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248. Do you think it was wrong to say there was no coal of any commercial value which was lost by the fire ?—ln my opinion, it would not be the correct thing to say there was no coal; but the coal would not have been suitable some years ago. It might do now. 249. Eegarding the dam, there was an insinuation made in Wellington with reference to myself: did you ever see me at the mine in company with others in the middle of the day ?—I never saw you there except once without some one in authority, and I would not insinuate anything. 250. Do you think I was anxious, for the good of the district, to have the fire put out?— That was the impression conveyed to me. 251. Do you think I had any antagonistic feeling towards Mr. Tennent then or up to the present time ?—You did not show it to me if you had, so I do not think you had. 252. Mr. Tennent employed Mr. Martin to caulk the dam after it was leaking first? —I understood so. 253. When Mr. Martin was caulking the dam the first time it was leaking at a prop?— Yes. 254. And then it leaked heavier all over the top ?—Yes ; it leaked until the second week in April. 255. Was that before Mr. Martin caulked it?— Yes. Mr. Martin was caulking it at the end of April. 256. When Mr. Martin caulked it it was only leaking at the top ? —Yes. 257. It was only when Mr. Martin caulked it at the top that it broke out at the bottom?— Yes, I was so informed. 258. Do you remember when I was up with Mr. Martin, when he was caulkiDg, and I argued that there was no water stopping in as there was none going in ? —Yes. 259. Do you remember my making the remark that when the rain came there would be more coming out than in the dry weather ?—1 dare say you did say that; but I have seen that water in the tunnel when the rain did not make any difference to it. 260. Do you think now it was possible on the first plan Mr. Tennent gave you to build that dam to stand against a pressure of 60 ft. or 70 ft. ? —I did then. 261. You would not undertake to build a dam of the same dimensions now with that pressure ?—I would not undertake to build a log dam where there was a pressure of 70 ft. 262. You remember Messrs. Alison, Shore, and Foster going there?— Yes. 263. You heard that they recommended that this dam should be shifted back to No. 4?— There was a recommendation given by them of that kind, I believe. 264. Do you think Mr. Tennent was attempting to give effect to their recommendation when you were putting the dam up the last time?—He made an attempt. He cut away through the dam and the logs in the stopping, and went through and saw the tunnel fallen down, and I consider that stopped him. 265. How much do you think it would cost him to put that dam there?— According to the last way it was constructed it would have required the fan to carry it through. We required the fan to give us ventilation to do that according to the construction of it. 266. Then, the stopping you' erected at first must have been defective ?—No ; black damp comes out with the water, and without fresh air you would be unable to erect it according to last design. 267. What was the appearance of the tunnel when he took down the stopping before you erected this last dam ?—We simply cut away the two places to get in, and it was filled up with stone, silt, and timber. The stones were too large for any two men to move. Ido not know how they came there. 268. You do not know to what extent they were there ?—No, because it was closed right up to the roof. 269. Was the water flowing so that you would not expect to find much water behind it ? —I would expect the tunnel to be full for some considerable distance back. 270. Do you think it was practicable to clear that tunnel back to No. 4 and erect the dam there? —It was possible to do so, but I would not like to be one of those working at it. 271. Were you instructed by Mr. Tennent to give no information to any one while you were working there—not to divulge what you were doing ? —That was the condition of things I understood —not to say what I was doing. 272. The Chairman.] Is that the condition under which men work in all coal-mines? —Only in some cases. 273. Mr. Corby.] Had that been the case before ?■— Not under Mr. Broome. I had not received any such instructions from any one previous to that. 274. You said that when you were going up to the fire the air was so very bad : did Mr. Dixon tell the men to stop at the tunnel and have a rest ? —Not at that particular place. Mr. Dixon withdrew us and had a smoke. We came out the air-course some distance away from the fire. 275. Did you approve of the recommendations made by Messrs. Shore, Alison, and Foster?— I do not know what all of them were. 276. Mr. Harden.] Do you know the 2in. pipe that was put in by Mr. Tennent's order?— Yes; it leads to the fire-line from what is called the Cascade Creek. 277. Do you know the Cascade Creek well ?—Yes. 278. Will the Cascade Creek supply water steadily for more than a 2in. pipe?— No. For weeks at a time it would not keep a 2 in. pipe full. Sometimes it was not half full. In fact, I have wired to Mr. Tennent that the water-supply was very low there ; and sometimes it was not enough for a f in. pipe. 279. Mr. Martin.] How did Eoland Broome come to have the dam built?—He simply told you and I to go and build the dam. 18—C. 4.