which threaten the miner in his daily work.

I will first deal with "prevention," and then with "cure." Some persons will probably say that the best way to prevent fires in passages lined with wooden planks, or supported by timber props and beams, is to prohibit the use of naked lights altogether. So far as this I am not prepared to go at the present time, especially as fires may originate from causes other than naked lights. The day may come when the ore miner will be provided with a means of illumination as convenient as his present candle or open lamp, but not presenting a naked flame ready to set fire to dry timber. When a convenient and handy enclosed lamp has been invented, I will advocate its adoption, especially as it would also remove the danger from sparks to which so many gunpowder accidents are due. In the meantime I would try to arrive at the desired end by one of two methods (1) rendering timber non-flammable, i.e., not easily ignitable ; or, better, (2) replacing it by non-combustible materials such as masonry, brickwork, concrete, iron or steel.

These are not new ideas which have occurred to me since the Snaefell accident. The danger of fire is one which has often been present in my mind, especially after witnessing at the Palais de l'Industrie in Paris, in 1889, the beginning of a fire which threatened for a few minutes to be a far worse disaster than the terrible calamity at the Charity Bazaar in the Rue Jean Goujon last May. Some years later, while visiting an iron mine at Ishpeming, near Marquette, on Lake Superior, I was shown a timber-lined shaft in which a fire had raged not long before. The danger of inflammable linings was deeply impressed upon me by this sight, and at the next meeting of the Inspectors of Mines I brought forward the matter for discussion in the following terms — "Seeing that some of the worst accidents at mines have happened from shafts taking fire, namely, at De Beers mine, Kimberley, and at Pribram, it is desirable that any amendments of the Mines Regulation Acts should contain clauses so framed as to guard against like disasters." My colleagues agreed with me, and passed the following resolution :— "That wooden linings and fittings in shafts should be avoided as far as possible, and that if such are in use they should be kept damp."

Fortunately, the timber in some mines, or at all events in some parts, is constantly wet from water oozing out of the surrounding rocks. If, on the other hand, a shaft is naturally dry, the timber is sometimes watered artificially, with the object of preserving it. However, to my mind, the simplest method of keeping timber damp, and so rendering it difficult to ignite, is to impregnate it with hygroscopic salts in the manner suggested by Mr. Henry Aitken.²⁴ He steeps the dry timber, from which the bark has been removed, in hot brine saturated with a mixture of 1 part of chloride of magnesium and 10 parts of chloride of sodium. Both these salts absorb moisture, and by imbibing watery vapour from the air of the mine they keep the timber damp. Lessened inflammability is not the only advantage claimed for this process ; it likewise confers upon the wood the property of resisting dry-rot, a malady which plays havoc in many mines and largely swells the timber bill. Judging by the small amount of attention paid by miner-owners to timber-preserving processes, the disease appears to be regarded by them as inevitable. The speed with which dryrot destroys timber in some places is surprising. In damp parts of the pumping shaft of Snaefell mine, some of the timber has been in for over 20 years, and is still trustworthy ; but in the dry parts, such as the 130 level, the larch frames decay and become worthless in a few months. Consequently any process which will at little cost make timber more lasting, and at the same time less inflammable, deserves every attention. For my own part, I see no reason why mine owners should not be compelled, in places where the timber is not kept wet naturally, either to water it artificially or to treat it in some way which will make it fire-resisting. Such a regulation would no doubt meet with vehement opposition at first. In the end, however, it would often be found to lessen the mine expenses, because not only has the bill for new timber to be paid, but also the cost of labour required in making the renewals. A further advantage would be a diminished pollution of the atmosphere of the mine by the decaying vegetable matter. If objectors allege that larch is weakened slightly by salting, my reply must be that increased durability will probably more than compensate for a little diminution in strength at the time when the prop is put in.

A remedy advocated for the Broken Hill mine²⁵ is the substitution of the hard woods of Australia for the imported Oregon pine ; of course, this is a step in the right direction, but in this country salted larch would be less expensive than karri or jarrah.

