CO EXPLOSIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA COAL MINES — GILPIN. 



average couiposition (froiu a paper read by me at the Montreal 

 meeting of" the British Association) : 



Moisture 0.75 



Volatile eombnstihle matter 37.26 



Fixed carbon 58.74 



Ash 3.25 



These coals coke readily, and yield from 8,000 to 11,000 cubic 

 feet per ton of illuminating gas of from 10 to 1(3 candle power. 



On November 12th, 1880, a very violent explosion took place 

 at the Foord Pit, Albion Mines, Pictou Co., referred to above, 

 causing the loss of forty-four lives. The men had descended in 

 the morning, and the greater number of those employed on the 

 south side had left the bottom, and presumably were gathered 

 at the head of tlie dip-slants aljout three-quarters of a mile away 

 waiting for their tools, when the explosion took place. These 

 dip-slants are believed to have V)een the seat of the explosion, 

 which, reaching the levels, divided, part going to the rise of the 

 upcast and part coming direct to the main shafts, downcasts. 



The theory was advanced that the shot lirer had fired a shot' 

 in one of the places in these slants, which had been left by the 

 outgoing shaft, and that it had lighted gas. No exact account,, 

 however, can be given, as no one escaped from that side of the 

 pit and it has not since been entered. There is a possibility that, 

 some gas had accumulated since the examination of the forema.n,. 

 and had been ignited hy some of the men going into their places,, 

 without waiting for their tools, to load coal, timber, etc., as the 

 time gave scant opportunity for the shot firer to have fired the 

 shot. Tlie mine was pronounced that morning free from gas^ 

 except in very small amounts lying away from the district in 

 which the explosion was believed to have originated. From 

 what source, then, started the series of explosions, beginning 

 within an hour from the time the mine was reported entirely 

 safe, and continuing at intervals until the mine became a furnace 

 whose flames could be subdued only by emptying into its burn- 

 ing chambers the waters of an adjoining river. The locality 

 where the men were believed to have been gathered was about 



