MINING FATALITY AT KAITANGATA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2984, 24 May 1911, Page 10

MINING FATALITY AT KAITANGATA.

(From Ouk Own Cop.kesfondent.) KAITANGATA, May 16. A mining fatality occurred at Kaitangata shortly before 7 p.m. on Monday, when John M'Ghee was filling bis last box, prior 1o crib-time. Without a moment's warning a mass of hard coal weighting several tons ' fell, one piece weighing a ton striking M'Ghee and killing him outright. M'Ghee and his mate (R. Newburn) were engaged in removing pillar and head coal—a work always attended with some risk—and therefore, entrusted to experienced men. The deceased was both experienced and careful. Imm sdiately after the accident the other miners gathered, and worked hard to uncover the body feavmg a further fall. The labour occupied 15 minutes, but there was no further fall. Newburn was working about 18ft from M'Ghee, and escaped the fate of his companion. The whole shift left the mine as soon as the body was recovered. The deceased was a young married man, and leaves a •wife and two children. The widow is a daughter of the late Mr Fred Fuell, at one time clerk of the borough. This morning Mr Green (Inspector,.of Mines), Messrs. Ridd and Rogers (workmen's inspectors), and Mr Carson (manager), and Mr Macalister (under manager) inspected the scene of the accident.

THE INQUEST. An inquest conoerniß.fr the death of John M'Ghee, who lost his life on the 15th inst when at work in the New Zealand Coal and Oil Co.'s mine at Kaitangata, was held on the 17th in the Kaitangata Courthouse before Mr C. E. Yates, (J.P., coroner), and a jury of six, of whom Mr D. Clements was chosen foreman. Constable Murray represented the Crown, Mr R. R. Grigor appeared on behalf of the relatives of deceased, Mr D. Stewart on behalf of the company, Mr E. R. Green on behalf of the Mines Department, and Mr J. »rm on behalf of the Miners' Union. William M'Ghee identified the body as that of his brother, who was 29 years of age, and had been in New Zealand about seven years, and was a married man with two children.

Dr George W. Will (acting locum tenens for Dr Fitzgerald) said he was called to the Kaitangata pit about 7 p.m. on May 15. The body was brought to the surface, and he examined it in the lamp room. The body was still warm, but life was quite extinct. There was a soalp wound Bin long, cutting the scalp clean through to the bone. The skull was also fractured. The wound seemed to have been caused by a blow from some heavy blunt object. Death must have beeir almost instantaneous, the cause being fracture of the skull with concussion of the brain: There were some small superficial wounds on the right elbow and forearm. There were no indications of any internal injuries.—To a Juryman: He had not examined to see whether the neck was ba-okerr. The blow on the head was certainly sufficient-to cause death at once. James Neilson (miner) deposed that he was working in sight of M'Ghie, about eight yards distant. Deceased, R. Newburn, and he were shovelling coal into boxes when there was a fall of coal. After the fall they called as usual, " Are you right, John?" but.there was no answer. Deceased was found buried under about-two boxes full of coal. They could not locate him at first. Robert Newburn went for assistance, whilst witness worked hard removing the coal trying to find .deceased. It was crib time. As ho was unable to lcoate the body at once, work that was unnecessary was done. Assistance arrived, and presently the body was discovered by Andereom It showed no signs of life. They removed the body to the surface, about an hour and a-half having elapsed between the time of. the accident and the arrival of the body at the surface. From 15 to 20 minutes elapsed between the time of the fall and the releasing of the body. In reply to Constable Murray, he stated that he did not know whether the place where the accident cccuraed was timbered. The coal fell from a height of from 7ft to 10ft. Falls were not frequent —they generally had to shoot to bring the coal down. There were no shots that night in that shift. They were working back, taking out pillars and head coal. There was always a certain amount of risk about this work. Where he (witness) was working was, he supposed, considered safe. He could not say whether the place deceased was working in was dangerous, as ho had not been in it. He could not say whether any further precautions could be take* to make the work safer. —To the Jury: Witness regarded deceased as a careful, practical, experienced mirier. Two pillars between 40ft and 50ft apart, and not quite abreast, were being removed. —To Mr Grigor: He had been working near deceased from 3 p.m. to the time of the accident. Deceased was filling boxes all the time, so that deceased could not have done anything to cause the accident.—To Mr Green : There was no fall that day prior to the fatal one. —To Mr Sim: The fact of three shovels going at one© would create noise and make it most difficult to hear.

