caused by flame from a shot charged with the permitted explosive, Westfalite, fired by electric battery, igniting fire-damp and causing an initial explosion, which was propagated by coal dust in air containing a small percentage of fire-damp. This explosion has been the subject of a special report and need not be further referred to here.

The non-fatal explosions of fire-damp were as follows:

(1) At North Walbottle Colliery in Northumberland, on January 2nd, about 3 p.m., a hewer ignited gas at his candle in an old road in the Engine or Beaumont seam.

(2) At Newburgh Colliery in Northumberland, on January 18th, about 8.40 p.m., a stoneman ignited gas at his candle at the face of a canch in a longwall gateway in the Duke seam.

(3) At the Forster Pit, Seaton Delaval Colliery, in Northumberland, on June 27th, about 4.30 a.m., a hewer ignited gas at his candle a few feet back from the face where a small trouble had crossed his working place in the Plessey seam.

(4) At Ashington Colliery in Northumberland, on Sth August, about 8.30 a.m., a putter ignited gas at his candle at the face of a headway in the High Main seam.

(5) At the Blucher Pit, Throckley Colliery, in Northumberland, on 5th September, about 9 p.m., a stoneman ignited gas at his candle at the face of a canch in longwall workings in the Stone Coal seam.

(6) At Broughton Moor Colliery in Cumberland, on 15th September, about 1 a.m., a miner was burned while drilling a hole in the coal in longwall workings in the Little Main seam; a shot-firer ignited the fuse of a shot charged with gelignite in the top canch of the adjacent gateway and the flame from the fuse ignited gas.

(7) At the Blue Bell Pit, Backworth Colliery, in Northumberland, on 1st December, about 3 a.m., a hewer ignited gas at an open light consisting of a lamp called a "smoke jack," using ordinary paraffin, at the face of a canch in longwall workings in the Yard The miners use smoke jacks while travelling inbye, and he had just arrived at the face. No gas was seen before or since at the point, and the manager was rather of opinion that the explosion was due to some cause in the lamp itself. A shot hole was ready drilled at the face of the canch and possibly some gas had come from it.

seam.

TABLE (8).

ACCIDENTS from FALLS of ROOF and SIDE, classified according to the PLACE where they happened.

There is no improvement in respect to fatalities from falls of mineral, the death-rate from this cause being 64 per 1,000 persons employed underground as compared with 58 per 1,000 in the previous year.

A description of all the fatal cases is given in Appendix I.

SHAFT ACCIDENTS.

Four fatal accidents under this head caused six deaths.

SHAFT ACCIDENT AT BOLDON COLLIERY.

The downcast shaft at Boldon Colliery is 13 feet in diameter and 254 fathoms deep to the bottom landing at the Hutton Seam, it is traversed by a pair of cages running in wooden guides; these cages are used both by persons going to or from the bottom landing and by persons employed at a landing at the Bensham Seam, 23 fathoms above the Hutton Seam.

The upcast shaft, close at hand, is a furnace pit sunk to the same level as the downcast shaft, but is only fitted with wire rope guides for a pair of cages running between the surface and the Bensham Seam.

It was decided to replace the spiral drum of the winding engine for the downcast shaft by a plain drum, and it was proposed, while this work was in hand, which was expected to occupy about 10 days, to continue drawing coal at the upcast shaft and so keep part of the colliery at work.

It was not thought desirable to ask the miners who were to continue working to use the furnace shaft, they had refused to do so on previous occasions, and in any case they could demand under General Rule 23 to use the downcast shaft where the upcast is a furnace pit. A temporary cage with a single deck capable of holding 10 persons was fitted up to run in one pair of the ordinary guides in the downcast shaft between the surface and the bottom landing and able to call at the Bensham Seam.

A hauling engine on the surface, working by means of ropes in the downcast shaft an underground plane, was arranged to work the temporary cage. This engine was placed some distance from the downcast shaft ; the drum shaft was 118 feet 4 inches from the shaft of the pulley used with the temporary cage, and no view of the shaft could be obtained by the engineman. The engine is a double horizontal engine with cylinders 24 inches diameter and 42 inches stroke, and steam pressure 50 lbs. The drum used is 6 feet diameter and geared 23 to 1. An adequate double brake was already fitted to the drum, which complied with the terms of General Rule 30. There were two indicators fitted up to show the position of the load in the shaft in terms of General Rule 30, besides a mark on the rope.

No detaching hook was fitted to the cage, but the requirements of General Rule 26 applying in such a case were complied with; Special Rule 72 fixing under the General Rule that the engineer "shall place a painted mark lettered 'seven fathoms on the "winding engine indicator so as to show when the ascending cage has reached a point in "the shaft seven fathoms from the flat sheets."

