HUNTLY MINE DISASTER

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 23 October 1914, Page 7

HUNTLY MINE DISASTER

EVIDENCE BEFORE THE COMMIS- . SION. -

•'iX TBLROHif'R-'—PJRK3S 4&SOOIATIOV,

■'„ . WELLINGTON, Oct;/23. lhe Commission of Enquiry into the .Huirfcly mining disaster sat iii AVellington to-day. Evidence was given by Percy Gates Morgan, director of geological survey of New Zealand,- and formerly director of the Waihi School of Mines. . He concurred with opinions already expressed, that there was considerable emission of firedamp from-the fall in No. 5 bord previous to the explosion; ■that this mixed with air was ignited by. Martin, whose body was found in the adjoining bord; and that the resulting gas explosion was continued as a coal dust explosion to the haulage road, whence it reached past No. 6 cabin in one direction and to the top of the main shaft in the other. It seemed probable that there was a comparatively large .body of firedamp in A;o. 5 bord at the time of the explosion. Some of this would be too pure to explode, whilst some largely by'diffusion' would have formed an explosive 7 mixture with the air present. Bords I four, five and six were on or near the summit of a small dome, or short anticline structure, known to all with oilfield • expei-ience as favoring the accunmlatiou of gas in the strata. It was therefore probable that the strata'immediately above these bords contained a large amount of inflammable gas under pressure, and that this was liberated previous to and after the explosion by cracks or fissures communicating with the fall in No. 5 bord. It was evident tliat any similar domes 01' anticlines in Waikato coal mines ought to be regarded as potentially dangerous unless the contrary was proved. The hypothesis advanced that there was a connection between seismic disturbances and colliery disasters remained unproved, and had found little acceptance.

The witness recommended experimental tests of_ coal dusts from all New Zealand mines, frequent' analysis of mine air, especially in returns; one or more rescue apparatus stations; and increased opportunity of technical education for-all classes of miners.