The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-12 00:00:00

THE RISC: COLLIERY

RISCA, Thursday, Jana 10.
After the despatch of yesterday's parcel Mr. Harrison
was examined by Mr. Thomas Evans, the inspector of
the Glamorganshire district, as to the splitting of the air
in tile Workings of the east district. The 37,000 cubic

feet of air per mintte which was passing through the
mine Was eatijed down to' the bottom of the slope in one
current, and there spit Oat alsd west 22,000 cubic feet
(minus 3,006 feet substradted to cleats out a "feeder "),
passing th rou'gli the eastern distriet,•and f5,-60k/ ft. through
the western Workings. Oathe east side the air had three
mileA to atraiof before passing out at the upcast.
Harrison denied that anb adiantage would be gainedby
splitting the air in the eastern vioilinks so as to send
the air . through them in two cutlets In iilade of one,
nor did he think that by this means any indads4'*Ohld
be obtained in the amount of ventilation. Three utiles
was by no means an uncommon distance for a current to
have to traverse. The "drag"—i. e., the resistance

offered to the passage of the air by the exposed surface
of the workings—was -very small. The pressure on the
watet gathje was from six-eighths to seven-eighths of an
inch.

In answer to questions pfrt by Mr. Llewellyn,
Mr. Harrison said that he had hen ellgdged in colliery
operations ever since he was 13 years of age: Ile had been
at the Risca Colliery some four-and-a-half years, antivtizen
he first came the ventilation was by means of a furnace
only. The colliery was worked on the principles ordina-
rily adopted in South Wales, and the workings, levels,
cross headings, stalls, air courses, &c., were of the usual
dimensions. He did not believe that any amount of
ventilation would provide against the consequences of
the etposnre of a naked light to a large accumulation of
gas. A "blower" or sudden discharge of gas might
vary in amount of gas emitted from 1,000 cubic feet to
20,000 cubic feet per minnte, and they might continue
emitting gas three days or three months. In the course
of clearing the mine to extricate the bodies, he had
heard the noise of a blower somewhere about where the
explosion took place ; in the same neighbourhood a
lamp bad been found with a hole in the gauze. Sup-
posing this blower to have come suddenly into contact
with the light thus exposed, that would be sufficient to
produce the explosion. There yet remained 33 lamps
undiscovered in the neighbourhood of the scene of the
first explosion. All the men were made thoroughly
acquainted with the danger of opening the lamps.
Four had been found unlocked, but the gauze had not
been removed.

Mr. Brough and Mr. Evans both remarked that they
bad heard of nothing of the blower though they had
been in that part of the mine shortly after the accident.
At this point the inquest was adjourned until the next
day.

Next morning Mr. Owen proceeded with his cross-
examination of Mr. Harrison, but failed entirely to
shake the favourable description which he had given in
his evidence in chief. In answer to various questions
the witness said that the 19,000 feet of air passing
through the eastern workings was travelling at the rate
of about seven feet per second, and there were at work
in those workings 68 men and boys, and three horses.
This amount of ventilation was quite sufficient for that
number of men, and for the amount of coal being worked.
there. Blowers were most eccentric in their action,
nor could any man calculate when they would come
down, or provide against their sudden appearance. There
were n 9 previous indication of them. A pit might be
worked for years without one, or they might come off
every day. If 20,000 feet of gas came out of the blower,
and 19,000 feet of atmospheric air were passing through
the workings, there would be no danger, because the
mixture then would not have reached the explosive
point. Eight of air to one of gas was the most explosive
mixture; at 14 of air to one of gas the risk ceased.
Beyond each of these points the gas was too little and
too much as would be emitted by the blower—perhaps
1,000 cubic feet, perhaps 20,000 cubic feet of gas per
minute. With regard to the lamps, all used by the men
were locked in the most secure manner known of ; but,
of course, it was not possible to prevent men from getting
private keys made surreptitiously if they were so minded.
He had never known of a lock which the men could not
find means of picking. It had never been his practice
to trust too much to the lamps. The ventilation in the
mine was always first-rate, and carried well up to the
fences of the workings, so as to sweep them clean of the
gas. He had always discouraged smoking under-
ground, but it was impossible to prevent it altogether,
if men were determined to persevere in the habit.
In speaking of this point Mr. Harrison told a story
of a man whom he had long suspected, and whom he
had frequently watched to catch in the act, but for a
long time unsuccessfully, so wary was the culprit. "At
length, after lying for six hours on his belly in the
dark," said Mr. Harrison. "I caught hint fast asleep
in his stall with his pipe in his mouth, and he had the
impudence to complain that it was not a ' fair catch.' "
The consequence to the miner was a fine of a sovereign
(the rules to which each miner subscribes on entering
the employment of the company inflicting this fine on
the offence) and his discharge from the company's
employment.
Mr. Owen proposed to put some questions relative to
the prices paid by the company to the workmen, which
was objected to by the solicitor for the company, and
which led to a rather smart altercation between Mr.
Owen and one of the jurymen.
Mr. Brough, the Government inspector, thought the
question was perfectly justifiable, inasmuch as it
was a well-known fact that after each accident at
Risca, the wages of the workmen, or rather the
price per ton given for cutting the coal, had been
raised, and the coroner allowed it to be put. The
result of the answer was merely to show that a
larger price was now paid for the work of clear-
ing the mine than had lately been paid for the ordi-
nary operations of working. In concluding his evi-
dence, which tasted the best part of a day, Mr.
Harrison repeated what he had stated frequently—that
the pit was one of the best ventilated in South Wales ;
that the men had actually complained of the strength of
the current ; and that no precautions, either as to lamps,
amount of wind taken in, and complete diffusion of it in
all parts, had been neglected. With regard to the state
of ale pit immediately before the accident, he again
repeated with emphasis that his examination of the state
of the "returns" (i.e., of the air passing out at the
upcast pit after traversing the workings) at half-past
six o'clock showed that there was no perceptible amount
of gas present in the mine.

