584 EVENING DISCOURSES 
SECOND EVENING DISCOURSE 
Monpay, SEPTEMBER II, 1933. 
THE WORK OF THE SAFETY IN MINES 
RESEARCH BOARD 
BY 
PROF. J. F. THORPE, C.B.E., F.R.S. 
Tue Safety in Mines Research Board is appointed by and reports to the 
Secretary for Mines and is financed liberally from the Miners’ Welfare 
Fund. Its experimental work is carried out at two Research Stations, one 
at Harpur Hill, Buxton, and the other in Portobello Street, Sheffield, 
where it is in close association with the Department of Applied Science 
of the University. Both these Research Stations are under the direction 
of Dr. R. V. Wheeler, to whom Dr. H. F. Coward is Assistant Director. 
Falls of roof and haulage accidents are investigated by Major Hudspeth, 
Chief Mining Engineer to the Board. The Board works also through a 
number of sub-committees, of which the Explosives in Mines Research 
Committee, the Spontaneous Combustion Committee, and the District 
Support of Workings Committees may be regarded as types. 
Time does not permit me this evening to deal with the great problems 
under investigation by Major Hudspeth and his staff, although it is evident 
that such problems are of great importance in relation to mine safety. 
Indeed, by far the greater number of casualties and fatal accidents in coal 
mines, during the period 1922-31, have been due to falls of ground and 
haulage accidents. ‘Thus persons killed through explosions during this 
period numbered 521, whereas the deaths due to falls of ground and haulage 
accidents were 5,199 and 2,276 respectively. Nevertheless the casualties 
due to the two causes last named are mainly adventitious, and it is difficult 
to subject them to scientific, as distinct from human, control. On the other 
hand the causes of explosions and their elimination can be made the subject 
of scientific investigation and the fact that the terrible disasters of the past 
no longer occur must be ascribed to the application of the knowledge which 
has been gained by scientific research and investigation. It is my object this 
evening to describe the way in which this has been done and to show the 
many causes which may lead to the ignition of gas, and the methods which 
are being taken to remove these causes. 
All the experiments have been arranged at the Board’s Sheffield Research 
Stations by Dr. H. F. Coward. Three members of the staff, Messrs. 
Hartwell, White and Russell, are in attendance as demonstrators. 
SAFETY IN CoaAL MINEs. 
The conditions of coal-mining create dangers from which other industries 
are free. 
The fact that work may be carried on underground at depths up to a mile 
