FATAL MINING ACCIDENT.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1402, 19 May 1884, Page 2

FATAL MINING ACCIDENT.

An enquiry, before G. C. Bowman, Esq. J.P., acting coroner, was held in the Hospital on Saturday last touchiug the death of a miner named Matthew Joice, who met his death by a fall of earth in the Dudley coal mine, Reefton, on Friday last, 16th instant. A jury having been sworn, of which Mr C. B. King was chosen foreman, the following evidence was taken : — Dr Thorpe proved to having been called in to examine the body of deceased. He found life extinct, and was of opinion that the cause of death was suffocation. George Juice : Deceased was my brother on the morning of the day in question he did not return-to dinner, so I went up to the mine. When I got near the face I saw the stone lying, but I could not see anything of my brother j I then came out of the mine and found a bit of candle about an inch long at the mouth of the tunnel ; I then went back into the tunnel and examined the fallen Btone at the face, and

through the crevices of the boulders on < the right-hand side I saw deceased'B , elbow ; I knew, it was an utter imposs i- , brh'ty for me fen remove the stone myself and T went outside and called for assistance. By the Cororner : I knew that my brother was working alone in the mine on that day. I was in the mine with my brother on the previous evening, and he showed me whei'e he was going to put in a set of timber ; he was going to pit in the timber first thing on the following morning. By a" juror : My brother had charge of the mine, and I had confidence in his skill as a miner considering that he had been a miner for thirty-four years. By Mr Binns : I am the sole owner of the Dudley coal mine until certain conditions are complied with ; deceased was a contractor under me. Some times he had been in the habit of working alone ; he had had a man working with him a short time previously; the .tunnel was commenced about Christmas last ; lam not much of a judge as to mining, and left the matter to my brother ; there is a drop in the coal on the left-hand side, of about a foot j he said the fault was a source of danger as it was always accompanied by a slip in the roof ; the fault was running at an angle of about 2 degrees. At this stage of the inquiry the jury intimated that they had inspected the mitavand the Inspector said he need not in that case £o into the matter. By Mr Binns: There was plenty of timber at the face ; I am aware of the existence of special regulations bearing upon the working of mines; I produce plan of a portion of the mine ; the output of the mine for the last year was about 24 tons ; cannot give the out-put for the preceding year. By the Coroner : Deceased' was 46 years of a^e, unmarried, and a native of Spondon, Derbyshire. He had been in the Colony eight years ; he does not hold any landed property; he belonged to the Church of England ; did not see my brother on that morning previous to the accident ; did not examine the body to see if it was cold, as I knew that in any case it was an utter impossibility for me to remove the stone which was lying upon him. , James Phillips : I am a miner, and knew the deceased, Matthew Joice : worked with him in the Dudley mine two days before he was killed. On the day before the accident he came to me and 1 asked me to go to work with him ; T told ! him I did not care to go in as the ground ! was too dangerous for me ; I said if he | would put in another set of timber I 1 j would go in ; he said he .had not noticed , | that it was unsafe; We had removed a i number of trucks of stuff that had fallen ; down, and after • that I saw a lot of ■ broken stuff in the reef, and told him if he did not take it down it would fall; I , have been only twelve months working in mines. By Mr Binns : I have been working mostly in alluvial mining ; deceased wa3 the manager of the mine; and I understood that" the mine belonged to him ; 1 think deceased considered the mine was safe enough; the air was good in the mine. t David M'Kniufht: lam a miner and knew deceased ; last saw him alive on the 10th May, at about twenty minutes to 5 nine ; went over to his hut and he was then on his way to the Dudley mine ; at about 3 o'clock heard of the accident, and on going to the mine saw the body partly covered ; assisted to remove two large ! blocks ; when I saw the body the head was between his leg 3 ; the body seemed to be heated, as there was perspiration on ' it ; the legs were quite stiff, as also the 5 left arm ; I assisted to get the body out By the Foreman : I am of opinion that at the time of the accident deceased was ! preparing to put in a set of timber ; there was a pick and shovel near him ; from the last set standing to the face would be about f 10ft. which would bring the next set very ' near the face. r By Mr Binns :lam an alluvial miner : . I would have ventured in the ground to put in a set of timber on that day ; the mine was safe enough the last time I was • in it ; it required timbering. , George Jonathan Binns :I am Inspector of Mines under the " Regulations of ! Mines Act, 1874," for the mining district I of Westport. in which this mine is situate; k I have examined the scene of the accident ; the tunnel is 170 ft. in ; from the last set to the face is about 14ft ; on the low side of the head end, and running ; almost parallel with the heading is a slip : which appears to be a down-throw fault ' to the dip ; this slip would necessarily r render the working 'somewhat -unusually ■ dangerous ; the mine appears to be in good order, and efficiently timbered ; the out-put from the mine for the last five years was about 49 tons annually ; de- * ceased, Matthew Joice, is returned in the official returns as manager of the Dudley mine. James M 'Knight re-called: The body ■ was found lying between the last set and the face. Tim closed the evidence,' and the jury ' returned a verdict of accidental death.