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THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

March 28, 1913.

number of nominations, Mr. James Winstone (elected
vice-president last year) will be the only nominee for
that position.

Colliery extensions have been the subject of special
comment during the past few days, it being pointed out
that a large area in the neighbourhood of Pontypridd
which during the last four or five years was purely agri-
cultural, is now being transformed into an .industrial
district. The Great Western Colliery Company is
sinking at Beddau, near Llantwit; and other companies
have secured the mineral rights of Llantwit Vardre ;
whilst further along, on the way to Llantrisant, mining
townships have sprung up at Coed Ely and Thomas-
town, the Welsh Navigation (Messrs. D. Davis and
Sons) already giving employment to several hundreds
of men. The new pits at Nantgarw have passed
through several seams, and it is expected that the steam
coal measures will be reached within the next few weeks,
the colliery ultimately providing employment for about
100 men.

Similar circumstances prevail in the Western
Valleys of Glamorgan, where the Maesteg area has
developed enormously through the improvement in
North’s Navigation Collieries and other undertakings.
Llynfi Valley progress may be estimated from the fact
that the population of Cwmdu has grown in ten years
from 8,000 to 12,600, Llangynwyd Higher from 6,200 to
12,400 in the same period; and these are only typical of
several other areas. In the adjoining Garw and Ogmore
Valleys considerable progress is also manifested,
notably by the new pit of the Lewis Merthyr and also
by the development pf Penllwyngwent Colliery of
Messrs. Cory Bros. At Gilfach Goch, which is in close
proximity, the new pit of the Cambrian Company (in
connection with which the Garden City is being built)
gives promise of a huge increase of population and
business.

The eastern valleys of Monmouthshire, with coal,
iron, and tin-plate, are rapidly developing. Important
colliery extensions are progressing in the Abersychan
district; the Tirpentwys undertaking having during
the past few years been brought up to date by electric
haulage. The undertaking of Messrs. Partridge, Jones
and Co. has also been improved at Talywain, a new
shaft being sunk, and electric haulage plant installed.
In addition to the work of the Crumlin Valleys Colliery
in developing the coal area formerly held by the Ebbw
Vale Company, another company has been formed for
sinking a shaft nearer to Pontypool on the Crumlin-
road, where the Meadow vein and other seams are
expected to be reached.

Two most remarkable areas are Port Talbot, which
has nearly doubled its population in the past 12 years .
and the Rhymney Valley, which is rapidly becoming a
second Rhondda. Gelligaer Parish, where the Powell
Duffryn and Rhymney iron companies are at work, has
had the number of houses increased from 3,273 in 1901
to more than 7,000, of which one-third are in Bargoed.
Several other places have an increase of over 100 per
cent, in population. Caerphilly rose from 15,836 in 1901
to 32,850 in 1911. Bedwellty from 9,988 in 1901 to
22,551 in 1911; with a further increase in each case
since.

It is in the Sirhowy Valley that developments are
most marked. The town of Tredegar, at the top of this
valley, has made an increase in its population of about
15 per cent, in the past 10 years. It is to the south,
however, in an almost virgin field, estimated to contain
about a 100,000,000 tons, that the development is most

strikingly manifested. The new Oakdale colliery,
between Argoed and Blackwood, which has been opened
out, gives employment to nearly 2,000 men; whilst
between Holly bush and Argoed, the Markham colliery,
now being sunk, is expected, within a twelvemonth, to
be fully at work; and this ultimately will find
employment for at least 1,500 men. Oakdale collieries
have the highest modern equipment in electric plant, &c.
At the other end of the valley (Nine Mile Point) develop-
ment is equally marked; and also about Ynysddu.
The valley has the advantage of varied industries, not
being entirely dependent on coal, very fine beds of clay
having led to the establishment of brickworks on an
extensive scale, and there being industries like that of
Messrs. Whitehead, who turn out 20,000 to 30,000 tons
of steel bars per annum from their Morgan mill. For
the new village for the Oakdale and Markham collieries,
the Tredegar Company are erecting 750 houses, the
remainder being put up by private enterprise; upon
this alone £200,000 is being spent.

