The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-28 00:00:00

Explosions in Mines.

TO TILE EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.
SIR,—I elan be obliged if you would insert the
accompanying copy of my letter to the Home Sec..
retary in your journal.—l am, &c.,

KINNAIRD.

Rossi© Priory, Dec. 19.

" Rossie Priory, Inchture, N. 8., Dec. 20.
"My dear Walpole,—You have no doubt seen
what is stated to have been the cause of the fearful
accident in the Barnsley pit—' Blasting in a pit
where the ventilation was known and admitted to
be bad.' How long is this wanton sacrifice of life to
be permitted ? Owners of pits and several managers
and underviewers have stated, to my certain know-
ledge, that a great objection to the adoption of Mr.
Ausell's indicator is, that the men would not go
down if they knew their danger. Now this danger-
ous state of things for want of sufficient ventilation
exists in many pits. It was the case, and known to
be so, in the Barnsley pit, as shown by Mr. Dy-
mond's anxiety to get a new and more direct ven-
tilating drift made quickly. Why were the inai
allowed to work on till this was done ?

"The question to be ascertained is, the efficiency
or non-efficiency of Mr. Anseli's indicator : if the
former be proved, then its adoption should be en-
forced in all coal pits. Mr. C. Hodgson and others
say that the Davy lamp in the hands of an expe-
rienced man will indicate fire-damp as well as the
Ansell indicator. This, however, is not the opinion
of other eminent practical men who have experi-
mented NI ith both ; and, at all events, it is untrue
to state, as has been stated, that the action of
the indicator is not constant or reliable. If, on
the other hand, the indicator be a fallacy, let it
be exposed, and the question set at rest ; and
sad as the conclusion may be, the present sacrifice
of life and periodical catastrophes must be looked
upon as unavoidable. But if the invention is founded
in truth—which I believe it to be, from facts which
Ido not think can be controverted—and it is not
adopted only because the mine owners do not think
it necessary for the safety of their men that they
should be warned of the existence of gas, whether
the amount be great or small, then let its general
adoption be enforced, at whatever costs.
" Why should not the Government appoint at once
a commission of practical and scientific men to in-
quire into the efficacy of the indicator ? lam satis-
fied, and so is Mr. Ansel', of what would be the
result of such an inquiry ; but of course we may be
mistaken. Surely the constant recurrence of such
fearful accidents as that of the Barnsley pit should
induce the adoption of some preventive measure. I
know well the prejudice which exists against a new
invention, and the time it takes before it comes into
general use ; but unquestionably it should not be
allowed to work its way slowly where life is at stake,
and compulsion in that case may be fairly used. It
would be a great advantage that the inspectors
should know, when on the surface, the state of the
air in the several galleries, and if, in addition to
the Davy lamp, a small indicator was hung up where
the men were working, the most inexperienced
among them would be able to ascertain the state of
the air in that part of the pit, and thus to a great
extent this wholesale destruction of life might be
`Walpole."
avoided.—Yours,,Tiiefaithfully,
W n
e
Rightlo

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