The British Non-flammable Wood Company has a process for rendering wood little likely to take fire when exposed to flame, and I have seen some of the timber after treatment. I am told that the process is a very drastic one, and that it consists in the complete impregnation of the wood by a metallic salt. What is considered a valuable characteristic in the Company's product, viz., the absence of hygroscopic qualities, is a positive disadvantage in the case of mine timber ; besides, the cost of treatment will be far higher than that of Aitken's process. However, I must not fail to point out that there is a field even in mines for a non-hygroscopic and non-flammable wood. If electric cables are embedded in beadings, it will be safer to make these of non-flammable than of ordinary wood.

While fully recognising the useful properties of timber so treated as to be become hardly ignitable by an ordinary flame, I consider that wooden linings and fittings in shafts should be avoided, unless the pits are distinctly and decidedly wet.

The owners of collieries in England and Wales have long recognised the advantages of brick linings, but they are far from having been universally adopted in Scotch collieries, or in British ore mines. The adaptability of concrete for lining shafts has certainly been overlooked in my district.

However, in searching for a fire-resisting lining material, the miner is by no means restricted to brick and stone ; iron and steel are largely used on the Continent, both in shafts and in levels. Though gradually making headway in British collieries, these materials are rarely seen in my district, owing to ignorance, prejudice, or indifference. As stated in my Annual Report for 1891, the steel frames which I had procured for the Foxdale lead mine in the Isle of Man were giving satisfaction, and when visiting it last June I learnt that more had been procured. While securing the advantages of a fire-resisting and durable material at a smaller eventual cost than that of timber, the British miner who uses steel may flatter himself that he is supporting a home industry, because most of our mine timber comes from abroad. In making this statement, I do not forget that our ironmasters are largely dependent upon foreign countries for the ore they require, and that Scandinavia would not be entirely a loser if we adopted steel in place of timber. because increased activity at its mines might compensate to some extent for the smaller export from its forests. But in any case I am convinced we should be gainers by the use of steel, for I consider that the British iron trade has a market at borne which has not at present been fully developed, that the mine owner will be able to carry on his business more economically, and that the actual miner will work under more favourable conditions as regards safety.

Next comes the question of "cure." If a fire has occurred, like that at Snaefell, how can its consequences be rendered less deadly ? Remedies which suggest themselves are :— (1) Inspection previous to work ; (2) Mechanical ventilation ; (3) Cages for raising and lowering men ; (4) Apparatus for penetrating into noxious gases ; (5) Supply of compressed oxygen.

It is self-evident that if there had been a rule prohibiting the men generally from entering the mine until after an inspection of the working places, the death-roll would have been much smaller. The person making the inspection at Snaefell would in all probability have lost his life, and possibly some of those sent in search of him would likewise have met with their deaths ; but the latter would have known there was cause for alarm, and would have been on the alert, instead of going blindly into an unknown pitfall. Though Rule 4 of the Coal Mines Act provides for an inspection previous to the men entering their working places, it does not prohibit the men from descending to the bottom of the shaft, and even proceeding some way along the levels to the statutory "station," if so arranged. Consequently, unless the "station" had been the top of the shaft, this rule would not have prevented the Snaefell disaster.

Inspection of the working places previous to the commencement of the shift would undoubtedly throw some expense upon the owner of the mine, but the gain in general safety and discipline, irrespective of the detection of fire, would be great. Further, I am convinced that, if such an inspection had to be made, the means of access to some of the working places would be improved.

With reference to the adoption of mechanical means for ventilation, I admit that the mine was pronounced by my assistant to be all right on the Friday before the accident, and I have no reason to suppose that the current going down the shaft was any less on the fatal Monday. It will be said, "What more have you a right to require ?" My plea for mechanical ventilation rests upon the well- worn arguments against natural ventilation, viz., its inconstancy, and its insufficiency at certain seasons of the year, or at certain periods of the day. Had Snaefell mine been ventilated by a fan, the work of rescue, at all events, would have proceeded with less risk, even if the flames had been fanned to some extent when the fire first burst forth. Indeed, it is quite likely that a ventilating fan would have cleared the mine of its deadly gases before the men made their entry some 41 hours after the timber took fire.

The rescue of the sufferers and the recovery of the bodies was greatly impeded by the want of proper appliances for raising and lowering the men. Partly Poisoned by the noxious gas, the rescuers themselves could not do their work without munch risk and trouble, and, seeing that one corpse was still warm at 11 p.m., or 16 hours after the poor man started on his descent, it is probable that his life and other lives would have been saved if rapid and easy mechanical means of descent and ascent had existed.

