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\'I. — No'i'Ks ()\ SoMi: Kxi'LosioNs IN Nova Sco-iia Coal
Minks. — Hv E. CJihi'ix, Ju., hwpedor of Mines.
Tlic prc'seiicv of iiotalilc aiiioiiiits oJ" oas in tlu' Nova Scotia
coal mines seems to lia\c lieeii noticed first in Picton Co. Heie
mining operations wcic conunenccil systematically in l<S27 in
the main seam, from 28 to Mo feet in thicknes and dipjiinf^- at an
anide of about one in tlirec Tlu- v\.v\\ \ - kin<>s were from
shafts up to 150 feet in dc])tli. As decpfi- shafts wen- snid< the
hci<»ht of the woi'kin^' places, nine to twelve feet hiyh, was
increased to nearly the fnll height of the seam, Lar^e (jnanti-
ties of ^as were ^iven oti', and it was fiiMpiently ignited l)y shots.
Numerous explosions took place, until ahont the year IS7() all
these older workings wtie ahandoned and opei'ations in this
seam weiv confined to the Foid IMt shaft ahout !•()() feet dee}).
'i'he last of these fires took ]tlace in l.SliT. 'I'he eastern district
had been for some time <ii\in;Li' ofi"<;as which had <iccasionally
Iteen iirnite<l on li]astin<;' the coal, hut had hecn casiU- e\tin<!uish-
ed. On this occasion the <.;as took tire i-nion^^' the coal hroni^ht
down liy a shot, an<l the t'ti'oits mad, were not successful in
putting' it out. The coal cau^^'ht iiif ami the water of the Hast
river was turned into the pit.
When the Ford ]»it was sunk to the main seam an<l the lexcls
w<'re heini;' opened a shot tired (>as an<l i<jnite(| the coal and the
shaft had to lie closed for some time.
Tiiere remains hut little infoi'ination ahout these lires ;.nd
explosions, (ieiierally speakino'. the woi'kines weic dam]i. ex-
cept in sonu- of the working' places in the lowest deeps. The
ventilation. l>y furnace, with upcasts of ahout -SOO feet, was
not aide to sweep the huec chandlers in this thick coal, and
larne hodies of ^as constantly acciniinlati'd. It is proliaMe
that the imperfectness of the ventilation, hy allowing' vitiatetl
(o>-^ ^
r--
KXi'LOSloNS IN NOVA SCOTIA COAI. MINKS— (ill, IMN.
ftir to mix with tli«j ^ms, reinlt')-t'<l it less cxploHive. It is stilted
tluit oil one occasion tlic cxuiiiitioii of <fas was so stcadv and
stron^f, that on rcniovin;;- it Ity a heavy fall of water, it fired at
the lioiler fires on the -urface some fifty f<'<.'t from the shaft. The
resulting fire was so strong as to practically fuse and destroy the
shaft.
In Cape Hretoii, up to this date, there had heeii a few slight
explosions hut n<» serious accidents. The Mines Report f( "
I.SDO, gives special rules in force in I'ictou County in l<S4()'
which show that the j»resence of gas in these mines was
I'egarded as constant.
One explosion Itefore I.S7(), in the Deep or Cage pit, was un-
douhtedly of gas only. It took place in the face of a level
which was wet foi- some distance hack fi<iiii the face. The ex-
|)losioii was local, and the tiiuher of the place and the man who
tii'ed the shot were hadly sliattere(|.
In 1<S78, at the Drumnioinl Colliery, Pietou County, a shot in
the hench coal set fire to a heavy fee(|er, Avhich could not he put
out, and the pit was set on fire and greatly damaged after a
series of luiusually heavy explosions. It is not helieved that
coal dust was greatly concerned in this explosion, as it is helieved
that the gas made hy the pit and the fire were enough to account
for all the explosions. Ahout fifty-five lives were lost.
May 21st, 1(S7<S, an explosion occurred at tlu! Sydney Colliery,
Cape Breton C'o., hy which six men were killed. ( !as was fire(l
at the fact! of a working place, hy a Jiarty of men, including the
overman, who were arranging to .start new work. The efl'ect of
tlie explosion was very slight at the seat of the explosion, lait
its effects Ijeiian to he fV'lt a few vards awav, and for .some dis-
tance the coal and ])rops were charred, and the latter knocked
out. 'I'he amount of gas pivsumal)ly must have heeii very small,
as there was a heatl within two feet of the face. The workings
wei'e dry and the roadways deep in dust. In this case there
appears to he -m) douht that the coal dust augmented the explo-
sion, which sent dust up the shaft at a distance of nearly 8,000
feet.
