September 3, 1915.

469

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

1 QI A	Per	1913.
iy±4j.	cent.	Percent.
1 ...	1’5	...	2
1 ...	1’5	... 1
8 ...	12	...	3’75
5 ..r		
	>44’5	... 41’5
23 ...		
2 -J		
3 ...	4’5	... 12’5
6 ...	9	... 13
9 ...	13’5	... 15’5
3 ...	4’5	...	2
4 ...	6	...	8 75
2 ...	3	—

67 ... 100	... 100

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

months of the year, but there was throughout the year
still a marked improvement in the number of deaths by
falls not attributable to the reduction in the number of
men employed since the outbreak of the war. Of the
103 persons killed by falls during the year, 67 were
at the working face, 20 on roads while repairing or
enlarging, and 16 on roads while otherwise working or
passing, the whole representing about 54 per cent, of
the total fatalities underground. At Elsecar Main
Colliery two men were killed by a fall of roof at a long-
wall face which was being re-opened after a six months’
stoppage. Mr. Mottram observes : “It is well known
by experienced pitmen that whenever a face is
re-opened after a stoppage, the roof conditions of the
place are likely to be abnormal, and this accident shows
how necessary it is in such cases to use bars as well as
props for the support of the roof.”

In the following table figures are given showing the
kind of work in a miner’s occupation at the coal face
most productive of accidents :—

While examining ............
While extending rails ...............

While setting timber ___..........

While holing coal—

By hand _____________.................

By machine ..................
While getting coal—

By hand .....................

By blasting ..................
While filling coal ..............
While removing dirt and packing
While withdrawing timber.......
While tramming tubs ..........
While walking along the face ...
While pulling loose dirt .........

Total deaths at the face .....

Of the 67 fatalities by falls of ground, only 15 per cent,
occurred at the gate end, as against 37 per cent, during
the preceding year. There were eight deaths due to con-
traventions of the Regulations, two to contraventions on
the part of both officials and workmen, and six on the
part of workmen alone. Twenty-six deaths were avoid-
able by ordinary caution, and 13 might have been pre-
vented by the systematic use of bars to support the roof.
On the other hand,, in no less than 60 cases no blame
attached either to officials or workmen—it having been
found that the specified distances for systematic
timbering had been observed. Neglect .to comply with
section 52 (1) of the Coal Mines Act, 1911, which
requires temporary supports to be set during the with-
drawal of ordinary supports, was probably responsible
for four deaths, and it is not improbable that other
accidents might have been avoided by setting temporary
supports during the removal of falls of roof on roadways.
No less than 10 per cent, of the output of coal was
produced by coal-cutting machines, and only three lives
were lost by falls of roof where coal cutters were in
use. This again points to safer conditions produced by
straight faces, systematic timbering, and regular working
where coal cutters are employed.

Shaft Accidents. — There were seven separate fatal
shaft accidents, by which seven persons were killed, and
20 non-fatal accidents, involving injury to 57 persons. In
regard to one accident, at Sutton Colliery, in Notting-
hamshire, Mr. Mottram remarks that it is difficult to
prevent accidents caused by deliberately passing under-
neath or over the top of a fence, but it seems to him that
instead of a bar a more complete fence operated by the
cage itself would offer far less facility for acts of this
kind. Another accident, at Soothill Wood Colliery,
Yorkshire, was evidently caused through the gate being
improperly bolted, or by the bolt breaking and allowing
the gate to fly open. The accident points to the desira-
bility of sliding gates which do not absolutely depend
upon the use of a sliding bolt to keep the gate in posi-
tion.

The fatal accidents under the heading of miscellaneous
underground accidents numbered 68, involving the loss
of 68 lives, or one less than the preceding year. One
death was from explosives, one from suffocation by
natural gases, 53 from haulage, two from electricity,
one by machinery, and 10 from sundry causes.