William Carson 1 (mine manager) submitted a sketch and plan of the locality in which the accident had happened. He was not at the mine when the accident happened. The coal at the place of the accident was < being mined in the usual manner for pillar and head coal working. All precautions had been taken for safety. It was generally a very safe section of the mine. In his opinion nothing cauld be done to make such places safer. —To the Jury: The highest part of the working place was 15ft and the lowest 6ft. —To Mr Green: The fall came off from the side and roof at a point where J the height was 7ft. There was a smooth ' joint or (technically) a. "back" on the side, but he had not noticed whether it was damp. There was evidence on the roof and on the fallen coal of a rough parting. The ' total length may have been Bft, the depth j was 3ft, and the width 3ft or more. De- ] ceased had been caught by the outer end of the fall, it being evident that a large piece had struck him. —To Mr Stewjct: | The places wrere examined by the deptKies before the shift went in. The deputies were certificated men, and their duties were, to examine to see that roofs and sides were safe and the places clear of gas. This inspection 1 took place as usual on the 15th. The workmen usually c«amine the place themselves, and complained if they considered it unsafe. The method of working

adopted -was the ordinary method of working such places.—To Mr Grigor: Deceased could not have discerned the parting in the rcof. It might have been possible to see the "back" in the side. The vertical and horizontal partings might have met, and the coal that came away therefore be hanging by one end.—To Mr Sim: The fall occurred near to the inside mouth of the bord. The safety of bord working compared with narrow working depended altogether upon the nature of the coal. The fact of two bords bmusf worked together, almost abreast, would not necessarily make it more dangerous, but it would be less safe than if both sides were solid.—To Mr Green: Deceased was a practical experienced, careful man, who was always picked out tor special work. , , Albert Tripp, deputy, deposed that he examined, on the 15th, about -1.30 p.m., the place at which deceased started work later «"n. The place was quite safe when he examined it. . , To Mr Green: He was a duly authorised shot-firer for that part of the mine. On that clay he had only fired one shot in that section. It was fired in the roof about 1.45 p.m. He did not visit that portion again until after the accident. Hedid not think the shot could have caused the fall which killed deceased. The shot would be from 7ft to 10ft away from the fall It might have shaken the place a bit,' but was not likely to have caused the fall He did not know how much explosive was in the charge. It had been already tamped when he had arrived. To the Jury: When he went down there was sufficient coal down to keep two mem going until 7 o'clock. To Mr Stewart: The method of inspection was to sound the roof—in high places a stick was used for the purpose. He had carefully sounded the roof on this occasion. A parting in the roof could not bo seen. Unless instructed otherwise, the men prepared the charges and tamped them themselves, using their own discretion 'as to quantity. To Constable Murray: It was not customary for a deputy to examine after a shot had been fired. The men brought down whatever coal was hanging loose. Robert Newburn, miner, said he was working mate with deceased, but at a-dif-ferent road, filling a box. There was no noise save that of the shovels before the fall. He considered about six or seven boxes of lumpy coal fell, and without warning. He was working 18ft to 20ft away from deceased. ,• To the Jury: Deceased had thoroughly sounded the roof when they entered. If a shot had been recently fired they were sometimes told. Deceased had told witness that prior to their entering three shots had been fired that day. To Mr Green: He had assisted deceased to thoroughly sound the place, and they had found the place perfectly safe. They had had no shots. • Harry Hansen, miner, deposed that he was working in the previous shift at the spot where the accident occurred. They examined the place at 1.45 p.m., and it was safe so far as they could judge. Three shots . were fired during the shift, the last one being fired by Tripp about 1.45 p.m. After the shot was fired they went up and trimmed down the loose coal, leaving a hard roof, perfectly safe. There had previously been falls without warning in that locality, but none that day. To Mr Sim: He considered _ that in reenovinig pillar and head coal it would be better If fewer were working together, so as to minimise the noise of the shovelling. To the Jury: He had never heard in the mine any shocks. To Mr Green: There was plenty of timber standing when they left. The previous falls generally came from the roof at the back in the waste, and varied from a shoveful to a boxful. To Mr Stewart: After the shot was fired they worked until 2.30 p.m., filling boxes after they had finished the trimming. To Constable Murray: The charge was put in by his mate, and might have consisted of five or six plugs of gelignite.^ Walter Anderson, roadsman at the mine, said he was acting-deputy on the day of the accident, and was at the exact spot 10 or 12 minutes before the accident. He was repairing the road. He was not making an examination as to safety, but the place seemed safe. „ The Coroner having summed up, the jury retired, and after an interval of 20 aninutes returned to ask the Inspector of Mines the following' questions:—" (1) .Do you consider that three or more men is a safe method of -working in that particular class of work ? (2) Do you think that the eonf*sion of three or four shovels working increased the danger?" They also desired further information upon the apparently conflicting statements as to the number of shots fired that day, one witness stating the number as one and another as three.

Mr Green replied that the way the men were working at that spot- he considered was quite safe. If several men were shovelling very clcse together the danger would be increased, but in this case they were well distributed.

In regard to the statements with respect to the number of shots fired, it was pointed out that Albert Tripp's statement was that he had fired only one shot. The others might have been fired by other deputies. In any case the place had been inspected just prior <to the firing of the last shot. After a further brief retirement the jury returned wiAh 'the following verdict:— " Deceased met his death by a fall of coal in the Kaitangita mine." The jury added the following rider: —" That the working together of three or four men in a mine increases the danger to the workmen."

The inquest lasted about five hours, and was concluded in time to admit of many attending the funeral. Work in the mine was suspended, and a very large concourse attended the burial