EXE'LOSIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA COAL MINES — GILPIN. 67 



■on the low side of the l.)ord, whicli may have helped to lessen 

 the desired effect of the shot. 



The weight of evidence appeared to l;)e that there had lieen an 

 ■overcharge of powder. 



It would appear that the expansion of the la^-ers of the stone 

 afforded space for the accumulation of gas, which would not be 

 readily dislodged by the air current,, and there was an unusual 

 opportunity for accumulation, owing to the fact that the pit was 

 idle the preceding day. That the shot gave evidence of having 

 been a more or less flaming one : that it ignited the gas lodged 

 in the roof stone ; that this combination of gas and powder 

 flame acting on an atmosphere charged with a small percentage 

 of gas and fine floating dust derived from the lower liords, 

 caused an intense flame sufficient to propagate itself until it 

 reached an intensely explosive state and self supporting, swept 

 the two balances and the adjacent levels. 



The evidence of Enoch Cox, who worked in No. 1 bord, on tlie 

 same balance, supports this view. He testified that some time 

 previous to the explosion a shot was fired in this stone, that 

 filled his working place with flame, and ignited the gas in the 

 stone, so that it retiuired some effort to extinguish it. It is fair 

 to state that the management declare they never heard of this, 

 and that it was never reported to them. 



• The effect of dust and gas are referred to therein. This is one 

 of the few explosions that have happened on this side of the 

 Atlantic, where an opportunity has offered for an exact identi- 

 fication of the starting point and for an examination into the 

 results produced. The testimony thus gathered appears to agree 

 closely with the results of previous enquiries in this direction in 

 Nova Scotia, and is to the effect that as yet no explosion here 

 can be traced directly to coal dust fired Ijy powder or by an 

 open light. In this connection the evidence given at Springhill 

 (see Mines Report, 1890) seems to show that when flaming shots 

 took place, both dust and gas were present. 



The Springhill coal in character resembles that of Pictou, but 

 is, perhaps, most properly described as intermediate between the 

 Cape Breton and Pictou County coals. It is coking, and yields 