CIVIL SERVICE RIFLE CORPS.—A meeting of the
Liverpool Civil Service Rifle Corps took place last night,
at the Prince's-dock customs depot, when it was inti-
mated that S. P. Edwards, Esq., collector, consented to
be nominated captain, an announcement which was
received with great applause by all the officers present.
Mr. M'Bride was elected lieutenant, and Mr. Baxter as
ensign. of the Ist company.

THE
WESTERN
BANK OF SCOTLAND LITIGATION.—
The lawsuit at the instance of the liquidators of the
Western Bank against former directors has again been
brought before the Court of Session this winter, and
been made the subject of a debate of 40 hours altogether,
before Lord Ordinary Kinloch, on certain preliminary
questions of relevancy. The defenders have, in the re-
adjusted record, been reduced from 19 to 14. The 14
defenders are the following :—Mr. Thomas Dunlop
Douglas, of Dunlop, formerly deputy governor ; Mr.
William Brown, oil and colour merchant, Glasgow ;
Mr. James Dunlop, of Tollcross, ironmaster, ditto; Mr.
William Baird, of Elie, ironmaster, do. ; Mr. Jas. Barns,
merchant and steam shipowner, ditto ; Mr. Thomas Gray
Buchanan, merchant, ditto ; Mr. Alixqnd(r Smyth, for-
, mcrly merchant, ditto; Mr. James Baird, of Cambusdoon,
ironmaster, ditto ; Mr. George Burns, merchant and
steamship owner, ditto; Mr. Thomas M'Call, merchant
and corn factor, ditto ; Mr. Thomas Douglas Graham,
\insurance broker, ditto ; Mr. J. M'Clelland, accountant
(judicial factor for and as representing the late Mr.
James Bogle, merchant, Glasgow) ; Sir John Douglas,
K.C.8., 79th Regiment ; Mr. A. B. 'Thine, of Darleith,
writer, and Mr. Archibald Douglas, of Glenfinnart (as
trustees of the late James Douglai, merchant, Glasgow) ;
Mr. John Taylor, former manager, and Mr. J. W.
Guild, accountant, Glasgow, trustee on his sequestered
estate. For all of these defences have been lodged,
excepting Mr. Taylor and Mr. William Brown, in hav-
ing, we understand, been arranged, with regard to the
latter, that whatever judgment may be pronounced
against any other of the defenders in the same
position, shall also bold against him. Mr. Taylor was
sequestrated shortly after the bank stopped, and he has
since been discharged under the sequestration. The
following Frc the former defenders against whom the
case is now withdrawn :—Mr. Alexander Glasgow, who,
having gone to reside in Ireland, is now beyond the
jurisdiction of the Court of Sessicn; the representatives
of Mr. Donald Smith, formerly manager; Mr. William
Logie, sheriff substitute of Airdrie; Mr. Alex. Baird, of
Gartsherrie ; and the trustees of Mr. Robert Baird—the
three last-named having only been a month or two in
the directi. n when the bank stopped, and having evi-
dently entered the concern in ignorance of the real state
of its affairs. There are 22 "conclusions" in the sum!,
mons, more or less applicable to the case of the indivi-
dual defenders, and which the latter meet gene' ally by
pleas of irrelevancy, want of specification, &c.