1876.

VICTORIA.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF INSPECTOR OF MINES

TO THE

IIONORABLE THE MINISTER OF MINES .

FOR THE YI£AR

1875.

PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY RIS EXCELLENCY'S COMMAND.

V!1 ~utborit~:

No. 11. JOHN FERRES,. GOVERNMENT PRI""T1l)R, MELBOURNE,

'; , .

Preparntion .•• Engraving and LitllOJraphing Printing (1,550 copies)

APPROXIMATE .COST 'OF REPORT.

Total

-

.: ...

£ s. d. 22 0 0 450

108 15 0

£13; 0 0

REPORT.

Office of Mines, Melbourne, 20th.June 1876.

To the Honorable William illcLetlan, M.P., Minister qf Mines, gc., go., go. SIR,

I have the honor to: repor,t on the operation of the Regulation qfMines Statute 18·73 during the past year, and to submit, for your information a statement of the mining accidents which have occurred dJIring that period, together ",ith other tabulated particulars, notes, and suggestions relating to the Statute.

The officers appointed to inspect the mines. have generally exhibited a praise­worthy desire to ful;fiJ. the important duties devolving on them, and I am glad to be able to pla~e on record my conviction that· the mining managers and owners of mines have also displayed an increased interest iii supervising, and providing for the safety of the employes carrying on mining'operations under their control.

On reference to the detailed list of accidents accompanying this Report it will be seen th;:tt 275 mining accidents have happened during the past year, as cOlnpared wi~h 2:'>6 recorded in the prev.ious year (1874), but the decrease is no doubt in 'somemeasure due to the. smaller number of miners.e,mploy~d in the year 1875 as compared ",i,tll the 'pnlceding..Yt:'ar: By comparipg the tables, Appendices A and E, of this Report (1875); with App'endices, A and B; published in the first Report (1874), it will be obs.erved that in alluvial mining there were four more men killed and h\TO less men injured, and there were eleven less. men killed and tvyenty-six less men injured in quartz mining in the last year than in the pre'vious one .

" . Forty-two of. the fatal 9,cqidents occurred tO,men engaged i~ alluvial mining, Fatnlaccidents.

a,nd fo;rty-onf2. to¢en ~mploiedjn. quar~z mining.. . ' , . ....,'. . . Eighteen ~c'(mri'ed on. the~urface and sixty-five below tl}e surface. . Of the, ~jghty-three fa~l accidents, sixty-nine occurred to Europeans' and

fourteen to Chinamen.. . . ' .. More than one-half of . the killed were married men,' who left 178 orphan

children. ' . Taking t~e mean munber of alluvial .miners employed during the year, the

deaths were 1'52 per thousand, and of the qllartz miners 2'84 per thousand. In other words, one death occurred amongst every 658 miners engaged in alluvial mining, and Qne to every. 351 me.n engaged in quartz mining. This is a higher proportion of fatal casualties than is shown in the latest return of the British mines, as will be seen in the following extract from the Summaries of the statistical portions of the Reports of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Mines (England) for 1874':- .

'" , '" '" it appears that on the average in 1874 in Great Britain and Il'elanu (no accidents or deaths in Ireland) there was at all the mines nnder the Coal Mines Act one fatal accident amongst 602 persons employed in and about the mines, and one death hyaccident amongst every 510 persons employed; '" '" '" '"

The following comparative statement shows tlle numbers of fatal accidents which have OCCUlTed in each mining district during the past two years :-

Alluvial Mining. I Quartz Mining. Total. Mining District.

1874. 1875. I 1874. 1875. 1874. 1875.

Ballarat ... ... ... 16 14 10 6 26 20 Beechworth ... ... 5 6 3 3 8 9 Sandhurst ... 2 5 21 25 23 30 Mary borough ... ... 7 6 3 2 10 8 Castlemaine ... ... 6 3 7 3 13 6 Ararat '" ... ' .. 1 6 5 2 6 8 Gippsland. ... ... 1 2 3 0 4 2

38 42 I

52 41 90 83

4

The immediate causes of the fatal accidents during the two years, 1874 and 1875, as stated, were as follow :-

Fall of earth or rock underground Falling down shafts ... Fall of earth on surface Fall of materials down shafts ... Fall from a tramway on surface Fall from a truck on surface ... Fall from a bank on surface

....

Fall from the frame of a puddling machine on the surface Fall underground Fall of a tree Crushed by cages in shafts Machinery in motion Explosion of blasts (explosive not named) Explosion of blasts (lithofracteur) Explosion of blasts (gunpowder) Explosion of blasts (guncotton) Fall of timber underground Foul air Blow fl'om a whim-bow Explosion of tins of blasting compound ...

Totals

1874. 35 22 10

2 1 I 1 1 1 1 2 5 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 0

90

1875. 45 6

13 3 0 0 0 0

... 0 0 3 2 0 1 4 0 3 1 1

,1

83

The fatal accidents during 1875 are concisely described m the following paragraphs :-

Fall of earth or , Forty-five men were killed by falls of earth or rock underground in the mines. rock under-grouud. Fourteen of the accidents occurred whilst the men were preparing to secure the

ground with timber, or when they were in the act of fixing timber, or they were the result of causes that could not be foreseen. These accidents caused the death of sixtee~ men. Twelve happened through the carelessness of the men who were killed. In· many of these cases the men were reckless, and took no heed of warning; in others they were too eager to resume work after bla~ting, or too desirous to see the effect of the shots. Nine occurred in consequence of the absolute absence of timber in dangerous places, or the use of improper or inadequate timber to support the ground. Eleven men were killed in these nine accidents. Three falls of earth and timber caused the death of six men ; had the sets of timber been braced, or iron dogs been used, in all probability the accidents would not have occurred. I

Fall of earth 011 By falls of earth on the surface thirteen men were killed by as many, distinct the iurface. 11 1

:Falling down shaft •.

ExplOSion of blasts.

accidents. Six of these occurred in working sluicing and sha ow alluvial c aims, where timber is but seldom used to support the ground, and men occasionally "fossick about" undermining old ground, and, under the circumstances related by the Inspectors, they may be considered to have been inevitable. Six others took place when men were undercutting banks, and were caused, more or less, by the workmen not using sufficieilt care and watchfulness in this dangerous occupation. One accident occurred through the entire. absence of timber in unsafe ground. .

Six men we're killed by falling down shafts. One accident happened when the man was descending the ladder-way and carrying picks. The jury who tried the case

, were unanimous that the carrying of picks or other tools by men ascending or descending ladders should be prohibited: Another man fell from the ladders, and it was shown that there was not sufficient foothold in certain pa~ts of them. One man who extin­guished his candle on commencing to descend by the ladders soon after fell down the shaft. Two accidents occurred through unforeseen circumstances, and one was supposed to be caused by foul air rendering the man insensible.

Five men were killed by the explosions of blasts. One death was caused by drawing a charge that had missed fire, another through using an improperly made cart­ridge, and a third by a too hasty return to a charge that had hung fire. In the other two cases, one happened through the man being struck by the supposed ricochet of a large stone when he was considered to be in a place of safety from the shot, and the other through an error of the estimated thickness of ground between the top of a rise and a shaft i.n which the man was-the explosion of the blast (lithofracteur) hl~rst through into the shaft, and the debris fell upon the man and killed him. .

Foil 01 IIlMerlals Three fatal accidents were caused by the fall of materials down shafts. In one down sharts. case a windlass barrel, in rapidly revoh-ing, was thrown out of its bearings, and fell

down a shaft. The Inspector obseTVed there was no pin over the spindle to prevent

5

the occurrence of such an accident. Another case occurred by the fall of a pick down a shaft upon a man in a cage; the cage had no cover. The third accident was 9ccasioned by the fall of a stone from a bucket down a shaft, which struck a man on the head who was at the time passing across the bottom of the shaft.

Three men were ,killed by the fall of sets of timber underground. . Two of the Fall of timbers.

three accidents happened through unforeseen circumstances, and the third occurred , when the man was engaged in securing loose timber which had been displaced by a blast.

Three fatal accidents were caused by men being crushed by cages. One man was Cruah<ldby""gea.

leaning over the brace of the shaft when the descending cage struck him, and dragged him about 20 feet down the shaft; another man was getting out of a cage when it was in motion ; and the third man was jammed between the cage and the top of the chamber.

