Mexborough and Swinton Times December 7, 1912
The Cadeby Disaster
End of the Inquiry
Inspectors Important Conclusions
An Invaluable Pocketbook
Concluding Civilities
The long drawnout Home Office enquiry into the Cadeby Colliery disaster of July 9 was resumed at the Doncaster Guildhall on Thursday morning.
Mr R.A.S. Redmayne, Chief Inspector of Mines, again presided, and other officials present included Mr A Beale (legal assessor), Mr W H Chambers, Mr C W Phillips and Mr W M Gichard (representing the Colliery Company), Mr Vernon Hartshorne and Mr F Hall, M.P.(representing the mines), and inspected TH Martin, JL Robinson and G Poole.
Included in the general public were Mr G H Peake of Bawtry hall and the Reverend SF Hawkes and J Tunnicliffe of Denaby.
Sealed Off
At the outset, Mr Redmayne addressed a question to Mr WH Chambers, who was already sworn. He wanted to know how soon they would be able to get round the workings. If they could get round in a recent short time, then they might with advantage conclude the public enquiry. But if the workings were not to be opened a long time then the evidence they might decide to hear would be in danger of being obscured by the lapse of time; so that it was rather important to know how soon they would be able to get round the workings.
Mr Chambers said he could not tell the court with any degree of certainty when the workings would be open for inspection. After carefully considering the position, he had come to the conclusion that the only safe way of extracting the other piece of coal, which he did not like leaving in its present condition, because of the effect likely to be produced by working the contiguous coal was by attacking it in another way. His judgement, the safest time to conduct operations would be when the necessity arose, and that would not be for some time.
Mr Redmayne: What do you mean by “some time”? – Weeks, months, or years?
Months, possibly years.
Well, of course, if you’re going to fore win the coal. Are you solely only animated by considerations of safety?
Exactly, nothing else. We know that every day is making the condition safer. The substances going on continually, and will eventually squash out the fire, if the fire exists, which I do not know.
Mr Redmayne: it will also squash out the evidence of the explosion?
Mr Chambers: Well, I suppose it will, but the safety of the mine is the paramount consideration.
Mr Hartshorne: I take it that whatever is done, there will be an opportunity given to the men’s representatives to inspect.
Mr Redmayne: Oh yes; they have a legal right to do so. I promised him that as soon as I can get into the shut up portion of the mine they will have the same privilege. Mr Martin will inform you when the workings are ready, and the men’s representatives may either come to me make a separate inspection.
Mr Hartshorne: I take it that no one will be sent to work in the workings until that inspection is made.
Mr Chambers: That is so. You will be notified when we are ready to enter the area. We know the men have a legal right to make an inspection.
Birch’s Burn
Nurse Steele, of the Fullerton Hospital, said she remembered Birch been admitted to the Hospital after the Cadeby explosion. He was suffering from shock and a slight burn about the size of the two shilling piece. It was such a wound as might be caused by hot cold has been blown onto Birch’s back, and it was dealt with by dry dressing. Birch had no shirt when he was admitted.
Birch was recalled, but said he could not remember whether he was wearing a shirt are not at the time of the explosion.
A workman named Goulding, who assisted to carry out Birch, said he had no shirt.
An Inspector’s Inspection
Mr JL Robinson, senior inspector of mines for Yorkshire and the Midland said he succeeded the late Mr Hewitt in August. He had previously had a good deal of experience in mining and explosions in Scotland (his) and South Wales. He first visited the Cadeby Colliery on 22 August, and from then to the end of September he visited the mine twice a week.
Proceeding to give a minute account of his inspection of the exploded workings and of the salvage operation which had been carried out, he described the present situation in the South district, said that all the doors behind 19 Crossgate, 14 level, and 33 level were now closed. The average percentage of oxygen on the in by side of the doors when the work of advancing the stoppings was proceeding was about eight. It had been as high as 9.62 and as low as 6.77. The fire damp varied. From 10% to 25%. The average of carbonic acid was 5.66.
