CONTROL AND INSPECTION OF MINES, (REPORT ON.)

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1879 Session I, H-16

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1879. NEW ZEALAND.

CONTROL AND INSPECTION OF MINES, (REPORT ON.)

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by command of His Excellency.

To the Hon. William Gisborne, Minister of Mines. Sir, — Mines Department, Wellington, ]Bth July, 1579. I have the honor to forward for your information the following report upon the official control and inspection of Mines under " The Kegulation of Mines Act, 1874," which was brought into force concurrently with my taking charge of this branch of the Mines Department. I have, &c, Oliver Wakefield, Under-Secretary for Mines.

EEPOET. Act Proclaimed in Fobce, and Administrative Arrangements. On the 2Gtli of February last, I took occasion to submit for the consideration of the Government, ■with reference to the accident (referred to hereafter) which had then recently occurred at Kaitangata, and in view of progress being made in various parts of the colony towards developing coal resources, whether the time had not arrived for initiating a plan for bringing coal mines and workings definitely under official control and inspection, suggesting that " The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," might at once be brought into general operation, and one or more inspectors appointed, not necessarily at first to exercise all the powers and duties provided for by the Act, but generally to insist upon proper provisions for safety and order being established, and to report upon all the coal mines in the colony, so that the Government might be in a position to see how far the Act would work satisfactorily, and if necessary, to introduce a comprehensive amended measure for dealing with this question in detail. Although, when I wrote nay memorandum containing these suggestions, I was unaware that any other department was interested in this question, I found, upon enquiry, that Dr. Hector, Director of Geological Surveys, had also moved in this matter—as will be seen by correspondence appended to this Eeport —and urged that action should be taken to put the Act into force. Immediate effect was accordingly given to these recommendations by the issue of a proclamation upon the 28th of February (published in the New Zealand Gazette of the same date), bringing " The Eegulations of Mines Act, 1874," into force in all the Provincial Districts in the colony. At the same time, the administration of the Act was definitely placed under the Mines Department as the proper office to have charge of such business ; and on the 11th of March following, Mr. S. H. Cox and Mr. G. J. Binns (who had respectively held appointments as Inspector of Mines and Coal Viewer, but with no legal authority to enforce the observance of regulations) were appointed Inspectors of Mines under the Act, Mr. Binn's services being entirely transferred to the Mines Department, and arrangements being made for Mr. Cox to give to the dejjartment a fair proportion of his time, according to the salary paid to him for the work of inspecting, he being chiefly engaged with his duties as Assistant Geologist. Mr. J. M. M'Laren, Inspector of Mines under " The Gold Mining Districts Act, 1873," for the Hauraki Gold Mining District, has recently also been appointed an Inspector under " The Regulations of Mines Act, 1874," so that his services may be available in the Northern districts, or elsewhere, as occasion may require.

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In order to avoid any departmental confusion, it was also decided that the placing of the control and inspection of mines under the Act, under the Mines Department, should not be understood in any way to interfere with the scientific exploration of coal mines conducted by the Geological Department. Precautions for Safety—General and Special Rules—lnspections—Reports— and Statistics. Immediately after the appointment of the two Inspectors first mentioned, a copy of the Act was forwarded from this office to each of the coal mine managers, to whom I also addressed a circular letter, directing their attention to part VII. of the Act, which provides for the establishment of Special Rules, in addition to the General Rules contained in part 11., for the conduct and guidance of managers, and of all persons employed in or about a mine, as under the particular condition of such mine may be best calculated to insure the health and safety of the persons employed therein. Apprehending the difficulty in which mine managers would be placed upon being suddenly and unexpectedly called upon to construct special rules, I deemed it expedient to forward with my circular letter a set of such Rules, altered, after due consideration, by the two Inspectors (Messrs. Cox and Binns) and myself, from Special Rules framed in accordance with " The Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1872," of Great Britain, so as to be applicable as nearly as possible to each condition of coal mining in the colony, of course leaving it optional with the managers to accept or alter these Rules, or frame their own and transmit them for the Governor's approval; and lam happy to state that this plan succeeded well, a large proportion of managers accepting the set of Special Rules sent to them, thus saving much delay and correspondence which might have occurred before a different set of Special Rules for each mine could have been agreed to. A copy of the Special Rules particularly referred to here will be found published in the New Zealand Gazette, No. 74, of the 10th July instant. It was not considered expedient to communicate with the owners or managers of mines other than coal with reference to the provisions of the Act affecting such mines, as, looking at the large number and various condition of these mines, and the inapplicability of the provisions of the Act in many of these cases, together with the small staff of Inspectors under the control of this department, it would have been impossible to have brought the Act into working order in these mines before the time had arrived for the consideration by Parliament of an amended Bill, including provisions for dealing with such questions. Shortly before the Act was brought into operation, Messrs. Binns and Cox had inspected the coal mines in Canterbury and Otago, and as soon as Mr. Binns was appointed an Inspector under the Act, he proceeded to inspect all the coal mines in the North Island, and all those of any importance upon the West Coast of the Middle Island. Dr. Hector having kindly forwarded Mr. Cox's report, to the date of the Act coming into force, here for publication, complete reports of these inspections will be found in the Appendix ; also a report by Mr. Cox upon his inspection of the D'Urville Island Copper Mine. I need hardly add, that as thorough and vigorous a process of inspection of mines as can be undertaken by the present staff is now being continued. The tabular statement of statistics of Workings in Coal Mines—Return No. 1 following the Appendix, referred to in Mr. Cox's report of the 19th of June—has been completed by additional statistics obtained by Mr. Binns during recent inspections ; and various managers of mines have been good enough to assist me in preparing the columns showing the output for the year 1878, and the approximate total output of coal from all coal mines of any importance in the colony to a fixed date, from which future returns of coal production in New Zealand may be compiled. A return of Coal Imports and Exports, for the year ending 31st of December, 1878, as supplied by the Secretary and Inspector of Customs, will be found in Return No. 2 following the Appendix. This return shows the quantity of coal imported during the year 1878 as 174,148 tons, being an increase of 18,152 tons over the quantity imported in 1877. If we add the total output from coal mines in the ■colony during 1878 to the; quantity imported, and after deducting the quantity exported during the same period, assume that the whole has been consumed here, the total consumption in the colony during 1878 would be 332,445 tons, or an increase over the quantity shown in Dr. Hector's report as consumed during 1877, of 37,465 tons; the increase of coal derived from mines in the colony during 1878 being 23,234 tons over the quantity raised in 1877. The Accident at the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company's Mine. As soon as the preliminary arrangements for the working of the Act had been put into shape, I made it my business, in connection with other matters, to visit the Kaitangata Coal Mine, in which the accident occurred upon the 21st February, resulting in the loss of 34 lives, I am aware that, in remarking upon the circumstances attending the occurrence of this unfortunate catastrophe, lam treading upon delicate ground; but, as I have not only visited the scene of the explosion, but have also read with care everything of importance which has been published upon the subject, I feel it to be no more than my duty to state briefly the points upon which opinions differ in reference to this matter. From the evidence taken at the inquest, the jury agreed to a verdict to the effect that the necessary precautions in the management of the mine had not been observed, and that the immediate cause of the accident was that the old workings, containing explosive gas or fire-damp, were entered with a naked light. A question was, however, afterwards raised in published correspondence—no doubt with a view to challenging the correctness of the verdict—as to the source of the accumulation of gas which exploded in the old workings, and on one side it was held that a strong probability existed that the gas made its appearance suddenly, and did not originate in the mine but in Mr. Shore's adjacent No. 1 Kaitangata Mine below. Mr. Shore, the owner of the No. 1 Kaitangata Mine, however, altogether denies the correctness of this view, and not only states his positive opinion that the fire-damp did not emanate

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from the mine below, but also that no sufficient examination of the old workings had been made prior to the accident, to ascertain the true source or cause of the accumulation of explosive gas. The following is the correspondence referred to above : — Dr. Hector, Dunedin. Re Accident at Kaitangata Coal Mine. Sie, — Dunedin, 13th March, 1879. As you are doubtless aware various opinions are held by experts and those who consider themselves as such, as to where the accumulation of gas which exploded in the mine originated. Some think that the small quantities of gas occasionally met with in the new workings, through defective ventilation, gradually accumulated in the old and partly abandoned workings; others again believe that the gas originated solely in the coal of these old workings ; and now, after the accident, the holders of either opinion are ready enough to point out mistakes in the management—-carelessness in not cutting off all communication with the old workings, and assumed defective ventilation; neither of these theories apjieais to me to be satisiactory. The late manager, William Hodge, always stated, and having known him for eight years I believe he spoke the truth, that the coal in the old workings had never given off gas during the period it was wrought; and further that after the workings had been partly abandoned, he and his brother had been through them on several occasions, and had never found the slightest trace of gas. And in corroboration of this is the fact that, on the 25th of December last, just two months before the explosion a party of gentlemen, including James Davidson, George Maitland, and George Itichardson, under the guidance of Hodge, went through the whole of the old workings with naked lights, and examined them from tup to bottom, without the slighest trace of gas being discovered. I understand, however, that you have suggested a third theory regarding the whence of the gas in question, which has not been made public, and which if correct, alters the aspect of matters very much, and, had it been made known to the jury, would probably have led them to modify their verdict. I do not believe that William Hodge was a careless or incautious man in any respect; and he believing, and I think correctly, that no fire-damp to occasion the least apprehension existed, or was likely to originate in the mine under his charge, if it can now be shown that there is a strong probability that the gas which exploded made its appearance suddenly, and did not originate in his mine, the public and the jury that condemned him (unheard, for there was no one to put in a word for him) will, I think, look at the sad accident in a different light. Your theory I understand to be that the fire-damp came from the mine below us, and in which a good deal of fire-damp has been met with. The manager of this mine (Mr. Shore), a careful and experienced miner, knowing fire-damp to exist, has of course taken the usual precautions to prevent accidents. That the workings of this lower mine being now in close proximity to the boundary of the upper, and the water, which was at one time very plentiful in the latter having been recently drained off, the exit by which this water got away would open a new and unexpected means by which gas in the lower mine would ascend into the old workings of the upper mine. Mr. Binns stated at the inquest that there was now nearly as much gas in the old workings as at the time of the explosion. It appears to me absurd to suppose that a coal which, whilst being wrought, gave off no gas in the old workings, and only a trifling quantity in the new, should all at once generate gas so suddenly, and in such large quantities without some special cause, and it would seem that if there is now a second accumulation like that which exploded, it can only be satisfactorily accounted for by your theory. That a communication exists between the two mines is clearly proved by the disappearance of the water in the upper mine. If I have been correctly informed of your ideas on the subject, I do trust that in justice to poor Hodge, a man of whose ability and character you have had several opportunities of judging, that you will not hesitate to state your opinion folly and unmistakeably, with a view to this letter and your reply being published. I am, &c, T. T. Eitchie.

T. T. Eitchie, Esq., Dunedin. Sir,— March 13th, 1879. In reply to your letter of this date requesting my opinion as to the source of the fire-damp that caused the recent disastrous explosion in the Kaitangata mine, I may state that I have not heen in the mine since February, 1877, and that my evidence was therefore not considered necessary at the inquest. Any opinion I can offer is therefore a surmise, founded on the evidence taken at the inquest, and my general knowledge of the subject. In the extension of the old workings to the dip of the coal, and towards the boundary of the land held by the Kaitangata Company, and that held by Mr. Shore, evidence of the existence of an extensive downthrow fault has been met with, this fault throwing the coal in the opposite manner to the faults met with in following the coal to the rise or into the new workings. I have not been down Shore's shaft, but from the details stated to me, the existence of this fault seems to have been proved; and moreover, that the coal in Shore's mine, as this fault is approached, is crushed and tilted at a steep angle. This would, from my experience of other similar coal mines in New Zealand, alter the character of the coal and cause the evolution of gas. As long as the ground was undisturbed this gas might remain pent up. That it did escape when it was tapped by the drive from the bottom of Shore's shaft is proved by the evidence, Shore having among others, been himself burnt by it. The drainage of the faulted ground by Shore's shaft and drive would probably cause a free communication along the faulted ground between the crushed coal and the old workings, and any cessation of pumping from Shore's shaft that would allow the water to rise in it would naturally force the fire-damp up into the old workings. I found on inquiry that Shore had left off pumping for five days during the week before last Monday, when Mr. Binns found that the old workings had refilled with fire-damp to such an extent that the high goaves were again full to within five feet of the floor. As Mr. Twinning and others were in the same part of the workings only a week previously, and at any rate all the gas must have been cleared out by the explosion only a fortnight previously, this shows the gas to have accumu-

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lated with great rapidity, and much faster than I think it could have been formed by the disintegration of the standing coal, or the further decomposition of slack heaps in the old workings. Moreover, had it ever previously formed with the same rapidity it could hardly have escaped detection. Mr. Binns was in the old workings with Hodge on 28th January, and though he reported, and for very sound reasons, the mine to be in a dangerous condition if (jas were to accumulate, he yet found no gas. This was after the workings had been standing for months; six weeks later he finds that the gas has accumulated so as to be easily found, and in about two weeks time only. This, therefore, to my mind, raises a strong presumption that the first appearance of gas in the old workings was sudden and in large quantity, and that it came, and is still coming, from a "blower" that has broken out in some part of the old workings, and as an indirect consequence of Shore's workings. If this view is correct, neither poor Hodge, nor anyone else could have foreseen that it was necessary to take unusual precautions. I did not foim this opinion till after the inquest had closed; but I expressed it freely on the ground to several persons, and have no hesitation in placing it at your service, if it will in any way clear Hodge's memory of culpable carelessness of the lives of those under him. I am, &c, James Hectob.

