G.—-2

52

Serious Non-fatal Accidents. Kaitangata No. 2 Mine.—7th March : H. Colvin, a shiftman, was struck by a piece of coal which fell from the side of the pillar ; he was knocked down and received a fractured jaw. Kaitangata No. 2 Mine.—On the 6th April, James Hancock, a trucker, sustained a fracture of the left leg and three broken ribs through being struck by a fall of coal from the roof. Boghead Mine, Mataura.—24th April: Chas. Richmond, 40, miner—fracture of the left tibia, caused by being struck by coal from a shot, the fuse of which he had previously lit. He had four shots altogether, and was lighting the fourth when the first one exploded. Kaitangata No. 2 Mine. —23rd May : John Borick, miner—fracture of the right fibula. A " polar " over a setswung and struck him on the leg. He walked home after working until crib-time, and did not know the bone was broken until examined by the doctor the next day. Kaitangata No. 2 Mine.—2sth May : William Park, miner—fracture of the left tibia, caused through being struck by a piece of falling coal. He and his mate (N. Mackie) were " breasting " back a pillar and failed to put up sprags. Alexandra Mine. —15th June : D. Mathias, 58, miner, was struck by a piece of coal which fell from the rib and dislocated his hip-joint. He was incapacitated for five months. Burnwell (Mount Somen) Mine.—l6th June: Frank Smith, trucker, sustained a fracture of the left leg by a large piece of stone falling from the roof of the place where he was turning a truck on the flat sheet. Albury Pit.—2lst August : Rex D. Brydon, miner, sustained fractures of both bones of the left leg by a fall of clay from the side of a wide trench in which he was working. Mount Torlesse Mine. —25th August: George Baxendale, 35, miner, sustained a comminuted fraeturo of the right fibula through a fall of stone from the roof of his working-place. Mossbank .Mine. —10th September : George Clarke, miner, received a fractured right rib and abrasions to the right side of his face, chest, and foot by a fail of roof-coal. Sha,g Point Mine. —17th September : William Upston, 16, haulage-rope attendant, received a fracture of the base of the skull by a fall of stone, which had been supported by a set and partially by a pack wall, falling on to his shoulders and pushing him head foremost into the coal-rib. Dangerous Occurrences notified under Regulation 94 (1). Taratu Mine. —2nd January : The underground fire in the shaft section again broke out. Efforts to check it failed, so it was decided on the Bth January to permit the water to rise in the workings and seal the two shaftoutlets. A large fall had occurred during the holiday season. This had connected the recent workings with those in the seam above, which were first stopped off owing to heating during 1916. A concrete stopping had been built on the south side about four years ago, and this had greatly assisted in preventing the fire from spreading. New Brighton Mine.—loth March : Smoke was reported by William Dixon, mine-manager, coming from the goaf on the west side and near the bottom of No. 2 dip—i.e., a few chains from the lowest part of the mine. They continued working, and at 4 p.m. when work ceased the ventilating-fan was stopped. The next day was an idle one, and the manager had arranged for some men to put up stoppings to isolate the fire area. An engine-driver, living near the mine, heard a loud report at 4 a.m. on the 11th, and the manager, on going down the mine later, found evidence that an explosion had occurred. Another explosion took place at 6.30 a.m. on the 13th March. The mine was closed and the water allowed to rise above the seat of the fire. Work was resumed on the 21st April. On the Ist May another ignition of gas occurred at the top of No. 2 dip. The men were immediately withdrawn and water again turned into the mine from the surface. Stoppings were put in the mine-mouth and near the ventilating-fan. On the 2nd May an explosion occurred at 11.30 a.m., and another at 1.50 p.m. On the 14th May the stoppings were broken, but finding the fire was still active the mine was again sealed and not reopened until the Ist June. Black Diamond Mine.—lst July : David Lee, a miner, was slightly burned on the back of the hand by the ignition of half a plug of compressed blasting-powder. Ho claims that his carbide head-lamp was at least 4 ft. away from the shot-hole being charged. After putting in the charge Lee estimated that it was undercharged, so he went back to his powder-can for another half-plug and leaving his lamp at the face. While climbing up on the loose coal to the shot- ole he fell and the half-plug of powder came in contact with the carbide-lamp. Linton Mine. —14th July : Firestink was reported coming from the goaf at the extreme end of the pillar workings in the main seam. On the 20th July the Underviewer reported a substantial increase in temperature, and on the 24th the heating had increased so much that the area was then sealed off. On the 29th July a small quantity of black-damp was detected coming from the goaf, and on the 28th the air-current was reversed the ventilating-fan acting as a blower instead of exhausting. Owing to the quantity of black-damp given off the'men were withdrawn on the 22nd and 24th. Wharekuri Mine. —22nd July : The underground fire in the old workings broke through into the recent ones, and, finding it impossible to combat it, the mine was sealed and then abandoned. Benhar Mine.—2sth July : The mine-manager discovered on entering the mine that the intake airway was full of smoke, which was coming from a ten-year-old fire in the old workings and which had broken through. Temporary stoppings were built of ashes and other material, and later these were backed up by substantial brick°stoppings built around the whole of the upper workings on the south side of the main dip haulage-road. Ohai Coal Company's Mine.—lst September : William Page, a miner, ignited a small quantity of firedamp with his naked carbide-lamp in his working-place. He was slightly singed on the back of the neck. Mossbank No. 2 Mine. —2nd September : The No. 2 stopping showed signs of becoming defective, and later fire made its appearance from old workings through the coal underneath the floor of the drive. A line of stoppings was put in, cutting off the fire. New Brighton Mine.—l2th September : Deputy Archibald Dixon noticed firestink during his morning inspection, Later he and the manager endeavoured to locate the fire, but, owing to the numerous falls in the old workings! they could not do so. The two outlets to the mine were then sealed. The manager was instructed not to reopen the mine for four weeks. When reopened on the 15th October no evidence of fire was found, and work was resumed. On Sunday, the Bth November, the engine-driver living near the mine noticed a haze around the mine-mouth. It increasing, he decided to report it. The ventilating-fan had not been running since 4 p.m. on the 6th November. The mine was sealed off by Monday morning, but at 6 p.m. that evening an explosion occurred of the pent up gases, blowing out the top portion of the stopping in the intake airway. This was again blocked up. The manager has been notified that no further work shall be done in the lower levels, and that the mine must bo completely filled with water and pumping not commenced until the Ist March next. Linton Mine. —25th November : Another section of the pillars in the main-seam section became heated, and eventually had to be sealed off. St. Helen's Mine. —Bth December : The manager reported that the fire in the old workings had worked into his recent ones, and he has sealed off the section. Work was resumed in a new drive on the 23rd December. Prosecutions. A mine-manager was convicted and fined £5 and costs for failing to withdraw the men on the 10th March except those necessarily engaged in combating an underground fire from a mine in which safety-lamps were in use! A miner was convicted and fined ss. and costs for failing—on the 25th June—to set sprags in his working-place before commencing holing. The deputy in charge of the section was also charged that he failed to see that the side of the working-place was properly secured by the persons working in it. This information was dismissed. The mine-manager of a small mine was convicted and ordered to pay Court costs for permitting the part of the mine where a serious accident had occurred on the 7th July to be interfered with before it was examined by the Inspector. A miner was convicted and fined £2 and costs for taking into the mine on the 13th July explosives which were not in a securely covered case or canister. Another mine-manager was convicted and fined £5 and costs for permitting the part of the mine where a serious accident had occurred on the 23rd July to bo interfered with before it was examined by the Inspector.