It is absurd that towards the close of the nineteenth century free miners should have to perform the treadmill work of convicts in climbing down and up deep shafts by ladders. The work is unprofitable and exhausting; but, unfortunately, it is not illegal for a mining company to throw away the money of its shareholders in this stupid fashion. I trust that in time a Statute will be passed compelling the owner of every mine more than 100 yards deep to provide mechanical means for raising and lowering his men. Pending this statutory compulsion, I think the Crown might intervene in all cases of mines upon its own property, such as Snaefell, and refuse to grant leases unless the old-fashioned methods of work are abandoned. It cannot pay the nation in the end to allow unscientific mining, and, as a taxpayer, I would far sooner see my share of the country's underground treasures left in the earth for my descendants, than have the mine worked in so primitive a manner. I may be told that my picture must be overdrawn, as the company did make a small profit this year. My answer to this will be that the profit would have been far greater if the mine had been better equipped.

About apparatus for penetrating into noxious gases I cannot speak from practical experience. I only know that Walcher's Pneumatophor²⁶ has been used with success on a few occasions and that collieries in the Ostrau-Karwin district of Austria are obliged to have it in readiness.

I cannot conceal from myself the fact that any apparatus of this description would have to be small and very portable to be used with success in a ladderway such as that of Snaefell, with its small "manholes" through the platforms. If, on the other hand, the men were overcome in a level reached directly by a proper winding shaft, the pneumatophor as described might prove serviceable. At all events, appliances of this description deserve the close attention of mining men.

The use of oxygen in restoring sufferers from carbonic oxide poisoning is now too well established to need any special remarks. If Mr. Williams had been able to procure it in cylinders, as he tried to do, he doubtless would have been able to render more useful service to his companions ; but the means which he employed should not be forgotten in the case of mines in which no inflammable gas exists. A small apparatus for heating the potassium chlorate in a more convenient fashion than the method which he was ingenious enough to improvise, and so generating oxygen upon the spot, might easily be provided ; if the gas is obtained from potassium chlorate alone, without any admixture of binoxide of manganese, no chlorine is given off, and therefore it is not necessary to pass the oxygen through wash-bottles containing a solution of soda. Further, it is very advisable that the persons should previously have had some experience in the administration of oxygen. No doubt, men would learn very quickly indeed, but it would be difficult under the trying circumstances of a bad accident to make use of oxygen-giving appliances for the first time, especially in confined places underground. The same remark naturally applies to the pneumatophor, and I cannot help feeling that it would be desirable at ambulance classes established for mines that the men should be specially instructed in the use of appliances of this description.

In April last the Mining Department in Vienna²⁷ issued a code of rules for dealing with colliery explosions and underground fires, and two months later Mr. Garforth²⁸ read a valuable paper upon the subject before the Federated Institute of Mining Engineers. An authoritative code of this description, based upon the experience gained in various mining disasters, would certainly be valuable.

In conclusion, therefore, I make the following recommendations :—

Finally, I may remark that the Snaefell calamity, like other disasters all over the world, had a sunny side, for it brought out the nobler qualities of many gallant men. Captain Kewley behaved heroically in leading the plucky band of rescuers, and so did my assistant Mr. Williams. Their names will not be forgotten in the Isle of Man in this generation. I was greatly gratified on learning that their noble conduct had been brought by His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor of the Island to the notice of the Chapter of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and that the silver medal for saving life on land had been awarded to each of them. Unfortunately, absence in Canada prevented my attending the meeting at which the medals were presented by His Excellency on behalf of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Grand Master of the Order, and I was unable to express publicly my admiration of the gallantry displayed by Captain Kewley and Mr. Williams. Captain Kitto and Mr. Wynne-Finch with a party of men from Foxdale likewise did useful service, and my assistant Mr. Jones will have the satisfaction for the rest of his days of knowing that he saved a comrade's life under very critical circumstances.

Dr. Miller's prompt aid to the injured contributed greatly to their recovery, and must not be forgotten.

In obedience to your Special Instructions, I have penned aim account of my sensations under the influence of carbonic oxide, and I have collected statements concerning the effects of the gas from Mr. Williams, Mr. Jones, Captain Kitto, and Mr. Wynne-Finch. These I have placed in an Appendix. I need hardly say that we none of us desire to parade our experiences in public; we relate them at your request, in the hope that the account may be of some service to persons exposed to the risk of carbonic oxide poisoning, or at all events be of scientific interest to physiologists.