THE KAITANGATA DISASTER. (To the Editor of the Morning Herald.) Sib,— Dunedin, 19th March, 1879. With your permission I would like to say a few words on the correspondence appearing in your journal to-day re the Kaitangata explosion, although with considerable reluctance, feeling myself much in the position of a schoolboy finding fault with the doings of his schoolmaster. As to the origin of the correspondence, and the end it is supposed to serve, I will say nothing further than that I have doubts as to the honesty of purpose. How can Mr. Eitchie speak so lightly of the trifling quantity of gas found in the new workings, when we find that before gas was ever found or known to exist in our shaft, Mr. Jarvie was seriously burned, and his milling companions were being repeatedly, morning after morning, sent home because they could not work on account of the fire-damp? He also speaks of the considerable quantity of fire-damp met with in our shaft; but I challenge Mr. Eituhie, or any other gentleman, to find fire-damp in our coal workings. That our shaft gives off gas I don't deny, I never tried to hide the existence of such. But if our shaft and workings were full of gas to the pit-mouth, it could not contain one cubic foot to five that was fouud in the upper mine during the time the men were being sent home, and that, too, before gas was known to exist in our mine. Yet it is only a trifling quantity ! Besides, we find the Company had ordered safety lamps, barometer, and anemometer, two months before coal was tapped in our shaft. Yet the gas all comes from the under mine. Again, as a proof of the non-existence of gas in the old workings we are told a party of gentlemen examined them on December 25 hist—from top to bottom, bear in mind. That the same parties went into the extremity of the old level with naked liyhts, and found no gas. Of that I have little doubt; but then they were travelling in the main air-way. If they had struck out from the level into any of the inside rise headings, the result perhaps would have been diff jreut. Further, to have examined the old workings from top to bottom would have required the services of a ladder or pole 25 feet long, which, fortunately for them, they did not possess. Let us ponder a moment over this so-called third theory advanced as the cause of the sad catastrophe, and which now, for the first time, has boen made public—viz., that the gas came from the under mine. Take for granted that the coal to the dip of the Kaitaugata Eailway and Coal Company's mine generated more gas than that where they were working—a circumstance yet to he proved—although Dr. Hector sets it down as proved by myself being burned. Our drive was not within 100 feet of tapping the coal, and had been idle for seven weeks. The quantity of gas accumulated was so small that if it had been an ordinary-sized drive it would have scarcely been felt. That the drainage of the ground by our shaft would cause free communication through the fault) which it must have done if the theory is correct) is something new to me at least, or any authority it has been my good fortune to consult. The supposition generally is, that where an extensive fault was found to exist it always acted as a barrier to gas or water ; and that it does so there is abundance of proof in almost every mining district, Kaitangata not excepted. Take Mr. Eitchie's own words—"No gas was seen in the old workings previous to their being abandoned ; also, the growth of water was comparatively small. But when they tapped the coal, through the fault existing between the old and new working, they had an increased supply of water, and a trifling quantity of fire-damp." Yet, here is our mine to the dip of the old workings, distant about 500 yards horizontal measurement, and about 450 below their level, backed by the supposed existence of a heavy fault draining the water from the upper mine and supplying in return fire-damp ! And yet the old workings to the dip of the new, with only a few feet between them, drained neither water nor gas ! But allow me to inform your correspondents that the drainage of the upper mine by our shaft is a pure fabrication, clearly proved by the water being still lodged in the dip workings of the said mine, of which I personally had ample proof during my late explorations of the mine in search of the body of A. Hodge. Further, we had no cessation of pumping during the interval that elapsed between the tapping of coal in our shaft and the explosion, the only stoppage being after the explosion for seventy-four hours, and even then the ventilation was not blocked in our shaft. Mr. Twinning never was in the old workings prior t), nor since the explosion, and being one of the others referred to with myself, I am enabled to state we were not so far into the rise workings as where Mr. Binns, along with Mr. Irvine and myself, found the gas, and consequently could not say whether gas existed in that part of the mine on our previous visit. Again, Mr. Binusis reported to have examined the old workings on January 28, and fouud no gas. But, according to Mr. Binns' own showing, he was only at the bottom of the second heading, or main airway, he not being inclined to go further without a safety lamp. But, Mr. Editor, supposing our colliery to be such a vast

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gasometer (which, considering we work with naked lights, is highly improbable), always ready to flow from every crevice whenever an opportunity occurs, and that it flowed in abundance from us into the old workings above, it would have been impossible for it to accumulate in a body, or even reach the part whe;-e gas was found, as along the main level was a series of stoppings which forced the scattered current into the extremity of the levels and returned by the boundary workings to the air-shaft in a confined body—the air-shaft being on the boundary line—so that gas given off from the dip workings would at ones be swept up the return air-shaft, before being able to accumulate, which of itself is sufficient to prove the fallacy of such an absurd theory. And coming, too, from such an authority, to try to prove that the gas did not originate in the workings where found is simply making bad worse. There is abundance of proof to show that gas generated in the workings on either side, and why not in the centre, it being one and the same seam ? As for the appearance of the gas again after the explosion, it must be borne in mind that ventilation has never been restored, and that, therefore, every opportunity has been offered for the collection of such. Hoping you will find space for this rather lengthy epistle. I am, &c, W. M. Shore.

Mr.Binna visited the mine as Government Goal Viewer on the 2tth of January, and although upon his own statement to the jury and for the reasons then given, he did not make a thorough examination of the old workings, he still saw sufficient to induce him to warn the manager of the dangerous system of working, as the following extract (to which I desire to direct particular attention) from Mr. Binns' report to the Geological Department upon this subject will show:— " Fire-damp exists in this mine, and every morning the working places (but, not the wastes) are inspected by a fireman, who meets the men before they go into their working places, and informs them of the condition as regards gas. He does not, however, make any mark on the places, nor does he keep a report book. No regular system of ventilation exists to carry the ah through the old workings, and 1 have informed Mr. Hodge that I consider the fart of a luiye waste of I hat description in a coal which is known to (jive off yas where naked lit/his are used constitutes an, element of danger. Mr. Hodge, the manager, informs me, however, that gas has never been seen out bye from the fault." It will be observed, therefore, that although the manager was warned of danger by an experienced authority upon such matters (Mr. Binns having also, in the course of conversation, fully explained to him his viuws upon this subject), he does not appear to have been seized with due apprehension of the risk of continuing working under the conditions then existing. Particular attention is also directed to a further extract from Mr. Binns' report of the 81st of January, contained in the Appendix, where it is stated that in consequence of what he saw at the Kaitangata mine, ho predicted, that unless the necessary precautions (of which it will be seen that he had informed the manager) were taken, fatal accidents must be expected, and that the mine was by no means unlikely to be the scene of such a disaster. The following is the report of the evidence taken at the inquest, as published in the Otayo Daily Times newspaper, of the 24th of February, and 4th and 11th of March, 1879 : — THE KAITANGATA CATASTROPHE. THE INQUEST. At 12-20 p.m., on Saturday, the Coroner's Court sat at the Bridge Hotel (where the bodies are lying), before the Coroner (Mr. E. H. Cavew,) and a jury of sixteen, viz., Messrs. Alexander Mitchell, David Dunn (foreman), John Walker, William Bissett, William Carson, George Kidd, Hugh MoFarlaue, John Gordon, Allan Blackie, Charles Smaill, Andrew Sinaill, Joseph E >bertsou, Alexander Bissett, P. P. Stoddart, James Muir, and Malcolm Morrison. Mr. Commissioner Wuldon and Inspector Moore were present. The Coroner, addressing the jury, said: "Gentlemen, you are called together to inquire into the circumstances under which William Hodge and thirty-three others met their death. It is not possible to complete the inquest to-day, and it will be sufficient for you to identify the bodies, and then I can issue certificates for their burial." The j ury then viewed the bodies. The Coroner remarked that he would only call evidence as to identification. The bodies of the following men were then identified by Thomss Kuowles, pit-head man: —Caleb Beardsmore, George Jarvie, James Beardsmore, juu., John McMillan, John Clarke, Daniel Lockheart, John Molloy, William Whinney, James Beardsmore, sen., Thomas Black, Thomas Frew, James Spiers, William Haly, Alfred Beardsmore, Daniel Buchanan, John Thomas Molloy, Charles McDonald, Edward Dunn, Thomas Smith, William Watson, Samuel Coulter, William S. Wjlsou, Joseph Beardsmore, William Hodge, John Clingiu, Joseph Moulton, Barney McGee, John Ferguson. These men all went into the mine by the tunnel. Joseph liobertson identified James Hall, his brother-in-law, a new arrival per the " Easterhill." David Dunn identified John Gage. John McDonald identified John Thomas Molloy and Edward Molloy. The Coroner said all had now been identified except one of the Halls. That woiild be done at next sitting probably. The inquest was then adjourned till to-day at eleven a.m., and the witnesses were bound over in sureties of £100 each to re-appear. THE ADJOURNED INQUEST. The inquiry into the circumstances attending the colliery explosion at Kaitangata on the 21st ultimo, was resumed before Mr. Carew, R.M., of Milton, and a jury of sixteen, yesterday morning, at the Bridge Hotel, Kaitangata. Mr. Superintendent Weldon was also present. Joseph Kobertson added to his former evidence: I identify the body of William Parker Hall. This completed the identification of the whole of the bodies.

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Thomas Knowles added: I was working at the mine on the morning of the 21st ultimo. I was about fiftv yards from the mouth of the tunnel at 10 minutes to 9 o'clock that morning, when the explosion took place. I first noticed the explosion by a large volume of smoke issuing from the air-shaft. There was a tremendous report, as if the gronnd was going to open up. The sight presented was like a burning mountain throwing a dense mass of debris into the air. A volley of stones, timber, hutches, and debris also came from the mouth of the pit. A boy named Edward Dunne, who used to drive the horse that brought the coals out of the mine was blown out. I saw him enter the mine, and had spoken to him only a moment before the accident took place. I ran towards him, but after breathing twice he expired. I seldom used to work in the mine. I know the old workings well, and have been into them a great number of times, but not during the past four or five months. The horse Dunne had been leading was also blown out of the mine. The course of ventilation in the workings went up one side and returned on the other side. The explosion must have occurred in the old workings. Did you ever have any conversation with the men as to the state the mine was in ? They all seemed quite satisfied, as far as I could hear. Did you hear no expressions of fear about fire-damp ? No; Hodge used to go round and see whether it would be safe for the men to enter, and if it was not safe he stopped them; but if it was they appeared quite satisfied ? And during the last two or three months was it frequent or unfrequent for him to stop them from going in ? There were one or two places that they were stopped from going into occasionally during the last three months, but after the cross openings were through there was no fire-damp to be noticed there any more. Do you know of any accidents having occurred in the mine from fire-damp ? Yes ; there was one. Andrew Jarvie was burnt a short time ago, and laid up for three weeks. Did you see Archibald Hodge on the morning of the explosion ? Yes; I was standing talking to him outside the mouth of the pit. He was taking in two rails for Andrew Jarvie and Walter Hay, to lay a load about 300 yards in the direction opposite to the old workings. Did he get all the rails he wanted, do you think? No; he wanted a pair of long rails. How long was this before the explosion? Ten minutes. Did he get the long rails ? Yes; and he took them in, and put them on a hutch that young M'Donald was'driving. He got on the hutch himself, and held the rails there. He also said he wanted a pair of "turnings." Did he say where he was going to get these turnings? No; all in the new workings were in use, and there were none outside. Superintendent Weldon: To get these, then, would he have to go into the old workings? Yes. The Coroner: Would he know that there were turnings in the old workings? Oh, yes ; he would know every one that was there, I believe. What was your impression at the time ? Where was he going to get them? I could not say for certain; but I thought he was going to the old workings to get them—that is what I thought. Was there any conversation between you with regard to the propriety of going there to get them ? No. You know the place where Archibald Hodge was found ? Yes. Then, taking into consideration the time at which you saw Hodge at the pit's mouth, and the time at which you heard the explosion, did it strike you that it would have just occcupied the interval in reaching the old workings ? Yes ; it struck me at the moment that Hodge had caused the explosion. What was your opinion about the old workings ? I was not in a position to say whether they were dangerous or not; but as far as my judgment led me, I would not have gone in myself with a naked light. A Juror: Did you see how he was carrying his lamp when he went into the mine ? It was in his fingers in the usual way. The Coroner: Was it an open lamp ? Yes. What was burnt in it ? Tallow. What office did he hold ? He was roadsman, and had to keep the furnace burning. He kept the door locked, and the key in his pocket. Charles Samson said: lam a director of the Green Island Coal Company. I am skilled in the working of coal mines. I have had fourteen years experience in the Colony, and was employed nine years as coal miner at home. I have managed mines of my own, the workings of which were rather extensive. I have managed the Abbotsford Mine at Green Island. I have been in the Kaitangata. Company's Mine. I think if all the openings in the old workings were kept closed and tight the ventilation would be sufficient. The old workings ought to have been blocked up, if that was not the case already. It did not matter whether the air passed through the old workings or not, so long as the openings were kept blocked up in a proper and substantial manner. Is it sufficient for mines like this to have one outlet, or should they have two ? I think there ought to be two outlets. But what do you mean by "outlets?" Do you mean outlets for air, or what ?

