July 24 1914

Supplement to THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

xix

installed, the reversal arrangements have been tried
with satisfactory results.

During the year 15 colliery managers’ first-class
certificates of competency were endorsed with a sur-
veyor’s certificate, after satisfactory evidence had been
furnished that the applicant had had at least two years’
practical experience in the surveying of mines, etc.

Every horse and pony at work in the mines of the
district has been carefully examined by the inspector
of horses, several having been examined more than
once. Compared with the previous year, there is a
reduction of 16 in the total number employed, Lanca-
shire being responsible for 55 less, while in Denbigh-
shire and Flintshire there is a slight increase. The
reduction in Lancashire is due to an increase in
auxiliary mechanical haulage, which has to some extent
superseded horse haulage in some mines. With very
few exceptions the horses were in good condition, well
cared for, and housed in properly constructed stables.
In one or two cases the latter were of a temporary
nature pending the erection of more convenient and
suitable stables. Attention had to be drawn in some
cases to inadequate size of the stalls, unsatisfactory
form of eye guards, want of food when at work, and
remedial measures were at once taken to rectify such
complaints. Very few cases of roofing have been
reported, and where such existed the horses were at once
stopped working until there was sufficient height for the
animal to work without the harness touching the roof
or timbers. The rule on this point, being much more
definite than General Rule 17 of the 1887 Act, has
already had a beneficial effect. Generally speaking, the
construction and ventilation of the stables has been
considerably improved, but there are a few collieries
where there is still room for improvement. Six cases
of ill-treatment were reported, but so far as Mr.
Nicholson is aware, only two of these were of such a
flagrant character as to necessitate oro3ecunion of lhe
person in charge.

The following are particulars of horses used under-
ground :—Number used, 1,563. Number died (exclu-
sive of those required to be destroyed) : From injury by
accident, 21; from disease, 27; total, 48. Number
required to be destroyed : In consequence of injury, 9;
in consequence of disease, 26; total, 35. Number of
cases of injury or ill-treatment reported to manager
(exclusive of cases already included) : Injury, 72; ill-
treatment, 6; total, 78.

In the early part of the year considerable difficulty
was experienced in obtaining requisite supplies of pre-
scribed report books, especially firemen’s report books.
For several months all necessary report books in the
prescribed form have been in regular use at all coal
mines in the district. In some instances the reports
entered in the firemen’s books might with advantage be
more detailed, and there is the usual tendency for the
entries to become stereotyped. Copies of the abstract
of the Act and General Regulations in complete form,
or such portions thereof as were applicable, were sup-
plied gratis to all persons employed at the various mines
usually on the first pay day after they were received
from the publishers.

Up to the end of the year practically no advantage
had been taken of section 16, so that this portion of the
Act may be said to have been a dead letter in the dis-
trict. At the time of writing, however, a commence-
ment has been made on systematic lines, and several
mines have been thoroughly inspected by workmen’s
inspectors drawn from mines with which they have no
connection. Mr. Nicholson is doubtful if the net result
will be quite so good as was the case in the mines on
the East Coast, where the method of selecting the
workmen’s inspectors was different. For years it has
been the practice in Durham and Northumberland to
appoint two workmen at a colliery each quarter to
inspect the whole of the mine in which they were
employed. This appears to him to possess two distinct
advantages over the method recently adopted in this
district.

The various provisions of section 34 are properly
observed, each lamp being thoroughly examined and
securely locked by a competent person before it is given
out to the person about to use it. Additional external
examinations are also made, sometimes as often as
three or four times before the lamp finally reaches the
working face. A record is kept of each person to whom
a lamp is given, and any damage noted and recorded on
its return. The demand for new lamps of an approved
pattern has been greatly in excess of the possible supply,
and the management in many cases have had to be con-
tent with replacing obsolete lamps by new ones 50 at
a time. The same remark applied in the first instance
to the adoption of approved glasses. For some time a
rather vague impression prevailed as to the adoption of
lamps of an approved type, it being a common idea
that any existing lamp could be used up to January 1,
1916. It is now generally recognised that only safety
lamps and flame safety lamp glasses of an approved type
can be used. These requirements are being carried out
as rapidly as possible, the delay being due to non-
delivery from the makers.

There have been very few cases of new seams or
mines being opened, but except where exempted by the
Regulations, the provisions of section 42 are being com-
plied with. Two cases have been brought to the
inspector’s notice where owing to a stoppage in the
return airway of a district, no second outlet was avail-
able, although more than 10 persons were employed in
the districts in question. As soon as it was pointed out
the number of persons employed was at once reduced to
10 until the second outlet was re-opened. In another
case, owing to one of the two air-roads to a district
becoming so low that it was impossible to travel along
it without creeping, Mr. Nicholson requested the
management to cease working the district until a road
of sufficient height was constructed. This was done,
and the district restarted under greatly improved con-
ditions.

Catches to prevent tubs falling out of cages, and gates
or rigid bars for the prevention of persons falling out
of cages, have been provided, and in more than one
case have been instrumental in preventing loss of life.

