HUNTLY DISASTER INQUEST ON THE VICTIMS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 74, 24 September 1914, Page 3

HUNTLY DISASTER INQUEST ON THE VICTIMS

MANAGER'S EVIDENCE. (IT TBtiEQRAfH.— MESS ASSOCIATION.) HUNTLY, 23rd September. The inquest on the Huntly victims opened before Mr. Rawson, S.M., to-day. Mr. P. Macassey, of the Crown Law Office, represents the Crown, and Mr. 0. J. Tunks is present on behalf of the company. James Fletcher, general manager of Taupiri Coal Mines, Ltd/, said that on the day of the explosion he was not in charge, being incapacitated at the time. He appointed William Gowans as de-puty-manager. Gowans was one of the victims of the explosion. The day of the explosion was an off day at the mine. There were six workings in op- ? eration. In compliance with the Coal' Mines Act the whole of the working places were examined each morning by three competent persons, who entered within two hours prior to the main body of men commencing work. Reports of the three examining deputies tor that morning were found in the office in thu mine, and showed that the baiometer registered from 37 to 37g inches in different parts of the mine, and the thermometer from 48 to 49 degrees. All three reports stated that the roads were safe at 7 v ».m., and the ventilation good. Deputies always carried safety lamps on their daily inspection. No actual mining was done that morning, the men descending merely ,to straighten up the tunnels. Tours of the old workings were made continuously by an^ inspector specially appointed. The last report, on 11th September, stated that all' was well, there being no falls, while the ventilation was good. ACCUMULATION OF GAS. Witness sba-ted that fire-jdajnp had been found in small quantities on several occasions in pockets. The last occasion was on 17th August, when Inspector Weir reported that he found diluted gas in No. 4 bore, which was dispersed by the air current. Gas of this nature was usually caused by a fall. Witness considered the mines fairly immune from fire-damp, unless a. big fall occurred. On 9th July William Kelly, one of the victims, was working in No. 6 stone overhead drive, i short distance from a pot-hole that was "bleeding" gas. 'He went to the pot-hole for a drink, and haying a naked light on his head ,he ignited an accumulation of gas in the pot-hole. His hair was singed, and he was off work for fourteen days. This particular section was examined at 8 a.m. on the Fame day aaid found, safe. - A good current of air was going through the drive and a request was made to Deputy Darby by one of the contractors to reduce the current as the men complained of the cold. The request was lefused. In. witness's opinion the accumulation of gas was caused by the disarrangement of the ventilation because of tho air intake pipe being blocked by a brattice cloth. He considered that the men had found the working too cold to be comfortable, aiid had blocked the pipe. The whole incident was reported to the Government inspector. During the four years witness had been engaged at the mines the accident to Kelly was the only one of this nature. So far as witness could recollect he never received complaints from any man working in the mine of an accumulation of gas, and had no reason to suspect that gas was in the mine in dangerous quantities. SIGNS OF HEATING. On 26th August, continued witness, signs of heating were noticeable in the old workings, and on a search being made, the trouble was located. The conditions) were reported normal at midnight. There had been no other signs of heating except on one occasion, ten weeks previously. Witness ( admitted receiving a letter from the 'Government Inspector, Mr. Bennie, regarding the dangerous- condition of the mine, particularly in the old workings and main drive, owing to the^ accumulation of dry dust. The letter instructed the company to immediately undertake the spraying of the dust with water, to remove the danger. The letter added: '"Although I previously warned the company of the danger, little or nothing had been done to comply with the request." Regarding the spraying in the old working, in view of -the accident to Kelly, Mr. Bennie requested that shot firers should be appointed, as required by Special Rule 25, and that the accumulation of dry coal dust should be dealt with in an adequate and proper manner. The report concluded : "Failure to comply with my request will be followed by prosecution for breaches of the Act." USE OF SAFETY LAMPS. On 25th August the company received intimation i from Mr. Bennie that it might be necessary to insist on the use of safety lamps. Replying to Inspector Wright, wit* ness said that spraying had been 'done regularly in the main shaft, but it was not considered necessary to spray the old workings. Asked if he had any theory as to how the explosion occurred, witness replied in the negative. The company carried its own insurance risks. Continuing, .Mr. Fletcher said that if the men had expressed a desire for safety lamps they could have had them. One hundred electric safety lamps had been ordered by the company, while none but safety lamps would be used in future. The mino was considered to be a damp and cool one. A number of men who had succeeded in escaping uninjnred stated that the workings seemed as usual on the morning of the explosion. All declaied that they had previously found it free of gas ; though the majority had noticed dry coal dust in varying quantities at different places. Tho inquest was at this stage adjourned till to-morrow.