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98. Nightcaps' Colliery. —A railway is being constructed, and very little had been done at the time of my visit on 12th October. Three sets of men were driving to the dip in a thin seam. Everything was right. 99. Knight's Coal Mine. —Situated close to No. 98. Open work ; visited. Accidents. The bona fide coal mining accidents have been this year very few—namely, one fatal, and six non-fatal; but there have been unfortunately two fatal accidents in coal mines due to the presence of unauthorised and ignorant persons below ground. The non-fatal accidents require no special mention, and the one by which a life was lost was alluded to by Mr. Cox in his report of 25th May,, 1881. It happened at the Westport Coal Company's Banbury Mine, on 15th February, and I was at Collingwood at the time, but arrived in time for the adjourned inquest on the 25th. The following evidence was taken (Westport Times) : — Robert Elliott, oversman in the mine, said: Knew deceased, William Hewitt. On Tuesday he was working by himself in the mine in a narrow bord, about 150 feet from the main road, and about 60 feet from the next man. Deceased went to work about half-past seven on Tuesday morning. I went into the mine in the afternoon to look the places through, looked up deceased's bord and saw his light burning. This was about half-past two. After looking through the other workings I returned to the deceased's bord about four o'clock. The truckers informed me that they had not seen deceased during the afternoon. I went up the bord, and his light was still burning. Called out to him, but received no answer. Went up to the place and found him lying dead under the coal. About fifteen hundred weight of coal in one block had fallen on his head and canted over. Deceased was lying on his left side across the " face " with his head under the coal. Called for assistance and got him out immediately. Deceased was working with a naked candle, about half an inch of which remained when I found the body. The bord is a narrow one, about eight feet wide,, and does not require props throughout; there are some in a bad place. There was a sort of "back" in the coal,, unknown, and when deceased wrought the corner of it out, it fell upon him. It is not often these backs are met with. The truckers only commenced work at 2 p.m. One of them ran an empty truck, part of the way, to the spot where deceased usually met them, but as he did not come the trucker concluded he had gone into another bord. The deceased had used no prop on this occasion, but he was one of the most careful men in the mine. Sounded the face myself on Monday morning, and found it solid. Deceased sounded it himself, and said, " I don't think there is any fear of that." Don't think that deceased's life could have been saved if another person had been working with him. A " sprag" may have prevented the fall of coal. There is always a plentiful supply of timber at hand. I would^not myself have used a " sprag" on the occasion in question. Joseph Gould, a trucker, corroborated Mr. Elliott's evidence, and the inquest was then adjourned until the 28th instant to allow of the attendance of the Inspector of Mines. At the adjourned inquest the following additional evidence was taken : — Robert Elliott, oversman at the Westport Colliery Company's mine, AVaimangaroa, in reply to Mr. Binns, stated that he visited the bord about 6.30 on the morning of the accident. The next time he visited it was about 4 p.m. The shift commenced at 7.30 a.m. Witness stated it would have been his duty to have visited the place before, but the miners were not working the first part of the day. The places are examined in the morning, so that if the mine is not working men can go and get coal ready. In this case they commenced work at 2 p.m. A time book is kept. Men are allowed to work after the mine is examined. Witness commenced to go round the workings at 2.30. He did not think it would have saved deceased's life if he had been found sooner. In reply to a juror, witness stated he was not aware of any complaints as to scarcity of timber. R. B. Denniston, Mine Manager, in reply to Mr. Binns' question, whether the mine would have been examined more frequently if the miners had been at work, said he thought it would, as the oversman would be busy at his work. In answer as to whether the danger would not be as great when the mine was not sending out coal as when doing so, witness thought it would make no difference. The men are allowed to go into the mine, when we are short of trucks, to hew coal. The regulations as to visiting the workings were conformed with. The oversman reported visiting the place in the morning. The truckers could see deceased's light burning all the day. The bord is straight and about 2J chains in length. Witness did not notice any timber at deceased's working face, it was lying at the flatsheet, about 50 feet above. AYe have never enforced the " spragging" of the coal. The deceased had holed through to a "back," and this was met by a "cross back." James Gould : lam a miner, and was trucking at the Westport Colliery. I did not go up the bord when deceased was working. Did not hear any noise. Timber was supplied to us when wanted. I have not heard the men complain of the want of timber. I could not see deceased's light from the main drive. It dips on incline and rises again. George J. Binns, Inspector of Mines, under " The Regulation of Mines Act, 1874," for the Westport District: I have heard the whole of the evidence in this case, and examined the scene of the accident. I have no reason to doubt the facts of the evidence given. I don't see that deceased's death was caused by any breach of the Act. The verdict was " accidental death." This accident was duly reported, and the only peculiar feature about it was, that though the man was working within a very short distance of the main road, along which persons were constantly passing, the accident was unsuspected by any one for some hours after it occurred. The bord was left untouched until after my visit, and measured only 8' 9" in width, and 4' 4" in height. On the 2nd September, upon returning to Reefton, from Boatman's, a telegram from the managing partner of the Canterbury Colliery reached me, giving notice that a boy had been killed there on the 31st August. After telegraphing to the Coroner, calling his attention to section 38 of the Act, I set off for Sheffield, arriving on the 6th, only to find the inquest concluded, and a verdict of " accidental death " returned. No notice had been sent to me by the Coroner, who had misread the Act, and declined to adjourn, although the inquest was held only forty-four hours after the accident. From the depositions, and from enquiries made on the ground, I give the following report:—On the 31st August, Ernest Phillips, 10 years of age, went into the mine, not only without the permission of the manager, but against his express orders, as he (the boy) had been warned off the premises the day before. After having been in the mine for some hours, the child lay down and went to sleep. Almost immediately a piece of the band fell upon him, and caused instantaneous death. On inspection I found that Mr. Austin had utterly neglected to observe the law, though warned several times ; and, as the whole conditions of the mine and circumstances of the accident, appeared to me to require investigation, I ventured to suggest, on the 12th September, that an enquiry by a Resident Magistrate, or some qualified person, assisted by an Inspector of Mines, should be held, tosupplement the inquest proceedings. This view was, however, not approved, and on the 3rd November, I received a letter from you that the matter was to drop. Though it is impossible to say that any breach of the law caused this accident; yet, a considerable amount of laxity and inattention to the requirements of the law, characterized the working of the colliery. It has since been put in better order.