Mine Accident.

Grey River Argus, 17 December 1904, Page 3

Mine Accident.

THE INQUEST. An inquest was held at the Dunollie Hotel yesterday morning before C F. A. Broad, Esq, J.P., Acting-Coroner. Inspector Wilson represented the police. The following were the jury —Messrs A. J. Flaherty (foreman), John L. Robb, P. M'Gurk, John Maloney. John Dennehcr and Neil M'Carthy. Edward Smith gave evidence of identification. Deceased, Thomas Smith, aged 25 years, was his son, and had been a member of the Tenth New Zealand Contingent. R. Watson, coal miner at the State coal mine, said he knew the deceased, and was working in the mine with him yesterday at Harris' Bowl. We started in the morning (14th inst) at eight o'clock, and worked on until 3 50 p.m. Mr Woodhouse and Harris were the two men who were working a little further on. We had just fired a shot and were clearing off the flat sheet when a fall of stone come down on deceased. It took me all my time to get out of the road myself, and when I looked round I could not see deceased. I called out to the other miners, and they came and discovered him underneath a large stone. The stone was removed off him, which was a very large one. The stone had pinned him to the ground. The stone was taken off him and when we lifted him up he was dead. Examined by Mr Tennent—Examined the stone before starting work in the morning and had no doubt whatever that the stone was perfectly safe. - In reply to the foreman of the jury — Sounded the stone in the roof after dinner time, and was about a couple of feet from deceased when the stone fell. In reply to Inspector of Police—Whon the fall came we were cleaning the flat street, and Mr Herd, the mine manager, had been in about 11 o'clock in the morning and sounded the roof. In reply to the foreninn—l heard t?i:> stone crack, and almost instantaneously it came down. Thomas Harris sworn said—l am a coal miner employed at the State coal mine, and knew deceased Thomas Smith, who was at work at a place called Harris' head- I went on day shift at 8 o'clock and worked until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I remember a shot being fired at Smith and Watson's face. I saw the shot before it was fired. I considered ii exploded in the usual manner, and afterwards Watson and Smith went to work. I heard the fall of material and sung out, and obtaining no answer for a second or two I got off the bench and ran to the fall. I asked Watson if all was right, and he said "No! Tommy is under it." I said send for help quick, and alt the men in the vicinity came out at once and prised up the stone and blocked it lip and let the man out, he was dead. To MrTennent—l had sounded the roof over the flat sheet* several times and was perfectly satisfied with the condition of it. I saw deceased sound the roof. I had no suspicion in my own mind regarding the safety of the stone or would not have worked under 1 it. I am perfectly satisfied in my own mind that do. ceased was killed outright and nothing could have saved him. Peter Manderson, junr. —I am fireman at the mine and my duty is to go round and examine and sound all places before the men go to work. I sounded the place of the accident and found all safe. To Mr Tennent—l saw nothing unusual in my examination. I had no suspicion of danger. I made no further examination that day. I have been coalmining for 14 years. Joseph Herd sworn— * am underground manager at the State cool mine. ' To Mr Tennent—On the date of the accident I made my usual examination of the mine generally. I visited No 2 in • dine about 11 o'clock on the morning of the accident, and I examined the face and the whole heading, also Smith and Watson's bore. There were no indications of weakness in the roof. The main reef is not subject to weakness and in this particular part is better than anywhere else in the mine. The miners have never complained. To Inspector Wilson—Deceased has been working for me for about eight years. I considered him a capable miner. To the foreman—Watson had only been in the mine for about a fortnight. He worked in other mines. I consider him a capable man. This is the first accident of the kind. Oliver Davis—l am roadman at the mine. I was at the face at 1 15 and made an examination of the roof. It appeared perfectly sound. I instructed Watson and deceased to put in a prop for brattice only. To Inspector Wilson—lf the prop had been put in it could not have prevented the accident. Thos Hilton—l tun delegate for the Miners' Union. In company with Mr Leslie Cleveland we went to the scene of the accident and we found a perfect roof below the scene of the accident and above the roof was composed of hard sandstone, freely mixed with iron pyrities and flakes of coal, which, in a miner's estimation is considered absolutely perfect, and we found the same roof above the scene of the accident, but with a slight flaw in it which was liardly discernable. To Mr Tennent—l had no opportunity of seeing the scene of the occurrence until afterwards, and am perfectly satisfied 't was purely accidental. The jury returned the following verdict—That the said Thomas Smith, deceased, met his death accidentally by a fall or rock while working in the State coal mine and that in the opinion of the jury no blame is attachable to any person.