Of the hhulage accidents, 42 occurred to-persons actu-
ally engaged in haulage operations, four to persons while
walking to and from their working places, and seven
were miscellaneous. Of the 53 lives lost, 17 were
officials and workmen of experience, 22 were lads of 16
years of age, and seven of them were only 14 years old.
Most of the boys when travelling along roads with
ponies got killed outright or fatally injured by tubs,
through falling or slipping down in front of the set.

Accidents Due to Electricity. — There were four
separate fatal accidents due to electricity, involving the
loss of four lives, two being on the surface, and two
underground. On January 16, at Digby Colliery, near to
Nottingham, a tipper, named Charles William Walker,
working at the screens, was killed by an electric shock
sustained by touching a bare place in a lighting cable
which was by mischance at 500 volts above earth
potential. Not far from the tippler there was an open-
ing like a doorway, 5 ft. 9| in. high, through which the
tubs delivered the coal, and under the lintel of this
opening passed three ordinary lighting wires, 14 gauge,
rubber insulated, tape wound, and braided. The lamps
on the circuit were 110-volt lamps, but the circuit was
supplied by current from a 500-volt three-phase system,
one wire of the circuit being connected to one of the
phases of that system, and the other to a tapping taken
from the transformer supplying the 500-volt current
(which originated from a 11,000-500 transformer). The
pressure between the line or phase to which the lamps
were connected and the point in the transformer wind-
ing at which the tapping was taken was 110 volts. In
this way the circuit, though nominally 110 volts, was in
reality a 500-volt circuit, as an earth on either of two
phases would cause the lamp circuit to assume a pressure

500 volts above earth. After the accident it was found
that one of the phases of the system, other than that
supplying the lamps, was faulty, there being an earth
in a small meter transformer in the substation. Mr.
Nelson made the following	recommendations:—

(1) That the lamp circuit in which the accident occurred,
and which it appeared that it had not been the duty of
any particular individual to attend to, should have some
man appointed definitely to maintain it. (2) That only
low pressure should be used for lighting. (Since the
accident properly transformed current of 110 volts, that
is, without the possibility of any higher pressure being
attained, has been in use.) (3) That some means should
be provided of indicating any defect in the insulation
of the 500-volt surface system, and of every system. On
October 6, at Cortonwood Colliery, Yorkshire, a greaser
named James Sidebottom, was electrocuted at the
by-product coke oven stamp. Three-phase current at
500 volts was supplied through a switch to overhead bare
wires, and from these wires rubbing contacts supplied
the motor. It was the duty of Sidebottom to oil the
machinery on the platform, but before doing so to switch
off the current. He had apparently operated the switch
handle for this purpose (for it was subsequently found
in the off position), but afterwards by placing his right
hand on the bare wire he was electrocuted. When the
switch cover was removed, it was found that the release
mechanism of one knife was broken, thus leaving one
phase alive. The release was controlled by a fine coil
spring between the rocking lever and one end of the
knife. The other end of the knife, where struck by the
rocking arm, was worn away, and there was a slight
groove worn in the saddle, so that when the switch
handle was moved to the off position, it would fail, with-
out the spring, to open the switch. The wearing of
these points would, put excessive strain on the spring.
There was considerable evidence of fusing in the box,
and all three springs were gone. Mr. Nelson was of
opinion, after an examination of the switch, that .it had
not been properly maintained, and certainly its failure
so soon after inspection by an electrician did not indi-
cate efficient inspection or satisfactory maintenance. The
switch had been in use four years, and evidently
required renewal, though those responsible for the effi-
ciency of the switch had. not thought so, or, knowing it,
failed to attend to the matter. At Oxcroft Colliery, on
July 7, a coal cutter machine man, named Josiah
Hunter, received a fatal electric shock at the coal face.
He and another man, named Thomas Beddoes, worked
a 25-horse power Hurd bar cutter driven by a medium
pressure (about 440 volts) squirrel cage three-phase
motor. Hunter was the chargeman. After the acci-
dent the trailing cable was opened out, and found to be
in bad condition, there being two faulty places on the
conductors, and two breaks in the earth wire. The cable
had been in use five years, and it could hardly be
expected to be in other than a well-worn condition.
That the earth wire was found to be broken was no
doubt due to constant coiling and uncoiling of the cable
under working conditions. It was evident that a month
was too long to trust to the continuity of any earth con-
ductor, and Mr. Nelson, H.M. electrical inspector, who
also visited the colliery and attended the inquest,
expressed the opinion that earth conductors of trailing
cables should be tested for continuity on each day before
the cable is put to use. As the earth conductor was of
less cross section than 0’022 sq. in., the minimum pro-
vided by General Regulation 125 (5), proceedings were
taken against the agent of the colliery for a violation of
the Regulation referred to. The facts were not in dis-
pute ; the use of an earth conductor which fails to comply
with the Regulations was proved, but it was argued in
defence that as the trailing cable, which included the
earth conductor, had been in use before June 1, 1911,
the company was within its rights under General Regu-
lation 137 (5) in continuing the earth conductor in use,
even though the coal cutter had been installed since
June 1, 1911. The Bench held that the defence was
right, and dismissed the case, without, however, giving
the defendant his costs. An accident at No. 3 Emley
Moor Colliery on March 2, was due apparently to the
carelessness of some person not reading the notice on
the switch. The management have since arranged to
lock the switch lever while repairs are going on between
the switch and the coal face. In such cases the key
should be in the possession of the individual working on
the dead conductors. This appears to be the practice in
working on high- and medium-pressure mains on the
surface, and it is obviously as necessary underground.
Clearly no person’s life, says Mr. Mottram, should
depend upon a chalked message being observed and acted
upon.

