THE KAITANGATA MINE ACCIDENT.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1572, 4 March 1879, Page 3

THE KAITANGATA MINE ACCIDENT.

[ADJOURNED INQUEST.] [By Tklegbam.] Dunedin, March 3. The inquest on the Kaitangata di*aster was continued to-day at Kaitangata ; the following

evidence was taken : ( Thomas Knowles deposed. I was working at the mine on the morning of February 2lst. The explosion took place at ten minutes to nine. I was employed fifty yards fro-n the mouth of the tunnel. I first noticed a large volume of smoke and timber living into tho air from the air shaft. The explosion was accompanied with a tremendous noise, like as if the earth was going to open np. I understood that these signs meant an explosion of gas inside the mine. About two Beconds afterwards I saw smoke, stone, a horse, and a boy blown out of the mouth of the tunnel, all in on dense mass. I ran for shelter, but directly afterwards went and picked up little Edward Dunn, the boy who was employed drawing the coal out of the workings. He had gone in a second or two before, and h>td ecaroely got out of my sight when he wa9 blown out. He breathed twice after he was picked up, aud th<m died. I have been in the old workings, but not for five months prior to the explosion. I know the air course through the old workings. The air went right through the old workings, going up one side and returning on tha other. The boy, McDonald, was employed in driving out the coal. He must have been near the up east shaft when the explosion occurred. I have never heard the men express fear of firo damp. The miners bad confidence in the fireman (Joseph Beardmore), whose duty it was to examine the workings before the men went in. and he reported them safe or unsafe. Ones or twice during the last three months, before the openings were through, the men were stopped from going into certain places. These cross-opening were completed three days before the explosion. I remember one accident from fire-damp in the mine. Andrew Jarvie was then burnt a little, and was laid up for three weeks. I saw Archibald Hodge on the morning of the explosion outside the mine. He was taking in two rails for Andrew Jarvie and Willie Hay to lay down the road in an opposite direction, and was about 300 yards from the old workings. Ten minutes before the explosion Archie Hodge went into the mine on hatches driven by McDonald taking two lorg rails with him. He said he wanted a pair of turnings, that is, bent rails, to form a junction in the raili. To get those, he would have to go into the old worki gs. There were no turnings outside. Hodge would have known there were turnings in the old workings. He jumped on the hutches, and told the boy not to tie the rails, as he would hold them on. My impression is that he went into the old workings to get turnings. He had no conversation with me as to the propriety of going in there. So far as my judgment guides me, I would not have gone into tne old workings with a naked light. It would have taken Hodge all his tinw. between the time when I last saw him and the time of the explosion, to have reached the place where his body was discovered. By a Juror—Archie was carrying an open tallow lamp on his finger when I saw him going into the mine.

By the Coroner —Archie's duty was to keep the roads in repair, and to attend to the furnace fires. I believe the door leading into the old workings was not kept locked. Charles Samson, director of the Green Island Coal Company, deposed—l am skilled in the working of coal mines, having had fourteen years' colonial experience, and nine years at home. I have been in the Kaitangata company's mine, looking for the bodies. I think if all th<? openings in the old workings were kept closed and tight, there would he sufficient ventilation through the mine. In my opinion all old workings should be substantially blocked off It does not matter whether the air passes thro gh the old workings or not, bo long as the openings are kept blocked up in a proper manner. I think there ought to be two openings to a mine—a gecond way of getting out. I am of opinion that the air pit is sufficient to ventilate the present workings. The Coroner —Do you remember ever seeing mines at Home where the men would have, in case of anexplsoion, to travel as far to get out as they did to get in ? "Witness—Yes. Until the Mining Act came ino force I never heard of such a thing as more than one outlet.

The Coroner—Upon the whole do you conaider that this mine was worked on a safe ■ystem ? Witness—Tea, if the old workings had been properly shut off. '1 he < oroner—But if they were not substantially blocked off, is the sytsem safer? The Witness—lt would not be safe if there was fire damp, because any boy or mm might fire it at any time. If I had been manager, and had been told the dump had been noticed in different parts of the mine, I should have thought it very dangerous to have left the access to the old workings. It was quite i asy to have means of escape by the air pit. I hold that all up shafts should be provided with lidders. Another reason for a second outlet would be that the main drive might become blocked up by a fall of earth.

