C.—6

102

162. Would he have cleared his road to get the truck up before commencing to put in the shot? —Very likely he would. 163. Was it a likely place for any miner to be-put to work to?— Not according to our ordinary custom, because there is a pillar there, and it would be our last working-place. 164. That would be the most likely pillar for a man to be put to work at ? —lt would be against the regular order of work. 165. You mean the order of work must be regular if that was to be the next working-place for a miner ?—I think so. 166. Assuming a man wanted to get some easy coal, and to rob that pillar, would it not be a likely place for him to put a shot in?—lt is not often that a man goes into a place to fire a shot if he wanted to do that. He would find coal where it is loose. 167. You do not think a man would go in for the purpose of getting a cheap bit or two of coal? —I would not suspect he would do it very readily. He might do, but I would not suspect it. 168. Assuming he did, how long would it take him to clear the road ?—lt would pay him to take the coal off the side. There would be no clearing—simply a matter of filling the coal into the tub. It would take him a shift. 169. Assuming he wanted to get his truck past, up to the blown-out shot-hole, how long would it take him to clear the road ?—A quarter of an hour would do it. The coal is loose ; it is just a matter of pulling it down. 170. Where did you split the air in the Brunner Mine ? —At the cabin. It came out of the west level. 171. How did you split it?— Each section took its own air. The west section took the air off from this point [indicated], and the other current went down into the sump-section. 172. If you split it lower down, could you make the ventilation better?— There was only one way in which it could possibly have been done—that was, to carry the current of the sump-section to the bottom, and to bring it up through here [indicated] by an under-cast into the dip-road. 172 a. Is it your opinion that if that had been done you would only have had a loss of life in one section ?—That would not have saved life there; but there was one respect in which it would be an advantage. There would be a permanent ventilation so far as the dip is concerned. 173. It would not be possible to have ventilation for a mine in any way so as to stop an explosion?— There is only one possible way, and that would be to make two separate collieries by a barrier, so as to divide it into two districts. You would want two separate pits. 174. Would that be an expensive way of working the mine?— Certainly it would be. In all coalfields of this kind there is not enough coal to guarantee that it would pay to work it in that manner by having two separate pits. 175. You think that a sufficient amount of air went down over the men on each side, and that the air was divided properly ?—I think the division was not very far out of the way. 176. In your opinion was the air properly split?—lt could not have been easily confined; supposing it had been confined, there was a sufficient quantity. 177. In your opinion, was a sufficient quantity coming down on the east side?— Yes, so far as the total ventilation was concerned. So far as the total volume of air coming from the mouth of the tunnel was concerned, I consider it was fairly equally divided between each section. 178. You consider that each section got a proper amount of air ? - According to the volume that was coming in. 179. Do you really think they got the proper amount of air?—l should rather have seen more, but under ordinary circumstances we could always find our way through. 180. Do you believe in blasting with powder?— Yes, I think so. I never saw anything else used. 181. Have you ever seen a coal-dust explosion ?—I have not been connected with an explosion of that description. 182. W 7 as there much dry dust lying in the mine?—l would not say it was a dry mine, compared with what I have seen. In some parts the mine is drier than others, and the second incline was very dry. 183. That is where the greatest force was exerted?— Yes, after. Before the explosion there was no water in the incline. 184. What depth was the dust ?—You were wading in it to a certain extent, and it had to be shifted off the road to get the trucks clear. 185. When you shifted it, where did you place it ? —Just by the side. 186. You did not take it out of the incline ?—No ; if there was room at the side we just shifted it there. 187. You say you originated these crib-stoppings in the Brunner Mine ? —I spoke of them, and understood they would be built, because we had so much trouble with the wooden-board stoppings before the crib-stoppings were built. It took all the time of the men to keep the wooden-board stoppings in repair. 188. About eighteen months ago you started the crib-log stoppings ? —I could not say the date. 189. Did you replace all the board-stoppings with crib? —Excepting one below the pump. I think it is the first or second below the pump. This stopping was left for a communication for the air to travel through. There was a slide-door that was made on purpose for the deputies and officers to travel through, and that was the only one left. It was rebuilt not long before the explosion—possibly three or four months. 190. In Brislane's bord the lamp of Morris, the fireman, was found. What would that indicate ?—lt would indicate to me that possibly a little gas was making in the place. 191. And Morris would be there testing?—He might look when the miners went in to see if there was any difference when the men came back to work.