31^st March 1909

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The Durham Colliery Disaster

Inquest

The coroner for the Chester Ward district of Durham, Mr. John Graham, yesterday resumed his inquiry into the circumstances of the West Stanley Colliery explosion on February 16.

John Donkin and John Miller, foreshift deputies, spoke to the watering of the districts and the satisfactory state of ventilation on the day of the explosion.

Robert Heslop, the under manager, was recalled, and described the finding of the bodies of the deputies, and their batteries and cables in the other seams. All the detonator boxes were intact. Excepting Mark Henderson, all the deputies in the shift were lost.

Mr. Atherley-Jones. — Are you perfectly satisfied from your investigations that in not one of the seams had there been a shot fired at or about the time of the explosion ? You have no doubt in your own mind ? — I have no doubt about that.

Questioned by Mr. Atherley-Jones as to the working of the electrical plant, Mr. Heslop said he had never known any flashing from the cables in connexion with the coal cutters in the Towneley seam. Eighteen months or two years ago a cable got fast between the roof and a coal cutting machine, and there was a flash. The circuit was cut off, cutting was stopped, and the cable was sent to bank. That was the only occasion on which there had been any mishap in connexion with electricity.

Mr. Atherley-Jones. — About four months ago did a man get burnt through electricity ? — Yes, that is true ; it is a long time since.

A voice. — It is 16 months ago.

The Coroner. — That is a difference of 11 months.

Mr. Heslop. — The man's name is John Estell, and he is in the room.

Estell stood up, and the date of the occurrence referred to was given as January 12, 1908.

Mr. Atherley-Jones. — I put it to you that at a much later period, as recent as four months ago, there was a flashing ? — I do not remember it. I did not hear of anything of the kind.

In answer to the Coroner, Mr. Heslop said no coal cutters were working in any of the seams on the day of the explosion.

James Todd, lampman, stated that he gave out 215 lamps to the backshift men on February 16. He examined each lamp before delivery, and since the explosion he had examined 154 lamps recovered from the four seams, with the exception of 10 or 12 lamps which were badly damaged. The condition of the lamps was good. He did not find any lamps with tops screwed off or unlocked. Fourteen lamps were still missing. The bruises on the damaged lamps were all the result of outside blows.

Professor Redmayne. — Can you explain to me how it was you were unable to estimate the number of persons below from the lamps taken out ? — Spare lamps were sent out to be relit, and this confused the numbers.

Then in working on that system you will never know accurately what number of men are in the mine when an accident happens ? — No.

The Coroner suggested that if each man were given a disc when he received his lamp they would have a means of knowing who had lamps.

Professor Redmayne said the disc system was in operation at some collieries.

Ralph Stephenson, engineer at the colliery, described the electrical plant used in the several seams, and said the haulage cables were insulated with lead sheathing and armoured on the outside with steel tape. There were three cables going into the pit. A the time of the accident he was in the compressor-house, 80 or 90 yards from the pit mouth, and he heard a noise like a loud burr, followed by a heavy bang. This came from the switchboard in the generating-house. He went there and found that two fuses out of the three on the pit circuit had blown out. This indicated that the current was cut off. Both cables affected went into all the seams. In the generating-house he found that his assistants had tried to telephone into the seams. They told him all the bells had rung, but they could not get any answer when they tried to speak. Afterwards he found all the wires had been blown together at the top of the shaft. Five minutes before the explosion the engine-room attendant had been in communication with the Busty seam.

Richard Heslop, an electrician at the colliery, said he was last down the pit attending to his electrical work on the day before the explosion. He examined the plant in the Tilley and Busty seams, and found it in good order. The witness was in the Towneley seam on February 10, and in the Brockwell seam on February 12, and everything was then in order. He tested for leakage at bank in the generating-house at 1:30 p.m. on the day of the explosion, and found the insulation satisfactory. To the best of his knowledge all the electrical plant was in good order at the time of the explosion, and he had not been able to find from subsequent examination any electrical defects. The witness was familiar with the regulations as to the use of electricity in mines, and they had been fully observed. He had never heard of any sparking in the switch-boxes at the terminals.

The inquest was again adjourned.