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I mean an outlet for the passago of men or anything else that might he rendered necessary. Do you think the only means of getting out should be the place where the men enter ? No ; there ought to be a second place. On the whole, do you think the system of working observed in the Kaitangata Mine was a safe system, or not ? Yes ; I consider it was quite a safe system, if the old workings had been shut off. Wherever old workings come to be done they ought to be shut off from the other workings. ' Suppose you had been the manager of this mine, and had been told that fire-damp had been noticed in different parts, would you have thought it dangerous to have left access to the old workings under the circumstances ? Yes, very dangerous. Examination continued : All up-draught shafts ought to be provided with ladders for escape in case of accident. Have you any doubt in your own mind as to where the accident originated ? No ; I am pretty positive that it was in the old workings that the explosion took place. Examination continued : Seeing that fire-damp had been noticed a few days previously, it was reckless for a man to go into the old workings with a naked light. One would naturally have expected gas to be gathered there. Any ordinary miner ought to have known the danger that existed. By the Jury: I have never seen the effects of fire-damp in the Old Country, neither have I seen any fire-damp in the Abbotsford Mine. Samuel Herbert Cox, Inspector of Mines, in the service of the New Zealand Government, said: I have a certificate of competency from the School of Mines in London. I have been through the Kaitangata Mine three times on different occasions. The last time was on the Ist February. I did not go through the old workings then. Messrs. Hodge, Twinning, and Holmes were with me. The last time I went through the old workings was a year ago last January. In February, the ventilation in the new workings appeared perfectly satisfactory ; that is to say, that the current of air passing through was good. The question as to whether the system of ventilation was good or not, depended on the fact as to whether fire-damp was present or not. I thought the " stoppings " between the main drive and the old workings were sufficient for ventilating purposes. There was only a door to prevent persons from passing from the main drive into the old workings. Was it not necessary to examine the old workings ? My reason for not doing so was partly because Mr. Binns, the Coal Viewer in the employ of the Government, had been through them only eight days previously, and partly because of the shortness of time. Had you any information given you as to fire-damp ? I inquired of Mr. Hodge if any had been found in the old workings, and he told me " No." He told me at the same time that a man came out of the old workings with a report that there was firedamp, but he had sent Beardsmore there, and Beardsrnore had flashed his lamp across the roof, but returned with the information that no fire-damp was to be found. He did not tell me that any accident had arisen in consequence of fire-damp. If he had, I should have concluded that farther precautions were necessary, because the fire-damp would have collected in the high chambers of the old workings. I have met Mr. William Hodge every time I visited the mine. Ido not think he was competent to take charge of a mine without the supervision of an Inspecting Manager. I believe the explosion must have taken place in the old workings. Have you had any practical experience with regard to fire-damp ? No ; I have only known of it in theory. Do you think barometers should he used in mines ? Yes ; they give indications of danger if fire-damp is known to be in a mine. In a certain state ox the atmosphere the fire-damp would he apt to come out of the chambers in which it collected. If a miner had known fire-darn}) to be about in the new workings, it was dangerous for him to enter these old workings with a naked light; but I would not say it was highly dangerous. Can you say whether the mine has been worked with ordinary and proper precaution in regard to ventilation and means of egress ? Not with the knowledge of fire-damp having existed in the new workings. With proper precautions, is it probable that the explosion would have taken place ? No. As a skilled man, then, perhaps you would point out what precautions were necessary? First of all, these large chambers in the old workings required independent ventilation. How could that have been given ? By independent drives close to the roof. And the air should have been taken right through the workings witli an upcast shaft sunk in a different direction to the rise of the workings. I believe it was the intention of the Company to do this shortly. Did the late manager give you the impression, then, that there had been no fire damp there ? He gave me the impression that anyhow there had only been a trace of it. That was last month ? Yes, in February. And did he not report the accident that had occurred to Jarvie ? No. What is the nature of this coal ? It is pitch coal. Is that known to generate fire-damp ? That's purely a local question. Whenever I have been here before I have been told that there has never been any sign of fire-damp—that fire-damp was not dreamt of. Was there any necessity to work with safety-lamps ? I think it was perfectly safe to work in the new workings with a naked light, but certainly the old mines should never have been entered without a safety-lamp.

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A Juror : Have you made any report with respect to the working of the Kaitangata Mines ? There have been reports made for the last two years, but I have not made any this year yet. The Coroner : That is not a matter for this inquiry. The Juror : Only this far. The witness has stated in his evidence that he did not think MrHodge competent to manage the mine. How long is it since he discovered that? I whs then speaking of it in the light that he did not understand the fire-damp. The Coroner : Only in that respect did you mean? Principally that. Do you think he understood the proper system ot ventilation ? Not entirely. You have seen Hodge only three times, I believe ? Yes. When did you begin to question his competency ? Before you heard of this accident did you have a different opinion with regard to his competency ? He is not the man I should put in charge. The drives are very crooked, and that is an indication of want of skill, more or less. Did you enter the mine as a right, or on sufferance ? On sufferance, of course. Had you free liberty to go through it ? Yes. James Davidson, general manager of the Kaitangnta Railway and Coal Mining Company, Limited, said : I was gazetted as manager of this Company on February 23rd, 1878. lam also a director of the Company. I have not taken any part in the management of the mine except as one of the directors. William Hodge was the working manager of the mine, and had been so for seven or eight years. The whole of the working was entrusted to William Hodge. Ido not know the terms of Mr. Twinning's engagement. He was first employed as a surveyor on the 7th December last. He was subsequently employed to increase the output of coal. Mr. Holmes had a very large interest in the Company. He took more interest in the working of the mine than the other directors. He makes mining his hobby to a great extent. We have not had any written reports from Hodge from time to time. It has never been reported to the Company that fire-damp had been found in the mine ; but it was reported to me once when I was in the mine. The other directors must have had a knowledge of it to some extent, but to what extent I could not say. Mr. Holmes and I are about the only directors who visited the mine pretty frequently. I had always been led to believe that the mine was perfectly safe. I was always very frightened about fire-damp ; and Hodge and others working in the mine, to whom I spoke, used to laugh at me for my fear. They thought I was over-cautious. The last time I questioned Hodge about fire-damp was on the Sunday prior to the explosion. I went down to his house in company with another gentleman, and just as I was coming away I asked him if he was yet troubled with fire-damp, and to what extent. He laughingly alluded to my horror of fire-damp, and said there was no danger. I had no idea of the foul air being carried from the new to the old workings. I have never interfered with William Hodge in regard to ventilation except on one oecasion, when the fire at the air pit was going down, and I insisted on the fire being kept up. By a Juror: Archibald Hodge I took to be a sort of handy man. I certainly did not look upon him as having any authority. I knew of Jarvie being burnt. I was at the mine that day. It was previous to the floods. Matthew William Hawkins, secretary to the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Mining Company, said: I know of all the correspondence that takes place with the Company. So far as I know, no report ever came to the Company from William Hodge with regard to the state of the mine. To my knowledge he never reported that the mine was unsafe. In October last, after we learnt that there was firedamp in the mine, William Hodge was in Dunedin, and said we should have to get safety-lamps some day. On the 21st of that month I was instructed by Mr. Holmes to obtain, among other things, some safety-lamps. They were unobtainable in town, so I ordered them per Briscoe & C<>. to be imported. The order was sent on the 24th October, and the lamps have not yet been received. It was on the 28th of September, I remember, that Hodge was in town. He obtained a written order from me to select a barometer. He came down specially for it, I think. I can't say whether he got the barometer or not, but I believe he did. Archibald Hodge was employed as a daily labourer. He was a roadrepairer and sort of odd-job man. William Hodge had full charge of the mine, both inside and out. Superintendent Weidon : These are all the witnesses present to-day. There are lour others yet to be examined—Mr. Holmes, Mr. Shore, Mr. Binus, and Dr. Smith. These are the only ones lam aware of who can throw any further light on this matter : but if there are any other witnesses the jury know of, whom they would like to hear, they can be summoned to attend. A Juror suggested that Mr. Denniston, a foirner manager of the mine, should be called. Superintendent Weidon: Mr. Biuns, I thought, would give the same evidence as Mr. Denniston could give. The Coronor (to the Juror : If there is anything Mr. Denniston may know you can tell me of it, and I will see that he is summoned here. Superintendent Weidon : Mr. Binns was the last who inspected the mine. That was on the 24th January, and he can throw some important light on this matter. The Foreman : I believe it is the general feeling of the jurymen that it would be most desirable to call Mr. Denniston. He has been a good deal connected with the mine previous to Mr. Twinning. The Coroner : What evidence would you want from him ? The Foreman : To show the state of the mine. Superintendent Weidon : Mr. Binns was through it last. The Foreman : But it appears from Mr. Twinning and Mr. Cox that they don't know much about these old workings. Superintendent Weidon : From what Mr. Cox says it is likely Mr. Binns may know a good deal about it.