Of the 10 lives lost from sundry causes, two occurred
as a result of outbreaks of glanders amongst horses at
Isabella Pit, Garforth Colliery, Yorkshire, and at
Gedling Colliery, in Nottinghamshire.

The fatal accidents on the surface numbered 27,
involving 28 deaths, or a decrease of eight compared with
the previous year. Five were caused by machinery, 11
on railway sidings and tramways in connection with
moving wagons, two by electricity (previously referred
to under the head of electricity), and 10 by miscellaneous
causes.

Dangerous Occurrences. — Eighty-nine dangerous
occurrences were reported under section 5 of the Notice
of Accidents Act, 1906. These occurrences were as
under:—Ignitions of gas or coal dust, 5; underground
fires, 26; breakage of winding ropes, chains, or other
gear by which men are raised or lowered, 32; over-
winding, 13; inrush of water, 1; miscellaneous causes,
12. Four of the five ignitions of firedamp occurred in
pits where open lights were in use, and one of the pits
was a sinking shaft. The fifth ignition was in a safety
lamp pit, and caused by a gob fire. The underground
fires numbered 26, as compared with 28 in 1913, and 44
in 1912; 23 of the 26 were due to spontaneous combus-
tion, as compared with 24 in the preceding year. The

cases due to spontaneous combustion included “ gob
stink” or ‘’fire stink.” Fifteen of them occurred
in Yorkshire, five in Derbyshire, and three in Notts. Of
the 15 in Yorkshire, nine took place at one colliery, and
all occurred in the Barnsley seam, though, in one
instance, the seam is known as the Warren House, which
is the representative of the South Yorkshire Barnsley
bed. Happily, none of the heatings attained very
serious dimensions, as, owing to early detection, imme-
diate steps were taken in most cases to dig out, and .in
others to build off and isolate the trouble from the rest
of the workings. In Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
the Kilburn seam is most liable to gob fires, and six of
the eight reported occurred in that seam, while the Deep
Soft and Black Shale seams were responsible for the
other two. In all eight cases the fires presented no
very serious difficulties; six were dealt with by sealing
off the affected area, and two by digging out the fire.

