HUNTLY INQUIRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15730, 3 October 1914, Page 7

HUNTLY INQUIRY.

FIRST SITTING. DANGEROUS GOAL DUST, PROFESSOR DIXON'S VIEWS. SAFETY LAMPS REQUIRED. QUESTION OF VENTILATION. ir.V rn.Ki,IUVU,—SPECIAL JIETOKTKB.] HrxTi.Y, Friday. The lioy.il Commission set up to inquire into the disaster at Ralph's mine, Huntly, en September 12, commenced the hearing > i evidence at the Courthouse to-day. The . imniiwiouers consist of Messrs. F. .1. Hmgr.ss, S.M. (chairman), J. C. Brown, awl .1. Dowpray. .Mr. ('. J. Tunks repreMMited the Taupiri Coal Mines Company; Mr. J. W. Napier the trustees of the Ralph elate, owners of the mine: Mr. P. .M.K.i.v-cy uat<hod the proceedings for the Mince Department; Mr. G. M. Newton represented thoT.uipiri foal Mine Workers' CniMiii Mr. T. M. 'Wilford, M.P., represen tod New Zealand miners and some of I'"' relatives; Mr. Gould represented others of the relatives. Mr. Boyd Bennie, ii.(.p<*ct<.r of mines for the Auckland district, and Mr. . s . Dixon, president of the Hunt!;. - 1 iiiou, were in attendance, and Mr. I'. C. Webb, the member for Grey, was also present.

I'rufpMor 11. H. Dixon, (ho first, witness i ailed, stated that in addition to being J'mlVs.Mir ot' Chemistry at Manchester University, he hail other qualifications enabling ban to give expert evidence in tins inquiry, lie had been working on the nature of explosions tor the last 28 years, ami for the last 25 years had been interested in explosions in mines. He was a member of the Royal Commission on the Explosion of Coal Dust in Mines, which sat from 1891 to 1094; also, he had been a member .if the Royal Commission on Coal Supplies; and was a member of the executive committee of the British Home Office, to investigate explosion in coal mines. Witness read over, and put in, the evidence given by him at the inquest. Seine discussion as to procedure ended in the chairman asking Mr. Wilford to call the various witnesses and examine them.

What is an Efficient Test? In reply to Mr. Wilford, Professor Dixon said that in examining a mine for gas he did not think it would be possible for a man to make an efficient examination with a lamp without a ladder to reach tlu> roof in places otherwise out of reach. In witness's two visits to the mine he only saw one, ladder. He went into halfa dozen high places where an efficient test of the gas in tho roof could not be made without a ladder. Gas might bo in a high roof and an examiner might pass underneath without noticing it, and might consequently fail to report it as dangerous, hi examining the old workings of Ralph's mino witness considered, that a deputy doing the work should havo two safety lamps, though he might make an efficient examination with one. It. was possible with a safety lamp to delect, firedamp when present below the explosive point. It was possible for ga.s of less than explosive proportions to bs on the ground, while above, in tho roof, the gas might bo there in highly explosive proportions.

Nature ol Huntly Coal Dust. Continuing, witness said that an examiner could only declare a mine safe for the men up to a height he had tested. 'J lie men in Ralph's mine must have been working sometimes in the possibility of j torriblo danger. There must havo been I a good many hundred cubic feet of gas in the mine when the explosion occurred, Nnco the accident there had been a considerable volume of gas. He considered that, anyone holding an official position in tho mine ought to bo thoroughly conversant with firedamp testing. In his opinion safety lamps must now be used in tho Taupiri mines. His report to the Minister would have been modified if he had known such a considerable amount of gas was issuing from No. 5 bord. He. was not aware of the highly inflammable nature of the Huntly coal dust when he reported to Die Minister, only finding it out Jast, Sunday, when ho tested it. To Mr. 'funks: An examination of the old workings by two men each with a .safety lamp would be adequate*. The amount of gas found aftor on explosion did not indicate tho quantity present when the explosion occurred. The greatest force of the explosion seemed to I lrnve travelled through the main haulage way. °