Mr Redmayne: Then the admission of a little more air would render that more highly explosive, and the greatest possible care would have to be exercised in advancing, and points to the necessity for pumping in this inert gas and still further adulterating and deadening the effect of CH4?
Yes, that is so.
Used the Apparatus
That also shows a great value of the breathing apparatus? – I agree, I do not think this district would have been safely opened without it.
Mr Redmayne: There might have been further loss of life? – I think so.
As it was, unfortunately, man lost his life? – Yes, but I don’t think that was actually due to the apparatus.
You, yourself have, not been equipped with breathing apparatus in any of that work?
Yes, by this means I was in before the doors were put in 19 level. I was up into seven and 64 before the stoppings were put in 64 Crossgate and above 64.
Then you were enabled by means of the breathing apparatus be one of the first in advance – Yes.
Then you are unable to note the condition of affairs before anything was touched? – Yes.
At certain intervals during your work and investigations, we were enabled to note what you did not come from the fact that you wore breathing apparatus.
Yes, at various times I went in, sometimes not very far, and others rather further.
What was the furthest distance you travel with the apparatus? – Into seven, a distance of about 300 yards.
What the Inspector Saw
proceeding to describe the condition of things, Eve found as the stoppings were advanced, he said he saw Fletcher, Beech and Godsmark, who were left in after the first explosion on the 19 Crossgate. They were lying in the roadway on their faces, and appeared to be trying to get out in the dark, for their lamps were left hanging on the props in the old one to one level. As a matter of fact, they were apparently having their food in the old one to one when the first explosion occurred, and after lamps went out seem to settle down 19 Crossgate. They weren’t burnt
Mr Redmayne: was there food covered with coal dust? – No, it was clean.
If the explosion had been in the region we suppose the fire to be, you would naturally suppose that it could not reach this place unless it went up 33; and it did not do that? – That is so.
A Terrible Back Lash
Continuing his story, Mr Robinson said that close beside these men were two tubs and a pony partly under a fall, and it seemed as if the latter started running down the Crossgate and it had been suddenly checked by the first tub running into it and getting in the way. Mr Hewitt’s cap was found on the right and side of 19 Crossgate, about 20 yards above 19 level. Mr Hewitt’s body was about a hundred yards below 19 level.
Mr Redmayne: How do you account for the cap being so far away?
By the backlash, or rebound after the second explosion.
Further continuing, Mr Robinson said that on 64 Crossgate, about 10 yards below 64 level, there was a tub and a pony lying sideways across the road. The upper part of the talk was about 5 yards off the Crossgate, having been carried away by the backlash. Miss Robison also described the finding of the bodies of Evans, Berry, Stone, Humphries and Croxall. They seem, he said, to have been sitting by a tub, and to throw themselves on their faces when they saw a flame. There was no evidence of force here. 18 yards up the face of 64 level there was a high fault across the face, and one could get no further. The upper parts of the props here were heavily burnt here and the whole of them were heavily coked.
Mr Redmayne: It must have been a slow hanging flame?
There would be a lot of hanging gas about 64, and the flame would hang there.
Mr Redmayne: There was. Evidently not sufficient air to produce a destination.
Customers Pocketbook
Proceeding Mr Robinson said that Cusworth was the man the rescue party were bringing out when one of their number lost his life. He (Mr Robinson) obtaining customers pocketbook found in the position of the bodies from 19 level to 133 level carefully marked.
Mr Redmayne: and from the sketches and descriptions in this book, you were you are unable by this means to produce two plans:
Plan A showing the position of the bodies of the first explosion and Plan B showing the position of the bodies of the second explosion? – Yes
He must have been a business-like man to have a noted all the bodies? – Yes; they were quite good sketches, and I verified them as well.
Mr Redmayne: Mr Redmayne: we are entitled, gentlemen, to visualise, as it were, the condition of affairs of the first explosion, and after the second.
Highest Point of Violence
Continuing, Mr Robinson said he was enabled to draw the conclusion that the first explosion originated somewhere between 64 and seven, travel along the face, branched down 151, and returned to the face at 12, when it reached a cul-de-sac.
