The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-22
HILLHOUSE MAKES
REPORT ON YOLANDE
SAWS HIS OFFICE WAS NOT IN
FORMED OF METHODS EMPLOYED
IN FIRING sHoTs-REPoRT SENT
TO GOVERNOR

The report of state Mine Inspector
James Iillhouse on the explosion at 10
lande mine No. / where five miners were
killed on November was made to the
governor yesterday. Telegraphic consent
vas received in Birmingham for the pub
lication of the report. In his report Mr.
Hillhouse speaks of the fact that the
mineowners knew that the shotfirer was
performing his work while the men were
in the mine and that such was not
known by his office. Mr.. Hillhouse says
he was under the impression that such
practices were to be discontinued ana
that he was surprised to hear of its being
continued
The report summarized follows:
AS soon as possible that sufficient
air could be gotten into that part OF
the heading, which was November IL
the examination was made by T. W.
Dickinson and myself, and we were
accompanied by the companys OF
ficials, also H H. Hamilton, a repre-
sentative of the Dupont Powder COM
pany. Campbell, the fire boss, ana
Bowman, the shot firer (who were the
last men to see Thomas and CreeN told
rs that they knew these men were going
to drill a shot from the air course down
| to the upset, with the Intention Oh dow
| ing It through, and upon making our eH
animation we were convinced that sucn
was the case. After an elapse OF three
hours and 20 minutes from the time the
fire boss and the shot firer removed the
gas, the explosion occurred. we are
| of the opinion that the upset was run
of gas when they fired that shot, but
we are not positive that the gas was
set off by that shot, as they were US
| ing permissible explosives, and II tnere
were not more than two or -FOUR SUCKS
| In the hole then, that is within the satety
limit, and we do not think it would nave
ignited the gas. It would show 10 us
when the bodies were found down on the
heading that they must have been there
when the explosion happened by the posi-
| ton of the bodies. 1t is possible that tnls
| could have happened by the force from
the shot blowing through and dispiaclng
the gus by driving it down the open
lights of Thomas and Creek Gas they were
working with open lights which coulo
have caused the explosion.
THE force of the explosion was not felt
much in any other heading and all the
damage done was right in that heading
where the explosion occurred Consldera-
hle coke was found in the upsets also on
the sixth heading opposite those upsets
It is our opinion that the gas that was
removed at o'clock that night out Oh
the upset had lodged or accumulated up
above the timbers that were set IN this
heading as this heading acted as return.
Increasing the great violence of the ex-
olosion and tearing out so many umoers
from the heading which caused such large
falls of slate and rock.
sarhe mines were in a good, safe con
dition and well watered by hose ane
s-.~-.s-- If 1t had not been so, the
tire mine killing every man in the mines
1.-THE management had changed hands
just about one month before the acci
dent occurred and we consider that ]
e. Dillworth, general superintendent
as a thoroughly competent mining man
and also the mine foreman. T. w Akers
and Frank Fletcher, assistant superin-
tendent and mining engineer, men of q
great deal of experience The mining
foreman. superintendent and assistant
were thoroughly aware that these men
were working at night when the shot frer
was doing the shooting. This was not
known to this office, however, for when
we established the "shot firing system"
right after the sad disaster which hap
penned December 16, 1900, it was clearly
understood that no one was to be In the
mines during the time the shot frer was
doing the shooting The officials ad-
mitted this fact but this was the prac-
tice when the new management took
charge.
1.-THE first three men rescued were the
three timber men, who were 500 feet from
the face of the heading. They were
dead. Their bodies were slightly burned,
but badly mutilated.
1.-The heading had caved in for nearly
300 feet, and after working for "a hours
| with very little success and consIdera-
| BILE danger, a conference was held of
| the mine officials and the inspectors and
an effort was made to get to the above
| heading through the fifth heading, but on
account of the intense heat and the ac-
emulation of gas, ii was some time be-
| fore we got sufficient air into the place
where the other two bodies were. They
we're found inside OF the falls on the
heading, 200 feet from the heading face
They were burned, but not sufficiently to
have caused their death, and we believe
that the afterdamp from the gases
caused their suffocation, for the air was
completely cut off from them by the falls |
on the heading caused by the explosion |
The following are the men who were |
killed in the explosion all white: Fred |
Steele, aged 25, single; James Walker |
aged 80, married, three orphans; Henry |
Landgraf. aged SO. married, four orphans;
Dan Thomas, aged A. married, seven or
phans; Mark Creek. aged 49, married.