By the Foreman—l do not know that a ladder up the air shaft would have been destroyed by the explosion. I think if there had been a ladder, some of the. men could have escaped by that means. By the Coroner—l am pretty positive the explosion occurred in the old workings. It was reckless of any man to go into the old workings with a naked light. Any ordinary miner ought to know that. One would naturally think that the gas would be bound to gather in such places. By the Foreman —I have seen no fire damp in my own mine. It has two openings. Samuel Herbert C°>x, Government Inspector, from the School of Mines in Loudon, deposed— I have been three times in the Kaitangata mine. The last time was in February la-it. I wa3 not through the old workings then. Messrs Hodge, Twinning, and Holmes accompanied me. I was last through the old workings Inst January twelve months. The old workings were not then entirely abandoned. When I visited the mine last month the ventilation through the new workings was satisfactory. I reserve any opinion about the air shaft. lam now speaking of the current of air through the new workings. The system was good. If there was no fire damp, there was sufficient air passing through to take off the fire damp arising from the new workings, but there was not sufficient means of egress in of explosion of fir« damp in the old workings. The stoppings between the main drive and old workings seemed to be good. What I mean is that heavier stoppings would be of no further advantage. There was only a door to prevent people from passing from the main drive to the old workings. My duty was to report as to the general state of the workings. My reasons for not examining the old workings were, that Binn's, the coal viewer, had been through eight days before, and also the shortness of my time. I enquired of William Hodge whether any fire damp bad been found in the old workings, and he said "No." Hooge told me a miner had reported fire damp in the mine, and that he had sent the foreman to examine th- workings. No damp was found, and Hodge told me he looked upon it aB a false report. If 1 had been told that an accident had arisen through fire damp, I should have concluded that further precautions were necess ry. I do not think William Hodge competent to take charge of a mine without the supervision of the inspector and manager. The barometer indicates whether the damp is dangerous. Fire damp is very apt to come out of such places as those old workings. The Coroner —Sneaking as an expert, has the mine been worked with ordinary and proper precautions as to ventilation and means of egress ? Witness—No. Not with the knowledge of fire damp. The Coroner —With proper precautions is it probable the explosion would have taken place. Witness —No. The Coroner—As an expert, tell us what precautions should have been taken ? Witness —Th« large chambers in the old workings require independent ventilation by drives close to the roof, and the air should be taken throughout the workings with an up ua it shaft sunk to the rise of the workings. I believe it was the intention of the company to have done this. The coal in the Kaitangata mine is classified as pitch coal. I think it quite s .feto work with naked lights, because it is the fireman's duty to inspect, but certainly old workings should not be entered without safety lamps. I do not consider that William Hodge understood the proper tystena of ventilation. The drives were -very crooked, and that i 3 an indication of want of skill on the part of the manager. I examined the mine on sufferance, the Kegulationsof Mines Act not being in force in t\ew Zealand. I had full liberty to go through the mine.

James Davidson—l am general manager of the Kaitangata Railway and i oal Company, and ■was gazetted on February 23rd, 1878. i h-.ve not taken part in the management of thu mine, excepting aa one of the directors. Wm. Hodge, the working manager, was with ns seven or eight years, before there was a company at all. The whole working of the mine was entrusted to him. Twinning was engaged aa surreyor, and afterwards about .December, to

en%ble us to turn out a larger quantity of cod I am not aware that Twinning had control over Hoage. Twinning reported to the directors through Mr Holmes. Wo have had no written reports from Hodge. It has not been reported to the compcny, but to individual directors, myself for instance, that fire-damp existed in the mine. The other directors must have had Borne knowledge to a certain extent, but how far I cannot say. I have been led to believe that the mine was safe. When I used to go into the mine and a*k aboat firedamp 1 was laughed at by Hodge, and the other miners, who thought me over cautious. The last time I asked about fire damp was the Sunday before the catastrophe. Hedge in reply laughingly alluded to my horror of fire damp, and said there was no danger. I did not know tlut fire damp from the new working wouid he carried through the air cast to the old working. By a Juror-Archie Hodge had no authority about the mine.

By the Coroner—The only occasion that I interfered with Hodge was once during tho floods, when the men were knocked off from working at cro<s cut between the drives. The fire at the air pit was going out, and I insisted on its being relighted and maintained. By a Juror —1 knew of Jarvie being burned.

Matthew William Hawkins deposed— I am secretary to the company. No report ever c ime to the office from Hodge relating to the state of the mine, and to my knowledge he never reporte I the mine unsafe. In October last, after we learn d tlmt there was fire damp in the mine, William Hodge who was in town, said he should have to get safety lamps some day, and on the 21st October I was instructed by Holmes to get, amongst other things, some safety lamps. These I found to be unobtainable in town, so I ordered Briscoe and Co. to import them. They have not yet been received. In September Hodge obtained from me an order to Belect a barometer, and I believe he got one. At this f-tage the enquiry was further adjourned until Mondiy next.