Two accidents occurred through machinery in motion. A boy was killed when Mncllinery in

riding on a' pump-bob, and a man was killed beneath a pump-bob while endeavoring motion.

to obtain a hammer that he had dropped. Foul air was supposed to be the cause of death to one man in a mine; a blow

from a whim-bow killed another. The explosion of two tins of blasting compound resulted in the death of a man

after the lapse of about a month from the time of the explosion. I am glad to be able to remark that the observance of clause 6 of section 5 of

Act No. 480, relative to the fencing of the tops and entrances to shafts, appears to have operated well in Victoria, for there is only one accident to report from a fall down a shaft.

The following extracts on the same· subject, and relating to English mines, will perhaps be read with some interest: Dr. C. Le Neve Foster, in his Report on the Inspection of Metalliferous Mines in Cornwall, Devonshir!3, Dorsetshire, and part of Somersetshire, for the year ended 31st December 1874, says:-

'" '* '" '* I am pleased to state t,hat in the year 1874 there was no fatal accident due to the want of fencing the entrances to shafts from levels. I believe this is owing to a better observance of General .Rule 7, though I cannot report that mille-owners are sufficiently careful in carrying it out on all occasions. I have constantly to make complaints on this head. '* ~ i\t '* '*

Mr. James P. Baker, in his Report on the Inspection of Mines in the South Staffordshire and Worcestershire District, for the year 1874, says :-:--

i\t '" '* '* The fact that in a district containing a very large Humber of pit shafts' only two deat,hs arose from this cause may probably be accounted for by the observance of the wise provision contained in the 14th General Rule of the new Act" which requires the top and all the entmnces of every working or pumping shaft to be properly fenced. One of these would not have happened had the deceased (a stoker) been attending to his own work. "" '* '* '"

The tables which are appended to this Report give all the necessary informa- Non-f~talaeci­tion respecting non-fatal accidents which happened during the year. I shall therefore dents.

only briefly refer to them. The number of non-fatal accidents which occurred in each mining district

during the past two years was as follows :-

Ballarat Beechworth Sandhurst Maryborough Castlemaine AI·arat ... Gippsland

Totals

1874.

72 24 70 18 41 13 7

245

The causes of the non-fatal accidents were as follow :-

Fall of earth 01" rock underground Fall of earth on surface Falling down shafts .. . Falling down winzes .. . 'Falling down shoots ... . Fall fl.·om tramway on the surface }i'all from brace at surface Fall of lIiaterials down shafts .• , Fall of materials down passes or jump-ups Fall of machinery at surface ,.. ... Machinery in motion

1875.

69 12 61 30 15 20 7

217

1875.

58 8

19 ... } 10 ...

I .1

... 13 5 1 8

,:," 1

Explosion (gunpowder) Explosion (guncotton) Explosion (lithofracteur)

,> Explosion of a boiler... .." Explosion' of :lhe-damp .',

. Explosion of explosives (not blasts) Blow from hammer ... .. .. Blow from pick .

, _ Blow from' windlass handle , " Injured in setting timber .' Slipping ,alld· falling at surface .. ;,.

Cage accident ' Truck- accident . . ;. ' .. ~ Foul air

6

' .... . ... ..

1 '

15 1 5 1

10 4 2 1

. , 2 '2 3.

16 .... 5

u' ~:lJ,J , ',' : . " Slipping, amI falling underground", Influx of witter

.... ' .... 2 5 .1

:)1. ;

Misce lIaneouB 18

Totals ... 217

.'~"'" "The ,number of non-fatal'accidents in 1874 was 245. The·above'£gures there­fore show that. the numher.: of thef>!3' accidents decreased in, the . past year (1875), as compared with the previous year, oy twenty-eight. . . " I' '1 This decreasl8:is"mainly, due ,to ,the dec:rease .. inthe number ,of accidents occa-

sioned by,falls of earth and explosions of blasts. Taking the mean number of alluvial miners employed during the yea;f 1875,

no.n-fatal ~ccidents, occurred to 3·Q3· per ,thousand; and in 1874 to 2'75 per thousand; a1.lcl qf, quartz: ll1i~IeI'I{dn 18,7-5 non~fatal accidents occurred to 9'23 per thousand, and ip. . .187'i tp.10:39 ... per .thollsand~., In. other words,.-,one non-fatal accident· happened to every 329 miners engaged . .i.n alluvial mining in. the year,18,75, and -one, to every 363 miners in 1874; and in qua!f;z mining in the year 1875 one to every.10? men, and in 1874 one to every 96 men. ,

Shaft-protectors. !.:' " ,·In reply to a '.letter 'sent ,from this office 'to Mr. H. B. Nicholas, Inspector of Mines at Sandhurst, asking him 'whether shaft-protectors, such as are described in the Report of: the·Ohief :Tnspectorot' Mines for the ;year 'f874, pp. 13, 14,and illustrated in the second plate, aremsed' im.all- mining shifts'in'his division; he 'stated that they' al:e not ,u~ed in all the mining. shafts, but that, in, most instances, the fencing consists of 'four,'upright standards about"3 feet '6"'inches· high,' one' fixe a at"each angle of the) shaft-mouth, with cross-bars ',on the top; ·these· ai'e constructed of iron or wood. In some cases the standards are of iron' with an eye at the top, through which a . chain is

. passed; in others, O'rilles of light iron are securely fixed at the ends to the shaft ".1, ···"timhers;-with' the-sides moV'able, sliding iIi groov:es above the cage"atdt comes to the

surface;' so that' the trucks thay 'be 'landed at either side of the 'shaft, as required. !he two ~nds and one side, of the shaft, !lrethus always closed, and the side in use IS' filled WIth; or the shaft-mouthcovered' by, the·cage. _ .. ,' ,

Protection of ropes,

But the m'ost simi)le and effectual shaft-prot~ci.or is 'a strong cover of pine wood, made so that it may just fit and rest upon the frame timbei's of the shaft-month, level' wit~ the hrac~, with a hole in'the centre for the rope, and so constructed that it may be raised on top of the ascending cage, and slide back to its position· as the cage descends. Mr. Nicholas recommends its adoption in. all cases, as .it may be used with or without the fences which have been descIibed, and its cost would be only nominal. A similar system to that mentioned by Mr. Nicholas was suggested by ~Jr. Harvey, the Inspector of Mines at Buninyong, who proposed that doors on hinges should be fixed to the tops of shafts worked ~y hors~-whims, and th~t slits should be. cut in the doors for the ropes or chains to work in. These doors should be nearly counter­balanced by weights hung over pulleys, and would be self-acting. When. the ,ascending bucket raises the door and passes above it, the door would close over the shaft again immediately.-( See diagra;m opposite page 10',) .. An opening should. be made in three sides of the shaft, for ventilation. ,

It has be~n suggested by ·Mr. Angus Kennedy, of Sand4urst; to coat wire ropes with a mixture consisting of tar and of hemp or manilla rope,. cut up in very small partides. 'tJesays that the coating material fills up between the wires and strands of the rope, and protects it against the injurious; action· of, water. As an example, he stated',that a company in which he was interested had a-¥inch galvanized iron wire rope in constant use thus protected with bi:meficial result, although the water in the shaft was very bad ..

'.

7

On the 22nd·June 1875, Mr.·B. McLoughlin, of Ballarat; suggested thatTimberl~r miners, when timbering loose ground, should use 5-feet laths, and allow all tl~e false ground.

sets to remain, for greater safety in working (in blocking). All the Inspectors of Mines in the colony were asked to report on the above

suggestion, and considerable diversity' of opinion existed:· Eleven gentlemen were favorable to the adoption 'of the suggestion, while fourteen objected to it. 1tv.w;-;4&The chief objection urged against the' system of timbering with 5-feet laths is that of the extraex:pense which would necessarilfhave·to be incurred in working the ground, and that in some mines it would increase the working· expenses to such an extent as to cause them to be relirlquished.

One Inspector 'failed to see that the allowing 'of false sets: to remain would in any sufficient way compensate (or the extra distance of the framed sets.