The coal of the Cape Breton coal Held presents tlie following
1
EXPLOSION'S IN NOVA SCOTIA (OAI, MINES — (JlU'lV. 'A
averutfc fompositior, ^I'.-oui ;i |)a|H'r nvnl liy iiif at the Moiitro.il
iiieetiiii'- of tlio Hhcisli .-issocintioii) :
Moisture 0.75
Volatile eoiiilmstilile iimttei- .S7.2()
Fixeil ("irlioii O.S.74
Ash :{.25
* These eoals coke rea.lily, aii.l yii-M I'loiii .S,()()() to 1 1, ()()() cMil.ic
feet per toil of ilhiiniiiatin<^" <iHs of from 10 to Id eainlle power.
On N'o\ eiiilier 12th, ISSO, a very violent explosion took place
at the Kooril Pit, Alhioii Mines. Pict ni Co., referre<| to altoNc,
eausiiio' the loss of forty-ftair lives. The men ha<l desremled in
the morniiii'', and the greater nundier of tliose emploved on the
south side hail left the hottoiii, and presnmalily were M-atheriMl
at the head of the dip-slants ahout three-(piarters of a mile away
waiting' for their tools, when the explosion took place. These
<lip-sla:its are believed to have lieeii the seat of the explosion,
which, n'achin;,^ the levels, divided, part jnoin^' to the rise of the
upcast and part coming' <lirect to the main shafts, downcasts.
The tlu'f)ry was advanced that the shot tirer had tired a shot
in one of the places in these slants, which had heeii left hy the
out;H'(»in^' shaft, an<l that it had lighted nas. No exact account,
however, can he <<;iven, as no oiu; escapeil from that side of the
pit and it has not since been entere<|. There is a possiliillty that
some Mas had accumulated siiict' the examination of the foreman,
ami had heeii iouited hy some of the men ^'oiuf,*' into their places,
without waiting- for their tools, to loail coal, timher, etc., as the
time oave scant opportunity for the shot tirer to have Hred the
sli(»t. The mine was pidiKauict'cl that morning- free from ^as,
exce[)t in very small amotuits lyin^' away from the district in
which the explosion was lielieved to have orioinated. Fi'<an
W'liat source, then, started the series of ex](losions, heoinniiio-
within an hour from the time the mine was reported entirely
safe, and ctnitiiiuin<^' at intervals until the mine hecaiiie a furnace
whose flames could he sululued only hy emptying- into its hurii-
iii_o- chamhers the waters of an adjoininti- river. The locality
whei-e the men \\ . • believed to have been Mathere<l was alxait
ft«
4
EXIM-OSIONS IN N'oVA SCOTlA COAI, MINES — fJIIJMN'.
1'2()() yards fVtMii tlic shaft, Itut only half that distance could ho
ti'averHL'd l)y the cxploi'tTS, wlio entered the ])it hetween the first
and second explosions. In this distance were found Itodies of
men and horses killeil I )y concussion or after-(hinn) : hut none
hore the mark of tiic, nor did tlie sph'ntei'iMl woodwoi'k show
any si^^^iis of chari'in;.:'. and the flames had not reached tins pai't
of the mine. The walls of the main level had heen swept cleai*
of tindtei' and of cNcry j)article of dust. N'olumes of coal «lust
liad lieeii diiveii into this section hy the hiast, and lay in wa\es
mid drifts, sometimes a foot thick, in the floor of the level.
It was found that little of this dust showed any simis of heat
or cokino'. Clouds of the finer particles had e\i<lently heen car-
ried aloni;- tin- main .-ind low lexcls past the shafts and into the
north levels. Here a lam]) cahin had heen huilt, in a hea<l l»e-
tween the two levels, a few yards from the pit hottom. There
was a secondaiy explosion liei-e demolishin<f the lamp caltin,
liui'uin^;' fatally the lam)) man, and the horses hetween the ca))in
and pit, and showint^- markings of fire, while in the opposite or
south side of the pit, as alread\- mentioned, then- were no sions
of the j)as.sa^'e of flame.