Electric signals were put in between the landings in the shaft and a point close to the top of the shaft where a waiter-on was in attendance and passed any signal on to the engineman by a wire working a hammer in the engine house.

The engineman controlled the engine by a steam lever, a reversing lever, and a foot brake.

The pulley used with the temporary cage was 6 feet diameter, and was fixed on iron girders below the flat sheets or pit head level, and it was only possible to use the cage at the lower or surface level, and when in position for men getting in or out the socket on the rope was 11 feet 2 inches clear of the pulley.

A new rope, 3 inches in circumference, of plough steel, with a breaking strain of 37 tons, was placed on the drum of the hauling engine and was socketed with an ordinary winding socket secured with three hoops 8 inches apart.

There were no keps at the surface level or at the Bensham Seam, but the ordinary keps were in use at the lower landing.

The temporary cage ran in the north side guides, the permanent cage and its rope having been removed; the south side permanent cage rested on the keps at the bottom landing, and its rope was secured by clams to beams laid across the shaft at the surface level.

The whole arrangement had been tested on the 17th June when the pit was not at work and found to be satisfactory. A suggestion having been made that the cage was not well balanced and might stick in the guides if all the load was at one end, a special test was made on June 20th by hanging it below the ordinary cage and weighting it at one end, when it was found to run satisfactorily.

On Saturday the 23rd June work was begun to replace the drum of the permanent winding engine, and the temporary arrangement was finally installed. The miners were informed, and they directed the Local Inspectors, Messrs. J. Hinde and W. Wilson, to examine and report The report was as follows:

The undersigned, being practical working miners, appointed by the persons employed in the above-named colliery to inspect the mine, in accordance with General Rule 38, report that such inspection was made on Saturday the 23rd day of June, 1906, and the following is a true report of the result thereof.

We went to the surface of No. 2 pit and found that a temporary arrangement was fixed, to take the work of No. 2 pit winding engine, relative to men descending and ascending the mine.

We note

1st. That the No. 3 hauling engine (The Grange) is being used.

2nd.-A new cage consisting of one floor, suspended in shaft upon a pulley wheel resting upon iron girders fixed across the shaft is being used.

3rd. The cage hangs by means of socket fixed to a shackle in the centre of cage, there being no patent catches attached.

4th. That no means is provided upon which cage would rest while men were getting in and out thereof.

We went down to Bensham and Hutton Seams; cage made a slight slip twice. We then came up by the same means, visited engine house, saw cage descend and raised. We note also that a new rope is being used.

This being a true report of our inspection.

JOHN HINDE.
WILLIAM WILSON.

The miners held a meeting to consider this report, and not being satisfied with the new arrangement instructed Messrs. Hinde and Wilson to wait on me, and before leaving on Sunday the 24th June to do so, were furnished by the manager with Mr. Abbott's address. They came to Newcastle, but finding me from home proceeded to Mr. Abbott's house and found him at home, and while discussing the matter with him, about 5 p.m., the temporary cage was overwound and three men killed. Mr. Abbott, knowing nothing of the accident, arranged to visit the colliery the following day and inspect.

The accident happened under the following circumstances :

Two of the deceased men, shaftmen at the colliery, were instructed to dress some temporary fencing at the lower landing, and at the Bensham Seam, with tar; they had finished the work and were coming to the surface from the bottom, one of them in the cage and the other on the cage top, he having taken up that position, it is supposed, in order to be ready to do some little work at the surface that required to be done from the cage top. On the way up the cage was stopped at the Bensham Seam, and a boiler fireman who had finished his shift, got in. It was then signalled to the surface. As it approached the surface the waiter-on there saw that the speed was reduced and that one man was on the top and some one inside. The man on the top said "let her go up,' meaning do not stop for him to get off, but to let it ascend so that the men inside could get out. The waiter-on, as was his custom, signalled "one" to the engineman when the cage was in position for the men to get out, and immediately the cage went up to the pulley and the rope drew at the socket, and the cage and men fell to the bottom of the shaft.

The engineman was seen by the manager immediately after the accident, and he said, "It is a mistake, I am very sorry; I was bringing the engine slowly up when 'hold' "was rapped, I banged the lever over to full steam instead of shutting it." The engineman had a good character and had worked the ordinary winding engine of the pit for 20 years, only once in recent years making a mistake when he had an overwind with a cage not containing men, on which occasion the rope was detached and the cage left hanging in the detaching ring.

