Only one fatal explosion, viz., that at Brancepeth Colliery on the 13th of April, occurred. A special report having been made to you on this accident I do not propose to go into the details of it again. The explosion was undoubtedly caused by the firing of a shot on a main engine plane, and the management have now prohibited shot-firing on the main roads entirely, and are introducing the use of higher explosives in the canches and drawing roads, roburite being the explosive selected.

A considerable amount of gunpowder is still, however, being used in the coal and roadways of some of the seams connected with these collieries, but I hope to see the quantity again reduced before long.

Whatever his politics may be the average working miner is very conservative in matters which affect his work, and a change from gunpowder, to which he has been accustomed for years, to an explosive, which has somewhat different characteristics and to which he is a stranger, is sure to be met with a certain amount of disfavour.

A little difficulty is experienced at first starting before the relative proportions of the different explosives to be used to do the same amount of work is thoroughly understood, the tendency being to use more of the higher explosive than is necessary, but when this has been mastered the higher explosives do their work well, and it is only reasonable that both owners and men should yield something in exchange for the greater safety there undoubtedly is in the higher compounds than with gunpowder in mines which are dusty or which give off inflammable gas.

The text of the Report into the disaster is available online here.

• Mines Inspectors Report into the 1896 Disaster (C. 8174)

 Return    Return to Top