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The Different Theories Advanced To Account For The Explosion.

As to the point of origin the opinion expressed by all the witnesses except one at the Inquest and at the Inquiry held by me, placed it in No. 4 district of the Bullhurst Seam, but there was considerable divergence of opinion in regard to the actual place and as to the originating cause.

The agent, manager, and under-manager were of opinion that the explosion originated in the goaf at the top end of No. 4 district, that it was caused by sparks produced by the Bull-dog stone tailing and igniting gas in the goaf, and that this explosion caused the explosion of the coal dust on the roads. Sir John Cadman, who was called on behalf of the owners of the colliery, agreed with these three officials as to the place of origin, but thought the cause was either a gob-fire or sparks from falling Bull-dog stone. Of the two he leaned more to sparking.

Mr. J. B. Atkinson (late H.M. Inspector of Mines), who gave evidence at the Inquest on behalf of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, stated that he had come to the conclusion that the point of origin was Eden's Place, the primary cause being a safety lamp which had been damaged before the explosion by being crushed when Eden was manipulating tubs on the jig, and that the agent first inflamed was firedamp, accumulated in sufficient quantity to produce, when mixed with air, an explosive mixture. He thought that considerable flame and wave of air were caused and the wave of air raised a cloud of dust which the flame ignited; that more disturbance of the air resulted in clouds of coal dust in all directions and the explosion swept over all the roads traversed.

The principal reason which led Mr. Atkinson to fix on Eden's Place as the point of origin was that an empty tub with Eden's tally attached was found outside his place, blown across the jig off which the place was driven, and carrying the jig signal with it. The tub would certainly stand a few yards inside the road at the moment of the explosion and it was not, in Mr. Atkinson's opinion, possible to conceive how an explosion originating outside the place could produce this result. At the face of the place Eden's body was found, together with a damaged safety lamp. The body was much burned but not blackened to the same extent as most of the other bodies, and this indicated that he was burned by the flame produced by an ignition of firedamp.

The lamp in question, when subjected to severe test by Dr. Wheeler at the Home Office Experimental Station, did not pass flame either without the gauzes being cleaned or when they were thoroughly cleaned. The tests, which are given in Appendix C, were of a more severe character than the lamp would have to undergo in the mine, and for this reason, and because Eden's Place was an unlikely place for firedamp to be produced, I am unable to agree that this was the probable origin of the explosion.

Mr. Ernest O. Simcock, who gave evidence at the Inquest on behalf of the North Staffordshire Miners' Federation, was of opinion that the point of origin was in the vicinity of the junction of Ratcliffe's and Madew's Roads, and the igniting cause either a defective safety lamp (Ratcliffe's or Berkin's) or sparks from a pick used by somebody working there. He thought that the initial explosion was one of gas and that this initial explosion caused a coal dust explosion.

Mr. Frank Lingard, who had worked as a miner in the Minnie Pit for 26 years and was one of the workmen's inspectors during the explorations following the explosion, was of opinion that the originating point was in the goat at the top end of No. 4 district (Dean's or Carter's Drift). He thought that the initial explosion was one of firedamp, caused by sparks from falling (Bull-dog) stone, and that this was extended by coal dust. Describing the sparks he had seen in the mine when Bull-dog stone was breaking and falling, Mr. Lingard stated

Question. — "What sort of spark have you found produced from the Bull-dog?"

Answer. — "As near as I can tell you it is like when a tramcar going along strikes one of the cups. It is like that, only a longer streak. That is, when it is weighting before it breaks down."

Question. — "Like an electric flash?"

Answer. — "Yes."

Mr. Granville Poole, H.M. Senior Inspector of Mines, was of opinion that the point of origin was in the goaf at the top of No. 4 district, and the cause of ignition possibly a damaged safety lamp, but more probably sparking from the Bull-dog. As far as propagation was concerned, he thought that the first ignition was of gas and that this developed into a coal dust explosion pure and simple.

Messrs. A. M. Henshaw, J. R. Allott, A. Daniels, and George Mitcheson, who inspected the mine both during the work of exploration and afterwards and gave evidence at the request of the Court, stated in evidence that they had come to the conclusion that the point of origin was in No. 5 Panel, a small area of goaf to the right of No. 4 district, which had been sealed off by stoppings shortly before the explosion. They thought that the cause was gob-fire in that area, that the flame from the resulting explosion of firedamp passed to and ignited the gas in the goaf at the top of No. 4 district, 140 yards away, that this second explosion produced sufficient pressure, temperature, and' velocity to propagate the explosive, wave throughout the roadways and workings wherever the necessary quantity of dry coal dust existed, and that by this means the explosion passed through the Bullhurst Seam, and out of the Bullhurst Seam into the Seven Feet Seam.

As the stopping which scaled off No. 5 Panel had been replaced before it was seen by Messrs. Henshaw, Allott, Daniels and Mitcheson, it was essential, in order to prove the theory which they advanced, that they should have had evidence from those who saw the conditions before it was replaced, to the effect that it was blown out-bye, and this they claimed to have obtained from the officials who accompanied them, viz. — the agent, manager, under-manager, and overman. These officials, however, stated in evidence that they had not reported the stopping as blown out-bye, but on the contrary it was, in fact, blown in-bye. That the stopping was blown in-bye was corroborated by the evidence of Isaac Sutton, a fireman, and George Biddington, a checkweigher, who wearing self-contained breathing apparatus were the first to reach the stopping after the explosion.

There was evidently an unfortunate misunderstanding between Messrs. Henshaw, Allott, Daniels and Mitcheson on the one hand, and the officials who accompanied them on the other, on the important question of the evidence as to the direction of 'force at the stopping. If it had been clear that the stopping was blown out-bye the theory was one which was not only possible but probable, but as they and the Court had to rely on the witnesses who actually saw the stopping for evidence as to the direction of force, I am compelled to come to the conclusion that the point of origin was not in No. 5 Panel. In doing so, I should like to make it quite clear that I do not in any way question the bona fides of Messrs. Henshaw, Allott, Daniels and Mitcheson. They are all mining engineers of high standing and would not state any thing they did not actually believe. The conflict of evidence between them and the officials of the mine as to the information given on such an important point was due, I am convinced, to an unfortunate misunderstanding.

 

A copy of this report was kindly donated by
West Cumbria Mines Research.