The steam lever of the winding engine he had worked for so long a time shut steam off by pushing it forward, whereas steam was shut off at the temporary engine by pulling the lever in the reverse direction, and no doubt he had forgotten this.

The engineman had come on duty at 4.30 p.m. on the 23rd, and was relieved at 10 p.m., and came on duty again at 6 a.m. on the 24th, and should have been relieved at p.m., and his mate had come at that time, when it was arranged between them that he should continue at the engine until 5 p.m. and the accident happened at two minutes past 5.

2

He had worked the engine with no mishap up to the time of the accident, and let down and drawn up the cage with men several times.

After the accident four of the miners, including the two local inspectors, inspected again and made the following report :—

The undersigned, being practical working miners, appointed by the persons employed in the above-named colliery to inspect the mine, in accordance with General Rule 38, report that such inspection was made on Sunday the 24th day of June, 1906, and the following is a true report of the result thereof :

We visited the place of accident at bottom of No. 2 pit shaft and found the cage at bottom of shaft in a tilted position. We examined socket and shackle which were in their proper position, the rope being completely drawn from socket, leaving just a few single wires in same. We then came to bank by No. 1 pit and went to No. 2 pit surface; saw the wheel in its position, but with three breaches in it. First one 15 inches broken from side of wheel 2 feet in circumference of wheel, a complete crack, 4 inches further, piece broken out of wheel 7 inches. We then inspected the rope end which seems to have been completely drawn from socket. We then went to the engine house and found everything in their proper position, every facility being given to us for a full inspection.

We submit this as our report.

The jury returned the following verdict :

JOHN HINDE,
WILLIAM WILSON,
THOMAS BROWN,
GEORGE LAWSON.

"We find the three men were accidentally killed through the overwinding of the cage. The jury entirely exonerate the engineman from all blame owing to the fact that he was working an engine entirely different in type and with reverse action to the winding engine that he had worked for over 20 years.

"We are also of opinion that the provisions of the Coal Mines Regulation Act were duly observed by the management of the colliery, but wish to point out that had keps been provided two lives would probably have been saved.

"We therefore recommend that use of safety detaching hooks and keps should be made compulsory."

After the accident another temporary cage was put in, and in conjunction with the other new arrangements was used by the officials of the mine for about a fortnight, during which time I descended and ascended in it and found it to work smoothly although the time occupied, 4 minutes each way, was much longer than the winding engine took. The miners did not make use of the temporary cage.

Had I inspected the arrangement before any accident had happened I do not think I would have objected to it, considering that neither detaching hooks or keps are prescribed by law and having in view the fact that many pits are now working both in this district and others without either. At the same time I am bound to say that in a temporary arrangement of this kind mistakes are more likely to occur than in the use of the regular winding apparatus, and that there is therefore the more need for extra precautions.

I do not altogether agree with the jury in entirely exonerating the engineman; he knew perfectly well that the steam lever at the temporary winding engine worked in the reverse direction to that of the main winding engine to which he was accustomed, and this should have put him more on his guard against the mistake he made.

TABLE (9).

ACCIDENTS With EXPLOSIVES, classified according to the NATURE of the EXPLOSIVE.

* Two boys were also injured on the surface while supposed to be playing with a detonator.

TABLE (10).

ACCIDENTS With EXPLOSIVES, classified according to their CHARACTER or CAUSE.

The fatal explosive accident which occurred at Backworth Colliery on 1st June (Register No. 34) disclosed the dangerous practice of testing a shot firing cable by holding the wires to the metallic cover of a safety lamp to see if a spark is produced. An electric spark is a ready means of igniting gas and should never be produced in a district where safety lamps are used, except for the purpose of firing a shot.

Of the above, one person was killed and two injured while illegally riding, and no persons were killed and one injured by going in front instead of behind tubs while moving them by hand on inclined roads.

ON SURFACE.

Fifteen fatal accidents caused sixteen deaths, and those happening on railways are classified in Table (12).

The term "waggons" includes bogies, corves, hutches, trans, trolleys, trucks, tubs.

SECTION IV.

PROSECUTIONS.

Particulars will be found in Appendix II. of a prosecution of a manager for a breach of the Explosives in Coal Mines Order, which was the only case in which I found it necessary to ask your permission to take legal proceedings.

In 44 cases of the prosecution of workmen by the owners reported to me, convictions were obtained in 41 cases and three were dismissed. Particulars of these cases are also given in Appendix II.

SECTION V.

GENERAL REMARKS.

Explosives Used.-Table (13) shows approximately the kinds and quantities of explosives used at the collieries in the district.