Secomlary ex])losions, caused hy ^enei-ated or extiacteil ;L;ases,
are usually in the vicinity of i)rimary exi)losioiis. Hut in this
case it ha<l apparently taken place at least om- half a mile frian
tlu* first I'Xplosion. with the intervening- spaces evidently unti'a
verseil hy ilame. and presumahly f)'er fi'om ^as, as they had heen
worked manv voars. The shaft an<l hotttnii were \ er\- wet,
hence the dust as it tiaiched the walls hecame imiocuous, hut the
fine (h'v particles of carhon were di'iven into the laniji cahin.
It hail heen the custom for years to keep a lar^'e ojien oil lioht
here, as the cahin was near the pit hottcan and in fiesh air. But
on this occasion it wouM a]>pear tliat i^-nition of coal dust caused
an explosion comparatively slinht in c<anparis(ai with the one
preceding' and those following it. It may have heen the case
that the air and dust v/ei'e intenninf^led with some gas distilled
bj' the iieat of the primaiy explosion, hut not exploded hy it.
The coal took fire presumahly near the fii'st explosion, and the
.shafts were saved only hv the most strenuous 'efforts and the
f
'/<^" 7
KXI'I.osioNs IX NOVA scoTIA (OAI, minks— (i| LIMN. 5
intriMlnctlcn of watt-r from the Kast Kivcr. Tli,' main s.'um, us
\voi-k<'<l I.y the All»ioii, Anulia, and Druminond ( ollicrics, was
always ^mssy, and Lcoanir .Iry a short distance away fr(.m the
crop. It aiipeurs, also, that when shots ii^dited ^ms, or upon any
exi>losion, the coal i'^nited wvy readily.
The avera<,'e composition of the eoals of this district, taken
from the paper referretl to, is:
Moisture I 1
\ olatile cond)Ustil)le matter 2!U()
Fixed carlton dO (;;j
'^'^'^ !>.:{4
The coals are firm, and hold a ooihI ileal of mineral charcoal.
They are ovnei-ally coI<in<i, an<l yield fiom (),()()() to !»,()()() cuhic
feet per ton of 12 to 1.') candle-jiower ons.
Fehruaiy IN, iSSo, an explosion causing' the death of \:i men
took place in the Vale Collieiy, I'ictou County. It was claimed
hy the management that it was caused liy du.st alone from a
Mown otit shot. However, a wry careful enijuiry conducted l»v
the Deputy In.spector, Mr. Maddin, showecl that it was with more
prohaliility due to a .small hody of oas extended I.y dust. I nive
vei'hatim his report which was lia,sed on our careful examinntion
of the .seat of the explosion, a very full encjuirv, and the ovneral
con.sensus of opinion of tht» mo.st experienced mininneiioiucei's of
the di.strict.
"I was in Cumbei-laiid C'cauity at the time and arrive.l at
scene of disaster on the 12th, and remained foi- s(nne leiK-th of
time uive.stiortin^- the cause of the accident.
"On A])ril 'ith 1 went <lown the McBean seam to the point
where the men had lieeii workino- at the time of the explosion,
examined a hole at that point which was supposed to have lieen
tired on the nif^dit of the explosion, and which some of the
officials consider cau.sed the explo.sion. The cause of the explo-
sion at the Vale Colliery is a matter of dispute aimaijust expei-ts.
hut the most reasonaV>le .solution appears to he as follows: On
the west side of the slope, at 1800 feet level, were two (2) check
<lo»u-s, which, when shut, sent the ail- circulating- down tin- slope,
6
EXI'LOHIOVS r\ NOVA S("(»TI.\ COAI, MINKS— (ill, IMX.