Compliance with section 43 (3) has probably been
one of the most difficult parts of the Act to observe
within the period fixed by statute. Towards the last
few months of the year there were still about 30 mines
where the requisite space had not been provided. The
heavy crushing and movement of the strata in most of
the deep Lancashire mines, especially in those portions
which are much cut up by dislocations, has rendered
the making of extra width a difficult and tedious opera-
tion. At mines where the provisions of the section have
not been complied with, it has been pointed out that
until sufficient width has been made, not more than two
tubs must be coupled or uncoupled at the passbyes,
otherwise a contravention of the section would be com-
mitted, and it would be necessary to take further action.
In cases where there is difficulty in complying with the
requirements of the section owing to its being necessary
to remove arching or other masonry work, or where sets
or trains of tubs are coupled or uncoupled at the face
or at the passbye next the face, the Act allows the sub-
stitution or other provisions for securing safety, but
until these provisions have been embodied in special
regulations submitted to and approved by the Secretary
of State, the requirements of the statute have not been
complied with.

Towards the close of the year there were still a few
mines in which the requisite number of refuge holes
had either not been made or did not satisfy the require-
ments as to size, but at the present time it may be said
that practically all have now been completed. In some
cases refuge holes which under the old Act were
required to be 20 yds. apart, had been made 15 yds.
apart with the idea of giving increased safety, but under
the new provisions it was necessary to still further
reduce the distance, or, in other words, double the
number of holes. On some roads the holes were not on
the same side; on others the holes were too large, or
were not sufficiently high, and at many collieries addi-
tional holes had to be made on several miles of roadway.
At some mines the work could only be carried on at the
week-ends, and progress was necessarily slow. It is
practically a universal custom in this district not to
allow anyone to travel on any inclined haulage road
while the tubs are in motion.

The provisions of sections 46 and 47 are usually
fairly well carried out, and as a rule steepness of roads
renders the use of sprags, stop blocks or other similar
contrivances an absolute necessity. A very useful form
of stop is termed locally a “ warwick,” and consists of
a stout prop let into the floor and secured against the
roof. Occasionally it is found that the roads might be
kept cleaned up more and freer from coals which roll
off the tubs.

No action has been taken with a view to reducing the
specified timbering distances. As a rule the distances
fixed are suitable, and with few exceptions the workmen
keep well within the maximum distance. In some
mines the face timbering is texceedingly well and
uniformly carried out, and leaves nothing to be desired.

On the whole the measures adopted to prevent the
accumulation of coal dust on the roadways underground
show considerable improvement, but at some mines
there is much to be done both in the way of preventing
accumulations of dust and in the thorough removal of
it, especially on old roads. Even yet many under-
officials do not fully appreciate the dangers arising from
coal dust. At a few mines apparatus has been installed
on the surface to collect the dust from the screens and
prevent it going down the downcast shaft. A consider-
able reduction in the amount of coal dust drawn down
the downcast shaft might be made at many mines by
boxing in the shaft up to the heapstead level. In the
case of new mines the screening arrangements have
been erected more than 80 yds. away from the down-
cast shaft, in accordance with section 62 (1). A
few firms have introduced new iron tubs, and
others have attempted to make existing tubs dust-
proof, but at the majority of mines the tubs in use
allow a considerable amount of dust and small coal to
fall on the roadways. Several firms have started to
use non-inflammable dust on the roadways, both flue
dust and fine ground shale being used. Mr. Nicholson
has constantly pointed out that to obtain the best and
safest results it is most essential that practically all coal
dust should be first of all swept away from the timbers,
sides, and floor before being treated with inert dust.
Watering is resorted to in some cases, both by means of
fixed sprays and by means of tubs, but as a rule the
strata will not allow much watering. Very consider-
able quantities of coal dust are swept up from the floor
of the roadways and filled into tubs, and reports as to
the number of tubs filled and the condition of the roads
are duly recorded. At a few mines stone dusting within
the vicinity of where shots are to be fired both at the
face and on roadways is regularly carried out.

In many mines the practice of sending barrels of.
grease underground has been abandoned, and a daily
supply only is sent in small buckets to the point where it
has to be used.

The use of detaching hooks has been very general for
some years at mines in this district, and except in a
few cases where exemptions have been granted, practi-
cally all winding engines used for raising or lowering
persons were fitted with contrivances for automatically
preventing over winding and over speeding. At the
end of the year there were about six mines where auto-
matic contrivances had not been fixed owing to non-
delivery.

Owing to the scarcity of qualified enginemen, difficulty
was experienced at a few collieries in carrying out the
Order of April 1, 1913.

There are no cases of a person acting as manager for
more than one mine in which all the shafts do not lie
within a circle having a radius not exceeding two miles.

There are 11 cases in which one person is manager of
more than one mine where the aggregate number of
persons employed underground exceeds 1,000. In most
of these instances the number of persons is only slightly
in excess of 1,000, and up to the present Mr. Nicholson
has approved of the existing arrangements, as the mines
in question are very well staffed with officials, and
difficulties as to surface responsibility would arise if
alterations were made.

