The Huntly Disaster

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 104, 25 September 1914, Page 4

The Huntly Disaster

PROFIKS7OR BIXON-f OPUaON.

BXPJ-IOiSIjOX CATJfcffiD HI COiAk . j, . rusT. iy Tolcgrapti.—iVcsg Aasocatioß. (Wellington, Last At iUhe inquest to-day Daniel Weir, I employed as permanent inepeetw of the old said it took eix days to make a thorough inspection. On only one occasion had found gas in anything like a dangerous (juantity. That wag in March lost* He reported it to tlie rundcr-managsr, and the danger ww /removed that night bj introducing air. Ho believed 'tbafc the aocunMilation on this occasion was caused by the (stoppage of the fan on th» Sunday nignt. On other oeeasdons lie had found gas in small quantities, which he had not considered dangerous. Ho had bean "working at Hiunttly for 88 years, during •which time there had bean no erplosnn except 011 the occasion when .Kelly was ■burned a few weeks ago. He considered the mine dry, but not dusty. There wets no Bigns of gaa ill tie past tnree ■weeks. Professor Dixon, who wag *nnMe to Ibe present! tiil Saturday, gave a written opinion, in vAioh he stated that though it wa« not possible at present to locate .the origin of the explosion, tic.' main loss of life was du# to the ign.tioai ot coal dust lying ob the (roads. Parts of the road were wet, but a. d-ist cloud caused by Hie Mast was eajTicd orer the wet places, and the flame of the burning dust cloud ignited tahe dart beyond until it reached the shaft, am of opinion that it will fca advisable in the future to work this ajid siiu.il;tr setjns witJi safety lamps, probably modern elee/tnic lamps Until tuch lomnw are procurable, I consider that it will be cafe to work with, naked lights, proTided tha/t strict testa axe made for Are daraip before the miners enter, or tlbat the dust in file main road® is remidered unimflammablo, either by nysteoiatic watering or Iby a systematic admixture with .finely divided inert dufet, euidk lis powdered shale, limestone, oj fuller's earth. I say that it will not fce possible to iproverat soime minor ignitions oi fire damp occurring, but I believe it te possible and practicable to prevent suih umall inflammations developing into destructive explosions such aa «a/iißed tkc disastrous loss of life at Huitly

k WISER COUNiSiBIjg PBSTAUJ. MEN ADTIHRI) TO RITURK TO JWDRK.

I 'Hamilton, ThwnSday. [ Tho deputation appointed by the I Himtly Miners' Union to wait Bp on Me directors o| the Taupirt CoaJ 'Mines 'Company, respecting the increases demanded Iby tho minora from 2a 6d to 3s per ton for -working vrith- *afeby tape in lieu of naked light*, which tlrey claim makes progress slower, and at) increase of Is Ed and 19d *. iny hy Vhif-bera and truckers res-pee tir-sly, hell a meeting when they decided to recommend members of the union resume work pending a satisfactory «gresmeni 'with the directors and, in <th« event of »uoh not being arrived at, to refer the matter to the Conciliation Commis'aionor or the Arbitration Court.

' Ait a well-atteaided meeting a tornmittee waa set up to watdh tho interest of tho widows regarding compensuion- and it was agreed to #ta-ik« & levy of f /per cent. on the first fortnight's of each member of the union for >the relief of tho distress ill

SURVIVOIvb' BYIDEisKM Hually, Thursday. At tl\a inquest sereral wwtitotb d!o- ---' ekm'od that the mine seemed wutll an 'entering it on the morning of the vxpkeion. All they felt was r rumbling 'and a sudden rusih of wind, foul air, and gas, which knocked them down. 'All considered the mine wfe. Tkey Inii never noticed signs of gas in any quantity previously. One witness, who md ■worked previously *t Denanstoa, said Hhat MunUy was dry and dii'ty com"pwed with Denniaton. Huntly, Last Night. Joseph Young, formerly assistant inspector of the old working, said ie had frequently found accumulation ol gas in dangerous quantities in the old workings, which were barricaded and marked "dangerous," but he often found traces of the presence of men in the old workings. Witness resigned his posit io» as assistant-inspector owing to ill-h#altl», due to poisonous gases. Oh ose occasion he had mentioned the probability oi *n explosion to one of the miners.

I Thomas Hughes, who accompanied Inspector Wear on his tour ol the old workings for a fortnight prior to the disaster, said he discovered signs of heating through shouldering timber on August 20, and steps were taken to eliminate all danger. The heating w>s caused by spontaneous combustion.

John McGill, deputy, 01 45 years' experience in 12 different mines, said he had never been in one safer than Huntly, which was considerably safer than Brunner.

Thomas Edward Webb, 30 years a miner, said that"there was only one mine safer to his knowledge, and that was ISlm* Colliery, in Wigan, where naked lights wore used. He 'had examined every portion of Ralph's, and never found any trace of gag in a werking face.

Fletcher, mino manager, retailed at the requesk of the jury, stated ia answei t« a question that the company had 110 Life-saving appliances at the time of the explosion. They had (IB amtrulaiee lox on top and below.

Replying to Inspector Wright, he said hj« knew of no mines in the Dominion, except at Waihi, where lifs-saviag apparatus is kept. As far as 1« eould learn, life-saving appliances were only in their infancy, and from he bad lead more livea had been lost 'by user* of such appliances than saved. At this stage Inspector Wright asked for an adjournment till the 30th, to enable a thorough inspection of the mine to be made by experts to try and lo«ate the scat of the explosion. Tho enquiry was adjourned till the 80th. The official enquiry opens on October Ist.

DENIAL PROM MR, SEMPIiI. Wellington, Last Nigfat. Ma 1 . Rotbert fc'emple tanphatieadiy denies the- telegraphed statement insinuating he nuid Mr. Wolfli attended t'lu meeting at ITunUy for .'he punpoee of adrising the miners l what to do a» reconditions of work. !Bhe meeting, he eoid, was a miWio one, called to disohso what, should be done to beat the sufferers through the disaster, anl i,t passed tho following resolutions:— That for the purpose of securing unity of action in the organisation; of a- relief fund in connection with the mining disaster at Hunt-ly, iliia meeting of Hmtly citizen® calls upon ifcha present executive of tihe Hunttly Minerg Union to resign and mihmit themselves for reolection Iby the Union. He was present at tie meeting soJely with tihe Mim of doing what he could to help the wives a.n<J children of the men who foot ffielx lives, and he did not -know the meeting waa to be held until He armed in Busily that day, .. .