Itut it' opciUMl the air would rush tn tlic \Ji»cast. as an exhaust fan
iH Kituatt'd on that side an<l thus the lower jiait ol" niinc \V(»ul<l In-
cut ott" IVoni thf air eoniinunication which, if allowcil for anv
k'n<;th of time wouM undoulitcdly accumulate ^ois : from aj)i)CHr-
anccs I Would .jud^c this to hiivc tfanspircd ami /^as to have liccii
p'Ucratcd in the manner su)t])osed. ( ias then ha\ in<f lieen driven
<lown liy the restore<l action of the air was forced u)M)n Foley's
lamp, who was woi"kin<^' in a head ahout 100 feet from sinkin^^
face. He was lnu'iieil almost to a crisj). whilst two-thirds of
the men lielow him had scarcely a sineed head. Whilst sinking-,
they drive heads east and west from hack slojtes, at intervals of
ahout (iO feet, at ri<ilit Mn<>les to slopes, which are cut a^ain at
the fact!, connn^f up the hill with shoots. Heads dri\en uji the
hill, oft' the air curicnt anv distance, and left stan(lin<>', will fill
with ^'as. 'i'his has heen an occurrence hefore the explosion,
and since, which would leail me to helieve that the air current
nmst have in some way heen tampe)"ed with, and the restored
Hction resulted as I have stated. In suppoi-t t)f this view I
W(aild say that the tind)ersin the slopes from the head in which
Foley worked " downward," that is, toward the sinking' face,
^nive unmistakalile evidence that the explosion came fi'om aliove,
whilst the tiudier ahove this head pive like evidence that the
j^xplosion came fi-om helow, until it reached the 1(S00 feet level,
which is some 400 feet ahove the level : then it expanded east
and west, destroying" the check <loors on the levels, and showing
slif^dit sioiis of the explosion for a distance of "200 or 800 feet
in the levels inside the doors, which wei'e from 70 to 100 feet off'
the slope. The stoppini^^s hetween the main slope and hack .
slopes from the level up to the 1800 feet level were hlown down.
Stranm; to sav, the first check door at 1800 feet level, on west
side, was found .standin<i' ojjcu, whilst the inside dooi- was de-
stroyed. At this point there were men employed taking' tind)er
from the slope to some point inside of the dooi's. The explosi(ai
liad gone in this level a distance ol not more than 200 (.]• 800
feet. The stoppings from 1800 feet level to mouth of slop',' were
Itlown down, and tindter and del iris were strewed in a confused
way all thnaigh the slope. "
f
/
KXI'LO.SIUXS IN NOVA SCOTIA ro.\l, MINKs — «ilI,|MX. 7
The force of tlic explosion seeiii.M to linve lit'uii spiviul over the
lucfi I li.ive nieiitioiiecl, viz.: on the niuiii slope aii<l hack slopes,
luid e.\teiiilin<; east ami west frctni main slope ailistance of fiuni
2C() to '){){) feet, o\-er wliieh area the tinilier was in many eases
hlown ilown anil falls of roof took i/laee, whilst the working
taces o)i east and west side of pit were fiee from any ajipearance
of explosion and in as ^'ood ordei- after as Itefoi-e.
After the mine resumed work and the vvatei- was extracted,
a hole was discovered at the woikin<4; face of the sinking-. 'I'lic
evidence lirou<;lit to show that this hole was Hreil, hefol-e the
explosion, di<l n«»t aj)pear conclusive.
On .January lo, 1,S,S7, an exj)losion took place at the Third
Seam woi'kiiijus, Stellarton, I'ictou Co., fortunately unaccompa-
nied Ity lo.ss of life. This explosion, which was considered one
of the most violent evei- known, was accompanied hy unusual
circumstances.
Preparations were made for lieyinriiiii^' a sloj)e in the ('a<«-e
Pit or J)eep Seam to the lise of the old shaft, to strike an
old balance near the east level workings, in order to win the coal
to the nortlieast of the piesent workinos. Tlds project inifoitu-
nately was pre\ented hy the discovei-y that the tire in- the west
rise workinjLfs of the Caoe Pit was not extin^'ui.^hed. The tiiv
had heen huilt oft', J think, in IS72, and it was helieved hy the
management to he (piite out, especially as the tii-e in the same
mine, caused hy tlu' Foord Pit ex])losion, was found to he out
when the mine was iv-eiitered. J)ui-inn' the summei-, jnii't of the
pillars in a halance in the Thirtl Seam workin^rs inidei- the Cn"V
Pit seam had heen drawn, the fall of the roof extended uj) to
it, and stythe came into the Third Seam workings. TIk- lialance
was i.solated hy .stoppin<>-s, and at the do.se of the yeai- no trouhle
was anticipated. In the he<^innin^ of this year, however, tire
hroke out in the Third Seam with threat violence, destroying' the
hank-head and necessitating- the closing' of the mine.
