PROGRESS OF THE RESCUERS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1886, 21 October 1913, Page 7

PROGRESS OF THE RESCUERS.

s EXPLORING SENGHENYDD MINE. CONDITIONS IMPROVING. CAUSE OF THE DISASTER. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, October 19. Exploring parties at tho Senghenydd mine aro making good progress. They havo blocked up tho mino at ono sido of the fire and aro hopeful of soon blocking tho other. It is now possible to utilise the fire rescue brigades. Tho smoko has abated and tho temperature is cooler. Ono of tho entomed miners who started work on Monday last was formerly a member of tho steamer Volturno's crew. Ho commented on his luck bofore descending into the pit. THE RELIEF FUNDS. FUNERALS OF THE VICTIMS. London, October 19. Now Zealand's and Ballarat's messages of sympathy havo been received. Tho Mansion House fund stands at £4000. The Mayor of Cardiff's fund has reached £6000. (Reo. October 20, 10.40 p.m.) Capo Town, October 20. Tho Mayor of Durban has opened a Welsh colliery disaster fund. (Rcc. October 20, 10.40 p.m.) London, October 20, Mr. Bramwell Booth (head of the Salvation Army) has telegraphed tho Lord Mayor of Cardiff offering to take fifty of tho minors' orphans. ' Pathetic scenes wero witnessed yesterday at the funerals of tho victimß. Scores pf graves wero dug in. the cemo tery, ono foot apart, in long rows. Tho Government inspector does not anticipate any further rescues.

SAFETY IN MIMES, PREVENTION OF EXPLOSIONS. (Rec. October 20, 10.40 p.m.) London, October £0. Tho report of the Royal Commission, on Mines is about to bo issued. 31r. A. E. Markharn, M.P. (Liberal), who was a member of tlio Commission, declared, in tho courso of a speech that the ovidenco conclusively showed that stonodusting of all roads in mines was a preventive of explosions. If the proportion of stono was equal to tho coal dust, that would prevent explosions of coal dust, which was undoubtedly tho cause of the Welsh calamity. _Ho advocated the compulsory use of electric safety lamps m all mines, which, lio estimated, would cost about a million to instal. Spontaneous combustion in a mino, says a recent writer, is possible, but very rare. Perhaps it has nover been tho cause of an explosion, for the Imown conditions under which it takes placo aro such as can hardly ariso in any colliery which is being actively worked, When largo heaps of broken and fine coal which get alternately wet and dry aro allowed to stand, tho generation of heat, followed by tho combustion of tho coal, occurs by chemical process. Soma kinds of coal ignito in this way nioro readily than others, and tho process is supposed to bo helped by tho presence of any considerable quantity of iron pyrites. It is hardly oanccivablo that sufficient accumulations of suitable material would occur in a pit being worked, and the cooling ventilation currents would probably keep tho temperature too low for the process to tako placo. It is only whero iargp bulks'of coal are stored, as in tho holds and bunkers of vessels, that spontaneous combustion is at all' common, and even tho l particular seams of coal liable to exhibit this tendency aro pretty Well known and avoided by shipowners and shippers. Tho most obvious causes of ignition aro the failure of safety lamps, the illicit opening of lamps/ or the striking of matches. Tho best modern safety lamps aro practically safe. In an atmosphere very rich in combustible gas and moving at a high velocity their gafety. limit becomes reduced, but this is a condition of affairs of which tho lamp itself givea timely notice. Unfortunately, speaking generally, the better safety lamp the more easily it goes out by accident. It should bo absolutely as well as theoretically impossible for tho miner to open his safety lamp by means of any instrument which he could carry with him, and in eomo modern types of lamps these conditions aro attained. ; One lamp, for instance, can only be. opened with a powerful electro-magnet. Miners aro supposed not to have matches in their possession in tiro pit, but from timo to time cases aro reported whero comparatively small fines are inflicted on colliers who have been found breaking the law. A man caught with matches in his possession has always the defonco that lie had forgotten ho had them in his pockets. Tho possibility of tho truth of this no doubt deters Magistrates from inflicting tho heavy punishment which the wilful breaking of tho rulo should undoubtedly carry with it. In somo Continental collieries this defence would be impossible, for the men never »o homo in their working pnit. They keep it at the pit-head and change, there. Tho argument of safetv is only one of many for introducing this system here.