The following objections have also been urged' against the adoption of the ~uggestion referred to :-

1. In ground of a dangerous character 4-feet laths are often pressed and bent considerably whilst being d,riven; much more so, of course,

(, 'c, ~rou1d be the pressure and consequent flexure of the 5-feet laths, one effect of which would be to cause an increased reactionary press:ure agaiIfst,the last permanent set, and a greater tendency to displace it.

2. That :when 5-feet laths are used there is danger of' a false' set giyip.g way; that the long lath requires more pitch than a short one, and that it would consequently loosen more ground. . '

3. That if the false sets were allowed to remain there would be such a short distance between each set-aJ;ld the cap-pi~ccs being on tlie same level-the angle of elevation of the lath would be so great as to cause it to penetrate too far into the roof of the drive.

4. That the practice of allowing all the false sets to remain would often interfere with the permanept timbering of the mine and, with ,the

, ' fonnation of gOQd working levels. , , .. : Mr.-:R. ·T.liornsori, the. manage,r" of .the .Long Tluinel Gold '~liniilg Compa:n:y, , vValhalla,' says w~th. reference to, the suggestion :-

//#///;///$/;////;1///#/;/#/;//////////1111/

. ·!:The idea of.lV.Ir.,MeLbughlin,js a good ·oneroin using,· 5-feet :Iathl'l and ,allowing ,the titlse sets to l:eiriain when driving in loose and broken eouiitl'Y until-the standing set is fixed. I think that this would secure a.greater amount of safety. i. I should also sllggest tha,t in: ti!ll.bering'sllch gl'onml the sets be, sefllred, from.cap .;0, cup by mea118 of stretchers. (See)!3ketqh.) "-, " . .

: '. ,',

The prevailing custom on the goldfields i,s .to,-irse:lath,s:9f from 4 feet to' 4 feet ',6 inches'.iri:leng.th; although> in-,;some<inst~11~es'15~feet,Jaths a.l:e ,used,; ·but. for heavy . ground th~ shorter ·lathsrare: considered. to ;beit4e safest. ',' "~," l ':, ".

: : : 'I ::Fb:e-!following:)~sugge~tiollS';for!ltheTbetter protecti~n of min~rs, when. working underground:have.·been forwarded to:thi~ office:- - " '.' .'" "

;'1 ';1.. To:igrapplefirmly togethe~ thr:e~:or~four'sets of timber.. next the face. :: .:',,2. 'After the main',set is iQ.'position.&t the:face, and the laths chiven,home,

) ,

't"

':~' i' .. :~,:l' !~") .• to;I',emove,the false',set anq:put in ,a liniI;lg.,set, :which.should be placed ',;'-' , exactly midway, between the two, last malllsets... ,: ..

a: ,c! Ck,P

" .' ~':' 'i

3:; , - -- ,'Mr. Nankiv~n;-the' InspeCtor of Mine/f'at Maldon, has sug-

" "gested the following. remedy for the: prevention of accidents "vhic:h occur through the knocking' off" of cap-pieces by foul ,blows. ',He recommends, what is known as, horned ,sets to be ,used in' ver.Yl'loose ;,ground instead of those, now .. generally I used and, known· by" the ·name 'of "clap-me downs.'" ,"Vhen a horne'dset, as shown in the 'sketch, is used, a hlow against the cap-piece wo~ld riot be lik,ely to knock it off, "as it would ,be heJd, in positiol!-' by t,he .horns: of the legs.

Carel_naS! of mine ....

Explos!ve .ubstances.

'l'amping rod.

8

, A large number of the accidents in alluvial mining happened to single individuals (Chinese and Europeans), and to small parties' of miners who wo,rked in shallow ground. These men use little or no timber, and it is not possible to control, to any appreciable extent, their transitory and unimportant operations. In large alluvial and quartz mines, however, where considerable numbers of men are employed, and much capital is invested, mining acCidents have somewhat decreased, more especially in quartz mines, as the tables in this Report testify. But even in well­conducted mines, where all possible precautions are taken by the management to secure the safety of the miners, the rules and regulations of the mines and of the Statute are frequently broken. In spite ,of all penalties, some miners will carelessly or recklessly jeopardize their lives, in some cases to 'save themselves a little labor or time, and in others without excuse of any kind.

For example, instances of wilful neglect to use timber, and of more or less culpable carelessness in the operation of timbering, will be found noted in accidents numbered in the list 12, 20, 23, 37, 104, 108, 123, 188, 206, 207, 213, 230, 245, 259, and 261.

In connection with machinery, heedlessness and extreme want of caution are exemplified in accidents Nos. 5, 14, 24, 34,49, 62, '72, 77, 106, 130, 134, 135, 14{3, 150, 182, 244, and 270. -

Cases of carelessness of danger connected with blasting operations and explo­sives are recorded in Nos. 30, 38, 82, 89, 116, 120, 1~6, 141, 153, 187, 200, 217, 224, 227, 248, and 252. .

As showing a lamentable want of knowledge of the properties of some explo­sives, I may instance an accident that took place at Sandhurst OIl the 31st July 1875 .

. A man took home from the mine where he was working a dynamite cap which had missed fire, and subsequently, when lightly tapping it on the mast of a small model ship he was rigging, it exploded, and shattered his hand.

Carelessness, and disregard of the provisions' of the Regulation if Mines Statute 1873, were never more fully exemplified than in the case of accident numbered 21 7. Some of Woolf's blasting compound had been ordered by the manager of the Plincess Alexandra Tribute Company at Sandhurst for use in the mine, and the quantity supplied was in· excess of that ordered by the manager. The agent had been notified to remove the surplus tins of the compound, but had failed to do so ; they were placed in the smithy, as there was no other building on the mine where they would have been "in charge" for safe keeping for the owner; some sparks from the anvil fell on the tins and caused an explosion, from the effects of which a man was so seriously injured that he died in about four weeks after the occurrence of the accident. A prosecution was instituted against the mining manager of the company, under seCtion 11 of the Act 480, but in consideration of the kind and liberal treatment of the widow of the deceased, who was paid the sum of £176 as compensation, funeral expenses, &c., it was decided to ask only for a nominal penalty; but tJ:te bench dismissed the case without comment.

. Another instance of almost incredible thoughtlessness or want of knowledge was exemplified at Creswick on the 20th July 1875. The manager ora gold mining company, in order to prepare some lithofracteur for use, placed about 1bs. in front of a fire indoors, and went below to assist the men. Shortly afterwards an explosion took place, destroying the house-a substantial one-and smithy, but fortunately a case containing 35 Ibs. of the cqmpound did not explode; had it e~ploded, the consequences can scarcely be conceived. A prosecution was instituted against the

- manager for a breach, of sub-clause (a) of clause 2, section 5, Act 480, but the case W3:S dismissed in consequence ·of an error in the summons.

A composition tamping rod was handed to Mr. Brough Smyth, when in Stawell in 1874, by Mr. John Hunter, the President of the Miners' Association, and it was examined by Mr. Cosmo N ewbery with the following result :-

1. "The rod is composed of zinc and copper (brass). I have b~en unable to obtain sparks by striking the rod against quartz and pyrites. But powder and nitro-glycerine compounds may be exploded by striking them with it, so that care will be required when picking the tamping near the charge: It must also be remembered that though the rod may not cause a spark, a spark may be formed by the friction of one piece of quartz on another, or on pyrites, and that the softness of the piekerwill not always ensuretbe safety of the miner.'.

2. "Brass will not materially interfere with amalgamation. Should a portion of'the rod get into the mercury, it may be easily detected, as it will float on the surface and may be removed; even if it becomes amlligamated with the gold, it will have no injurious effect other than to reduce the standard of the gold."

9

In connection with accident No. 200, the fo~lowing supplementary report was F~~:lf:y.bt\d received in this office from the local Inspector of Mmes ;- .

Maldon, 6th September 1875. Sm,-I wish to call your attention to the faet that, since the.accident that occurred to Johu Jose on

the 3rd instant, it has been represented to me that the blasting fuse sold in Maldon to the miners is in many instances damagrd fuse, newly payed over with chalk and fresh packed and sold as a genuine article. I am not aware whether there be any law in existence prohibiting the sale of such fuse; if not (seeing there are so many lives endangered by its use), I think provision should be made for it in any amending Act for the regulation of mines. I am told that the best fuse cannot be bought in Melbourne at the price at which it is sold in Maldon.

