EXPLOSIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA COAL MINES — GILPIN. 65 



thing appeared to he all right, and the temperature of the panel 

 lessened. Then, one Sunday morning, smoke was found in the 

 return, and shortly after a most terrific explosion occurred, which 

 wrecked the slopes and set fire to the bank-head, which was 

 destroyed in a very short time. The hnmediate origin of this 

 fire is unknown, Ijut it is conjectured that a fall of roof had 

 Itroken one of the stoppings, and the admission of fresh air had 

 caused the ignition of gas slowl}^ distilled from the heated shales, 

 etc. Presumably, the explosion was heightened in its eflfects by 

 dust, although the mine would not be classed as dusty. 



I append the following from my report on the explosion at 

 Springhill, February 21st, 1<S01. (.See Report of Mines Depart- 

 ment, year 1S90.) 



In the No. 7 balance when the bords were first started, the coal 

 was worked to its full height, having a bench of about 4 feet, 

 then a stone band, and above that about 3 feet of coal. After 

 the Ijords were driven in a short distance, the fall coal and stone 

 was left in and the liench only was worked. This coal was not 

 worked with powder, but as the face advanced it was necessary 

 to blow down from 12 to 18 inches of the stone, to make room 

 for the tubs t(j get near enough to the face to permit of theii* 

 V)eincr loaded with coal. The stone was blown down in the low 

 side of the bords, over the rails, and stowed in the high side. 

 A row of props along the middle of the bords held the rest of the 

 stone up. There was consequently little shot-firing done in the 

 balance workings. The stone is about two feet thick, a coarse 

 sandstone, with streaks of coal sometimes 2 inches thick. It 

 was shown in evidence that usually the holes for the shots in the 

 stone were bored in the coal streaks and were in some cases 

 partly in stone and partly in coal. 



It was shown that on the day of the explosion a shot was to 

 l)e fired in this stone in the No. 3 Ijord in No. 7 balance, and that 

 Thos. Wilson, the shot firer, left the bottom of the slope about a 

 ([uarter past twelve o'clock, saying he had to go to No. 7 balance. 

 The explosion occurred shortly Ijefore one o'clock, a time having 

 elapsed in the opinion of the witnesses sufficient to have allowed 

 him to reach this point, to have made the necessary preparations 

 5 



