Spontaneous Fires in Pits

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 6, 17 April 1914, Page 3

Spontaneous Fires in Pits

Important recommendations are contained in the first report o c the Departmental Committee s ' -red by the Home Seore the circumstance... v r ” ls combustion occ its causes, and the means ... . venting it or of dealing with it when it has arisen. Regulations are proposed which shall cause the withdrawal of all men from mines in which fire is suspected or discovered until examination has been made and the safety of the miners ensured. The manager and representatives of workmen should make the official inspection where fire is suspected, and the inspector of mines should be notified immediately. In Nortnumberland, Durham, and Cumberland instances of spontaneous combustion are extremely rare, and in the whole history of mining such fires have been known to occur at only three collieries in Northumberland and one in Durham. Spontaneous combustion, the report goes on. occurs at eig'ht collieries in Yorkshire, at seven in Derbyshire, and at eleven in Nottinghamshire. At many of these collieries, fires are of frequent occurrence, and in Yorkshire, in particular, dangerous conditions in respect of firedamp are liable to occur, as the mines are very gassy. In Lancashire, instances have occurred at about nine mines in late years. In South Wales, fires due to spontaneous combustion are re-' ported to have occurred at thirteen collieries. It is doubtfuj. however, whether one of th cases was due to spontaneous combustion, and it is interestiij to note that the coal worked this collieiy is anthracite. Spontaneous combustion li characterised the working p. , coal in both North and SouUj| , Staffordshire and in East W.H cestershire for a great years, and the instances countless. Fires are i also in Derbyshire, and Warwickshire. , The committee are of that notification should be s«BB 1 to the inspector of mines : — 1 H ]. (1). When gob, stink, smol 1 or any other sign of combustiH ' is observed; t (2). When the temperatiH } of air in any accessible p;H * of a mine is 20deg. Fahr. aboH the normal temperature J herein-before defined, or wheH the temperature at such plaH g attains to llOdeg. Fahr; I (3). When any flash has beß t observed coining from any paß of waste.