My attention was called this morning by a miner working in the Central Eagle Hawk Company's mine to a case that occurred to himself recently. It was as follows :-He had fired the fuse connected with each of two shots, and retired to a place of safety; one of the shots went off in due time, but the other did not. The man and his mate sat and ate their "cribs" and smoked their pipes after the first explosion, which took them half an hour at least; one of the men said he would go and see what was wrong. and on stepping into the ladder to go to the spot the explosion of the second shot took place; in another minute he would have been at the spot and exposed to the blast, which would probably have destroyed his life.

If you could see your way to cause a stop to the sale of such damaged article it would confer a great benefit to the mining community.

I have the honor to be, Sir, , Your most obedient sel'vant,

ROBT. NAN KIVELL, R. 'Brough Smyth, Esq., Chief Inspectol' of Mines, Mining Inspector.

Melbourne.

Witp respect to accident number~d 204, Mr. Serjeant, the manager of the Band Flre-gmPt' f

of Hope and Albion Donsols Con?pany Registered, suggested that the. qhief Medical ~~:s~s~tbY Officer shou1d be asked to prescrIbe a mode of treatment for sufferers mJured by fire- &0.

damp pending the arrival of a medical man. The necessity of this course presentea itself very strongly to his mind on the morning of the 2nd September 1874, when an accident occurred at the above-mentioned mine. He found the injured man's mates were about to wash him with kerosene, and send him to the open air. In accordance with Mr. Serjeant's suggestion, the Chief Medical Officer prescrib'ed that the parts burned should he completely and entirely covered with a coating of flour at least a quarter of an inch thick, laid on evenly by a dredger. In reference to this case, Mr. Thomas Cowan, the local Inspector of Mines, reported ;-

"It is a well-known fact that in working most alluvial mines in Ballarat West it is of frequent occur­rence that old ground containing fire-damp is met with, and, although this is known to be the case, it would seem that the ordinary means are not used to prevent accident. When an old drive is tapped. the pick holes should be immediately stopped up, and any men working near that portion of the mine should be removed, the naked lights should be extinguished, anti no attempt made to do further work until safety lamps are obtained, and these lamps only should be used when the old ground i's being broken into. If this had been done in the present instance no aceident could have happened. Also the managers of claims, where old drives are likely to be met with, should order that a small quantit,y of linseen oil and lime water be kE'pt at the claim f')r immediate use in case of accident. The qunntities should be one balf-pint of linseed oil, one half-pint of .lime water; these should be mixed, and used with carded cotton before the injured men are brought to the surface. In fact this should be part of the instruction embodied ill the rules of the company for the guidance of miners."

In order to prevent as far as possible the infliction of unnecessary pain, I would recommend to managers of claims and others the advisability of making suitable provision for the immediate treatment of persons injured by explosion of fire.damp in such mines as this dangerous gas is likely to be found.

With regard to the generation of fire-damp in old mines, Mr. Cosmo Newbery, Analyst to this_ Department, reports as follows ;-

"The explosive gases or 'fire-damp' generated in th(j alluvial mines on the goldfields are probably due to the decomposition of the masses of drift-wood or organic matter covered by the alluvial deposits, gradually undergoing change in assuming the form of lignite. TJlis change is caused by the loss of water of composition and compounds of carbon and hydrogen. Old tim bel'S used as supports in abandoned workings where there is not a free current of air have also been known to generate explosive gases. There are cases of this kind on record where the explosions have caused considerable loss of life and damage to mining property."

Mr. Lionel Brough, in his report to Her Majesty's Secretary for State on the working of the Coal Mines Regulation Act of 1872 during the year l874 in England, remarks in reference to the causes of explosion of fire-damp ;- .

"In a former annual report I mentioned abont the' sound wave.' When air is over 600 of Fahrenheit, it undulat,es at the rate of 1,120 feet per second, whereas the real travel of the air of tlte mine seldom exceeds Ilix feet per Becond. The day may possibly arrive when we 8hal1 find out whether or not these phenomena are connected with explosions of fire-damp, especiaIly with reference to slwtjiring."

No. 11. B

10

:;,' ",', ~ ", ~efer~n!Je.to a~?ident nUD:1be~ed' 76.in. the ..J~t'lt (aJ;l' eJf:p.IQSi9Iu>f.g,a~, int Means , and ~o s, mme at Bunmyong) wIU"show wIth what, danger mmes contIg'uoqs:, t.o 'o~d workmgs are wrought, and it demonstrates that safety lamps should be used in such mines.

Safety cage, The sketch of the cage an.nexed represents the safety apparatus iIi u/?e at the Walhalla gold mine to prevent the cage falling down th,e shaft. Over the cage there is a shackle fixed with a tappet :which lets go the shaclde' before the cage can be: drMvn up to the pit heads. To this arrangement -Mr. Hem:y Rosales, the managefof the mine, has }ldded hinged cQvers of ~·in. wrought-iron plates (the men in the mine call them bl~tterfly covers), '" hich are prevented from dropping by two chains; as shown in-the :sketch. Mr. 'Hosales' prefers' thil;l: a,rrangel11ent, to' that- shown, in 'last year's Report of 'the Chief'Inspector of Mines; page 12, 'as' mep, 'eQuid be ,liberated' from the cage by throwing up the flaps Ol,',vings of the covel'. , ; , ", 'Obj'ection has been hlken, in differen.t parts pf tIle, colony to ,th~ ll,SG of a ,cover

to 'a cage, as provided by clause 11 of section 5 of Act, No. 480,; but I may instance accidents numbered J 98 and 201 as evidence of the necessity of a strict compliance with its provisions. In the first case a life would have been saved. and in ,the second a life was saved, by the existence of a COVeI~ over a' cage. With 'regard to the latter (accident No. 2U1) Mr. H. B.Nicholas reported as follows :- '

"The 'rapidly inci'ellsiilg velocity of the descending, cage caused, t!le wir,e rope to run off ,l,he drum and fall down thc shaft, and but, for the cover overhead on the cage the falling rop~ would very probably have caused fata.l injuries. , .' .

Breaking of ;.. ' . " An accident' 'cause~ by'the breakiI!g ~f a' ~'ope is' r~ported as havipg occurred ro~~':,,; . at ~.he Son,s, n:l!d D.~lll.~ 90n;s~ls ~i~~";9pU~er~., on .th~ '~,~~ J?ne, b.ut' 110 ,one wa~ injured'

t,her~by. , It appeared that whIle a cage filled,Ylth dIrt'1vas belng wound ,up a shaft the rope .broke, and; thG'ten;sion being suddeuly:taJ~en off, it's elasticity caused the. upper part of it to fly up the shaft 'With g-reat vqlocitY' for about 300 feet.' Luckily' the 'cage was a pat~nt s~fety Oli~, aJ?-d ,it- rem~ineq suspended in f~~ shaft mitil ~nother'

Accident com· pensation money.

rope had been properly placed. , .' ": ", . I cannot pass over the accident' No,: 152, which occurred on the 5th July in

Mr. J. B. 'Watson's Kentish mine, without dra.vvingattention to the fact that; had there been sufficient foothold provided in the ladders'for the unfortunate man ,who was killed, the accident in all' probability would not hl1Ve occurred. In consequence, however, of ,the extreme libera~ity "of the owner (Mr., J:, R."W;1tson) towards the widow of deceased,. only a nominal fine .was intlictedon,tlHi map.agerfQf'a violationQf clause 16.

