STRONGMAN INQUIRY Shot-Tamping Irregularities

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31384, 1 June 1967, Page 3

STRONGMAN INQUIRY Shot-Tamping Irregularities

(From Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH, May 31. The tamping of more shots than one at a time was a breach of the regulations but was common in the Strongman mine before the January 19 explosion, the Commission of Inquiry was told today. The commission was hearing evidence from representatives of the miners.

One witness told the commission that he had seen as many as six shots tamped at once; another witness said the practice of tamping two or more had been common.

The commission comprises Mr J. K. Patterson, S.M., chairman; and Messrs W. Elliott, S. R. Eyeington, A. V. Prendiville and T. H. McGhie. Counsel are Mr R. C. Savage, of Wellington, for the Mines Department; Mr D. J. Tucker, of Greymouth, for the New Zealand State Coal Mines; Mr R. A. Young, of Christchurch, for the Grey Valley Deputies’ and Underviewers’ Union; and Mr W. D. Taylor, of Greymouth, for the United Mineworkers of New Zealand and relatives of the men who were killed.

Thomas Dodd Gray, a workmen’s check inspector, was questioned this morning by Mr Savage about an inspection by deputies and check inspectors on January 22 before the mine resumed.

Witness said he told a deputy that he would not sign a joint report until the deputy entered in the gas report book that 500 cubic feet of gas was found in McKenzie’s heading in the slant dip. The deputy had raised no objection and had entered it as a postscript and he signed it. Mr Savage produced the book and witness agreed he had overlooked signing the report. Mr Tucker was told by witness that he had made a mistake but the fact was that the gas was found and the deputy had not reported it. He had found gas in O’Donnell’s place before Christmas. Cross-examined by Mr Young, witness said he had reported the gas finding to his union executive at its meeting within the next fortnight. Witness agreed that he did not consider it more urgent. Re-examined by Mr Taylor, witness said a shot-firer did not sign any reports at the end of the shift—only the deputies. Violent Damage

Wilfred Boardman, a .miner and a member of the proto team in the recovery operation and the final inspection team, produced a report he had prepared after February 14 and said there was violent damage in Mountford’s place but there was no sign of explosion there or in Coghlan’s place. The violence seemed to have increased at the two-a-time jig. In the goaf, props 23ft away from the blown-through shots of O’Donnell’s place were heavily coated with carbon. He concluded that O’Donnell’s workplace was where the ignition was started. Witness objected to the positions of some shortholes as shown on the plan. Mr Boardman said an air hose was resting on nails in Coghlan’s place against the side of the workplace. It was unusually placed and suggested that it was being used to ventilate the place. < An instruction had been i given some time ago during < Mr Grazil’s term as manager that the hoses were not to i be used for that purpose and ' he had personally observed i it, witness said. i

In 1964 when he was workin Kinsey's section gas was found in his workplace and the shot-firer would not fire. The deputy was called and Mr Kinsey set about to clear the gas with an air hose. Witness said he and his workmate objected to Mr Kinsey doing this but had replied he would clear the gas in 10 minutes. It was not permitted to use the hose to clear the gas and they left the mine.

Witness agreed with Mr Tucker that the presence of a shot already tamped up in O’Donnell’s face was a breach of the regulations.

Mr Boardman told Mr Patterson that he had seen as many as four and six shots tamped up at once. To Mr Young, witness said that the final inspection of the face was carried out under extreme difficulty. The clearing of gas with a hose was not as dangerous as the tamping up of four shots at once but he had not reported the excessive tampings to his union.

Mr Young said the New Zealand regulations only referred to a “brushing out” of gas, and witness agreed that it should be clarified by prohibiting the air compressors. Since the enforcement of the holing and side-cutting regulations men were taking all day to hand cut the face before a shot could be fired. Two or More

George William Ewen, a shiftman and a member of the final inspection team on February 14, gave a report on his findings from observations in the section. An inspection of the goaf behind O’Donnell’s section showed every signs of explosion. He had been with Mr Malone when a tamping stick had been put into the bole caused by the flanking cut and this revealed that it was about Bin deep. Before the explosion it bad been common for two or more shots to be tamped at once and witness agreed that this would preclude inspections and testing after the firing of the first shot. He knew of deputies sending in a miner to connect up shots to the firing apparatus. To Mr Savage, Mr Ewen said everyone realised that the tamping of more than one shot at once was a dangerous practice but the union had never complained to the management.

Some deputies prefered to 1 fire one shot and then test. ' tamp another hole and fire 1 again. Others considered it easier to tamp two or more ' shots at the same time and ! fire them one after the other. This was wrong and could be put down to laziness. To Mr Young he said he had received no complaints from check inspectors on double tamping of shots. There was a “continual grizzle” in mines If a place was not sufficiently ventilated. If no satisfaction was received from the deputies or underviewers the check inspectors were called in to try and effect a solution. Until about the middle of last year it was also common in Dobson mine for miners to connect up shots for the shotThat practice and the double tamping of shots in this mine had been condemned by the management and a warning given that anyone so doing would be looking for another job.