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The Coroner (having glanced at a document): Mr. Binns seems to be well informed as to the etate of the mine, and will give some important information. The Foreman : la that case we will wait till we get Mr. Binns's evidence, and then, if the jury think that Mr. Denni.ston's evidence would be desirable, it can be got. The Corouer : Certainly ; your wishes shall be attended to. The Coroner and jury subsequently held a consultation, and it was decided that Mr. Denniston should be called as a witness. The Coroner : Well, gentlemen, the inquest will now be adjourned until Monday next. You will be bound over in the same recognizances as before. The inquest was here accordingly adjourned. THE ADJOURNED INQUEST. The inquiry into the circumstances attending the late fatal colliery explosion at Kaitangata was resumed yesterday morning, before Mr. E. H. Carew, the district coroner, aud a jury, at the Bridge Hotel, Kaitangata. Supeiintendent Woldon was also present. A brief delay was caused in the commencement of the proceedings in consequence of the temporary absence of a juror named Charles Smail, who met with an accident on Friday evening. He was laid up in bed, and the doctor had ordered him not to attend the inquest that day, lest erysipilas might set in. Mr. Andrew Smail, who was also a member of the jury, stated that his brother was very anxious to attend. At the suggestion of the Coroner several of the jury repaired to Mr. Charles Bmail's residence, and brought him to the Court in a boat. William Shore said: lam manager of the No. 1 colliery at Kaitangata. I have been working at that mine three years and a-half. I have been engaged in coal-mining for 24 years. I was 19 years in Ayrshire, Scotland, aud five years in this Colony. I know the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Co.'s mine. I was in it on four different occasions prior to the explosion. I have been through the old ■workings when the men were engaged there. That must have been 12 months ago, as near as I can judge. The last time I was in the mine, prior to the explosion, was about three mouths ago. Do you know the state of the mine at that time with regard to fire-damp ? No further than from hearsay. I had occasion to go there for some dynamite once, and the men said then there was fire-damp in the heading. What was the general reputation that the mine bore with regard to fire-damp? With the exception of this one place I have referred to, I never heard of fire-damp being in the mine Its reputation was pretty good. Did you ever know of any accident taking place from fire-damp ? Yes ; I knew of Mr. Jarvie being burnt there. Then all you know on that subject is that fire-damp was seen in the heading? Yes ; repeatedly seen there—that is, going towards the rise. I understand the system by which the mine was ventilated. You say you know the old workings ? Yes. Is the roof higher than the air-shaft ? Yes; considerably higher. And would there be spaces in it ? Yes. Do you consider then, that the mine was properly ventilated, knowing that there was fire-damp in the mine ? I can't say that the old workings were thoroughly ventilated, to judge from appearances, In what would the ventilation be deficient? The air was allowed to scatter, instead of the current being carried along in one body. Of course I am speaking now from appearances after the explosion. What do you consider the best way of achieving that object? The cheapest aud simplest way would have been to have fire-screens. Your name has been mentioned in connection with a safety-lamp : have you got it? No; I found it and delivered it to the owners. Where did you find it ? Iu the new workings. It could not have been blown from the old workings to where you saw it? No ; that would have been impossible. I believe you found Archie Hodge's body ? Yes ;it was about half-past 4 o'clock on the Sunday morning after the accident. He was found in the old workings—the only one that was found there. Have you formed any opinion as to where the explosion originated ? I have no hesitation in saying that it took place in the old workings. Why ? I form that opinion from the direction in which the blast travelled. There were plenty of traces from the way in which the stoppings have been knocked out. Besides, you can see the direction of the current on the floor of the mine. Where do you think it started from ? It must have started from where the body of Archie Hodge was found. A Juror : In searching fur Hodge's body, did you use a safety-lamp ? Undoubtedly. And were there any traces of fire-damp still remaining? No ; not whilst we were searching. 2

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After it was known that fire-damp Lad been seen in the heading you have spoken of, would you consider it a safe or a rash thing for a miner to go into the old workings with a naked light ? I would always consider it a rash thing for a man to go into old workings on any occasion, knowing that fire-damp existed. Have you worked much in mines in which fire-damp was known to exist ? Fire-damp has been known to exist in every mine I have worked in, with tbe exception of the Green Island mines. When did you first hear of fire-damp in this mine ? When Mr. Jarvie was burnt; about six months ago. As manager of a mine, do you think it proper to leave the headings of old workings open, in such a way that men may go in and out with naked lights as they choose ? It may not Ije proper, but it is customary in coal mines to leave them open, so that men may travel out and in, although they are geneially prohibited from doing so. It is customary to have a board with the word " lire " written on it. George Jonathan Biuus said : I am a mining engineer. I have a certificate of competency as manager (if a mine from the North-East Lancashire Board of Examiners. lam Coal-viewer for the General Government of New Zealand. I know the Kaitangata Eailway and Coal Company's Mine, having been down it once previous to its explosion. That was on the 24th January last. I then examined the new workings, and portions of the old workings, on behalf of the Government. I had permission from the late Mr. Hodge, the manager. The permission was given perfectly freely. Will you state what opinion you have formed in regard to ventilation and the mode of working ? I have formed the opinion that the new workings were, comparatively speaking, sufficiently ventilated, but the old workings were in a very dangerous condition ; or, perhaps, to put it more correctly, they were not unlikely to become in a very dangerous condition. And do you mean that you did not ascertaiii whether it was so or not ? I did not ascertain that it was so. Do you wish to give any explanation of that ? Certainly. In the first place I had no time, and in the second place there was no safety-lamp. Besides, I was assured by Hodge that there was no gas there. And did your not having a safety-lamp influence you at all in not going farther into the old workings than you did ? I can't say that it did. If I had had one it is possible that I might have gone farther than I did, but I did not stop owing to not having one. To test these high places would require a great expenditure of time, and would also require either a ladder or a very long pole. And was that time at your disposal ? Not entirely. I was given a certain time to " work " this part of the Island, and although I did not occupy that time fully, I had to get on as fast as possible. The words of my instructions were to go through as quickly as possible, as there was a great deal of other work to be done. Perhaps at the time I did not consider the danger of the thing so much as I did after I had left. Hodge told me that gas had never been seen in the old workings, and I was bound to believe him. I thought these large open spaces constituted an element of danger, and I said so to Hodge. If there had been no unevenness in the roof a current of air would have taken all the gas away. If the roof had been uneven the gas would lodge in the highest places. lam of opinion that the brattice-work is not proper in the main intake. There should most certainly have been another outlet. It is scarcely possible to say whether another outlet would have saved any men after the explosion. The openings from the new to the old workings should have been cut off by brick stopping and a trap-door, fitted with a lock, the key of which the manager should keep. Would you consider it a want of ordinary care that the passages were not fitted in that way under the supposition that gas had been seen ? Certainly. It was great negligence. Whose duty would it have been to make that provision ? I should say the manager of the mine ought to have done it. A Juror : Did you make any report to the Government of that fact ? Witness : I made a report to the head of my department. The Juror : Have you a copy thereof? Witness : I have a copy thereof. Another Juror : Did you give any instructions to Hodge ? I had no power to give instructions to Mr. Hodge. I exceeded my duty as it was in telling him that it was very dangerous. The imminence of the danger prompted me to do this. I went round the mine principally to collect statistics and report on the mine ; but if I saw anything that required attention drawn to in my cursory examination, I mentioned it. The Juror : Did you form any opinion as to the capability of the manager ? Witness : I had not time. It is impossible to form an opinion of any man in a couple of hours. It would take weeks or months. He was a very reticent man, but quite willing to give any information I asked for. Examination continued : I have examined the pit this morning. I have been close to the p]a;e where Archibald Hodge was killed, and found a very large quantity of gas there. Is it dangerous ? Highly dangerous ; sufficiently dangerous, indeed, to cause another explosion if approached with a naked light. Must that gas have accumulated since the last explosion ? I should certainly say so. All gas would be cleared out by that explosion. Can you trll mo what a " blower" is ? A " blower " is a sudden outburst of gas, which has probably generated in the coal some distance in—J should say in a cavity—and finds an outlet in one place and escapes from there in a stream that you can light. You can hear it.

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Would yon say that this has accumulated from a blower ? I should say not. Will you give your reason ? So far as I can form an opinion, it was not from a blower. Do you think that the gas accumulates very quickly in this particular mine ? Yes ; in a particular portion. On the morning of the explosion, and the day previous, the barometer had fallen very considerably. I don't know how much it had fallen, but such was the case. With (he fall of the barometer the gas would be likely to come out from the coal readily. Mr. Allan Holmes then stepped forward to give his evi.lence. Addressing him, the Coroner said: I understand you are a director of the Company, and you may or may not be responsible for the management of the mine. I therefore caution you that you are not compelled to answer every question unless you choose to do so. Allan Holmes said : lam a director of the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company. I am not the chairman of directors. I have taken no part whatever in the management of the mine. It was managed by William Hodge, under the directors. He received no instructions whatever from the directors as to the general management of the mine. He only consulted the directors on special matters. Were the directors ever informed of there being lire-damp in the mine ? I was informed of it, and they would know of it, I imagine. Who told you ? Hodge told, me himself. About what time was this ? About the end of July, or the beginning of August. That was the first time I had heard of it. What were his words ? He said the mine was making a little fire-damp. I said, "You must take every precaution." He said it was a mere nothing, or something to that effect. I told him that I should feel a great deal more comfortable if the mine was put upon the safety-lamp system. He said that he had appointed Beardsmore as fireman, and it was Beardsmore's duty to go round the mine every morning and inspect it thoroughly for fire-damp. I impressed upon him the necessity of using every precaution, and told him to see that the men did not enter the mine till it had been examined every morning. The men did not appear to be frightened about fire-damp. They never dreamed of any big explosion, but simply feared one or two of them getting burnt occasionally in the rooms. Hodge was a very careful man, and from several traits I observed in his character I had every confidence in him. About the end of December, or the beginning of January last, 1 came down to the mine to see how it was going on. Hodge told me that the previous day the men had not been at work, and he would not allow me to go into the mine, as it had not been tested that morning. Beardsmore was sought for, and I took the opportunity of questioning him on the subject of fire-damp when he was alone. He appeared to be a very intelligent man, and told me that he had spent the greater part of his life among fire. He seemed to realize the danger of fire-damp, and my visit re-assured me that every precaution would be taken. Just before that I ordered several safety lamps, and an instrument for testing the velocity of the air. Hodge told me that he had ordered three dozen safety lamps. He had general authority to get all timber for the mine without requisition to the directors. He had full permission to obtain anything he wanted for the working of the mine, and, so far as I know, he has never been refused anything. Mr. Hodge had a considerable interest in the mine, being a shareholder to a large extent. The fact of his being a shareholder did not interfere with our attitude towards him. He was exceedingly pushing and faithful in every respect so far as I knew. I got to know that there were defects in his mode of winning the coal, but I was convinced that he would take every care of his men. He took in the Mining Journal, and bought expensive works on mining, and once thought of attending the Mines classes at the Otago University. [An extract from Mr. Cox's report of the mine, as embodied in the report of the geological explorations during 1877-78, witness took to be favourable.] After an adjournment of 15 minutes for lunch the jury reassembled. The Coronor (to Mr. Binns): Mr. Binns, I wish to ask you one question that I had previously forgotten. Some of the witnesses have given it as their opinion—but they did not pretend they were experts—that the gas that penetrated in the new workings would be carried across into the old workings until it met the high places, and then it would separate from the air and remain there. Do you believe that is a correct theory ? Mr. Binns: I don't believe it is. Air charged with gas might go up there, but unless the air in the main drive were explosive, I don't think that the air there lodged would be explosive. The Coroner: Then the accumulation of gas in the old workings came from the old workings? Witness: Decidedly. The Coroner : I think that will do. (To the jury): Well, gentlemen, that is all the evidence there is to lay before you. It is your duty now to consider your verdict. I think there can be no doubt that you will find that the deaths of these men have been occasioned by an explosion of gas in the mine. If you find that, then you have further to consider whether the explosion was caused—or whether the collection of the gas and the explosion of the gas were occasioned —through the negligent or improper working of the mine. I will read to you from " Russell on Crimes," vol. i., so that you may understand for what purpose you have to consider that:—"An indictment for manslaughter alleged that it was the duty of the prisoner to cause to be ventilated a coal mine, and to cause it to be kept free from noxious gases, and that the prisoner feloniously omitted to cause the mine to be ventilated, and that noxious gases accumulated and exploded, whereby the deceased was killed. It appeared that the deceased was killed by the explosion of fire-damp in a colliery, of which the prisoner was a sort of a manager, and it was conrputed on the part of the prosecution that this explosion would have been prevented if the prisoner had caused an air-heading to have been put up, as it was his duty to have done. For the defence, it was attempted to be proved that it was the duty of one of the persons killed to have reported to the prisoner that an air-heading was required, and that he had not done so. In sum-

