Electricity v. Fuse:

Te Aroha News, Volume XVI, Issue 22213, 15 March 1900, Page 3

Electricity v. Fuse:

Certain members of the committee of the Bendigo (Victoria) branch of the A.M.A. are at direct issue with Mr Abrahams, the District Inspector of Mines, as to the advantage of firing shots by electrical connection rather than fuse, the question having arisen out of the recent fatality at the Fortuna

Hustler’s. Whether the dissenting members of the Bendigo branch committee are more competent to foi m in opinionthe subject than thp Mp&B Inspector must remain an open C’aesiion, but they contend that the accident was due to a defect in the electrical apparatus, employed, and that where a fuse is employed they do cot incijj- as much danger as w T hen is fired by electricity, 1 cause h* the former case the number £* reports indicates the charges 3x iloded, and in the latter the whole ■:.i the charges explode simultaneously. Hlectric batteries are not popular firing

f gents, some miners looking upon Mam less than “infernal no .chines,” but as they are reckon/d i'Vbe paid and parcel of a ‘‘mijne 0.,: plosive” it is agreed they should iresubjected to. periodical inspection by competent persons. The Minister for Mines is to be approached with this object, Apart from any question of relative merit, the request is a reasoned a one. The perils of the working fainer are now far too great, and anything which will tend to minimise dangers should be promptly under--I'ken. In each of the principal r ming centres electrcal engineers y.re employed by the Government, and probably some arrangement.s zru’d be'made with them to overhaul Me electrical apparatus at the mines M varioq£p£imes.