, of section 5 of the' R.egulation' rif Mines S,tatute. " ~fr. Watson paid to the' wido\-.: the sum"of £1:110, t:,tpd promised to build 'her a,,~ottage';·he. al~~ took;'l~ei-, secoJ).d ~oninto; his workshop, at a weekly wage 9f 22s. ' , , .'. '

, With reference"cto. accident .. numbered ,;),98) th~. manager of the Rose of. Denmark Comi~any wasfiqed 'only 5S:,'with £2 7s. 6d.' costs, in consideration of'a document sign~dld':all' trie mi.J.ers t1;len: at',wOl:k in tl~e'. inine,' which w~s, pilt in on the manager's behalf, testjfying that h~ had alw;1Ys, l)yeQ ;very car~£~~l of the safety. of his men during the preceding eight years, 'and that he had during tha,t period proved himself ,t~ .. be a capable and at~epti ~e, rpining man~ger, ~c', -A-bO,ut ,six months pl:~vio.lll;l to trl¢1 a?ciq.<;qt, .t!~<.; direc~pri;i,'Qf,~his ci:)l\lp,::i;ny" det,eJ;\i).itw,i;l, that' a,~r miners employe,d."by the, corp.pany should, heCOI~]e,l17emhel:80f,the',Beildigo Mi~e.r~' ~\..c~iderit. Society, excepting those wh6 were members !ofa; fi'ierii:lly'society 01' whose liveswet:e insured. Tlte deceased man ha~' Qeenthu~".compelled t'o'i:na:1~e pi'~vision for hi's:faniilj;' lie had paid' only 'two ,monthly subscript~ons pf ~s" ~~. each'ivh~h. tb,¢,riccid.en.t,. dccurred, and the society paid to his widow the suni ~f £44, 'which amoUllt was suppleinented by. £100 from the company. It would be well)f a similar course to the one adopted by ,the, Rose of Denmru'.k' Company' were€mf~rc~d in every mille ,thtol~ghout the' qo~6ny .. , If t~is w~re done; there :W0l11d, p~ fev;Te~:. wi!iows ~nd Gliildren Jeft deRen,dent upon the . .s~ate,a-qd ;upon,tl;1e· bounty ,and benevolence oft charitably-disposed persons. , , : ': I cannot conclude"the. preceding remarks 'on some of the 'accidents which hav,e occurred during the year without drawing attention to the commendable liber~lity of the directOl~s .. of ,ot!ler:,co.mpanies.,~th r.egard tot\te a~11olUit yf,compellsatiim gIven to widowsl : of!, persons ,kWed': by. mining "aceidents" alid ; a~~o to persQQs" inj tired. i,.w,theit· service, as shown in Appendix D.: '.! '.,' ; . '. . 'r .

SpeclalrepOl'ts. • In consequence of the number of acciden~s constantly occurring at the mine of the S\litan Coil'lpap,y at Barry'S Reef,Blacl~,vo.od~, Nh: ;R., Brollgl! Sriiy'th, tli~ la~e Chief I~~pecto~' ~f ,,¥i~~s; "l1iad,e a: sHer;ial :visit .. tOiJt~ljS;" pl,~,t;~:)~n~~the.) 6.t.ll:')J\ilyJas~, aAg h{ repoTted as follows :~

c/J

.11

'" I inspected the Garibal'di mine on the morning of'the 17th July 1875, and subsequently, on the same day, the Sul~an mine at Barry'a Reef. Mr. Robertson, the manager, accompani~d me, and I examined the ma,chinery, cl'ushi,ng pll;\nt, and underground workings. I was'much pleased with the general aspect of the

~'lrih2E';a~d 'satisfied that the managel' was desirous of complying with the provisions of the Act. I drew ·"attention to cer't'ain l'equii'eincnfs, and Mr .. Robel;tson said that'he would give instructions respecting them

without delay. . '., • "There were, I believe, about four hundred men employed in the mine at the time of my visit."

• J '. The -follbwing remarks riiade by 'MJ;. H: B. Nicholas, Mining Inspector, will be read with satIsfaction' by: all 'persons connected with mining in the Sandhurst district :-

"The mines of this division (Sandhurst) are generally in good condition. The managers, as a rule, manifest carefulness for the safety of their wol'lnnen, and study to layout all permanent works with regard to the future of their mines."

"The provisions of the' Act are complied with in a satisfactory manner. I seldom find it necessary to do more than dl'aw the manager's attention to an infringement of the Act. No better testimony of the value of compliance with the conditions can be given than that horne by my list of accidents for the first nine months of this year as compared with the same period of 1874. Up to 30th of September 1874 the record shows 59 accidents-64 miners injured, 18 fatally injured; and for 1875, 49 accidents-53 mincrs injured, 11 fht~dly injured. And further, I think the managers now report the occurrence of every accident, and that they did not do so during 1874."

The following are the same officer's remarks on mines in the Eaglehawk division for the quarter ending 30th September 1875 !-

"The improvement in the general condition of the mines in this division is very satisfactory, more so than for the like period of' time since January 1874. The ladder-ways are now made in conformity with the Act; the permanent works are stronger and of more suitable dimensions; ~entilation is generally good; alld more attention has heengiven to the strength and condition of the winding gear and maehinery/'

, "The legal, miniug, and general managers all evince a desire to comply with the provisions of the Act, and by their compliance with the conditions have added to tbe comfort and safety of the miners."

In view of the great number of accidents which occur to Chinamen, who are Act No. 480

I . . b . d . d'd d h hOb h h translated int() very care ess III tIm enng groun , It was eel e on t e 8t' cto er to ave t e Cbinese.

Regulation qf Mines Statute translated into Chinese, which was done by Mr. C. P. Hodges, the Chief Chinese Interpreter for the colony. The translation was photo­lithographed at the Crown Lands Department in two sizes of 38 inches by 26 inches

. and 17 inches by 22 inches: Fifty copies of the large size were varnished and put on rollers, and ten copies were then forwarded to each of the Chinese interpreters at Castlemaine, Sandhurst, Ballarat, and Beechworth,_ with a request that they would each keep one copy for reference in case of enquiry, and that they would cause a copy to be exhibited in each. of the joss-houses in their districts. One hundred and eleven large copies were forwarded to the Inspectors of Mines throughout the colony to be posted in conspicuous places, and through the courtesy of the Chief Commis­si?ner of Police sixty small copies were distributed by the police among the Chinese mIllers. .

In ordel' to give effect to section 11 of the Act, which provides that notice of the occurrence of every accident attended with serious injury to any person shall be sent to the Minister of Mines for the time being; or to anyone whom he may appoint for that purpose, the names and addresses of the Inspectors of Mines were also translated into Chinese, and the same course was adopted for their distribution as was done with the translation of the Statute.

On the 15th February 1876 a thousand copies of the following notice ,,,ere Notices issued.

distributed to the Inspectors of Mines with instructions to have them posted in conspicuous places :-

HEGULATION OF ,MINES STATUTE.

. The attention of mining managers and others is directed to section 11 of the Re.qulation of Mines Statute 1873, a copy of ,vhich is hereunder printed for general information; and to section 12, which prescribes the penalties for offences against the Act.

Office of Mines, Melbourne, 5th February 1875.

By oreler,

R. BHOUGH SMYTH, Chief Inspector of Mines.

" ., The owner, of every ~ine shall, within forty-eight hours after the~occurrence of any accident attended with serions injury to any person, give notice thereof to the Minister of Mines for the time being, 61' to anyone whom he may appoint for that purpose; and if any owner shall wiifully omit to give such notice, every such owner shall be deemed guilty of an offence against the Act." .

Bugge.lions for amendment of Regulation of Mines Statute.

12

The distribution of the above notice on the goldfields drew the attention of persons who were ignorant of the provisions of section 11 to the necessity of reporting the occurrence of every accident; and I may venture to say that now the provisions of the Act are more clearly understood, and every accident. "attended with serious injury" is either reported to the Minister. of Mines for the time being or to the Inspector of Mines for the district.

On the 14th June a thousand copies of the following notice were sent to Inspectors of Mines .with in(3tructions to have· them posted in conspicuous places ;-

REGULATION .OF MINES STATUTE.

. The attention of mine-owners, managers of mines, and miners is'directed to the Statistics of Mining AccIdents fOI' the year 1874. Three hundred and thirty-five accidents occurred during the year, and ninety' persons lost their Ii ves.