Owing to the Easter holidays, there has been,
naturally, a restriction of output in the tin-plate trade,
such as may materially affect stocks. Many mills do
not start at all during this Easter week on account of
repairs; and before Good Friday about 80 mills were
idle on account of the excess of output.

OFFICIAL REPORT ON THE LOTHRINGEN
COLLIERY EXPLOSION *

The official enquiry into the cause of the explosion of
firedamp, which killed 114 miners and injured 16, at the
Lothringen Colliery, Gerthe, Westphalia, on August 8
last, has failed to reveal any culpability on the part of
any of the survivors. , The seat of the explosion was in
a cross heading on the No. III. level, in driving which
a 4-5 inch vein of coal was cut through and exposed, and
the coaldust and firedamp thus liberated appear to have
been ignited by the next shots fired. According to the
undisputed testimony of the manager, who visited the
spot less than half-an-hour before the explosion, and
detected the presence of firedamp, the men denied
having come across any coal; and he did not examine
the roof, his lamp being extinguished by the gas.
Instructions were given to the deputy in charge to have
the gas cleared away, and brattice pipes were put up;
but it would seem that, after the manager went away, a
number of peripheral shots, which had not exploded at
the preceding blast, were fired. The flame appears to
have been augmented by gas from a “blower” about
60 yards away, which was still giving off gas a week
after the accident. The occurrence of similar “ blowers ’’
at a distance from the face, and due to the shattering
effect of blasting, is not infrequent, which may explain the
fact that its existence was not discovered beforehand.

The flame divided, part travelling into the eleventh
seam and part into the G seam, where it again divided,
travelling on the one hand down the seam, and on the
other through the No. III. level airway and cross-
heading of the No. 3 district into the No. 4 district, and
down the various seams there. The water pipes were
found to be in good order and full of water, and the
ventilation was ample. The proportion of firedamp in
the return air after the explosion averaged 0’3 per cent.;
and the air temperature in the No. 3 district did not
exceed 22 degs. Cent., the highest in the pit being
27 degs. Cent. With regard to the allegation that a
separate ventilating shaft should have been provided
for this portion of the mine, the report states that no
necessity for such a shaft existed, though its construction
had been projected by the management, the distance
(nearly 2,000 yards) to be traversed by the intake air
not being excessive in view of the large sectional area of
the airway.

According to the testimony of survivors among the
gang engaged in driving the cross-heading, it was known
that the vein of coal had been exposed in the roof; and
it must therefore be assumed that the deputy in charge
(who was killed) was also aware of it. The measures
taken to carry out the manager’s instructions about
clearing away the gas were not sufficient; and it seems
improbable that the regulations as to testing the presence
of gas for a distance of 22 yards before firing the shots
could have been carried out, it being unlikely that the
explosion was caused by the gas from the “ blower ”
alone.

The report recommends the adoption of more stringent
regulations with regard to blasting in similar fiery mines,
especially those producing gas coal and flaming coal; so
that, where safety explosives are not used for ripping,
trial boreholes must be driven ahead, in order to make
sure that none of the shots are fired in unexpected veins
or seams of coal. The charging and firing of the shots
(and also the stemming) should be entrusted to a super-
vising official, and the use of time fuses should be

prohibited. In driving through into an existing gallery,
the last shots should not be fired until a hole has been
drilled right through, to secure a circulation of air.

* Zeitschrift fur Berg-, Hutten- und Salinenwesen

At the annual dinner of the Association of Chambers of
Commerce of the United Kingdom Mr. Sydney Buxton
announced that the Board of Trade hoped to publish
shortly the report of a special commissioner on the effect
of the Panama Canal on the world’s commerce. With
regard to affording greater protection to the honest trader,
it was hoped that before long an arrangement would be
made with the Treasury and the Lord Chancellor’s depart-
ment whereby the somewhat difficult and costly proceedings
under the Merchandise Marks Act might be made easier.
He was anxious to get the Bankruptcy Bill passed this
Session. Though the Railway Bill had few friends, the
Government felt bound to carry it through, but he could
promise traders who were affected by that legislation that
in the very near future he hoped to introduce some measure
for their benefit.

WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION.

(Specially Contributed.)

Mutual Schemes.

Fresh regulations, dated March 1, 1913, have been
made by the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies
under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1906,
rescinding regulations made on July 1, 1907.
Every application for certificate to a scheme under
section 3 of the Act, must be in a form which is
annexed to the regulations, and be accompanied by the
documents mentioned in the form. If a scheme includes
the workmen of more than one employer, a separate
application must be made by each employer. Other
forms are provided for applications for renewal of
certificate to a scheme and complaints by or on behalf
of workmen. Whenever a scheme has been certified or
the certificate to a scheme has been renewed, the
employer must furnish to the Registrar every year
during the currency of the certificate accounts and
information in regard to such scheme in such form as
the Chief Registrar may from time to time prescribe.
The documents to be sent with form A are as follows:—
(a) Two printed copies of the scheme, each stitched in
covers and signed by the applicants ; (b) an actuarial
report on the scheme ; (c) a statutory declaration
verifying the result of the ballot, &c.; and (d) a state-
ment showing (1) the views of the employer; (2) the
views of the workmen, and how such views were
ascertained.

Pneumonia held to be an Accident.

Drylie v. Alloa Coal Co.—In this case (Court of Session
January 31) question was whether John Drylie, a
brushing contractor, who was employed at the Brucefield
Pit of the Alloa Coal Company, and who contracted a
chill, which developed into pneumonia, had met with an
accident arising out of and in the course of his employ-
ment. On September 25, 1911, while Dry lie was at
work water began to accumulate at the pit bottom,
owing to a defect in the pump. The pump was stopped
in order that the defect might be remedied. Drylie and
his two companions became alarmed when they found
the water rising, and they decided to leave the pit.
When they arrived at the pit bottom they were heated,
and had to stand up to the knees in icy cold water and
with a draught of cold air falling down the shaft on
them for about 20 minutes until the cage descended.
On arriving at the pithead Drylie remained for about
20 minutes or half-an-hour, and reaching his house
complained of chill. He was at work off and on till
September 29, when he was shivering and complained
of cold all over. Two days later he was assured he was
suffering from pneumonia, and he died on October 8.
The Brucefield Pit was a wet pit, but it was unusual for
water to accumulate to a depth of 2 ft.

Sheriff-Substitute Dean Leslie found that the pneu-
monia from which Drylie died was due to the chill which
he got on September 25 ; that his remaining in his wet
condition at the pithead, and his working on the days
following and his wetting on these following days had
not had a favourable effect upon his illness, and that the
pneumonia was a natural sequence of the chill. He held
that Drylie’s death resulted from the injury by accident
arising out of and in the course of his employment, and
found that the widow and her three children were
entitled to compensation amounting to £265 3s. 3d.

The Court of Session, consisting of seven judges (Lord
Salvesen dissenting), held that the appellants had failed
to show a case for disturbing the decision of the
arbiter, and dismissed the appeal with costs.

The Sequel to Drylie’s Case.

Brown v. Watson.—In this case (Court of Session,
January 30) the facts were somewhat similar to those
in Drylie’s case (supra), but there was an important

distinction which caused the court to find the other way.
John Brown, miner, was at work on June 26, 1911.
In consequence of a wreck in the shaft, all the men in
the pit where Brown started work were ordered
to ascend to the surface. They proceeded towards the
shaft of No. 2 pit, by which they were usually raised to
the surface. They were met by an official who told
them to proceed by the communication road to the
shaft of No. 1 pit. Here they had to wait at a mid-
landing for about an hour-and-a-half, and a very strong
current of air blew in upon Brown and his fellow
miners. After reaching the surface Brown complained
of feeling cold, and ran part of the way home to recover
warmth. The next morning Brown went down the pit,
but he was unable to start work on account of illness,
due to the chill incurred on the previous day.
Pneumonia supervened, and he died on July 3, 1911.
The Sheriff-Substitute found that Brown died from the
effect of injuries by accident received by him on
June 26, and awarded compensation to the respondent.