THE HUNTLY DISASTER

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2264, 25 September 1914, Page 7

THE HUNTLY DISASTER

INQUEST CONTINUED OPINION BY PROFESSOR DIXON EXPLOSION CAUSED-BY COALDUST (By Telegraph—Press Association.); Huntly, September 24. The inquest on the victims of / the Huntly disaster was resumed to-day. Several survivors declared that the mine seemed #o be as usual when they entered it on the morning of the explosion. All they, felt was a rumbling, and a sudden rush of wind and foul air and gas which knocked them down. All considered the mine to be safe.. They had never noticed signs of gas in any quantity previously. One witness who. worked : previously/at Denniston, said Huntly- was dry and - dirty compared with Denniston. ; Daniel Wear, employed as permanent inspector in the old workings, said it took sis. days to make a thorough inspection. Only on one occasion had he found gas in anything like dangerous quantity. That was in March last. He reported it. to the under-manager, and ■the danger <was removed that night by introducing air. He believed .tho accumulation .on this .occasion was paused by the stoppage of tho fan on Sunday, night. 'On other occasions he had found gas '.in small' quantities, which. was Trot considered dangerous: \He had been working at Huntly for 28 years, during which time .there had been no- explosion, except on the occasion when Kelly was .burned a few weeks ago. Ho considered the mine dry but not-dusty. There were no signs of :gas during the past three weeks. ■■'•■''■'. Joseph Young, formerly assistantinspector of the old workings, said that ■he had frequently, found accumulations of gas in dangerous quantities in the old ■ workings, which . were barricaded, end marked "dangerous," but he often found traces of the presence of men in that part.of the mine. Witness resigned the position of. assistanWnspector owing to illrhealth, due to poisonous .gases. On one occa6on''he. Nad mentioned the probability of an explosion to one of the. miners, Thomas Hughes, who accompanied Inspector Wear on a tour of the old. workings. For a fort, night prior to the disaster he had discovered signs of heating through smouldering timber. On August 26 steps. Tvere taken to eliminate all danger. The beating-'was caused by spontaneous combustion. . ■-.. - . ' ; - John deputy,; with 45 years' experience in twelve different mines, eai-l. that he had never been in one ■safer than-Huntly, which was considerably safer than the Bruriner. -. . '' , . Thomas Edward Webb, 30 years a ininer, said that.there was only one mine safer to his knowledge—that was the Elms colliery,' Wigan' (Scotland), where naked lights were used. Safety lamps were in general use"throughout England', but the'men were usually the first objectors to safeties,: as, by their use the work was the slower,-and free-, dom less. He had examined every Jwrtion of Ralph's mine, and had never found any trace of gas in a working face.' •' Mr. Fletcher, the mine manager, reCalled at the' request of the jury, statedin answer to a question, that the,company" had no life-saving' appliances at the time-iof-'the,explosion: ■'■'They had' on ambulance'box on top and below. ' Replying to Inspector Wright, he said that he know of„no mines in the Dominion,, except Waihi, where lifersaving apparatus was kept. As far as he could learn, _ life-saving appliances were only in their infancy, and.from'what he had i read < more lives had been lost by the Users of 6uch appliances than saved. At thiß.stage, Inspector Wright asked for an adjournment till September 80, to enable a thorough inspection- of the mine to be made.by experts, to try~and locate the seat of the explosion. Mr. Macassey (representing the Mines Department, said that there was. no power at present in the Act to compel the use of safety lamps in mines Provision, however, would be made in the new Act. .-'-■.«:• " : v- ; The solicitors for the company said that there was not the slightest, suggestion of-incompetence or lapse of duty on ; the'part or the Government inepector. '; The inquiry wa9 then adjourned till September 30. The official inquiry opens on' October 1. ■: ■..'". \

