47

a—2

Onto. i Name and Situation of Colliery. Name, Ace, and Occupation of Person killed. Description of Accident, and Remarks. 1919. :il .Ian. 1 Kaitangata No. 2 Colliery, Kaitangata .lames Archibald Weir (42). rope-attendant He was sitting on the front, of the first truck of a rake which was being hauled at a normal speed by a winch up No. 1 elip haulage-road. When passing through a hanging brattice-screen it caught his head and he was turned over and was crushed side on against, (lie ooal roof about 1 ft. 10 in. above, the truck, and then thrown violently into the truck, receiving a crushed pelvis and severe bruises on bis side, the shock from which brought on heart-failure. from which he died about three elays later. He hail recently the influenza, and had not entirely recovered. In connection with this accident the deputy mine-manager. Mr. Frederick Carson, was prosecuted by the Inspector of Mines for a. breach of section 02. paragraph (1), of the Coal-mines Act for failure to notify the Inspector by telegram of this serious accident, also with a, breach of paragraph (5) of the same section by having, prior to the visit of the Inspector, the low coal roof brushed against which deceased was crushed. For each of these offences the defendant was fined £10, with £3 Us. solicitor's fee, amounting in all to £2(> (is. In defence Mr. Carson stated that at the time of the accident ho was not of the opinion that it was a serious accident requiring notification by telegram. At subsequent proceedings taken by the wieiow she was awarded £1,500 as compensation for neglect by the owners. the jury finding that I lie deceased was riding on a truck in a drive which was dangerously low without permission of the mine-manager, in eont invention of Special Rule 54, the manager being aware of such contravention. He was getting coal on the surface at a place overhanging 4ft., being the commencement of a elip heading; no sprag or props were erected. A fall of about 2 tons of coal and stone, occurred, burying him and killing him instantly. The cause of death was laceration of the lung and haemorrhage. The mine - owner and permit - holder, Mr. P. W. Archer, stated that he instructed deceased on the previous day to put up timber at the place. The place of the accident had not been inspected by the manager on the day of the, accident prior thereto. There was no other official employed : only three men and. a boy were working at this mine. A breach of seotion 40, paragraph (42), appears to have occurrcel in not having such inspection. A somewhat similar fatal accident occurred during the previous year at Moss Bank Coal-mine. He was employed to hang on trucks at the bottom of a jig at No. I bank. No. 2 section. He gave a signal for a nice of two trucks to be jigged. The man at the top of the jig, which was 1 chains long, inclined I in 5, when pushing the full trucks over the brow at the top accidentally uncoupled the front truck, which travelled down the jig at great speed, striking dcccaseel, who was standing in the roadway, breaking his leg, also causing internal injuries and profound shock, from which he died on the following day. The coupling which became detached was not the usual chain coupling, but a piece of endless-rope clip chain. This shoulel not have been used as a coupling. Work was immediately resumed at the place of accident, in contravention of section (i2, paragraph (5), of the Coalmines Act, the mine-manager not thinking it eonstituteel a serious accident. He was working at a coal-face, 12 ft. wide and between 6 anel 7 ft. high, the whole, thickness being mined. Passing across the face a,t an angle of about 45° was a clay joint or " greasy back " : this continued into the roof-stone. The place was timbered with a double row of props to within 0 ft. of the face ; there was no sprag or prop at the face. Without warning a piece of roof-stone weighing about 5 cwt. fell from the "greasy back," striking deceased and inflicting injuries from which he succumbeel on the 7th August following. The examining eleputy and workmen's inspectors considered the place, adequately timbered and safe, but this accident proveel otherwise. The Coroner's jury held no person blameworthy. As regards this aecidemt, the " greasy back " at the face should have served as a warning that the roof was treacherous, and one or more props shoulel have been put up at the face. Ho was proceeding with a race of twenty empty trucks, the loco being behind such trucks, pushing them. At a stage in the journey he gave the brakesman, who was also an experienced driver, charge of the loco, and then he went along the trucks to the first empty one in front of the race. While the race was travelling ho signalled to the driver by outstretching his arms, and, overbalancing, fell out of the truck under the race, receiving a fractured thigh and pelvis, also other injuries. He eiieel from shock the following day. At the time of the accident eleeeased was not in his proper pla.ee. In the Coal-mines Act, section 40 (29), provision is made that the driver of a steamengine shall not cease to have continual supervision of such engine, but no reference is maele to electric locos, an omission which requires rectifying. The Coroner found no person to be blameworthy. Archer's Coal-mine, Capleston Will in in miner Kirk (4b), 22 Feb. 25 April Point Elizabeth State Colliery, Dunollie' William Muneaster, jun. (32), trucker . 5 May Black Diamond (late Tinker's) Colliery, near Nightcaps Thomas Blight (36), miner 22 May Wcstport-Stockton Colliery, near Ngakawau Percival John Rut - ledge (23), eleotrioloco driver