Glen Alton Inquiry; Doctor’s Graphic Story

Northern Advocate, 1 December 1939, Page 10

Glen Alton Inquiry; Doctor’s Graphic Story

[Special to “Northern Advocate ” 3 HUNTLY, This Day.

Graphic evidence of the measures applied to revive William Brown shortly after he was discovered in the Glen Afton coal mine on the afternoon of September 24, was given before the £oyal Commission, which is inquiring into the cause of the disaster, with a view to preventing a recurrence of the tragedy. Dr. A. B. Jamieson, of Huntly, said he received a message from Glen Afton at 1.20 p.m. He arrived at the mine at 1.50 p.m. He was told something serious had happened underground and that it was believed there was gas in the mine. Resuscitation Fails. He went into the mine with a party of miners at a place known as E Diamond; he saw another party of miners and one man lying on the ground. Artificitl respiration was being applied to the man, whom he learned was William Brown. He also carried out resuscitative measures for half an hour. The efforts were of no avail, and he thought Brown was dead before he applied artificial respiration. Carbon Monoxide Gas. At that time, Dr. Jamieson said, he did not form any definite opinion concerning the cause of death, but when he saw the man outside the mine, he saw that he had died from a full dose of carbon monoxide.

He had the “cherry red” characteristic of carbon monoxide poisoning. The same afternoon two other men, Wilcox and Peden, were brought out dead.

They had evidently been dead for at least two hours, the, cause being carbon monoxide poisoning. Describing the effects of carbon monoxide, Dr. Jamieson said the earliest symptom was suffocation, which quickly assumed a form of extreme weakness and light-headedness. Mine Surveyor’s Evidence.

In some cases convulsive action took place, but in others there was complete relaxation, indicating extreme weakness.

William Garrick Inglis, mine surveyor at Glen • Afton, described his entry into the mine on the afternoon of September 24, and also stated that on the previous day Mr Wilcox had not mentioned any fire in the mine. To Mr Taylor, Inglis said he had not heard of carbon monoxide gas in the mine prior to the fatalities. (Proceeding).