Four winding ropes broke during the year. In one
case the rope had been in use two years and four months
and broke on the drum; another, after being in use two
years and five months, broke at the bottom of the
capping. Of the other two, which also had been in use
less than three years, one was drawn from a capel filled
solid with white metal after being re-capped five months,
the other broke close to the top of the cap by tubs pro-
jecting from the cage at the pit bottom, and, by jamming
against the frame work, caused an undue strain to be
put upon the rope. The overwinds do not call for special
remark here, except that in nearly every case the effects
were minimised by the use of overwinders and detach-
ing hooks. On February 12 an outbreak of gas occurred
in the Barnsley seam at Yorkshire Main Colliery, where,
owing to a general weight taking place, the district was
fouled with gas. Several oil safety lamps were extin-
guished, and the men were immediately withdrawn. To
show the risks to which mining is subjected, Mr.
Mottram records a dangerous occurrence reported from
this mine five months later. A set of men were repair-
ing a roadway, when one of the workmen struck with
his shovel a box of matches which, unknown to him, was
lying in the dirt he was filling into a tub, and so ignited
the whole lot of matches, causing a large naked flame to
appear. The system of search had failed to detect the
taking of the matches into the mine, and in addition to
the daily 10 per cent, search of workmen, the manage-
ment have now large printed notices bearing the words,
“ Search yourselves for matches,” posted up on the pit
top, to remind the workers of their obligation to exercise
care before entering the mine.

Prosecutions.

In four instances legal proceedings were taken against
owners, agents, and managers. These involved . 28
charges; 10 resulted in convictions, two were .with-
drawn (one on payment of costs), and 16 were dismissed.
The cases of prosecution of workmen by owners and
managers for violations of the General Regulations num-
bered 315. Convictions were obtained in 285 instances,
and 30 were dismissed or withdrawn. The decrease in
convictions with regard to matches and smoking in
safety lamp pits is most marked, there having been only
108 charges as against 224 in 1913. It is also satis-
factory to note that during the year there were seven
fewer charges with regard to Rules about safety lamps,
10 less for disobeying orders, and seven less for. cruelty
to, and want of care and proper treatment of, animals.

Ventilation.

The sampling of air has again made considerable
progress. No less than 2,381 samples were taken and
analysed during the year. Sampling is having a salutary
effect in cases where the ventilation has been indifferent,
and particularly in open light mines where the per-
centage was or is liable to approach | per cent.. of
inflammable gas, as in the event of that percentage being
exceeded in the average of six samples taken in the
return airway at periods of not less than a fortnight,
the use of safety lamps becomes obligatory.

Coal Dust.

The provisions requiring the removal of dust continue
to receive the attention of the inspectors of mines.
Fortunately in many cases the management require in
this respect no inspector to point out their obligations
under the Act, but there have been other cases where
considerable pressure has been required in order to get
the deposition of dust kept within practicable limits.
Want of system in some instances has been the cause,
and in others where the coal dust is naturally mixed
with some inert dust such as fireclay, it is concluded
that there is no danger, and therefore no necessity for
systematic clearing of the dust. A recent instance
occurred where the management contended that the
dust was innocuous by reason of the mixture, and need
not be removed. Samples taken, however, showed the
dust to contain from 69 to 81 per cent, of combustible
matter. When these results were brought to the notice
of the colliery officials they proceeded to comply by
removing the dust, and now are considering the question
of stone dusting. In this Division the watering of main
roadways to allay the dust is the exception rather than
the rule. In Yorkshire particularly the application of
shale, fine dust, etc., by hand following the clearing
away of accumulations is the prevailing method of
treating roadways. Some progress has been made with
this system in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, but the
rate of progress is slow.

Rescue Stations.

The central rescue stations in the Division are : 1,
Tankersley; 2, Altofts; 3, Wath; 4, Rotherham;
5, Brierley; 6, Doncaster; 7, Barnsley; and 8, Wakefield
in Yorkshire; 9, Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. Nos.
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are equipped and in working order, but
at Doncaster, Barnsley and Wakefield, although the
stations were completed some time ago, there has been
considerable delay in proceeding with the necessary
equipment. Doncaster and Wakefield stations, being