The causes of the fatal accidents were as follow:-Fall of earth or' rock underground 35 Falling dO'wll shafts 22 Fall of earth on surface 10 Fall of materials down a shaft 2 Fall from a tramway on the surf.'ICe 1 Fall from a truck on surface 1 Fall from the frame of a puddling machine on surface ••• 1 Fall underground' 1 Fall of a tree 1 Crushed by a cage in a shaft 2 Machinery in motion 5 Explosion of blasts (explosive not named) 3 Explosion of blasts (lithofracteur) 2 Explosion of blasts (gunpowder) 2 Explosion of a blast (guncotton) .. , 1

Total 90

It is the duty of all persons working in mines to make themselves acquainted with the provisions of the Regulation of Mines Statllte. .

Rules should be fl'amed by managers of mines for the guidance of miners, and these should be posted in conspicuous places at every mine. _

If rules be made and enforced by managers, and if workmen. exercise ordinary care, the number of fatal aceidents will be largely reduced. '

Miners should remember that nearly fift,y per eent. of the fatal accidents were due to the neglect oi carelessness of the sufferers.

Office of Mines, _Melbourne, 3rd ,J nne 1875.

By order, R. BROlTGH SMYTH, .

C_hief Inspector of Mines.

One hund~ed copies of the Report of the Chief Inspector of Mines Eo! 1874 were distributed among the principal mine"owners of the colony on the 16th June 1875, thus following up the practice adopted in some of the districts in England.

In July last a Conference of llepresentatives of Mine-owners, Mining Managers, and Miners in the several Mining Districts of the colony with the Chief Jnspector of Mines in the matter of amending the Regulation ol Mines Statute 1873, took place in Melbourne ; and for general information I deem it right to bring under notice the following minutes of the proceedings thereat:-

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS.

FIRST DAY, TUESDAY, 27TH JULY 1875. Present:

Messrs: W. Frayne and W. ,James, Al'al'at ; Mes·8I's. R. M. bel:ieant aud F. C. Baker, Ballarat; Messl's. A. McN eil and H. O. Rowe, Castlelilaine ; Messrs. ~L S. Monteagresti and :F. Bertraud, Gipps-

land; Messrs. A. Stewart and F. C. Tricks, Walhalla; Messrs. J. Cock and S. Wright, Beechworth ; Messrs. T. Britt and A. Stubbs, Sandburst ;

Messrs. R. Conway and E. E. O'Farrell, Mary­borough;

Mr. ,!V. D. Heywooil, Smythesdalc; Mr. R. Clark, President of the Amalgamated

Miners' Association of Victoria; Mr. H. Taylor, Secretary to the Amalgamated

Miners' Association of Victoria; and Mr .. R. Brough 'Smyth,Chief Inspeetor of Mines.

In compliance with the unanimous request of the delegates, Mr. Brough Smyth consented to act as Chairman.of the Conference, when it was proposed by Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. W. I<'rayne-H That no gentleman be allowed to speak for' more than ten minutes on any subject,. and not more than oncQ to any qllestion."-Agreed to. .

It was ~esolved, on the motion of Mr. Clark, seconded.by Mr. Cock, That any suggestion put to the vote and carried be considered a suggestion of the Conference.

The Chairman theu proceeded to read tho clauses of the Act; aud, on the motion of Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. Frayne, the suggestion contained in page 7 of the Report Of the Chief Inspector of Mines for 1874, relative to clause xxi~i. of section 5, viz. :-That after the words" the owner," the words" and agent of such mine" be expunged, lmd that the words" or the person in charge of such ~ine ~r any person claiming or exercising authority, or giving orders or directions in any matter, or bemg III any sense responsible for the working, maintaining, or conducting of such mine, whether manager, agent, or co-partner of or in such mine" be substituted, was adopted. '

Mr. Serjeant suggested the introduction of the words" in his pfficial capacity" after the word " owner" in the first clause of section 2 of the Act. Seconded by Mr. Tricks, and carried.

The second clause was passed without objection. After considerable discussion on the third clau8e-" Machinery"-the further consideration thereof

was postponed Qntil sub-section xviii. of section 5 should come on for discussion. Section 3.-" In case of accident presumption against mine-owner."-Proposed by Mr. R{)we,

seconded by Mr. Britt, That the clause be expunged. As an amendment, Mr. Baker moved, and Mr. James seconded, "That the clause be not interfered

with, nor even modified." . Mr. Cock suggested the introduction of the word" fatal" after the first >vord "any." Messrs. Clark, Stubbs, .Tames, Taylor, and Stewart having expressed themselves in favor of the

amendment, and Messrs. O'Farrell, SeJjeant, and Heywood against the reteution of the clause, Mr. McNeil considered it would be a hard case if the managements were made prima facie responsible for accidents, but would not vote for the proposition.

Messrs. Conway and Frayne were in favor of adopting some middle course, but would not like to see the elause struck out.

- The Chairman then read the motion and the amendment; and, having put the amendment, 10 voted for and 9 against it, viz:;- .

For. Mr. Wright, Beechworth, Mr. Baker, Ballarat, Mr. Taylor, Clunes, Mr. Conway, Maryborough, Mr. McNeil, Castlemaiue, Mr. Bertmnd, Gippsland, Mr. Stewart, Gippsland, Mr. Stubbs, Sandhul'st, Mr., James, Stawell, Mr. Clark.

Against. Mr. Rowe, Castlemaine, Mr. Cock, Beechworth, Mr. Frayne, Stawell, Mr. O'Farrell, Maryborough, Mr. Tricks, Walhalla, Mr. Heywood, Smythesdale, Mr. Monteagresti, Gippsland, Mr. Britt, Sandhurst, Mr. Serjeant, Ballarat.

Tellers-Messrs. Serjeant and Clark.

The amendment was declared carried. It having now become the original proposition, a further amendment was moved by Mr. O'Farrell and seconded by Mr. Heywood, as follows :-" Any accident occurring in a mine to any miner working in any claim or mine, on sufficient proof given to auy court of cOI!lpetent jurisdiction that such accident occurred to such miner from want of proper appliances, or want of all. the l'equirements for the proper and efficient working of the said mine, then only shall the'company be held responsible for compensation to and the loss of time and damage sustained by such miner."

. After some Jittl? discussion, the Conference, on the motion of Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. Frayne, adjourned at 1 p.m. until 2.15 H..m. .

On re-assembling at 2.15 p.m., Mr. O'Farrell addressed t,h.e Conference in support of his amendment. Mr. Clark was altogether opposed to the amen'dment ; and the Chairman pointed out that, in his,

opinion, the amendment was quite irrelevant to anything contained in the section under consideration, when- .

Mr. Setjeant moved and Mr. Cock seconded the following proposition, "That the word • fatal' be inserted after the first word • any' in clause 3." , • On the amendment being put, 10 voted for and 9 against it, viz. ;_

For. Mr. Rowe, Mr Cock, Mr. Wright, Mr. Frayne, Mr. O'Farrell, Mr. Tricks, Mr. Heywood, Mr. Monteagresti, Mr. Britt, MI" ~erjeant"

1 ellers-Messrs. Setjeant and Clark.

The amendment was declared carried.

Against. Mr. Baker, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Conway, Mr. McNeil, Mr. Bertrand, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Stubbs, Mr. ,James, Mr. Clark.

Seeti?n 4.-" Who sha;! not be e~~plolfed in ;Wines."-Pl'oposed by Mr. Stubbs, seconded by Mr. ro~;ea~re~tl' ~ha: th~ word AS f 48 hourds.In an! week' be struck out, and I.he words" 8 hours in anyone

ay su stJtute t ere or. tel' some ISCUSS10l1, the suggestion of the Chairman that the following words viz. :-" Nor more than 8 hours in any day" be added after the word" week" at the end rof the clause' • was adopted. '

14

, GENERAL RULES.

Section 5, sub-se.ction I., passed without objection. , ',' lVIl'. Clark move!1 and Mr. Mqnteagi'esti 'seconded, That the Conference adjourn at 4 p,m", aud meet

" aga~n ~t 10 a:,rii:.to-molTOly:-'-<;aiTied:,. . ' . ' .",'. .,' .: " " I 'Sub-section II.-'-" Gu.npowder and B~astin!J:"-Proposed by Mr. Tricks and seconded by Mr.