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ming up, Moule, J., said: " The questions for you to consider are, ■whether it was the duty of the prisoner to have directed an air-heading to have been made in this mine, and whether by his omitting to do so he was guilty of a want of ordinary and reasonable precaution. If you are satisfied that it was the plain and ordinary duty of the prisoner to have caused an air-beading to have been made in this mine, and that a man using reasonable diligence would have done it, and that by the omission the death of the deceased occurred, you ought to find the person guilty of manslaughter. It has been contended that some other persons were, on this occasion, also guilty of neglect; still, assuming that to be so, their neglect will not excuse the prisoner ; for if a person's death be occasioned by the neglect of several, they are all guilty of manslaughter ; and it is no defence for one who was negligent to say that another was negligent also, and thus, as it were, to try to divide the negligence among them." It may be that that is a case very much to the point. If you think that this mine was improperly •worked by William Hodge, who was the manager of the mine, and that it was his duty to have worked it in a different manner —that it was his duty to have made better provision for ventilation, or to have got the passage into the old workings closed, so that persons could not go in and out as they chose—■ then, gentlemen, I think you have to find that he was guilty of such culpable negligence as would amount to manslaughter. If, on the other hand, you think that this was an unforeseen occurrence that might almost occur daily in the working of the mine, and that it was simply accidental, you will find that it was so. With regard to Archibald Hodge, even if you were to find that William Hodge ■worked and kept the mine in a negligent manner, the fact of Archibald Hodge entering the old workings with a naked light would also render him culpable. On that point Eussell, on page 864, vol. i., says ; —" Where persons employed about such of their lawful occupations whence danger may probably arise to others, neglect the ordinary precautions, it will be manslaughter at least on account of such negligence." If you think that if he used ordinary precautions he would not have gone into the old workings without being provided with a safety-lamp, I think, then, gentlemen, you •would also have to find him guilty of manslaughter. If there is any part of the evidence—l have here all the evidence taken on the different days—that you would wish your memory refreshed upon, I shall be very glad to read it to you. Or if there is any other point you wish to ask me about— and it is my duty to direct your attention to every point connected with the matter—l shall be glad to do so. The room will now be cleared whilst you consider your verdict. Shortly after three o'clock the jury were left to consider their verdict. About ten minutes to four o'clock the Foreman sent for the Coroner. The Coroner : Gentlemen, are you agreed upon your verdict ? Foreman : We are. Tbe Coroner : How do you find ? Foreman : First, your Worship, the jury find " That Archibald Hodge, through entering the old workings without ordinary precaution and with a naked light, caused an explosion of fire-damp whereby thirty-four men and boys lost their lives." Second, the jury find " That William Hodge has not used the necessary precautions to prevent an explosion of fire-damp in the mine over which he had the management." As a rider, we add " That, seeing that there is no law for inspection and supervision in the conduct of mining, we express the necessity of measures being adopted whereby many accidents may in the future be averted." The inquiry then closed. Legislation.—Proposed Amended Act. In accordance with a promise made by the Government to the House of Eepresentatives during the last session of the General Assembly, an amended Mines Regulation Bill has been prepared for introduction during the present session. Having obtained as much information as possible from Victoria, New South Wales, and other sources, upon existing laws and regulations affecting this question, I requested the views of the Inspectors of Mines upon what amendments of "The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," were, in their opinion necessary. Mr. Cox returned me such remarks as the time at his disposnl enabled him to make upon this subject; and, upon my supplying Mr. Binns with the necessary data, he undertook the compilation of a complete draft of an amended Bill, which, after revision in this office, has been forwarded to the Law Officers to prepare for presentation. The Government is indebted to Mr. Binns for much attention devoted to the task of compiling this draft Bill. The draft amended Bill has been framed from the following :— " The Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1872," of Great Britain. " The Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1870," of New South Wales. " The Regulation of Mines Statute, 1877," of Victoria. " Regulations for the inspection and regulation of mines other than coal and shale mines, framed under 'The Mining Act, 1874,' of New South Wales." Mr. Wason's Regulation of Mines Bill, of 1878 (N.Z.), as reported from the Gold Fields' Committee. " The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," (N.Z.) An outline of the principal new features contained in tbe draft amended Bill may be stated as :— 1. The introduction (chiefly from Mr. Wason's Bill of last session) of provision for certificated managers of mines, and authority for the inspection of mines by workmen employed therein. 2. Distinct definitions of the terms " coal mine " and " metalliferous mine," and corresponding general rules relating to such mines. 8. Compulsory registration of plans of abandoned mines. 4. New provisions for Coroners' inquests upon persons who may have been killed in mines. 6. Additional general rules aud new provisions for framing, publishing, and amending special rules. C. New provisions relating to prosecutions of owners and managers.

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"While upon the subject of legislation, I should state that it still remains for savants to devise some improved method for conducting arbitrations between the Government and mine owners and managers, so as to facilitate the settlement of disputes. There has been no time to consider this point sufficiently in all its bearings so as to include any new provision in respect of this matter in the draft amended bill; but I think that the following extract from an article published in the Lyttelton Times, of the 24th of March, 1879, will commend itself to the consideration of all persons interested in this important question of mining law :— " The present law is good, and for a commencement admirable. But it does not go far enough. Two amendments suggest themselves at the outset as necessary. They refer to the power of inspectors in a very important particular, and to the qualifications of mining managers. As the law stands at present, inspectors, if they have reason to find fault with anything in the conduct of a mine as dangerous to the lives of the work people, have no power to enforce the demand for alterations. In case of refusal to comply with those demands the matter is referred to an arbitration, the formalities of which must make it tedious. If the danger could be made to wait until the arbitration is over, then arbitration would be a wise plan. But if somebody is killed before the arbitrators have done talking, arbitration becomes worse than a farce. In such a case the neglect of the Inspector's warning will of course bring the manager under the law of manslaughter ; but the object of mining inspection is not to punish people, but to prevent accidents. The punishment of the careless is neither protection nor cure. If recusant managers were, in cases of accident, to be hanged for neglect of warnings from the proper quarter, the matter might be simplified. It would, we think, be better to give the inspector power to stop work in cases in which he thought the danger great enough, making him responsible for the consequences. After the work was stopped arbitration might be resorted to. It is obvious that, if mining managers were properly qualified the cases of difference between them and properly qualified inspectors would be few. This brings us to the second point—the qualification of managers. In the present state of the law they are not called upon to pass any examination or hold any certificate. A mine owner may, if he chooses, go into the street and pick out the first butcher, baker, or candlestick maker that he can induce to take charge of his mine. Of course no one would be such a fool as to select a man for such a post who is absolutely incompetent. But the point is that no one should be allowed to take charge of a mine who is not completely competent. The same rule should be followed as in the cases of shipmasters, lawyers, doctors, architects, engineers, surveyors, and the members of other professions requiring skill and involving responsibility. It ought to be no more possible for a man without a certificate to take charge of a mine than for a man who has no diploma to assume command of a hospital. The sooner the law recognizes this principle the better. If the two amendments above pointed out were adopted, the efficiency of the Mining Department would be greatly increased." The question of effectual control and inspection of mines, other than coal, including all gold mines, is also a matter which could not be fully considered with the limited time at the disposal of this department for framing the draft amended Bill. This, however, is a question which has been repeatedly referred to in the press for years past, and as accidents of a serious nature frequently occur in gold and other mines, as well as in coal mines, it appears that no legislation upon the regulation of mines would be complete unless it provided for the control and inspection of all mines of whatever description. The draft amended Bill, in its present shape, provides for this, although consideration has been given chiefly to the provisions affecting coal mines. It may still be open to question whether there should not be distinctly separate Acts for regulating coal mines, and all mines other than coal. " The Gold Mining Districts Act, 1873," (which is only in force in the Hauraki Gold Mining District) contains provisions for the inspection of gold mines ; but something more than this appears to have been considered necessary in framing " The Eegulation of Mines Act, 1874," or its provisions would probably have been restricted to the control of coal mines only.

Means of Transport of Coal Productions.— Conclusion. I cannot close this report, which, it should be remembered, is merely a report upon the initiatory proceedings connected with the control of mines under the authority of an Act only recently brought into force, and therefore necessarily incomplete in many particulars, without remarking upon the importance of improving the means of transit to and from coal-producing centres. I think it is patent to everyone who considers the matter that the difficulties in the way of transit form the principal obstacle to the more extended consumption in the Colony of our own coal; and in these days of progress it is not a pleasing spectacle to observe the successful continuance of business in coal imports, when we have evidence of enormous areas of coal of our own of excellent quality, only requiring a sufficiently cheap and safe means of transport to render it a marketable article largely in demand throughout the whole Colony. Olivek Wakefield.

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Dr. Hector to the Hon. the Minister of Mines. Sir,— Wellington, Bth July, 1879. Having been instructed by the enclosed letter, from the Hon. Colonial Secretary, of 10th May last, that the official administration of the coal mines of the Colony was transferred to the Mines Department, I have the honor to forward for your information the report of the Inspector of MineB, for the portion of the year previous to the date of the " Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," coming into force. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Mines. James Hector.

Enclosure. Sir,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 10th May, 1879. Referring to recent arrangements which have been made for the official control of Mines, upon bringing " The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," into force (papers upon which subject have been referred to you), I have the honor to inform you, that the administration of the Act has been definitely placed under the Mines Department, as the office to which such business properly belongs ; but, that this is not intended in any way to interfere with the scientific exploration of coal mines which has hitherto been conducted under your supervision. I have, &c, James Hector, Esq., F.R.S., &c, &c, G. S. Whitmore. Director of Geological Surveys, Wellington.

Mr. S. Herbert Cox to the Director of Geological Survey. EEPOET ON COAL MINES INSPECTED. Sib,— "Wellington, June 19th, 1879. I have the honour to inform you that since my last report on the state of the New Zealand Coal Mines, the following inspections havo been made for this department prior to " The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," having been brought into force, on February 28th, when the Inspection of Mines was placed under the control of the Mines Department. In consequence of my having to take Mr. Skey's place in the laboratory, during his absence on leave, I have been unable personally to inspect the greater number of the mines, and my report is principally compiled from Mr. Binns's notes. I also forward a tabular statement showing the statistics of workings in the mines inspected. West Wanyanui Mine, Nelson. —The pit shaft in this mine is sunk very near to the outcrop of the seam, which is below high water mark. A quantity of coal having been removed from this outcrop, holes are left which fill with water and drain through into the mine. The Manager reports that 50 gallons of water per minute had been drawn night and day for the fifteen months preceding Mr. Binns's visit to the mine. The section of the seam near the outcrop is— ft. in. Coal ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 8 Stone ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 2 Coal 2 9 7 2 Forty feet further to the dip the section is— ft. in. C0a1... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 2 Stone ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 0 Coal 3 2 5 4 No plan of these workings exists, and no provision has been made for the ventilation of the mine, but the air is quite pure, owing probably to the circulation caused by the ascent and descent of the buckets. Mr. Middleton, the newly-appointed manager, was proposing to bore further to the dip of the seam, and the site chosen would prove an excellent one for sinking a shaft, should the boring operations prove satisfactory, being near deep water and not far from the mouth of the inlet.

APPENDIX TO REPORT ON THE CONTROL AND INSPECTION OE MINES.

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Shay Point Mine, Otago. —lt was mentioned in last year's report, that this mine was on fire, and that this fire, having in the first instance been confined to a small area, had subsequently broken out afresh, in consequence of the inefficient character of the stoppings. Since then an attempt has been made to put out the fire by flooding the mine with sea water, which, although of course successful at the time, will doubtless so damage the roof and floor as to render the workings very insecure. The mine is now being opened out afresh, and a new incline has been driven about 5 chains to the east of the old tunnel, bearing N. 45° W. with a dip of 1 in 4, the coal being cut at a distance of 6^ chains. This incline has been very substantially timbered and. the drive at the foot is 9 feet wide, being divided temporarily by a brattice. A double acting engine with 8-inch cylinders and 14-inch stroke is employed for winding, and the rope, which is J inch diameter, is coiled round a 5-feet drum. The pumps referred to in the schedule are the old ones, but it is the intention of the manager to erect an 8-inch Tangye pump to compete with the water in the present drive. These new workings are to be ventilated by a shaft 5 feet x 4 feet which is now about 112 feet deep. Real Mackay Mine, Tokomairiro. —Since last year's report the open work at this mine has been found too expensive to continue, and a mine has been opened, the working places being very large. About 8 feet of the coal only is worked, leaving a good thickness overhead, but the width of workings, sometimes as much as 16 feet, is too great for the safety of the miners. Bruce Coal Mine, Tokomairiro. —The workings at this colliery have been continued on the north side of the drive, but in consequence of inferior coal being found there, Mr. Lees, the manager, has decided to discontinue operations here and start work in the old tunnel, where, however, the roof is very bad, and the thickness of coal variable. Wellington Company's Mine, Westport. —The coal in this mine is still of a very soft nature, but the drive is still being carried on with the hope of an improvement taking place. The ventilation is very good, and the timbering tolerably well up to the face of the drives. Wallsend Colliery, Collingwood. —This is the same mine as that described in last year's report as the Para Para Company's mine. Very little work has been done here since the mine changed hands, as men are very scarce, and even at the high price paid for heaving they are unable to make good wages. This is partly due to the thinness of the seam, and partly to the tenacity with which the coal adheres to the bands of shale. Mr. Marshall is now opening out the third seam from the mouth of the drive, the section of which is as follows: — Ft. In. Ft. In. Coal ... ... ... ... ... 0 8 to 0 7| Shale ... ... ... ... ... 0 5£ „ 0 If Coal ... ... ... ... ... 0 6 „ 0 7 Shale ... ... ... .. ... 0 2£ „ 0 1* Coal ... ... ... ... ... 1 0 „ 0 9 2 10 2 2f Both the floor and roof are good, and the ventilation, which, as stated last year as natural, ia very good. The directors have now called for tenders for putting up an incline rise 1 in 3 in the same direction as the main drive, in order to cut the upper seams of coal. Prince Alfred Colliery, Oamaru. —Mr. Willett, the proprietor and manager of this mine, has put in a new drive about eighty yards to the north-east of the old one, and the workings have assumed a very irregular form. The air in the mine is good and pure, but goes sometimes one way and sometimes the other. The lease of tills ground appears to be very unsatisfactory, and is granted by the Otago Waste Lands Board. It appears to contain no provision for inspection, or for winning the coal in a workmanlike manner, or leaving the mine (supposing the coal to be not all won) in a fit state for continuation by the next lessee; in short, none of the clauses usually inserted in leases of this kind to ensure the coal not being wasted, or left in inaccessible positions, appear to be included in the terms of this lease. St. Andrew's Colliery, Oamaru. —When this mine was visited it was on fire, and as at Shag Point, an attempt had been made to extinguish the fire by flooding the mine, the result, however, being unsatisfactory. It is quite useless in cases of spontaneous combustion to attempt to extinguish the fire by flooding the mine, without at the same time shutting off the air, and shutting off the air alone would be quite as efficacious if the stoppings were of a sufficiently permanent character. Wallsend Colliery, South Malvern. —This mine is at present sub-let to Messrs. Cummings and Co., who have taken a contract to raise 6,000 tons of coal at a certain rate per ton. As at the Prince Alfred Colliery, no provision has been made for inspection, or for leaving the underground works in order at the expiration of the contract, and it is probable that as that time approaches the shaft pillars will be drawn, thus necessitating the sinking of a new shaft. The workings are now entirely in the three-foot seam, and are to the northward. At present there is no ventilation at all, but when these workings are broken through to the old workings, it is probable that a certain amount of air will find its way through the mine, although even then the ventilation will be extremely unsatisfactory. The cage is without a cover, and the shaft is in bad repair, and when Mr. Binns visited the mine no one was in charge of the engine, which was pumping and going at the rate of 180 revolutions per minute. The engine man also attends to the pit bank. Attention should again be called to the fact that the workings are extending under the railway, and in course of time, unless steps are taken to prevent them, the contractors will, doubtless, remove the pillars there. The inefficiency of the timbering was referred to last year. Canterbury Colliery, Malvern. —Owing to poor facilities for getting the coal away, and other causes, the owners intend, for the present, to suspend operations in this mine. The present workings are very limited and are close to the tunnel mouth, so there is plenty of air for the one man now employed.