The extraction of pillars in the lower seam had hroken the
roof up to the overlyino- or .second .seam. As stythe came down
the panel or hack-halance in which the i)illars had heen diawn
was built oft' as raj)i<lly as possible. Foi- about a m<aith everv-
KXI'I.ONluNS IN NOVA SCOIIA (t»\l, MINKS tilM'IN.
thin;,' Hppcarril tt> lir all ri^jfht, and the tcni|n'ratur(' <»t' tlu' jianri
IcHscnrd. TlicM, one Sundax' inorniu';', sniokf was found in the
rt'tnrn, and slimtlv after a innst tcrritic i-xjilosjon uccunt'd, wldcli
\V)-t'cI<i'd the slopes and set fire to tlie liaid\diead, wincli was
destroyed in a very short tinie. 'I'he innnediate origin of this
tire JH iniknovvn, lait it is conjectured that a fall of loof had
hroken one of th" stojjpines, and the a<lniission of fresh air ha<l
caused the i<,Miitioji of e-as slowly ilistilled from the heated shales,
etc. I'resunial»l\-, the explosion was heiehtencfl in its etiects hv
dust, althoUifh tin- mine woidd not he clas,sed as dusty.
I append tlie following;' fiom my rejiort on the explosion at
Sjirinehill Kehruary 'ilst, |S!l|. (See Report of Mines |)epait-
ment, year iSiM). )
In the N'o, 7 lialance when the lioi'ds were Hrst started, tlu' coal
was woiked to its full heie'ht, havin;;' a heneli of aliout 4 feet,
then a stone hand, and aho\e that ahout 'i feet of coal. After
the l)or<ls were driven in ;} short ilistance, the fall coal and stone
was left in and the liench oidy was wca-ked. This coal was not
Worked with powder, hut as the face advanced it was ncccssaiy
to hlow down frcan 12 to IM inches of the stone, to make I'oom
for the tuhs to e-ct near enoueh to the face to pei'init of their
Iteino- loadeil with coal. The stone was 'ilown down in the low
si(le of the hords, ovei' the rails, and stowed in the hieh side.
A row of plops alone- the mi<ldle of the hords held the rest of the
stone up. There was conse(piently little shot-firin<;' done in the
halance workines. The stone is ahout two feet thick, a coarse
sandstone, with streaks of coal sometimes '2 inches thick. It
was shown in i'\ idence that usually the holes for the shots in the
stone were hored in the coal streaks arid were in some cuseH
partly in stone ami partly in coal.
It was shown that on the day of the explosion a shot was to
he Hi'eil in this stone in the No. -l hord in No. 7 halanct-, an<l that
Thos. Wilson, the shot tirer, left the hottom of the sloi)e ahout a
quarter past twelve o'clock, savin;;' he had to eo to No. 7 halance.
'I'he explosiiai occuri'ed shortly hefore one o'clock, a time havin;;'
elapsed in the opinion of the witnesses sufficient to have allowed
him to reach tliis point, tt) luive made tlie necessary preparations,
» I
EXI'LMSKiNs l\ NOVA scuTIA < uAI, MINKS- «!||, IMS'.
f)
,f
ih
mill tnliiivr tilt'il tilt' sliot. His liuily was ruiiinl, with tlinsc of
tln' iiit'ii Winking' ill tin- liur<l, lU'iir tin- t-iitiaiK-f t<» tlif idarc.
Tlic sli(»t in tli«' stniic hail licni tirfil. This, couplftl with the
• lircctimi <»! tlir cuiirsc ol' tjic cspjitsioii, shownl with rcasniialih'
certainty that it haij its nriifin in thr ImhiI, ainl tliat thr shot
lirt'il liy Wilson was tin- ilirt'ct cause of tin- cxplosiiai.
The Mu,iii,n'stii»ii was iiiaile \>y Mr. Mailden, the Di'j.iity Inspec-
tor, who was at haii«' at the time of the ex)t|osinii, anW reinleieii
valualile aid to the rescuiii;;' ami explorine' parti<'s, that the
iinmeiliate seat of the explosion was to he soU(,''ht in the stone
itself. After exaniinin;;' the huiil in ipiestion with him, I am of
opinion that his su<;<,'estion offers the readiest explanation of the
source of the catastrophe.