Conway, That aft,er the word" minc:' at the end of cIa.use '(a), the words" except with the permission of 'the Minister ,of Mines" be added; and, as an amendment, Mr, Clark moved and Mr. Rowe seconded,.,That "aH-'the words after'" exceeding': be struck out; and the following inserted-" six hundred weight: Provided , always that th€;, saIpe be stored in a dis,uscd ,level, witt~ a locked ,door across it." ," ,,' , .. ' "After some little discussion on the pi'.oposition and the amendment, the COIiference adjourned at 4-p.m. until 10 a.m. next day.

• SECOND DAY, WEDNESDAY, 28TH JULY 1875. The business of the Conference was resumed at 10 a.m. All the delegates present •

. Mr. Brough Smyth in the chair. , The minutes of the previous meeting werc read and confirmed.. . Mr; Clark withdrew the amendment standing in his name from the previous day, relative to clause

(a), sub-section II. of section 5, and proposed the follo\ving in lieu thereof :~That all t,he words after i' '! exceeding," 'be struck out, and the following words be - substituted, viz. :-" One week's consumption:

Provided that such explosives be kept in'a drive,' or chaniber; with a door fixed across at least 10 fect from any travelling road; and in special cases where it is required to store a larger quantity than one week's supply, the.same may be stored in such places and in such quantities in the mine as the Minister of Mines may in writing approve of." ,

Mr. Rmve seconded the amendment, which was carried. " Clause (b).-On the motion of Mr. Taylor, seconded by Mr. O'Farrell>" it was resolved that the

followiug be substituted :-" It shall not be taken for use into the workings of the mine, except in a case or canister containing not-more than 8 pounds."

Clause (c).-Passed without o~jection. Clause (d);~On ,the motion'of ~fr. Monte.agresti, seconded by Mr. O'F'arr!311, the following was

adopted in substitution fOl; the eXIsting' clause :-;-" That no iron or steel pricker'shall be used in blasting in any.mine except in mines excepted from the operation of this section by the Minister of Mines; and no iron or steel tool shall be used in tamping or ramming."

Clause (e).-On the motion of Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. Monteagresti, the following was adopted, in SUbstitution for the ,existing clause :,--H A charge which has missed fire may be drawn by a copper pricker, but shall not 'be visited until sixty minutes shall have elapsed from the time of lighting the fuse of such eharge; but ill no c'ase shull an: iron or steel drill be used for the purpose of drawing or drilling out such charge.'" ' ,

An amendment by Mr. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Fray:ne; That the time be limited to lialf-anchonr instead of sixty minutes, was lost. . -

. Sub-sections, II!., IV., and v., were passed without alteration. , - Sub-section V!.-" Fencing oj Entrances to Shajts"-was passed with the following addition, which

was moved by. Mr. Clark and seconded by Mr. Bertrand :-" But all shafts abandoneLl. priOlo to the :' occupancy of claims 9Y thc present holders shall be covered in at the expense of the Government, where such .- shaft is dangerous, or at the request of the Inspector of Mines."

/Sub-sectioris Vil, ViII., IX., were passed without objection. . Sub-secti01i X,-:-On the motion of MI'. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Clark, the !Vords "and. thence' to 'the engine-room" were inserted after the word" surface," in the middle of the sixth line, arid the clause 'as amended was passed.

Sub-section XL-On the motion of Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. Monteagresti, the words" such cage . ,cover to he securely hung on hinges, and to lift upwards,'" were inserted after the word" shaft,," in the "secon'd line, and the clause as. amended 'was passed. An.amendment by Mr. Heywood, seconded by

Mi'. Rowe, "that shafts worked J;ly whim or whip be exempted from the operation of the clause," was lost. Sub-section .XII.-Passed withouf alteration. . Suq-sections XII!., XIV., and Xv., als~ passed without alteration. _ Sub-section XVI. was passed without alteration. 'An amendment by Mr. Stubbs, seconded by Mr.

Stewart, ,that "vertical,ladders may be 11sed in the bottoms of shafts that are sinking, such ladders to be fixed in the comer of the shaft, and to have at least si::: inches of toe-room; and in no case shall such ladders be above the lowest plat or ehamber," having been put and lost, '

Sub-section XVii. was passed. A proposition by Mr. Serjeant,' seconded by Mr. Conway, that the clause be expunged, was lost. , , Sub-section XVIII.-On the motion of Mr. Taylor, seconde<:i by MI'. Stubbs, the words" as an ordinary day's work," at the end of the clause, were struck out, and the elause was passed without further alteration.

An amendment by Mr. Triqks, seconded by Mr. Britt, that the clause be passed without alteration, was lost on a division-8 voting for, and 10 against the amendment.

F01\ ' I

Mr. Rowe, Mr. Cock, Mr. Frayne, Mr. Conway, Mr. Tricks, Mr. Heywood, Mr. Britt, Mr. Ser~eant.

Against. Mr. Wiight, Mr. Baker, Mr. Taylor,

, Mr. McNeil, Mr. Bertrand, Mr. Monteagresti,' Mr. Stewart, Mr. Stubbs," "

,Mr. James," Mr. Clark.

15

,1[,1 Cla~s.e 3, of secti!}n,2.-'-I.nte~pretation-.Mac1liner.1f:......,was, passtiq· wjt.l;wuF altGration. An, amend­ment by 'Ml:; Britt, seconded, by MI'. Seljeant, "That the "i"ord'" ~t!1mpers,' and all thet wQr,d:~: after,_ 'pumpillg gear' iri the second li'rie, except the word' ropes,' in the third li'ne, 'be struck 01.1t," \vas.'iost.

Sub-section XIX.' of .~ection .5 was passed without !tHel'ation, Sub-section X:.¥.-On the motion of Mr. Taylor, secomled by Mr. Frayne, the word" twelve" was

substituted for t,be, word "six" in the fourth line, and the. clause ,as .all).ended w~s passed. Sub-sections XXL, XXIL, and XXIII., were p.assed without alteration. .1 ,

-Mr. SerjeaIit moved, apdNfr. Britt seconded, "T:hat all·the words after the' word < Act,' il?th~ seventh line from the bottom, of section 5 De strllck out." .,' ,.'

As an amendment, Mr'., Clark moved and :\h. Bertrand seconded. t.he insertion of tIle wor~s?,.". or other person who may 'be in charge," after tliG word" agent," jn the .fift4)ipe from the bottol,ll., ':i

Some discussion having taken place on the Illotion .and the amendment, it ;was pr~posed by :\11'. Conway aud seconded bv Mr. Baker, "That the Conference adjournuntillQ a.m. to"morrow." _ The motion was carried; and the Q~riference adjonrned at 20 miuu'~es' past' 4 p.m. 'until 1,0 a::n' next day.:

- . 'THIRD DAY, THU~SDAY, 29TH' JULY 1875. / The business of the Conference was resumed at 10 a.m. ,All the -deleg~tes, with the exceptiOI!-. p,f

Mr. O'Farrell, were prescnt. " 1'.11', Bxough ,Smyth in tue chair." , .

'The, minutes ,oLthe previous mef!ting were read and confirmed .. : ", .. , ,. . The consideratiqn,;of;the last part ~f section 5 was then,proceeded ;yitl~. I.' ,

.. ' Mr. Bertrand·withdrew. th~ am!'lndment standing in his';llame from th~ previous ,q.ay, .when Mr. Cl!l:~k moved and Mr. Ber.trand. seconded thf! following amendm.eIJ.t, ,~'z. :--;-~' ~4.at after th~ 'lvord,' o,wlleT,'.in t,he fif~h line, all the wQrq.s Sl9wn to;and ineluding the word ',each~' in'the,sixth line, be str\lck out, and thtl following snbstituted-' or the person claiming Of exercising authority, or giving orders or directions in any, matter, or being in an:y"sense responsible for the working,. maintaining, or cO!ldu()til).g. of ~-qch ,mine, whether manager, agent, or co-pal'.tn~l'.of or i~ such miue shalL'" , " . '. . . : Messrs. Serjeant, C,o~).;:, Rowe,and Frayne would support,the. flme,l).dment4t~e..~9~d '.'owner" were

etlluck, out. . I.. .' '.