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Homebush Colliery, Malvern. —The workings of this mine are still continued to the rise, and of course as they progress become more and more difficult to ventilate. The places are driven too far without crosscuts, and as pointed out last year, the air is at times very foul. The headings are also in some cases too wide. Springfield Colliery, Malvern. —The engine plane has been continued for some distance since I visited the mine last year; but when Mr. Binns visited the mine he was unable to go down to the end in consequence of the water. The ventilation was also very bad, but it appeared afterwards that the door of communication with the outer air near the furnace was open, which would fully account for this. With reference to the accident which occurred here on the Ist January, the following appears to have been the cause. The place where the man was hurt is at the junction of two cross roads with the engine plane, and these being opposite to one another necessarily weaken the place. The empty set going down got off the rails and knocked out three props and bars, and in replacing these some twenty hours later, a lump of stone from the root fell upon the man and knocked him down. He does not appear to have been very badly hurt. Fernhill Colliery, Green Island. —This collery which has recently been opened, is situated about a mile to the south of Freeman's. The coal is of the same quality as the Green Island coal generally, but having good facings, is more easily got. The underground manager, Mr. Shaw, appears to have laid out his workings well, and by the terms of the lease the lessees are bound to keep a plan of their workings. An serial wire tramway has been constructed, of about a mile in length, to bring the coal from the mine to the railway, and this appears to work satisfactorily. It is capable of carrying 200 tons per day. Otago Colliery, Green Island. —This colliery was again on fire when visited, having broken out afresh. Freeman's Colliery, Green Island. —The dip drive has been continued since my last report, and several new places opened out, but the pillars still appear to be small. The air works satisfactorily, and the places which were stopped off do not seem to have fired. The mouth of the drive appears somewhat insecure, but Mr Freeman intends to take down the loose stuff and make it better. Saddle Hill Colliery, Green Island. —Very little work has been done here since Mr. Denniston's last survey, but the proprietors, Messrs. Christie Bros., have been driving through the pillars. The mine is now in a precarious state, large quantities of slack lying about in the mine, which will probably fire should a fall of the roof take place, as it is already very hot. The ventilation is fairly satisfactory, but its efficiency might be increased. Green Inland Colliery, Samson's —This colliery is in good order, and the ventilation all that can be desired. The working faces are now being extended to the S.W. side of the pit. Walton Park Colliery, Green Island. —The workings are now being continued to the N.E. of the shaft, beneath the incline plane, and are in good order. The new shaft, mentioned in my last year's report, has now reached a depth of 175 feet, and has passed through 19 feet of coal, the seam not having as yet been bottomed. In sinking this shaft a great deal of water has been met with, and at one time the pump, which is a single acting lift-pump, was raising 216 gallons of water per minute. At present the amount does not exceed 84 gallons. The ventilation is satisfactory, and the doors and stoppings are in good repair. The cage is without a cover, and although a means of signalling exists from the bottom of the shaft to the surface, no provision has been made for sending messages down the shaft. Shore's A ro. 1 Kaitangata, Otaijo. —The new shaft mentioned in my last year's report has now reached a depth of 392 feet, and a stone drift to the east has struck coal at 249 feet from the shaft, the full thickness of which was not proved when the mine was visited. There is a considerable quantity of water which is drawn by a bucket in the downcast divisions of the shaft, whilst a cage is in the upcast. Mr. Binns has reported the occurrence of gas in this pit, and states that the two Geordie lamps in the possession of the company have both cracked glasses. The cage has no cover, and the 4-inch fiat wire rope used for winding is very rusty. A stage has been erected at the pit mouth and substantial screens put up, the coal passing over § inch bars. Several men have been burnt by fire-damp m this pit, of which the following instance may be cited, the details having been furnished by the sufferer : — On or about November 9th, Stephen Bailey, who had been working about three months in the pit, was engaged in letting off some water which had been dammed up in the stone drift by a fall of the roof. He was working with a naked light, and not being a practised collier could not be expected to understand where danger existed. The gas fired at his naked light, and he was laid up for three weeks. Mr. Shore blames Bailey, and says that he ordered him to come away. Kaitangata Railway and Coal Mining Company, Otago. —A disastrous explosion took place at this mine on the 21st February, killing all the men who were in the mine at the time. The immediate cause of the explosion appears to have been that A. Hodge, one of the men employed at the mine, went into the wastes with a naked light in search of a rail, and that the gas which had accumulated there, fired at his lamp. Since my report on this mine last year the workings had been extended to the rise of the coal, and the old workings abandoned, but not closed. The air was let in by the main tunnel up to the new workings, and from there taken by a small airway to the old workings, or wastes, through which it was allowed to spread on its way back to the ventilating shaft near the mouth of the mine; but no care was taken to conduct the air to the faces, or to ventilate the high chambers made by the system on which the coal was won. Mr. Binns made a careful examination of this mine on the 24th January last, when he arrived at the conclusion that the mine was very dangerous, in consequence of the imperfect ventilation of the wastes, and he then informed the manager, Mr. W. Hodge, of his opinion on the subject.

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Mr. Hodge appears to have told Mr. Binns, as he also told me a week later, when I went through the new workings of the mine, that no gas had been found, but that the men had become frightened, in consequence of a man having been burnt in Shore's pit adjoining by a blower of gas igniting. Mr. Binns, however, was so impressed with the danger of the wastes, that, on the 31st January, he reported very strongly on the subject, stating at the time that he would not be surprised at any time to hear of an explosion having occurred. This report was referred by you to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary on the 4th of February (see correspondence appended hereto) iu order to obtain authority to enforce the necessary steps to be taken to render the mine safe, by bringing the Mines Regulation Act into immediate force. Unfortunately before this authority could be obtained the explosion had occurred, and the time for precautionary measures had passed. A short time after the explosion I visited the mine again, and found that a shaft was being sunk to tbe rise of the new workings, and that repairs were being proceeded with in the tunnel; but on my recommendation this was at once stopped until the shaft was down and safety lamps obtained. It is well to state that at the time of my first visit, shortly before the explosion, a site was being selected for sinking another shaft, so as to ventilate the workings to the rise; but even had this work been completed it is very doubtful whether the catastrophe would have been averted, since the accumulation of gas in the wastes must have been very rapid, and the new system of ventilation would not in all probability have been sufficiently complete to have kept these wastes clear. A plan of the workings of this mine was kept.

COEEESPONDENCE EEFEEEED TO. 4th February, 1879. Memo, for the Under Colonial Secretary. I have the honor to submit extracts from the report of the Coal Viewer, and to beg attention to the alleged infringement of " The Eegulation of Mines Act, 1874." It appears that this Act is not yet proclaimed in force, but the provisions respecting the employment of children of tender years in mines did not require such proclamation (see clause 3), so that they are now in force. The highly dangerous condition of certain of the coal mines, according to this report, shows that some immediate action to put the above in force is urgently required. James Hector.

Extract from Mr. Binns's Beport on the Kaitangta Coal Mine, dated 31st January, 1879. Forwarded to the Hon. Colonial Secretary on the 4th February, 1879. "V. The Kaitangata mines being the only ones on this side of the Island in which explosive gas has been found, and employing a much larger number of men than the majority of the other pits, are those in which, unless the greatest care be exercised, fatal accidents must be expected; and I regret to state that, in my opinion, the Kaitangata Eailway and Coal Company's mine is by no means unlikely to be the scene of such a disaster. The coal in this pit is worked in varying thicknesses, so that in some cases huge caverns 24 feet high, and 16 to 18 feet wide, run for some considerable number of yards, and are suddenly discontinued by the roof being lowered to Bor 10 feet in height. These form most perfect reservoirs for the storage of carburetted hydrogen gas, should any be given off by the coal; and in the South Staffordshire Coalfield it has been found necessary to drive a small independent heading close to the roof of the coal for the sole purpose of ventilation. It will thus be seen that even with a current of air in circulation it is impossible to efficiently ventilate these high places and when the wastes, as at this pit, are not examined or ventilated, the sole question is this—Will the coal give off gas, and if so how long will it take to fill these places sufficiently to come pouring out, owing to some sudden fall in the atmospheric pressure, or strike either on a naked light, or the ventilating furnace? The first part of the question is answered by the manager, who says that the coal on that side of the fault will not give off gas, the second part can only be answered by time. VI. At Shore's No. 1 Kaitangata, several explosions of gas have occured, the following case was related to me by the victim—On or about November 9th, 1878, Stephen Bailey, who had been working about three months at the above pit, was employed in the main level letting off some water which had been dammed up by a fall of roof. He was working with a naked light, and (not being a practised collier) could not be expected to know where danger existed. The gas came off, fired at his candle, and he was laid up for three weeks. Mr. Shore blames Bailey, and says he ordered him to come away." Brunner Coal Mine, Greymouth. —This mine is now in full operation, their output for the past year being nearly 20,000 tons. At the end of the stonehead inflammable gas is given off in bubbles from the water, but the ventilation there is very good and every precaution appears to be taken to prevent accidents. The company are not in possession of a plan of their workings of a later date than April 1878. The ventilation generally is very good. Coal Pit Heath. Greymouth. —This colliery, like the Brunner Mine, is in active work. But little timber is used, as pointed out last year, and Mr. Binns reports that, at the end of the main drive, where some trifling irregularities in the lie of the coal were met with, the road was 31 feet wide, with a diagonal slip in the roof. Mr. Geary, the manager, has however, promised to set some timbers there. The ventilation is good, although there are several difficulties to contend with ; the return airway is the channel for a considerable volume of water, and this oflcourse cools the air, and at the time of Mr. Binns's visit the temperature at the bottom of the shaft was 57£ °Fahr., while on the surface the thermometer stood at 63 °Fahr.

