THE ACCIDENT AT KAITANGATA COAL MINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5396, 4 March 1879, Page 2

THE ACCIDENT AT KAITANGATA COAL MINE.

THE INQUIRY. [PER "herald" SPECIAL WIRE.] Du.vedijj, Slonday. The inquiry into tho cause o£ the Kaitangata disaster was resumed to-ds.y. Joseph Robertson identified William. P.irker Hall, thus completing the identification of all the bodies. Thomas Knowles deposed : I -was working at the mines on the morning of February 21. The explosion took place at 10 minutes to nine. 1 was employed 50 yards from the mouth of the tunnel. I first noticed a large volume of smoke s.rid flying timber in the air from the air-shaft. The explosion was accompanied with a noise as if the earth was going to open up. I , understood that these signs meant an explosion of gas inside the mine. About two stconds afterwards I saw smoke, stones, a horse, and a boy blown out of "he mouth of tho tunnel, all iu one dense mass. I ran for shelter, but directly afterwards picked up little Edward Dunn, the boy 'who was employed drawing coal out of the workings. He had gone in a, second or two before, and had scarcely got out of my sight, when he was blown out. He breathed twice after he was ipicked up, and theu died. I have been in the old workings, but not for five monch3 prior to the explosion. I know the air courses through the old workings. The air went through them, going in one side and returning the other. The boy McDonald was employed in driving out the coal. He must have been near the upper shaft when the explosion occurred. I have never heard the men express fear of fire-damp. The miners had confidence in the foreman, Joseph Beardsmore, whose duty was to examine the workings before the men went in, and report them safe or unsafe. Once or twice during the last three months, before the cro33 openings were through, the men were stopped from going in certain places. These cross openings were completed three days before the explosion. I remember one accident from fire-damp in the mine, and a man named Jarvis was then burnt, and laid up for three weeks. I saw Archie Hodge on the morning of the explosion. He was taking in two rails for Andrew Jarvis and Willie Hay to lay down a road in an opposite direction, and was about 300 yards from the old workings. Ten minutes before the explosion, Archie Hodge went into the mine on the hatches driven by McDonald, taking two long rails with him. He said he wanted a pair of turnings—viz , bent rails to form a j unction in the rails. To get those would have to go into the old workings. There were no turnings outside, and Hodge would have known there were turnings in the old workings, and he jumped on the hatches and told the boy not to lay the rails, as he would hold them on. My impression is that he went into the old workings to get the turning. He had no conversation with me as to the propriety of going in there. So far as my judgment guides, I would not have gone into the old workings with a naked light. It would have taken Hodge all his time between the time when I last saw him and the explosion to have reached the place where his body was discovered. By a Juror : Archie waa carrying an open tallow lamp on his linger when I saw him going into the mine. By the Coroner : Archie's duty was to keep the roads in repair and attend to the furnace fire. I believe the door leading into the old workings was not kept locked. Charles Samson, director of the Green Island Coal Company, deposed: lam skilled in the working of co.il mines, having had 14 years' colonial experience and 9 years' at home. I have bee nin the Kaitangata mine, looking for bodies, and I tbiuk if all the openings in the old workings were kept closed and tight, there would bo sufficient ventilation through the mine. In my opinion, all old working should bo substantially blocked off. It does not matter whether air passes through old workings or not, so long as the openings are kept blocked up in a proper manner. I think there ought to be two openings to the. mine and a second way of getting out. lam of opinion that the air pit is sufficient; to ventilate the present workings. The Coroner : Do you remember ever seeing mines at home where the men would have, in case of explosion, to travel as far to get oat a3 they would to get in 1 Witness : Yes. Until the Mining Act cauie into force I never heard of suck a thiug as more than one outlet. The Coroner : Upon the whole, do you consider that this mine was worked on a safe system ? The witness : Yes, if the oid workings had been properly shut off. The Coroner : But if they were not substantially blocked off, is the system safe 1 Witness : It would not be safe if there ivas fire-damp, because auy man might fire it at auy time. If the head-manager had been told the damp had been noticed in different parts of the mine, I should have thought it very dangerous to have left open tho access to the old workings. It was quite easy to have means of escape by an airpit. I hold that all up-shafcs should be provided with ladders. Another reason for a second outlet would be, the main drive might become blocked up by a fall of earth. By the Foreman : I don't know that a ladder up the air-shaft would hive been de stroyed by an explosion. 11. se_-ma all right now. I think, had there b.en a ladder, some of the men could have escaped by that means. By the Coroner : I am pretty positive the explosion occurred in the old workings. It was reckless of any man to go into the old workings with a naked light. Any ordinary miner ought to know that. One would naturally think that gas would be found to gather in such places. By the Foreman : I have sein no firedamp in my own mine. It has two openings. Samuel Herbert Cox, Government Inspector of Mines, deposed : I have certiticntns of competency from the Schools of Mines in London. I have been three times in the Kaitangata mine. The last time wa-i in February last. I was net then through the old workings. Messrii. Hodge, Twinning, and Habeas accotr.paaiei me. I was last through the olcl workings last January twelvemonths. The old workings were not then entirely abandoned. When I re-visited tlie mine last month the ventilation through the new workings was satisfactory. I reserve my opinion about the air-shaft. lam now speaking of air through the new workings. The system was good, and if there was no firedamp there was sufficient air passing through to take off fire-damp in the old workings. The stopping between the main drive and the old workings seemed to be good. There was only a door to prevent people from passing from the main drive to the old workings. My duty was to report as to the general state of the workings. My reason for not e camming the old workings was that Binns, the coal-viewer, had been there eight days before, and also shortuess of time. I inquired of \V. Hodge whether any fire-damp hud been found in the old workings. He iiaid no. Hodge told me a miner ha-1 reported fire-damp in the mine, and that he had sent the fire-man to examine the workir.gs. Ko damn was found, and Hodge told me he looked upon it as a false report. If I had been told then an accident had arisen through fire-damp, I should have concluded that further precautions were necessary. I do not think that Hodge 'vas competent to take charge of the mine without the supervision of an inspector and manager. The barometer indicates whether damp is dangerous. Fire-damp is very apt to come out of such places as old wo rkings. The Coroner : Speaking 2.3 an expert, has the mine boen worked with ordinary proper precautions as to ventila tien and means of egress ? Witness: Not with the knowledge that fire damp existed. The Coroner : With proper precautions, is it probable the explosion would have taken place ? Witness: No. The Coroner : As an expert, tell us what precautions should have been taken ? Witness : The large chambers in the old workings require independent ventilation by drives close to the roofs, and the air should be taken throughout the workings with an up cast shaft. I believe it was the intention of the company to have done this. The coal in Kaitangata mine is classified as pitch coal. I think it quite safe to work with naked lights, because it is the firemen's duty to inspect, but certainly the old workings should not be entered without safety-lumps. I do not consider that Wil- j liam Hodge understood the p roper system of , ventilation. The drives were very crooked, ! and that is an indication of want of *ltill on 1