The liord is 14 feet wide, and the stone is carried liy a row of
|)rops in the middle. These j)rops were set liy the miiers as they
advanced the face, to hold the stone, which was not of a specially
stronj'' character, conseiiuentlv, as the stone was not Mown ilown
O I •
until it hecanie trouMesonie to move the tnhs, there were always
props alon^ the side of the shots, and lietweeii the shots and the
face. The ert'cet of these pi-ops was to ])artly conriiie the shots to
the low side of the hoi'd.
As the stone was in layers, and had streaks of coal in' it ex-
aniinatiiai showed that it was moie or less fissures across the
liord, and huni^- on the props, the natural effect of the shots hein;;;
to lilow in alon^' the layers, to comj)re.ss the props and to cause
the stone to liao- between the pntps and the hi^h side. 'I'hat this
effect was pi-oduced is shown liy the fact that laree ipiantities of
this stone fell in the workin<,js of Xo. 7 halance, the props liein<i;
knocked out hy the explosion, although Xi'vy short, and partly
supporti'<l hy the stone stowed in the hiyh side. The hole that
was tired in No. .S liord was, so far as could he estimated, from 2
feet !) inches to '.i feet lon;^'. The end of the h<»le was in stone.
The charge of powiler api)eareil to have tilled IS inches of the
hole. The shot threw down almut ,' of the stone it was designed
to dislodoe, and left the halauce split hy the heel of the shot, a!id
a prop near the Itack of the hole. There was a lype in the stone
10
EXPLOSION'S IX XOVA SCOTIA coAI. MIXES — fMM'IX.
on the low side of tlu' lioi'W, wliicli iiiay Iiunc Ik'IjxmI to k'ssi'ii
the desired efi'ect of the sliot.
The weight of evidence Hi)iiefired to he that there hail hoeii an
overeharij'e of powdci'.
It would appear that the expansion of the layers of the st(»ne
afforded space foi' the accumulation of ^as, which would not he
readilv ilislodi-ed l»v the air curi'cnt., and there was an unusual
opportunity for accumulation, owinti;- to the fact that the pit was
idle the preceding- day. That the shot ^ave evidence of having-
been a more or less flamino- ()iu' : that it itfnited the tras lodged
in the I'oof stone: that this conihination of ^'as and powder
flame acting' on an atmosphere charged with a small percentaffe
<<f oas and fine floatin<i' dust derived from the lowei' hords,
caused an intense Hame sufficient to propa^-ate itself until it
reached an intensely explosive state and self supporting, swept
the two balances and the adjacent levels.
The evidence of Enoch Cox, who worked in No. 1 liord,outhe
same balance, supports this view. He testified that some time
previous to the explosion a shot was Hred in this stone, tluit
filled his working- place with flame, and io^nited the ^as in the
stone, so that it reipiired soi'ie eftoi't to extinouish it. It is fair
to state that the management <leclare they never heard of this,
and that it was never reported to them.
The effect of dust and ^as are referred to therein. This is one
of the few explosions that have happened on this side of tlie
Atlantic, wliere an opportunity has offered lor an exact identi-
fication of the startino- point and for ; .» examination into the
results produced. The testimony thus withered a])pears to agree
closely with the results of prexious encpiiries in this direction in
Nova Scotia, and is to the effect that as yet no explcsioi) here
can be traced directly to coal dust fired by powder or by an
open light. In this connection the evidence given at Spi-inohiH
(see Mines Report, IS!I0) seems to show that when flaming' shots
took place, both dust and gas were present.
The Springhill coal in character resembles that of Pictou, hut
is, perhaps, most properly described as intermediate between the
Cape Breton and Pictou County coals. It is coking-, and yields
EXI'LO.SIOX.S IX NOVA SCOTIA COAL MIXES — GILFIX.
II
fair aimmnts of illuininatin^' fjas. The average comjiositioii is
aliout —
Moistxirt'
\'iilatile C'Oinlmstililt' iiiatti'
Fixed carltoii
Ash
1 .4()
5!).:io
5.50
111 coiK'hisioii, I may sav t\\nt tlio uiiiu's hore are as a rule
carefully worked, — that individual or insioiiiticant i^'uitions of
mis are rare: that the amounts of yas now visible in the mines
are (|uite small in comparison with the amounts allowed twenty
years a^(»: that during this period great im])rovements have
heen made in the amounts of air circulatino', and that it niav be
tlie increase in the velocity of the air cui'rents and the lai-gei-
auKaints of air now nuxed with the gas, and the greater move-
ment of dust, combine to render explosions nioi'e violent in Nova
Scotia than the\' were thirtv vears aj-o, when larae bodies of lias
were connnon in the nnnes, l)ut existing as diluted greatly with
deoxidised air and the products of combustion and l)i"eathing.