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The direction of the current changes at times, and it is naturally very slow in the workinS places, owing to their great sectional area. In close weather a fire bucket is hung in the shaft, but this is fixed near the mouth of the shaft instead of at the bottom. Gas has been found at the end of the main level, but due precautions appear to be taken to prevent accidents. Wallsend Colliery, Greymouth. —When visited this colliery was not at work, but the engine was employed in pumping. There is a considerable quantity of gas present in the workings, and the bratticing has been put in in a very inefficient manner, and is now down in many places. The ventilation is poor even where the fan, which is 15 feet in diameter, was running 93 revolutions per minute, the water guage showing 1-312 inches against a theoretical 1-702 inches. The fan, however, works to a great disadvantage, since the total area of the shaft is about 95 square feet, about 13£ square feet only of which is available for an upcast. There is also a great deal of water falling down this part of the shaft, and Mr. Brown, the manager, states that there is a considerable leakage in the shaft between the downcast and the upcast divisions ; the brickwork at the top of the shaft is leaking somewhat. Two headings have been commenced for the purpose of communicating with the old shaft; these should be pushed on, and it is of the greatest importance to keep them straight. I have, &c, S. Herbert Cox.

No. 3. Mr. S. Herbert Cox to the Under-Secretary for Mines. EEPOET UPON INSPECTION OF D'URVILLE ISLAND COPPEE MINE. Sir, Wellington, July 12th, 1879. I have the honor to inform you that on the 22nd March, ult. I visited the D'Urville Island Copper Mining Co.'s. mine. This mine has been at work for about a year and a half, the mineral raised being the red oxide of copper, (cupiite); and the grey sulphide of copper, (copper glance), the thickness of the lode being from lft. to 4ft. with a N.-S. to N. 19° E. course. Five shafts have been sunk at different points to test the ore, the deepest of these " Owen's shaft" being sunk to a depth of 70ft. But very little real mining work has as yet been done, and the total quantity of ore shipped is fifty tons, the average return on which was 10 per cent, of copper, but there is reason to believe that the ore was very imperfectly picked. Certain of the works were somewhat unsafe at the time of my visit, amongst which may be noted that the No. 2 level was falling in, owing to the fact that it was driven along the strike of the bed, and had not been timbered; however steps were being taken to remedy this defect, and now I understand the drive is timbered up to the face. Owen's shaft was also dangerous, but was not being used. No plan of the workings existed, and I requested the manager to obtain one, on a scale of not less than 2 chains to the inch, as provided for by the Eegulation of Mines Act 1874. I also called his attention to part 11., section 6, rule 6, of the same act, requiring that all working shafts should be securely fenced, and disused ones covered in, and he promised to comply with the conditions of the Act at once. At present I believe only two men are employed in the mine, although at the time of my visit there were six. I have, &c, S. Herbert Cox, The Under-Secretary for Mines, Wellington. Inspector of Mines.

No. 4. Me. G. J. Binns to the Undee- Secretary for Mines. EEPOET UPON INSPECTION OF MINES. Sir,— Wellington, July 17th, 1879. I have the honor, in accordance with section 40 of " The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," to make the following report. Since my appointment as Inspector of Mines on the 28th of February last, I have been able to visit only the coal mines in the North Island, and those on the West Coast of the South Island. Before the announcement of my appointment reached me, however, I made an inspection of one of the Otago mines, particulars of which will be found in the after portion of this report. The large amount of official work consequent on the introduction of this Act, and the drafting of an amended Mines Regulation Bill have kept me in Wellington for a considerable time. It is gratifying to be able to state, that in almost every case the owners and managers of mines have acknowledged that an Act for the regulation of mines was needed, and that they, with hardly an exception, expressed their willingness to assist me in carrying out the requirements of the Act now in force. I may here quote a portion of your letter addressed to me, and dated 15th March, 1879, this reads as follows :— "But in view of an amended Act next session, you will use your judgment in exercising your powers, so as not to render the operation of the present Act unnecessarily arbitrary or vexatious in cases of real difficulty in complying with its provisions." These instructions, added to a desire not to cripple a new industry like coal mining, by increasing the already great cost of getting coal, and the knowledge that in all probability the present Act would

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not remain sufficiently long in force to get into proper working order, but would be superseded by another more applicable to the requirements of the Colony, have induced me to abstain from requiring owners and managers to make alterations involving an outlay of money, where the violation of the Act was not attended with risk to life. Under an established and well considered Act, such as will soon I hope be passed, such latitude would of course be neither desirable nor permissible. Although considerable publicity has been given to the proclamation of "The Eegulation of Mines Act, 1874," and a copy was sent to all the managers of collieries, yet in some cases the copies sent had not reached their destinations at the time of my visit, and few of the workmen had ever heard of the existence of such a law. The general condition of the mines when I visited them was exactly what it had previously been, in most cases no effort had been made to comply with any of the provisions of the Act, and it was very seldom that the time at my disposal allowed me to remain sufficiently long in any mining district to see the alterations which I required were efficiently carried out; in some cases, however, I have received letters from the managers informing me that in those particulars the Act had been complied with. Eemarks on this subject will be found in the detailed report. It is a well-known fact that "The Coal Mines Eegulation Act, 1872," of Great Britain, was instrumental in raising the cost of producing coal to a very considerable extent; and I cannot help expressing a hope that any future legislation on this subject may not in this Colony be the means of checking an industry which ought to contribute, in a great degree, to the wealth and prosperity of the inhabitants. The scarcity of skilled labour and direction, the difficulty of transport, the keen foreign competition, the eagerness of proprietors —firstly, in getting the surface coal and prejudicing the future workings; secondly, in expecting immediate returns from an investment which time only can develope, and which is abandoned before it has had time to bear fruit, added to the prejudice existing against the use of native coal, have caused many and disastrous failures to be recorded in the history of the coal industry of this country. To render this industry productive, not only are skill and capital required, but undertakings on a larger scale than are in most cases at present carried on, are in my opinion necessary. As shown by the statistics on this subject, there are several collieries in New Zealand producing large quantities of coal which is well known to be equal in quality to that imported from Australia; and when the new mines are in working order, and the harbour at Greymouth is rendered less dangerous, there is no reason to doubt that sufficient coal will be got in the Colony, not only to supply home consumption, but before long to support a foreign trade. As regards safety in working, notwithstanding the late lamentable accident in Otago, there is no doubt that, with proper management and inspection, coal mining can be carried on without great loss of life. The statistics of deaths in Great Britain from this cause prove this assertion; in that country, in the year 1877, the number of persons employed per life lost was 409, or 2-445 deaths per 1,000 men, and the proportion of various accidents was — 1. Explosions of Firedamp ... ... ... ... 21-65 2. Falls of roof and sides ... ... ... ... 39-17 3. Deaths in shafts ... ... ... ... ... 16-46 77-28 4. Miscellaneous underground ... ... ... ... 15-89 5. ~ surface ... ... ... ... 6-84 22-72 10000 But in that year, as will be remembered, accidents from explosions of fire-damp were exceptionally numerous, no less than 345 deaths having occured from this cause, in comparison with 95 in 1876, thus raising the total number of deaths per million of tons raised, from 0-70 in 1876 to 2-57 in 1877. "Falls of roof and sides" always cause the majority of deaths, and as the prevention of this class of accidents comes more within the province of the workmen themselves, they can generally only be prevented by care on the part of the employed, whereas the other classes of accidents, explosions, &c, cannot be avoided except by capital, and skill in management. Notwithstanding the period of bad trade through which the colony has been, and is still passing, and which has doubtless been the cause of several mines having been abandoned, it is gratifying to observe that the output of coal for the past year shews an increase of more than 20,000 on the returns for 1877. There are several collieries which during the past few months have been putting out a quantity of coal, which would, should they continue to work in so satisfactory a manner, increase the yearly output by 20,000 tons, and besides this, we may reckon on a considerable quantity from the new mines on the West Coast, and from the Greymouth Company's Wallsend colliery, which ought soon to be re-commenced, so that allowing for only a small increase in the other mines, the outlook for the present year is sufficiently hopeful. The establishment of special rules in accordance with the Act was attended with considerable difficulty to the majority of the coal owners. I referred to this in a memorandum to you, dated April 25th, 1879, and it was eventually decided to draft a set of special rules, and forward them to all the collieries with a view to their adoption. The great difficulty of this, lay in the impossibility of making one set applicable to all the mines, but this was overcome by dividing the Eules under different headings; those only which were applicable to the condition o"f the mine, being in force there. Though not perfectly satisfactory, this course appeared to be the best under the circumstances. At present I have, with few exceptions, no copies of mining plans up to date. In most cases the owners had either no plans at all, or those which they had were not of sufficiently recent date to be of

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much use. Where it was necessary I have always required the owners, or managers, to have plans made ; but I think it unnecessarily severe on some of the smaller mines, employing only two or three men, and extending their workings every year only to a very small extent, to be obliged to have a plan made every six months. No fatal accident has occurred in any coal mine since the Act came into force, but on May 28th I happened to be at Westport, when a fatal accident occurred in an open work gold claim. The victim seems to have been unduly careless in working underneath an insecure face of cement, which fell, killing him, and injuring one of his fellow-workmen. It did not appear, however, that " The Eegulation of Mines Act, 1874," (of which the survivors had never heard) was infringed in any wayA non-fatal, and not serious accident occured at Kawa Kawa on June 15th, owing to a man riding on the set in the engine plane, and getting his leg crushed between the corner of the tub and the frame of a door. I had, on March 31st, pointed out to the manager the danger of allowing men to ride on the set; but it is a very common practice. I visited the Kaitangata Eailway and Coal Company's mine after the date of my appointment, but prior to my becoming aware thereof. I found the old workings, close to where the gas is supposed to have fired, full of fire-damp, and the existence of this, in conjunction with an open ventilating furnace in close proximity, was sufficient to make me, after returning to Wellington, send a notice to the manager, requiring him, under section 19 of " The Eegulation of Mines Act, 1874," to remove the danger. He wrote back to inform me that the contents of my letter should be attended to, and, subsequently, that the mine would be ventilated by a furnace fed with fresh air, though by no means so good as a fan, this course is better than the old system. The new manager has since written (under date May 19th) that he has " not been able to find gas in the highest parts of the old workings for the last ten days," and that the mine is almost free from gas, as it is very seldom that it appears in the safety lamp, and only in one place. The mine is now provided with safety lamps, and the severe lesson taught by the results of former careless working, will, doubtless, be instrumental in preventing further accident. The rise (new) workings are now ventilated by a separate shaft, and thus have no connection with the wastes.

Genekal Beport on the Various Coal Mines Visited. 1. Kawa Kama. —This is at present the largest colliery in New Zealand. The ventilation is defective, but under the peculiar circumstances, this is, to a certain extent, unavoidable ; and since my visit Mr. Moody, the manager, has written to inform me, that a ventilating furnace has been brought into operation. No gas has hitherto been found in the mine ; an excellent plan exists. Two driving pullies required fencing, and this, lam informed, has been done. The coal is at present raised by means of an engine plane; but the area of coal available from the present workings being very limited, a new shaft is being sunk which will, it is expected, open out about 50 acres of coal. When the railway to deep water is constructed, the facilities for shipping coal will be greatly increased. 2. Kamo Colliery, Whanyarei. —This mine has been in the hands of a party of working miners; no plan has been kept, and the workings are in a very bad state, both as regards ventilation and system. A new manager took charge on the day of my visit. The coal has at present to be carted about four miles on a very bad road, to Whangarei; but in a short time there will be a railway up to the mine, and this will materially reduce the cost of carriage. 3. Whau Whau Coal Mine, Whangarei. —No plan of this mine was produced, but one is kept by the lessors, and Mr. Love, the managing partner, will obtain a copy. The ventilation is good, but requires guiding. The coal is now worked by a tunnel, driven 1,200 feet through the clay slate, by a party of working miners who took to the mine about five years ago. This colliery is one of those small ones, where the owners have little or no capital, and in this case they will before long be in a worse position, owing to the facilities afforded to the competing colliery, (Kamo) by the construction of a railway: any further expense therefore, which might be occasioned by the rigid enforcement of a Eegulation of Mines Act, would very likely have the effect of entirely closing the mine. There is nothing in the present Act which would entail any considerable expense, except the formation and publication of special rules, and the steps taken by the Government have reduced this to a minimum. 4. Taupiri Coal Mine, Huntly, Waikato. —The ventilation here is not very good, and this is the more evident, as gunpow-der is used, but not in contravention of the Act. A boy, 12 years of age, was at work in this mine, assisting his father ; but as it was the first day, and the manager seemed not; to be aware of his presence, I merely cautioned the latter and the owner. 5. Waikato Coal Mine, lluntly, Waikato. —The workings are now on the east side of the river, and are very limited in extent. The ventilation is very good, but no plan exists. 6. Miranda Coal Mine. —l was unable to descend into the mine as the workings were flooded, but the surface arrangements called for some attention. Neither the shaft nor the engine was fenced, but on revisiting the mine a few days later I found the latter substantially protected, and explained to the overground manager the method usually adopted for fencing drawing-shafts, Mr. Foote has since informed me by letter that this has been effected. No plan of the mine was on the premises, but of course it was impossible to make one in the then condition of the workings. 7. Wellington Coal Company's Waimangaroa Mine, Westport. —Very little is now being done at this mine; the ventilation is good, but no plan exists. 8. Westport Colliery Company's Fisher Mine. —The workings in this mine are not as yet very extensive, but are very regularly driven and well ventilated, and the manager keeps a plan. The Act

