NIGHTCAPS MINE DISASTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 48, 20 November 1907, Page 10

NIGHTCAPS MINE DISASTER.

FINDINGS OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION.

SEVERE'.COMMENTS. Tho report of thb Royal Commission (W. R. Haseldon, H. J. H. Eliott, Henry A. Gordon, and Alexander Forbes) appointed to. enquiro into the disaster in tbo Nightcaps coal mino (Southland) on June 21 last was presented to Parliament yesterday. ' ' It is raentionod that, as compensation to tho relatives of the men who had lost their lives,, tho sum of £2200 had been paid by tho company, with £225 costs. THB MANAGER. The Commissioners had to find regarding tho personal character of the mino manager, John Lloyd, his; conduct at tho time of tho disaster, and his general; competency. They report as follows:—"Lloyd is a man of intomporato habits, who has sovoral .times during tho last few years had '; prohibition orders made out against him. It is said, howover, that since the disaster ho has been a total abstainer, and his employers retain their confidence in him. Ho lias passed'no examination in mine management, but obtained his certificate becauso he was actually in charge of'a mino when tho Act of "1885, providing for, the issue of mino managers' certificates, camo into force. Hβ is, however, a man of considerable intelligence, who, has risen from a : -working miner to that of : mine manager. His employers evidently value his services highly. They have retained him in their employ for 26 years, and in June' last were ■ paying him £30 a month. Up to this disaster he ha's beeii very successful in mining all available coal at a minimum cost, and is making the mine remunerative to tho owners. On tho evening of Juuo 20 ho went to the house occupied by tho'Carsons, and before 10 a.m. had consumed the greater part of a bottle of whisky. Ho then went to sleep ■on a sofa, in Carsons , kitchen until about 3 a.m.. When he loft, and was proceeding to his own i homo, ho met Dixon. Instead of going at once to tho mine, ho occupied from threequartors of an hour to an hour in calling np tlireo or four men. After five hours' sleep, ho was probably in appearance sober, but ho would hardly be in the best condition to grapple with such an emergency as he was called on to meet."

THE ACTUAL DISASTER. Dealing with the actual disaster, tho Commissioners state that when Lloyd entered tho mino at 4.20 on Friday morning he should have withdrawn all men, made a careful and cautious examination, and only have seiit men to work when it had been ascertained that thoy could do so with safety. After sending' Carson and Welsh down the dip 'h'e allowed far too long a time to olapso 'before ascertaining whether they were safe. 'He took more drink in the mine, and this, combined with the effect of the overnight potiatitins and the foul air in the mine, incapacitated him from exercising sound judginont, ' THE FINDINGS. ' Doaling with the questions referred". to thorn, the Commissioners find that the deaths of tho three men, Carson, Welsh, and Duncan, were caused by poisonous gases. Tho cause of tho disaster was tho disregard of the manager of all precautions, statutory ■and : otherwise, for the safety of tho coal miners in the conditions existing at the time, and in sending the men into a poisonous atmosphere and leaving them there for aff unreasonably long time. THE INSPECTOR OF MINES. As to the competency of tho Inspector of Mines, tho report states: —" Mr. E. R. Green is a well-trained and experienced man, with a competent knowledge of his duties, but in this instance he has not acted with sufficient caution and firmness. Mr. Green did himself grave injustice in tho way he gave his "evidence. He seemed to have to some extent lost his memor-y and judgment in the witnessbox, and advanced theories to account for what actually happened which were plainly erroneous." The report details six matters in which th a inspector has shown laxity, and th'o Commissioners add: "On the whole wo do not consider him deserving of serious censure, but remissness in matters of detail adds to tho probability of romissness in important matters. Mr. Green duly reported the existonce of-tho previous fires and of the last firo in the mino to tho Minister."

Mr. Forbes dissents from tho wording of tho paragraph regarding the mino manager, and substitutes a minority report as to his incompctoucy. .During the course of his remarks, he says:—"As the rosult of the inofiioicnt inspection and management three lives were lost. Tho amount of tho work tho inspector had to do in no way excuses incapacity. Tho quality of his work on tho occasions of the inspections he made was bad, and tho ignorance ho displayed regarding mine-gases when giving evidence before tho Commission proves him to bo incompetent as an Inspector of Mines for tho purpose of protectiug tho lives of tho workmen." PRAISE WHERE IS DUE. Special referenco is made to ths following men, who acted so conspicuously on tho morning of tho disaster in attempting to rescue their comrades at "tho risk of their own lives, visi.: — William Jardiiic, deputy. Thomas Todd, minor. Thomas MoncripfF, mjnor. Robert M'Dowell, minor. Alexander Dempster, miner. Robert Sneddon, minor. John Joboy ; miner. Tho Commissioners recommend them for somo mark of approval of thoir gallant coli.duct, ■■. j