the part of the manager. I T~~mine on sufferance the Regulations Act not bting in force in Ife» 7J, nft had full liberty to go through the mlnf" 1 James Davidson deposed • I am manager of the Kaitangataßiiilwa^andp' 3 } Company, and gazetted February 00 Have not taken part in the * S J B ". the mine, except as one of the ct have been led to believe that the 1 safe. When I used to 20 into ask about fire-damp, I was Hoage and other miners, who thr, b * over-cantious. The last time I askcl-,k e Sre-damp was the Sunday befo-p ut tropbe. Hodge in reply, laughingly a'lnh to my horror of fire damp, and J;7i d was no danger. I aid not know "thiV« ere damp from new workings would b» A • through air courses to the old workers :c ' 4 By a Juror: Archie Hod»e hii ~ tbority about the mine. ° aa - By the Court: The only o"ci=; r ,n . interfered with Hodge was once dnrln.L floods, when the men were knock»d ofTf a working at the cross-cut between the l The fire at the air-pit wa3 goin-' cr-*- i 3, insisted on its being re-lighted 1 tained. 0 " 3j By a Jnror: I know of Jarr-"- k • burned. darr ' 3 b«og Several other witnesses were ex---n-,i,u t The jury suggested the calling of n"i!" • ton. The inquiry was then fn Monday next, at 11 o'clock. The miners are working cons'-']-It ing the damage to the mine, "br men cannot be got in. The prea-n-'-•,! 3 working extra time to get it in o-d-'r"