COLLIERY DANGERS

Grey River Argus, 24 July 1923, Page 5

COLLIERY DANGERS

COAL DUST TESTED. A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION I A nr.d N.Z. C: blr .-^ouiati< n 1 (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received July 23 at 8.5 p.m.) LONDON. July 23. A Government ’experimental station at Eskmeals, 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 tho actual coal mine explosion in which hundreds of lives wore lost. Tn a’gallery 750 foot long was strewn coal dust. A canton fire ignited the gas. and a flash of flame like lightning rushed through the gallery, fallowed by a cloud of dense black smoke and deadly coal gas. Pit props and other colliery equipment were hurled a great distance. Later tho mine was cleared by special fans. The experiment showed the benefit of mixing stone dust with the coal dust to reduce the strength of the explosion.