MINE FATALITY

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 July 1923, Page 3

MINE FATALITY

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST

An inquest into the death of An- 1 drew Oliver Baker, killed by a tall of coal at the Liverpool No. 1 State ' Colliery on Friday, was held at the Alines Office, Dunollie, yesterday alter- ■ noon by Air W. Meldrum, Coroner. Senior-Sergeant McCarthy represented the Police, and Air J. A. James represented the interests of the State Alines Department. Air C. J. Strongman, acting-inspector of Alines, also appeared, and Air T. Feary, and Air John O’Connell, workers’ inspector, represented the State Aliners’ Union. Dr Allan Bruce Roy said that about 3.45 on July 19 he examined the body of the deceased at Rewanui. He found superficial scratches on the right cheek and right upper arm. There was extensive bruising over the left lower ribs in front and fracture of the eighth, ninth and tenth ribs. Behind on the left side was a bruise op posite the second and third lumbar vertebrae. There was also an incomplete dislocation between the first and second lumbar vertebrae. Shock following on those injuries would cause death. The. man’s lower ribs must have been compressed strongly. The compression on the spleen and left kidney would increase the amount of shock. Roy Patrick, who was the working mate of the deceased, said that the deceased and he had been away to lunch and had resumed work about half-an-hour and had filled about two trucks. They stopped for about ten minutes. “AVe’ll put a couple of props up,” said deceased to witness. "It will help to strengthen the place.” They started to put the props up, and had completed putting one up when Baker sent him down the jig fur another prop. While witness was awaydeceased would be finishing the work of putting up the first prop. Witness got half-way along the jig on his return with the prop when the fall took place. Witness rushed to the spot, and saw the deceased lying at the bottom of the jig prop with a wooden bar pinning him down. ’There was coal and stone upon him also. Witness spoke to Baker but, receised no reply. Witness tried to lift the bai, but it was not long before he realised that it was impossible. He called for hfdp and a trucker went along to his assistance. Others also came, but they found they could do nothing, and further Help was enlisted. ’I hey then succeeded in extracting the body from (he coal, about half an hour after the fall. Witness did not think that deceased was conscious during the time. When help was secured, witness heard the deceased groaning as he lifted his head. He did not speak. The. body was removed outside and later conveyed to the Greymouth morgue. “As far as you could tell,” asked tlio Coroner “what was the actual cause of the fall of the coal?” “It must have .been the extra pressure.” replied witness. “How was it when you left for your lunch?” asked Air Aleldrum. “It was''quite still then,” said witness, ‘‘and also when we returned. No shots had been fired. The face of coal on which they had been working before lunch had been shot down the night before. Witness could not form any idea as to what caused Hie fall unless it were sudden pressure or a “bump.” His mate and he. were taking all necessary ami usual precautions. “I den t think the.ie wa.> o safer man in the pit. than deceases. ’ said witness. Ho anticipated no danger. . To Air Strongman : The shot they had put in the night before weakened the stump and brought down coal from the rib. They broke through the goaf rib going up. He. saw no evidence of bottom weight on the floor lifts, lie was sure that the floor could not have