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is complied with in every respect except the establishment of special rules, and negotiations were being carried on, at tbe time of my visit, between the Mines Department and the owners relative to the amendment of special rules submitted by the latter. The coal is as yet thin, but the roof is pood, and as soon as the surface tramways and other works (which are of an unusually difficult and expensive character) are completed, this mine will be in a position to ship a large quantity of coal. 9. Brunner Mine, Orei/movth. — This is an extensive mine, employing about thirty men underground. There is no gas in the workings, but the stone drift which has been driven for proving the fault, contains a small amount. Extensive open wastes exist, and as there is no regular system of ventilation, this mine will require careful management. Gunpowder is stored in the mine, in considerable quantities, in an abandoned working, into which nobody but the manager is authorised to go. Though not a dangerous practice in itself, this is a violation of the Act. Mr. Kennedy has written to you on this subject, also complaining of the operation of Part IV of the Act, relating to the employment of children. The Brunner Mine sometimes stands idle for several days, and then one or more vessels having suddenly arrived in port, all the energies of the workmen and boys are employed to get as much coal as possible in a short time, and load the vessels before the bar becomes unworkable. Thus the whole staff, including boys under sixteen, are working very long hours, much beyond the time allowed by the Act. If the present Act is to be enforced it will necessitate the dismissal of several boys, who will be thrown out of employment, and it will also raise the cost of producing coal, by causing men to be employed in their stead. I reported these violations of the Act to you, but have, as yet, taken no steps for their prevention. Coal Pit Heath Mine, Greijmouth. —This pit was, at the time of my visit, free from explosive gas ; still as this has been recently found, the safety of the workmen will depend on a rigid enforcement of the Act and special rules. General rules 2 and 6 have not been observed, but the manager has taken active measures for observance. The workings of this mine are well timbered and ventilated, and the mine altogether is in good order ; but the thickness of the seam, and the presence of faulty places in the roof, will necessitate the greatest caution. At present a large amount of good slack is wasted, by being thrown into the river, but the owners intend to erect coke ovens, which will, to a certain extent, prevent the waste of so much valuable fuel. Greymouth Company (Walhevd) Mine. —Nothing whatever has been done at this colliery since my former visit as coal viewer (February 17th, 1879), and the conditions of the mine, as described in the report thereon, are such as to require great care and skill in the manngement to prevent accidents. The company still continue to keep the water down in the shaft by pumping, but a considerable sum of money will have to be spent before the shaft and works can be brought into a state of thorough repair. When the second communication with the surface is formed, the ventilation will be much more easily maintained. A fence was erected round the shaft, in compliance with General Rule G, before I left. This colliery has been in the hands of its present owners for nearly eight months, and it is time some steps were taken to re-commence the output of coal. I have, &c, George J. Binns, Inspector of Mines. To the Under-Secretary for Mines.

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RETURN No. 1. STATISTICS of WORKINGS in COAL MINES.

22

be a I a 'o I I S5 Quality of Coal. vr V QQ *c u 1 B Thickness of Seams. Dip. Thickness Worked. System of Underground Workings. c I Dimensions of Shaft. Output delivered by. "a "S 00 -CO p. Name of Collieky. fc Auckland. Kawa Kawa 11 Glance 1 Feet. 6 to 15 Iin6 Feet. 6 to 14 Pillar and stall 7 x 10ft.,and3ft. diameter 4 x 5 ft. Engine plane Tunnel 299,000 Kamo Brown 1 12 1 in 6, N.E, All Bord and pillar 4,000 S 4 6 C Whau Whan Taupiri Waikato Miranda 14 3 2 2 do. do. do. do. 1 2 1 1 9 6 to 14 18 55 1 in 12, N.E. Irregular. do. Iin72 do. Nearly all 11 16 Stoop and room Bord and pillar do. do. 1 2 lb'x 4J x 70 ft., and 6x4 do. do. do. Shaft.. 15,000 24,000 5,476 2,675 Nelson. Wallsend (Collingwood) Bituminous Pitch.. 27 in. to 32 W., 12J° All Longwall Tunnel 5,950 11 West Wanganui 1 1.'2'&3.'2* W., 12 do. Modified do... 6 x 3 ft. Shaft.. 650 Westport Bituminous do. do. 1 4x6 W., 7° do. Bord and pillar Tunnel 1,190 0 .1 Wellington Brunner 3 U 1 1 18 x 24 12 to 16 [inl N.W., 1 in 2 to 1 S.W., 1 in 3 6 All Post and stall do. do. do. 2,263 91,405 Coal Pit Heath 2 do. 16 S.W., 1 in 4 do. do. 10 x 6 ft., 6 ft. diameter Shaft.. 13,880 Westland. Wallsend (Greymouth) do. 16 S.W., 1 in 3} do. do. 11 ft. diameter do. 12,122 Cantekbubt. Springfield Brown 3| to 44 S.E., 1 in 6 to 1 in 12 1 in 3 1 in 3 1 in 3 do. Pillar 6 x 6 ft. Engine plane Tunnel 5,745 24 .5 .6 7 Homebush Canterbury Wallsend (Malvern .. 7 16 2 do. do. do. 8 2 2 3.' 6' and 7 2 6 and 3 do. do. do., in 3 ft. do. Longwall Pillar 1 2 3* x 4 ft. '.'. 6 x 4 ft. Shaft.. 7,824 15,830 3,478 Otago. do. 9 and 10 E. toN.E., 1 in 4 10 do. 3' 6* diameter, and 44 x 2J 4x4 Tunnel 4,900 St. Andrews 10 Prince Alfred 2 do. 9 E., 10° S., 1 in 5 6 do. do. 4,445 Shag Point 16 do. 2 to 12 1 in 4, N.E. All Post and stall 4' 9" x 2' 8" .. Engine plane Tunnel Shaft.. Inclined plane Shaft.. do. do. Tunnel do. 31,717 !1 !2 !3 Fern Hill Otago Freeman's 58 3 do. do. do. 1 1 1 194 19 16 N., 10°E., linlO 1 in 6 to 1 in 10 1 in 7 7 6 Bord and pillar Room and ranee do. 1 1 1 4' 9* x 3' 6' .. 4' 6' x 10 2i x 5 132 9,000 13,181 6 to 7 !4 !5 !6 17 !8 !'J Saddle Hill Green Island Walton Park Bruce Keal McKay Shore's No. 1, Kaitangata Kaitangata Railway and Coal-mining Company 6 8 41 10J do. do. do. Pitch., do. 1 1 1 1 1 194 14 18 11 to 3 25 1 in 8 1 in 10 1 in 9 N.E.E., 1 in 6 N.E. to E., lin 8 11 7 6 to 7 4 to 5 8 do. do. do. Stoop and room do. 1 1 1 8x4 12 x 4} 12 x 4J 17,600 40,874 142,106 3,933 7,623 1 7 do. 30 8 11' 9" x 4' 6" .. Shaft.. 7,493 3 do. 27 1 in 7 20 to 24 Post and stall 7x5 Tunnel 30,000 823,492 To' CALS ..

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RETURN No. 1. STATISTICS of WORKINGS in COAL MINES.

CO 5 1—( I s, S ft d O 73 1 a l "o 8 1 a •a Q 1 P <! % J o | a S n CD .5 1 C OS a s m g a S 00 i n >4- CO o a a 5 a 5 Dimension of Pillars. Power used for drawing Coal. 0 o 2 m Size of Pipes. a § ■q O o I 9 ffl Ventilated by. Date of Inspector's Visit. Tons. 40,000 50 under 50 over 9 under 12 over 1 24 under 5 3 under 7 over Tons. 34 Feet. 7x6 Feet. 7x6 12 to 18 10 x 6 yds. to 10x10 yds. 8 to 10 yds. square 12 yds. 16 ft. 14 ft. Engine Ft. G Feet. 12" 9* 6" 150 Steamjet Natural 31st March, 1879 1,000 5 6x7 9x6 12 to 14 x 12 Hand 27th „ 1,690 11,137 3,073 2,000 4 3 too 4 34 6x5 8x 6 8 x 11 7x10 8x 6 8 xll 9 ft. 14 ft. 14 x 11 Horse Hand do Engine ii 6* 70 do. do. do. do. 28th „ 7th April, 1879 8th „ 9th & 18th April,, 4 14 yds. do. 3rd October, 1878 50 1 650 9 under 11 over 6 2i 8x6 Engine 10 H.P. 4 8' 53 None. 15th „ 1,190 3 5 x 10 9 9 ft. 8 yds. Hand Natural 27th May, 1879 1,468 19,404 3 39 under 8 over 20 under 4 over 2* 5 6x6 10 x 10 6x6 18 to 20 ft. 60 x 66 ft. 18 yds. Horse Hand, & selfacting inclines Engine do. do. 21st October, 1878 14th February, 1879 7,742 4 12 x 10 12 x 10 18 to 20 ft. 10 to 14 yds. x 20 yds. 4 10' 250 do. 15th 6,882 2 over i-J 9x16 9x 6 18 ft. 17 x 22 yds. Engine 48 H.P. 10" 670 15 ft. fan 17th „ 3,001 3,129 830 2,016 (28 under I 9 over { 5 borers 12 1 7 under 2 over la* r li l 8 x 44 6x4 6x6 Ox 4J 6 wide 5x4 5x6 8x3 to 4J 4 yds. 6x4 8 yds. square various 8yds. 8 yds. Engine 10 H.P. Hand Engine 8 H.P. 10" 3" Furnace Natural do. None. 16th January „ 17th „ 16th „ 17th „ 8 x 3to 4£ 12* 5" 91 1 4Jx 5J 11 to 12 8 ft. square Hand Natural 28th „ „ 400 2 2,400 5 under 2 over 15 under 35 over 12 8 14 ■^i 6x6 6x6 15 to 18 ft. 6 ft. square do. do. »t ,, ,, 5,377 3 7x6 7x6 14 20 yds. Engine 6 H.P. 10" 5" 25 ?urnace 27th „ 132 4,*660 7x 8 5x 7 61 7 6x6 5x6 6x6 14 x 7 12 x 7 14 x 7 30x30 13 ft. square 6x — Hand Engine buc Horse lets under ca ge do. do. Natural 20th „ 21st " " 3,600 5,874 17,106 1,333 1,250 6 17 14 3 2 3 H H 10 x 7 9x7 7x12 12 x 6 8x8-15x8 6x6 6x7 6x 7 7 x 14 14 x 7 14 x 7 12 16 x 8 3 yds. x 15yds. 14x6J 14 ft. 12 ft. irregular do. Engine 15 H.P. Engine 10 H.P. Hand do. 8' 44 r ii' 130 175 Furnace Natural Furnace Natural do. 22nd „ 20th „ 21st & 22nd Jan.,, 24th January „ n u M 924 17 9x8 9x8 14 x 8 18 ft. square Engine 16 H.P. 8" 8" 392 Furnace 14,000 31 3 10 x 7 10 x 7 16 x 7 7 yds. square Horse do. 162,218

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RETURN No. 2. RETURN of the QUANTITY and VALUE of COAL IMPORTED into and EXPORTED from NEW ZEALAND, for the Year ended 31st December, 1878. COAL IMPORTED.

Countries from whence Imported. Quantity. Value. Tons. £ United Kingdom ... 1,798 2,G45 New South Wales ... 172,254 265,040 Victoria 76 124 Tasmania 20 21 Totals ... 174,148 268,430 Coal Expor1 SB, Countries to which Exported. Quantity. Value. Tons. £ lew South Wales ... 400 400 I 3,913 tons of this coal was f obtained from Greymoutli. rictoria 8,513 2,54.5 iouth Sea Islands ... 8 12 Totals ... 3,921 £2,957 WILLIAM SEED, Secretary and Collector of Customs. Customs Department, Wellington, 27th June, 1879. By Authority: Gxobge Didsbuht, Government Printer, Wellini ion—1879.