66 EXPLOSIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA COAL MINES CULPIN. 



and to have fired the shot. His ])ody was found, with those of 

 "the men working in tlie bord, near the entrance to the place. 

 The shot in the stone had been fired. This, coupled with the 

 ^direction of the course of the explosion, showed with reasonable 

 certainty that it had its origin in the bord, and that the shot 

 fired by Wilson was the direct cause of the explosion. 



The suggestion was made by Mr. Madden, the Deputy Inspec- 

 tor, who was at hand at the time of the explosion, and rendered 

 valuable aid to the rescuing and exploring parties, that the 

 immediate seat of the explosion was to be sought in the stone 

 itself. After examining the bord in question with him, I am of 

 opinion that his suggestion offers the readiest explanation of the 

 source of the catastrophe. 



The l)ord is 14 feet wide, and the stone is carried by a row of 

 props in the middle. These props were set by the miners as they 

 advanced the face, to hold the stone, which was not of a specially 

 strong character, consequently, as the stone was not blown down 

 until it became troublesome to move the tubs, there were always 

 props along the side of the shots, and between the shots and the 

 face. The effect of these props was to parti}' confine the shots to 

 the low side of the bord. 



As the stone was in layers, and had streaks of coal in it, ex- 

 amination showed that it was more or less fissures across the 

 bord, and hung on the props, the natural effect of the shots being 

 to blow in along the laj'ers, to compress the props and to cause 

 the stone to l)ag between the props and the high side. That this 

 effect was produced is shown by the fact that large quantities of 

 this stone fell in the workings of No. 7 Italance, the props being 

 knocked out liy the explosion, although very short, and partly 

 supported by the stone stowed in the high side. The hole that 

 was fired in No. 3 bord was, so far as could be estimated, from 2 

 feet 9 inches to 3 feet long. The end of the hole was in stone. 

 The charge of powder appeared to have filled 18 inches of the 

 hole. The shot threw down about f of the stone it was designed 

 to dislodge, and left the balance split by the heel of the shot, and 

 a prop near the back of the hole. There was a lype in the stone 