risen and swung the sits out. To Mr Foary: Something may have fallen from ahead of the timber ami knocked the props away, hut he notieed no evidence of that. They had three lamps, and deceased was leit with one. It was possible that the fall may have caused one to be extinguished, and that would be against it. . ■ • l “That is merely conjecture, is it not?” asked the. Coroner. “There is no evidence that the lamp was out.” Mr eFary said that if the lamp was an efficient light, the deceased might have had a better chance of escaping. The. lamps in use were not considered; to be very modern. “If the lamps are obsolete,” said the Coroner, “that had better be mentioned.” , . “They are not obsolete, said Air James.'“They are the standard mine lamps.” Mr hoary said that the lamps in use were considered very backward, There were now other electric lamps on trial. Electric lights would be more efficient. Mr James said that the lamp at present used showed only £ candlepower and was about equivalent to candle light. , Mr Foary said that the lamps were easily put out. They did not need to fall to the ground. To pick them up quickly, take a false step or jerk them was sufficient to put them out. Witness said that deceased had a habit of carrying his lamp in his mouth. They had three lights. One had gone out and witness had taken the other away to look for the other prop. That left the deceased with one lamp and a quick movement on his part would have been sufficient to put it out. At this stage, Mr James lit a miner’s lamp. It showed a poor light at first, which Mr James said was due to the fact that, it was “cold.” It gradually warmed up to its 4 candle-power, and Mr Strongman tUn demonstrated the point that the previous witness had described by giving the lamp a slight jerk, which immediately extinguished it. John Lewis Sweeney, underviewer, said that he knew the portion of 1110 mine in which the deceased was working He had inspected it, and found everything in good order. He saw the deceased at the. time he inspected the place. In the deceased’s working place all was safe, but there was certainly danger of. something falling in the goaf and knocking out the timber. As far as he could tell deceased and his mate wore working under what ho considered safe conditions. He could not. say for certain what was the cause. He surmised that the cause of the accident was a fall of stone or coal from the goaf which knocked the timber out. In that case a, fall of the roof would take place. To Mr Strongman : ‘Witness inspected the place on. Friday and noticed that the timber was crushed, but could not say whether it was top or bottom weight that was responsible. Some of the goaf stone was lying near the fallen timber. With the timber swinging out of line, it would be possible lor the 4ft bin of iop coal to come away. On the day of the accident the timber was in its propel- position and no evidence of “creeping” but mt the Friday it had changed. There was a “thundering lol; of difference. Hie overburden was too great. lor the timber. 'Hrn. ‘Troop,” explained witness,

was caused by the removal of the coal. John Duggan, foreman deputy at the Liverpool No. 1 Colliery, said that he arrived at the scene of the accident at about 1.10 p.m. on the day of the accident. There had been a fall of coal and Baker was pinned down to the jig prop, with a bar and coal and stone upon him. He, had passed through the mine in the morning and spoke to the deceased and his mate. The last shot that had been fired in the vicinity of that portion of the workings was on the afternoon of the previous afternoon. Nothing out of place attracted his notice on the Friday morning. Everything was going on as “usual. When witness arrived, deceased neither spoke nor moved, but his pulse beat for a few minutes and then ceased. In the meantime, he told the men to take some coal oft the props. On ascertaining that Baker was dead, he told the men to be careful and watch themselves, as the coal was then working. He allowed only live in the place and sent all the others away. They then lifted the bar and shifted it into the goaf. They then had to remove a lump of coal that was jammed underneath deceased’s right arm, and lifted him almost perpendicularly so that they could swing it on to the goaf side oi the jig prop and pull it out. The man was dead before they lilted the bar. 'Io Air Strongman.; The main root, in his opinion, was not broken, although he did not examine the scene closely. The only fall he could see was the 4ft 6in of coal, with a little extra debris and stone. The place was working ahead of them while they were extracting the body. In witness’s opinion the fall was caused by a bump, dislodging coal from the pillar corner on the goat side. “What was the size, of the largest stone lying around at the time, of the accident?” asked Mr Teary. “I could have picked up any stone that was there,” said witness, “put it under my arm and walked away with it.” Andrew Grieve, miner, residing at Rewanui. who occupied a hut with Lie deceased, gave evidence of identification. Constable J. H. Houston gave formal evidence for the police. A verdict was returned that deceased came to his death from shock caused by injuries resulting from a fall of coal at No. 1. Aline Liverpool Colliery <m July 19, .1923. “The bumping of the goaf,” said the Coroner, “appeared to have caused a fall of stone am. cmil ahead of the first two sets of timber, dislodging them from tne support of a roof or top coal, which fell (,n deceased. AH the usual precautnns apiieir to have been taken for the safety of deceased and his mate, Roy Patrick, who wa"> working the place when Hie accident happened.” COAL DUST TESTS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, July 23. A Government experimental station in Cumberland has carried out a remarkable series of experiments in testing the explosiveness of coal dust in the course of research dealing with safety in mines. The conditions ■ approximated an actual coal mine explosion in which hundreds of lives were lost. In a gallery 750 feet long was strewn coal dust. A canton file , ignited’ the gas, and a. flash of flame * like lightning rushed through the gallery, followed by a cloud of dense black smoke and deadly coal gas. Pit props and other colliery equipment ’ were hurled a great distance. Later the mine was cleared by special fans. The experiment showed the benefit of mixing stone dust with the coal 1 dust to reduce the strength of the explosion.