The inspector has not heard of any desire on the part
of the workmen to put into operation the regulations
relative to the provision of baths.

With the exception of one or two small fireclay mines
in connection with brickworks, a weekly payment of
wages is the regular custom.

Explosives Used.—The total quantity of explosives
used was 1,260,7091b. Of the number of shots fired—
3,817,414—there were fired, by electricity, 3,780,221;
and by fuse, 37,193. The miss-fire shots were, by
electricity, 3,046; by fuse, 222; total, 3,268.

Safety Lamps.—There were 67,510 safety lamps in
use; 21,570 had one and 45,555 double gauzes, the
remaining 385 being electric lamps; 62,825 were shielded.
The method of locking was :—Lead rivet, 54,724; mag-
netic, 12,599; screw, 54; other, 151. The kind of
illuminant was :—Colza or colza and petroleum, 42,259;
petroleum, 7,062; volatile spirit, 13,259; electricity,
385; other illuminant, 4,545. The method of lighting
was :—By electricity, 26,440; by internal igniters, 511;
by opening, 40,559.

Electricity in Mines.—The following is a summary
showing aggregate horse-power :—Surface—Number of
mines, 62; winding, 95; ventilation, 1,130; haulage,
405|; coal washing or screening, l,307|; miscellaneous,
1,557}; total, 4,495f. Underground—haulage, 6,486;
pumping, 4,997|; portable machinery, 398; miscel-
laneous, 1,019; total, 12,900^—gross total, 17,396|. Of
the gross total, 13,208}-horse power were employed in
West Lancashire; 2,108|-horse power in Denbigh;
1,845-horse power in Flint; and 234-horse power in
Cheshire.

“ Rescue ” Stations.—The central station at Howe
Bridge continues to do excellent work, and although the
services of the permanent staff, brigades, and apparatus
have fortunately not been required at any serious
disaster in the district, the instruction imparted to the
various brigades attending the station has been the
means of keeping the teams in a high state of efficiency.
The new station at Wrexham is now fully equipped and
ready for any emergency, and teams are being regularly
trained under the instruction of Sergt.-Major Herbert,
R.E. The station is in telephonic communication with
all the collieries in Denbighshire, every mine in that
county being within 10 miles of the rescue station. I he
Flintshire coal owners have decided to have a small
station of their own, and a suitable building near Mold
has been selected, which can be adapted to the require-
ments of that portion of the district. There will only
be one coal mine in Flintshire outside the 10 miles’
limit from this station. Sub-stations at St. Helens and
Skelmersdale have also been erected, and are almost
completed.

Eight Hours Act.—Fewer instances have occurred
this year of workmen being kept underground beyond
the statutory period in order to deal with emergencies
or work incompleted, and the registers are more cor-
rectly kept. On the whole the Act may be regarded as
working satisfactorily.

Explosives Order.—The new Order which came into
operation on September 1 made very little difference in
this district as regards shot-firing, except that of limit-
ing the amount of the charge allowed. Squibs are not
used at all in any of the coal mines. The “ P.P.” appa-
ratus has only been used at one mine, and as regards the
removal of a portion of the stemming and the insertion
of a fresh detonator gave complete satisfaction. At the
majority of the mines shot-firing is done between shifts
when the minimum number of persons are below
ground.

General Regulations.—Although it cannot be said that
the requirements have been completely carried out at
all collieries, a genuine effort has been made to comply
with the new state of affairs. At some mines the work-
men have frequently to be reminded of the necessity to
have their safety lamps suspended, so that they may
hang vertically and at least 2 ft. from the swing of
the pick. A few cases have arisen the results of which
prove that sleeping underground is an expensive luxury.
Greater care might often be taken to replace the fences
at the entrance to shafts before the cage is removed
from that point. Several instances, some with a fatal
termination, have occurred of persons riding on tubs.
As far as Mr. Nicholson is aware, the inspec-
tion by the firemen required before the workmen
enter the district is commenced and completed within
the two hours immediately preceding the commence-
ment of work in the district. In some cases it was
necessary to point out that it was also part of the fire-
man’s duty to record the number of persons in his
report. Firemen frequently neglect to report damaged
lamps in their report. Several cases have been noticed
where ventilation doors were not in such a condition
that they would fall to and close automatically. Regu-
lation 68, which provides that no unauthorised person
shall enter an engine house, is not as rigorously enforced
as it should be. Cases have arisen where a winding
engineman’s attention has been diverted at a critical
moment by such intrusions. The additional air
measurements are now being made as required, but in
some instances attention had to be drawn to the neglect
of this requirement regarding the measurement at a
point 100 yds. back from the first working place. At
one or two collieries tests have been made to ascertain
if the method of capping ropes is sufficient to with-
stand the strain to which they may be subjected. Such
tests might be usefully carried out by other firms, and
the results will probably in many cases be instructive,
and necessitate an alteration in the type and strength