824 REPORT— 1886. 



inquests, by competent engineers, whose published reports would probably be more 

 useful than the verdicts of juries on such a complicated subject. 



This scientific investigation is now undertaken by the Board of Trade, under 

 the Boiler Explosion Act of 1882, who have already held 179 preliminary inquiries, 

 with such useful result as to preclude the need of further legislation. 



The work of the Midland Steam Boiler Inspection and Assurance Co. since 

 1862, chiefly among the hard-worked boilers in ironworks and collieries, was then 

 described, the general result having been to lessen the frequency of explosions. 



A table, abstracted from the writer's ' Annual Records of Boiler Explosions,' 

 showed for twenty-four years 1,228 explosions (killing 1,476 and injuring 2,261 other 

 persons), and was so arranged as to show at a glance the kind of boiler, and the cause 

 of explosion, under the heads of Faults of Manufacture, Inspection, and Working. 



Numerous sketches, photographs, and models illustrating some of the most 

 important explosions were exhibited. 



6. South Staffordshire Mines Drainage : 

 (1) Surface Works. By E. B. Marten. 



After reference to a paper by the writer on the ' Drainage of the South Staf- 

 fordshire Coal Field ' at the last meeting in Birmingham in 1865," which led to 

 the obtaining of the South Staffordshire Mines Drainage Act, 1873, the works 

 under that Act were described. 



The area dealt with is 60 square miles, with 500 miles of streams passing over 

 it, nearly all of which have been repaired where injured by mining. Also the 

 100 miles of canals have been repaired. Low-lying areas have been dealt with by 

 surface pumps, so that the 50 million gallons per day of water found in the mines 

 in 1865 has been reduced by about half. 



For underground pumping the area was divided into six districts. The Bentley 

 district in the north is not to be dealt with until the water finds its way through 

 the Bentley Great Fault. 



In the Bilston district pumping nearly ceased, and the water ran over into the 

 Tipton district, so that they were afterwards dealt with as one, and all called 

 Tipton. The struggle to overcome the difficulties in draining it forms the subject 

 of the following paper by Mr. E. Terry, the mining engineer. 



In the Oldbury district the mineowners voted themselves out of the under- 

 ground clauses of the Act, so that the injustice remains that a few do the pumping 

 whUe others get the coal unwatered. In the Kingswindford district the owners 

 did the same without foreseeing that it would prevent the carrying out of arrange- 

 ments by which one part was to be drained by a private individual, but he has 

 erected a pumping-engine and drained mines which others work. 



In the Old Hill district the system commenced by a private company has been 

 successfully completed under the Act, as detailed in a paper following, by Mr. W. 

 B. CoUis, mining engineer. 



(2) The Drainage of the Tipton District. By E. Terrt. 



The arbitrators under the Act wished the surface works to be finished before 

 the underground case was dealt with, but the Commissioners in the Old Tipton 

 district urged that they should be allowed to work some of the engines lately 

 stopped, which was done, and the arbitrators suggested putting up two new engines 

 and temporarily working 38 others, with a capital expenditure of 70,000Z. This 

 was not accepted, and as an alternative owners were paid for pumping at the rate 

 of 6id. per lock (25,000 gallons) for each 100 feet raised, equal to about 20^. per 

 annum per horse-power, but it resulted in the Commissioners being obliged to take 

 most of the engines into their own hands. 



In the Old Bilston district in the same way the arbitrators advised the erection 

 of four new engines and the temporary working of 44 others, with a capital 



' Printed in the book on Hardware District, prepared for the 1865 Meeting. 