EXPERT EVIDENCE. . SUGGESTED PRECAUTIONS. : 1 Professor Dixon, who is unable to be present till Saturday, gave, a written opinion, in.which ho though it. was not possible'at present to locate the origin' of the explosion, the main loss of life' was duo to inflammatory coal-dust lying on 1 the roads. Parte of-the road were wet, but the dust' ,-■ cloud washed by the blast was' carried over the'wet places and the flame of a burning dust cloud ignited- the dust beyond until it reached the shaft. "I am of opinion," he stated,, "that it would be advisable trfrdoi future work &s this' in similar, seams with safety lamps,. preferably \the modern electric. Until, such lamps are procurable I coneider that it (would be safe to work with naked lights, provided strict tests were made for fire-damp before the miners enter, or 'that dust in Jhe main roads be rendered unimflamraable, either by systematic watering or by systematic, admixture with finely-divided inert dust, such as powdered shale, limestone, or . Puller i' earth, I say it will not be possible to prevent some'vminor ignitions of fire-damp occurring; but I believe it is possible and practicable to prevent such small inflammations developing . into destructive explosions such as caused the disastrous loss of, life ' at Huntly." "In Home Office experiments carried out at Eskineals, Oumberland," cont'in- • ued Professor Dixon, "it has been found that it'becomes more and more difficult to propagate an explosion through a gallery, containing finely-divided and easily-inflammable coal-dust when . the latter is mixed with more and more inert dust in a fine state of division. When inert material is equal in weight with fine coal-dust it is practically impossible to start an explosion by such . means as a discharge of 24 ounces of blasting powder from a cannpn placed in the gallery. Inert dust must bo so finely divided that any disturbance of srir that raises the coal-dust into a cloud will also raise inert material. The damping of coal-dust by finely-divided water sprays (an atomiser js most effective) is also a sure means of preventing coaldust being raised. A combination of inert dusting and spraying may bo used the inert dust being thrown on to the roof, where it is sometimes impossible for water to go. Safety depends on either preventing a dust-cloud being raised, or in rendering such clouds as are raised uninflammable, by diluting combustible with incombustible particles. .The quantity of inert dust to be added," further staled Prof. Dixon, ■ "depends of jourso on the amount of 1 coal-dust made in the mine. "It is the fine dust blown off and shaken out of the tubs in the haulage that is most dangerous, and to this must bo added in many eases.the fact .that it is carried down the screens on the surface dovfn the shaft and deposited on the haulage roads. In the case of -Ralph's mine',, where the roofs are good throughout, most of tho watering would be ,very easy to carry out. In a few places inert duet might be used where

watering would be difficult. It may not be possible," concluded Prof. Dixon, "to prevent some minor ignitions; of firedamp occurring, but I believe it is possible and practicable to prevent such small inflammations developing into destructive explosion suoh as caused disastrous.loss of lifo at Huntly." THE TROUBLE WITH THE MINERS. . _j . & SETCLEMENT PROBABLE. Hamilton, September 24. The deputation appointed, by the Huntly Min&rs' Union to wait upon the directors of the Taupiri Coal Mines respecting increases . demanded by the miners of 7d. an hour, for working with safety lamps in lieu of naked lights— which they claim makes progress slower —and an increase of Is. 2d. and' lOd. a day by : shiftmen and truckeJs respectively, held , a meeting, when it, was decided to recommend members of the union to re- ' sumo work pending a satisfactoryagree- ' ment. with the directors, and in the j event of such, not being at, f refor the matter ,to the_ Conciliation . Commissioner or Arbitration Court. * ■ Huntly ..September 24.. I The difference which has arisen between the Taupiri Company and the miners regarding terms of resumption of .work appears likely to reach a set- | tlement. , A meeting of the union is | called for to-night, when it is under- | stoodya deputation will bo appointed to , approach tne directors, who will advise | tho men to resume work on the terms | offered. The reason actuating the de- . putation was a desire to.avoid a strike, , which under tho existing agreement,' , would follow if the-men refused to . re- , sume. The chairman of directors (Mr. , Alison). arrived. from Auckland last evening, -and conferred with the other directors. It'is understood they will receive the deputation on Monday or Tuesday, after the return of Mr. Ralph from Australia. , . , ,4 ~ 1 A fow men started in tno Extended mine this morning, while large exploring parties are also operating in Ralph's mino. \ HUNTI/V DISASTER' RELIEF FUND. . The joint secretaries, Messrs. L. M. A. Rearden and J. Read acknowledge the receipt of the following amounts:— £ a. d. Previously • acknowledged ... 248 1 5 Collection by EL O'Malley ..i, 5 0 0 Collection by E. J. Carey ... 1 5 6 Mr. G. R. Sykes, M.P. ...... 116 Total 255 8, 5 MAYOR'S RELIEF FUND. ■. • £ e. d. Amount previously acknowledged 7. 0 Cliief Justice & Lady Stout .220 ITm. Jno. Gaudin 110 "j.1.," i i o "J.F." v.... 1 0 0 C. A. Thorpe V 10 6 "Gt.i." i 10 0 'J- £5311 6