It reached its highest point of violence 14 level and extended itself along 14’s landing, because there was no gas there, and the road was naturally stony dusty from recent ripping.
Mr Redmayne: how much of this evidence is based on Cusworth’s book?
Cusworth’s book simply corroborate the evidence I have already taken, and the answers to question and to witnesses you have already had. It is half and half.
Proceeding, Mr Robinson said the second explosion would be a muffled explosion; it would be muffled from want of air. The second explosion seemed to have travelled wholly down the face.
Question with regard to the injury to Birch, Mr Robinson expressed the opinion that he got his burn in the back from contact with the cylinder of his apparatus. The cylinders, said Mr Robinson, sometimes heated up to 200°
Ignition Not Explosion
Mr Redmayne: There are no signs of violence indicated on the map on or above 19 level?
I did not go further than there. I think they did not think I was a sufficiently good rescue man to precede further from the base than that. (Laughter).
Mr Redmayne: You did very well to go as far as you did.
Mr Redmayne: We have it distinctly that the most heat was produced at 14 level ?
Yes, it was ignition rather than an explosion. The flame extended as far as the south plane, but if did not go into the south plane. The explosion in 14 level was more violent the second time than the first. The reason he did not think the flame and gone into the south plane was that the south plane was dry and dusty, and had the flame reached it, it would certainly have gone off. The stone dust in 14s landing probably saved the pit.
Mr Redmayne: As an experienced mining engineer, don’t you think that the proper method of dealing with this gob fire would have been to shut off the intake and so prevent the air getting to the fire and also prevent the possibility of any explosion mixture reaching it, while everything generated would naturally pass to the return? I think the reverse process is wrong. When it is not possible to do a post again, was a gob fire and gas, always the intake side first. They’d certainly do in the intake by stowing, but that process was to slow.
Article continues with sections on Admitting Men after the Explosion; The pocketbook as evidence: Matches in the Mine; Sealed for ever – Hobson’s choice
Chief Inspector’s Review
Mr Redmayne: With that explanation, which clears up the future situation, I don’t think there is any useful end to be served by my continuing the inquiry. I think from the evidence we have had one can form a good idea, almost a positive idea, of what took place. In closing the inquiry there is one pleasant duty to perform. I think one cannot conclude the sitting without expressing one’s admiration for the very self-sacrificing efforts that have been made. The rescue men have had to perform most unpleasant duties in recovering the dead bodies. Unfortunately, there was no life to save, but the men ran considerable risk, and had a very painful duty to perform, which they performed, I am sure, to the satisfaction and admiration of everyone here.
I have also to thank the management of the scoring for the very full and free way in which they have allowed this facility for the conduct of these investigation, and also the men’s representatives for the assistance they have given me in trying to clean up the somewhat difficult and obscure mystery of these explosions. All colliery disasters were sad, and if anything this was sadder than most, because it was a sort of double explosion, and the heaviest loss was the loss of the men who attempted to recover the bodies from the first explosion.
I only hope that the result of our deliberations and enquiry the success of 10 to the prevention of these terrible accidents in the future. He would like to express his thanks to Mr Beale, who had been his right-hand man during these proceedings and in others of a similar nature.
Civilities
Mr Gichard said that on behalf of the Colliery Company, he would like to thank the Chief Inspector for the courtesy that had been extended to all had taken part in the inquiry. Whatever assistance have been afforded to Mr Redmayne had been rendered with the idea of helping him to draw up such preventative methods as would make such sad calamities less and less possible in the future. And he could assure Mr Redmayne that no colliery would be more eager to take advantage of any suggestions he had to make o preventative measures he had to draw up, than the Denaby and Cadeby Collieries Company.
Mr Hartshorne, on behalf of the men’s representatives said he thought very little assistance had been offered the Chief Inspector on their side. Mr Smith, Mr Smillie, and himself had, during the course of the evidence, prepared long list of questions to put the witnesses, only to find that the great bulk of them had been asked by Mr Redmayne himself. Mr Redmayne had done everything he possibly could to ascertain the true facts.
Mr Redmayne: I am much obliged to you. It only remains for me to report to the Home Office