When the nundjer of shots tired in mines dusty niid yieldini"'
gas is considered, an<l tiie vai'iety of explosions or ignitions of
dust or gas is remend»ei'ed, in coiuiection with the fi"e(|Uent
malignity of explosions when they do occur, it nisiy be permitted
to s])eculate if there niay not exist certain conditions (a])plying
to gases) rendering the inception and ])i'opagation of explosions
more read}' at one time than another. To the uninfoinied mind
it certainly appears that in (au' dusty and gassy mines there
sluadd be nu)re frefjuent explosions when the nundter of shots
tired is considered.
If any means could be assioiied for an increased leadiness for
dust particles or gas to ignite at one time more than another,
ground might be given for exjieriment. When the existence in
mines is noted of tracts of dry and dusty woikings, alternating
with others dampeneil with moistui'e, it may not be imjjossible
for electrically induced conditions to lie set up in a diy district,
as influenced by the neighborhood of a danij) and bi-ttei' con-
ductinp' tract, that may at times ))rese!:t unusually fuNorable
O t 1 ft
'mm
-•>^
12
EXPLOSION'S I\ NOVA SCOTIA COAL MINES — (ilLlMN.
comlitioJis for ready ignition oi" ous niul prompt distillution of
coal dust, !Uid uii cMjUfilly prompt propaoution of the induced
explosions.
In tliis connection the following remarks on Kxplosions in
Dynamite Factories, from Kissler's work on modern explosives,
are oi' interest : —
■ iJXI'LOSIVES l/l'E TO EXTERNAL CAISES.
" Mr. L. J. L(;Conte holds that dynamite cata.strophies ai'e in-
timat^ly associated with electric phenomena. He has for the
past ten years noted the circumstances attendino' the accidental
explosions which so frequently occur on the Pacific Coast of
North America, and he has found that, with the excejition of
such as occur durin(>" thunderstorms, the explosions take ))lace
duriuf;' the violent, desiccatino, noi'th wind stoiiiis [leculiai' to
the winter and . pring months in California, Imt occasionally
happening- in midsunnner
" These winds, it must lie remend)ered, have a velocitv^ of 50
' t,
miles per houi', and a relative humidity of about 20 percent., hut
frequently as low as lo per cent., tluaigh seldom as low as 5 ]ier
cent. l)urin<4' the jirevalence of the winds a ])rodi<^ious amount
of electi'icity is develo]ie(l l»y the fi'iction of clothing', I'specifdly
when walkino- aiiainst the wind. One can thus easily <!enerate a
spark half an inch long. The phenomenon is also sti'ongly
marked in hoi'ses at work, the electricity causing their manes
and tails to Iiristle to ;i remarkable extent. Mr. LeConte finds
in th> electricity the exciting cause of these ex])I()sions, and in
the dust that prevails in the work, the medium tlu'ough which
explosion is itro])agate(l, a tlust explosion always preceding the
explosion of till' mass of powder.
"The explosions occur on the thii'd or fourth day of the storm.
"To test the theory, he nuule f<air predictions in 1(S<S2 and
iScS.S, and in each case an explosion of considerable magnitude
occurred. To guard against these accidents, he suggests the use
of steam jets, such as have been so successfully a])plied in cotton
and Hour mills, and in coal mines.
"As explosions during thunderstorms are caused l»y the retm-n
EXPLOSIONS |\ NOVA S('(»TIA ((.Ai, MINKS — (JIIJMN.
i:}
shock, it sliouM 1)1- a t"un<laiiK'iitjil |trrc'ailti<tii that all ^ooil coii-
(luctors of I'li't'trieitv I't' l)rohil»ittMl from ciitt'iiiiij' anv ImiMiiii''
where explosives are stored or iiiannfactureil : and it would he a
wholesome rule not to alloM- such coiiductoi's to he anywhere neai-
the ]>remises."
'm»fi.