I am,

Sir,

Your obedient servant,

C. Le Neve Foster.

The Right Honourable
Sir Matthew White Ridley, Bart., M.P.

Secretary of State for the Home Department,
Whitehall, London.

8 Eng. Mining Journal, New York, Vol. XLVI., 1888, p. 63; Mining Journal, Vol. LVIII., 1888, p. 1011, and The Times, 4th September 1888.
9 "Der Grubenbrand in Pribram, am 31 Mai 1892," Berg- und huttenmannische Zeitung, 1893, p. 212.
10 Mining Journal, Vol. LVIII., 1888, p. 1483; The Times, 3rd December, 1888.
11 Eng. Mining Journal, New York, 1897, Vol. LXIV., p. 128.
12 Report of Josiah Hall, Mine inspector, Houghton County, Michigan, for the year ending 30th September 1895, p. 13.
13 Report of Josiah Hall, Mine inspector, Houghton County, Michigan, for the year ending 30th September 1897, p. 6.
14 Lord, "Comstock Mines and Miners," Monographs U. S. Geol. Survey, Vol. IV., Washington, 1883, pp. 269 and 404.
15 Selections from the works of the Baron de Humbolt, relating to the Climate, Inhabitants and Mines of Mexico. By John Taylor, London, 1824, p. 271.
16 The Australian Mining Standard, Sydney, 1895, Vol. XI., p. 426.
17 Ibidem, Vol. XIII., 1897, pp. 2223 and 2252; The Barrier Miner, Broken Hill, 13th September 1897. I am informed by Mr. J. C. Moulden that some of the men suffered from carbonic oxide poisoning, whilst others felt the intoxicating effects of the wood spirit produced by the destructive distillation of the timber.
18 "Der Brand in dem Steinkohlenbergwerk consolidirte Cleophas in Oberschlesien, am 3 Marz 1896," by — Braetsch, Zeitschr. f. d. Berg- Hutten- u. Salinen-Wesen, Vol. XLV., 1897, p. 314; and "Der Brand in der Cleophasgrube," Oesterr. Zeitschr. f. Berg- und Huttenwesen, Vol. XLIV., 1896, p. 307.
19 Johann Mayer, "Der Grubenbrand im Hlermenegild-Schachte der k.k. priv. Kaiser Ferdinands-Nordbahn, in Polnisch-Ostrau;" Oesterr. Zeitschr. f. Berg- und Huttenwesen. Vol. XLIV., 1896, p.151, and p. 167.
20 Johnston and Bell, "Mauricewood Colliery," Report to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, 1890. [C. — 5954.]
21 Report of J. M. Ronaldson, Esq., H.M. Inspector of Mines for the West Scotland District, to Her Majesty's Secretary of State, for the year 1893. [C. 7339 — v.], p. 8.
22 The West Briton, 16th January 1890.
23 Mining Journal, Vol. LX., London, January 1890, p. 48.
24 Specification No. 13,749, 31st August 1889.
25 From The Report of the Broken Hill Proprietary Go., Ltd., for the half-year ending 30th November 1897 (p. 13), I learn that the old system of timbering by "square sets" is being abandoned in order to avoid the danger of a repetition of disasters by extensive underground fires. — C. L. N. F.
26 Behrens, "Der von Walcher'sche Pneumatophor und seine Verwendung in irrespirablen Gasen beim Grubenbetriebe"; Gluckauf, XXXIII Jahrgang, 1897, p. 949; and Mayer "Ueber Athmungsapparate beim Bergbaubetrieb," Oesterr. Zeitschr. f. Berg- und Huttenwesen. Vol. XLVI., 1898, pp. 1, 17 and 34.
27 "Verordnung der k.k. Bergliauptmannschaft Wien betreffend die Vorkehrungen, weiche bei den Gruben des Ostran-Karwiner Steinkohienrevieres fur den Fall des Enitrittes einer Schlagwetter- oder Kohienstaubexplosion oder eines Schachtbrandee zur Sicherung von Personen und Eigenthum zu treffen sind." — Vienna, 6th April, 1897.
28 Trans. Fed. Inst. M.E. , Vol. XIV., p. 495.