Mine a Dangerous One. To Mr. Dowgray: He now considered the mine to be a dangerous one from coal dust. The explosion had proved that tlio ventilation could not have been adequate for such an amount of gas as came out. To Mr. Brown: There were several explosives which could be used in mines with comparative safety, but blasting powder was another matter. Anything over 1J per cent, of gas in tho return air of a gassy mine would indicate that Mure ventilation was required. David Molesworth, sen., examined by Mr. Wilford, said he had been for 32 years a miner in the Taupiri Company's employ, ft was about 2J, years since ho « ilied underground in the mine, which he knew well. lit remembered gas being found about twelve or fourteen years ago, "hen the little dip was being sunk. The "bleeding" was from a bore hole. Witness had seen gas in various paris of the in,ne. both before and after that. A I'll of du.-ty bluff had been coming up, ■■specially within the last month. The fir.-L lie saw if anything indicating to him tli<'. possibility of trouble was about twelve :: i llm ii_-), when coal came up mixed "itli .stone nd dust, and some of it, smoking hot. lie said to his mate: "Wln-r----ever that came from there's trouble lou-h." 'J licit; were dozens of skips of 'I"- mixed stuff coming up for three or f'nir days. lie had never come aeruts any hot spots in the mine.

T.. Mr. Turiku : He did not, know whore tin' h.at.rl stuff came from, but lie ri.'-iinii'd it was from the old workings, [iimli.-il'Jv representing the proper precaution if clearing away a heated place.

Anxiety Displayed by Officials. Bowl Bonnie, mining inspector, said all ■"•lions accidents were reported to the Under .Secretary of Mines. Under tho Coal .Mines Act it "as not necessary for the untie manager to report accidents of a minor nature. The mere fact that a man had been burned by an ignition of gas had not in the past seemed to him a sufficient reason for reporting to the Undersecretary, unless the injury was serious, and the escape of gas a big one. On August 7 last witness wrote to the

- Under-Secretary expressing the opinion that to prosecute the manager for a breach of Rule 14 of the Coal Mines Act, in connection with the burning accident to a miner named Kelly in the previous July, would have a good moral effect, and lead to stricter supervision. In the same letter he stated that if the mine was to continue to be worked on tho I same method in tho future he feared thore would be a great increase in tho number of accidents to miners, if not fatalities, owing to defective lighting by safety lamps. On August 11 the inspecting engineer of mines. Mr. Frank Reed, supported the proposal to prosecuto tho manager. In a memorandum to the Under-Secretary, Mr. Reed said :— " Ignitions of gas, by which men have been burnt havo occurred frequently of late at tlw Taupiii collieries. A prosecution would do good, even if it failed owing to our obsolete and weak Goal Mines Act, for it would show the public that tho Mines Department was alivo to the danger, and it would cause the management of the company to give greater attention to the safety of tho mine in future, bhould an explosion occur, the fact that we had prosemt«i would bo appreciated bv tho public." No pro,«ccution took place, because (A a solicitor's opinion that a conviction might bo difficult to obtain. No Help From Miners* Union. In witness's letter to the Under-Secre-tary ho had mentioned that he, as mining inspector, had received nu help from the Miners' Union, nor their check inspectors, who were, as then constituted, the creation of tho mining company's union. He was speaking generally as to the unions in tho North Island.

To Mr. Napier: The mine generally was in good order on August 22 last.

To Mr. Newton: Bv tho latter statement he meant that Messrs. Dixon and Stewart, who formed the new union after the strike, were, it was generally believed by the miners, agents of tho company. That wan tho general opinion in Huntly. Witness had frequently applied to the union two years ago asking if they had any complaints to make. He could not say he had asked them since.

To the Chairman: His instructions to tho manager to water the dust in the travelling way were prompted partly, by his knowledge that coal dust was dangerous. The commission adjourned until tomorrow morning.

RELIEF OF DISTRESS. STREET COLLECTION TO-DAY. SUCCESSFUL CONCERT. A collection will be made in the principal streets of the city this afternoon during a parade by the Grey Lynn and Mount Eden Bands, two of the bands forming the New Zealand Juvenile Musical Association. Permission to make a collection has been given by the Mayor, and the proceeds will be contributed to the fund for the relief of distress in Huntly A substantial amount was raised for tho Huntly fund by a concert given in tho parish hall, Takapuna, on Thursday evening. No charge was made for the use of the hall. An excellent programme was provided, and the audience packed the hall. A donkey donated by Mr. Bloomfield was sold for £4 for the benefit of tho fund. A donation of £1 10s has been forwarded to the. secretary of tho Huntly Mines Disaster Relief Committee by Mrs. B. Tiplady.on behalf of the Warkworth bTanch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. The .first picture entertainment ever given at Onehunga on a Sunday will take place to-morrow night in the Lyceum Theatre. All the proceeds will go to the local distress fund. The entertainment will commence after the church services have concluded.

The whole of the offertory to be taken up at the Baptist Tabernacle npon the evening of Sunday, October 11, will be devoted to the relief fund in connection with the Huntly disaster.