The amendment. was put and carried, and the section as ameQde~ ,'Y!l.,~ pasf!,!d., . ,. '. . Mr. Seljeant moved and Mr. Rowe seconded,," That the whole of the remaining el~uses of the 4ct

be passed without alteration." ,- As 'ah:'amendment, Mr. Baker JllOved and Mr. Cock Recpnded, "'fhat' the remaining clauses be dealt

with seriatim .. ~'· . t

Theamenqinent .was .put a!}d cal'i·ied. " . ' .. n' , ,

Section 6 was passed without alteration. ' ;', . Section 7:-0h the motion of Mr. Cock; seconded .~y Mr. Baker,Jhe word "'four" was substituted for the word" six;" in the fifth line, and· the clat1~e as amended \vas passed. .,' . " .

Mr. McNeil asserted that;'in.the'lc:asti~maine distvict, vei-tical.ladders of 300 feet and 400' feefwere in use. ,

The':Chairman,promiscd, that/he, woulddmmediately 'institute ,enquiries into, the matter Section 8.-0n the'motion of Mr,.Baker, seconq.ed by Mr. \Vright, the word" solely," in the fourth

line, was struck out; and after the word "owner," in the ninth line, the following words were inserted:­"·That the 'first;steps ,to be taken in any claim to obtain· compensation for injuries received under this Act by any 'pei'sonfi oi- the',r~pi-esen tadve of any' pel'SOll' aec'eas.ed, shall' be 'heard' J)~fofe a board of: assessors, t9 be 'appointed ')b.1' the' Honorable' the MiDistm'l of· Miiies, to "be 'tH'l::sid~d ::ovcr ]:iy a: police magistrate; and failing a SetGlemellt by this boal'~,. the case 'to proceed in .tl~e ortlipary process of. law." . .

The clause as amended· was put l\Ud passed unanimously. " Section 9:-0n 'th6'moticiir of·:Mr. i-Ieywood, seconded by ]\1:1'. Cock, the~w,?rds "competent'person"

we~e substitued for the words "Mining Surveyor" in the first line; ,and on the motion of ' Mr. Clark; seconded' by' Mr. Stu!Jbs,'-thefollowing addition to·the Clause was adopted, viz. :-" That immediately upon any miner workingin!the:niine ma:king··a complaint unde!: thi~ 'Act to ll;lly Inspector of Mines; it shall be the duty, of the Inspector to ·mak:e'enquiry into the' matter of such complaint; and to tako such either steps as he:

,may deem necessary to investigate,thom'atter r'but:' in no ca'se shall' the Iilspector 'divulge the name of the' eai'd complailiant.-': Arid alRO that no Inspector under thi~ Act be allowed to hold any int!,l'est whatever in any mine in' the districtvfor which he'is appoiilted."· The clause as amendEitl was passed. ",

'.: " The'f6Uowing new, 'clause' was proposed. by Mr'-Tricks and'seconded by MI'. Mc~eil ;-"It shall­be ineumbent on every servant or wOl-kman of any ,owner, agent, ,or person in.charge of auy mine to give immediate information to his emplQyer ,of all and every contravention or non-observance ,of the provisions of this Act ·by any, o£,his fellow servants. 0'1' workmen, Pi' any other person whioh ~ay J~QI~e 'uuder his notice; in the,eventof;his ~ailing to·.do.:so;'he ,,-hall be guilty ot: an (jffCl]ce agail).st ,this Act.'I-Carried. ,

Section 11.-On the .!Uo.tion".of. ,.jYlr. ,Clark, ,seconded. ,by I,MI-.;MonteagreBti, :' twenty-f9ur h,ou!'s:' was substituted for" forty-eight hours;' and the .,WOfQ,S "Inspector or" were inserted before the word " Minister," in the third line, and the clause as amended '~vas passed.

, . Sectio:fl l2."-.Qn:.t.hy motion of 1\;£1' .. Taylor, secon'ded' by Mr._CUu·k, ".two justices" was substituted for." aI\Y jus~ice," and.the clanse as amende;d was passed. . . . . ('" ;«ll'The:Ghairman:,theniread tpe tho:,GonferCllce,a code .. OfliRules,a!}d·,Regulations which hG ha~'P!:epar~4' with the view:,o(,haYiing"the,~ame printed, and·. distnibuted as:suggestions to.mine.-Qwners; mi,ning.lllanagers, and others in. the several mining districts. . .,. . ". " .

, :. TlleJmembers;.of\ th~ Conferen<:e ill gen'eral terms expresslfd their approval .of the eoile submitt,ed.· , '.:A v,ote·of Ithan,ksito ·1:Tr. Br'ollgli:Smyth~ t,he:,Chainman, w,as :Pl'o,pose'cl by Mr. Clark, _second~d ,oy

Mr. Mo~:e~gI:esti, ,~TJ~.barried by: acclamation:"I, , L • .

" l,'J.: S1111dat; compl,Hp~nts havmg;;been, pald,'.J.to, the,1:'1'es& mid to the Clerk; ,the Conferellce ,ad~ournetl .. ~. . "

16

, ' The following is a copy, of a resolution adopted at a sl1ecial ~eeting of the members of the Mining Board Conference held at M<?lbourne on the 14th July 1875. Resolved, on the motion of Mr. J. E. Andrews, Ararat, and seconded by Mr. Miller, Ararat :-

That for the better protection' of the lives of the miners employed' in the numer~us gold mines of the colony, this Conference deems it advisable that in all cases of fatal' mining accidents the coroners' juries should consist of at least one-half bona fide miners, not connected in any way with the mine in which the accident took, place-who are best able to judge from the evidence taken as to whether any culpable negligence was the cause of death in any case whCl'e an inquest i8 being held. ,

The Conference would therefore respectfully suggest that ~a Coroners Juries Statute should be immediately introduced embodying the foregoing rcsolution. ~

.A deputation of mining managers, mine-owners, and others, waited on the Honorable the Minister of Mines, at Stawell, on the 20th August 1875, and presented the following suggestions in refere!1ce to the regulation of mines ;- '

1. That the code of rules and Signals submitted by the Inspector of Mines for adoption be not entertained, for the reasons that they are impracticable and dangerous for this mining district; also j:>ecause it is considered that a continuance of State interference in the details of mining management is severely crippling gold-mining enterprise. (See remarks made at the end of these suggestions.)

,2. In 'reference to the words" prima facie" in clau,se 3 of the Regulation of Mines Statute, the following substitution was suggested for favorable consideration, viz. :-In each division a court of arbitra­tion shall be established. Its duty shall be to enquire into the (!ircumstances connected with every breach of the Act of which complaint has ·been formally made to such court, and its decision on all cases submitted shall be final and binding on both complainant and defendant. Such court' to consist of one arbitrator selected by ballot by the miners actually engaged or employed in mining by mine-oV\'ilers in the arbitration district; one by the mine-owners of the said district; and the third to be the police magistrate for the time being of such district.

In cases where the interest of the arbitrator can be shown to be involved in any case submitted for arbitration, arbitrators from other portions 01' districts of the colony shall be invited to act.

3. That the latter part of sub-clause d referring 1.0 tamping bars be recommended to remain as it is. 4. That the suggestions (sub-clause E) recommended at the 'Melbourne Conference, viz.; that no

missed fire shot shall be approached within one hour, shall be recommended to be altered to half~an-hour. and that iron prickers be legalized in lieu of copper prickers.

With reference to the first suggestion made 'by .the Stawell deputation, I may state that a code of regulations and signals to be used in mines was compiled in this office from copies of rules and regulations obtained in each mining district, but the adoption of the code in question has been allowed to remain in abeyance.

The following ,suggestions received from Mr. Thomas Cowan, the Inspector of Mines at Ballarat, are worthy of the closest consideration :-

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE AMENDMENT OF THE (' REGULATION ·OF MINES STATUTE 1873."

The Cage. The present practice is for men proceeding down a shaft from the brace to enter the cage while it

·rests upon the flipes or catches (sometimes called "Jans "). The cage is then raised a few feet. and the flipes witbnrawn, to admit of the cage entering the shaft. If the engiue is 110t uuder perfect control-as will sOlllelimes arise through "priming "-the cage may he run up further than was intended, and so endanger /,he lives of the men occupying it at the time. This source of dinger would be removed if the cage were first raised and lowered again to the proper level, after the flipes had been withdrawn, "for the men to take their places in it.

To avoid the labor 9f using a ladder, miners are in the pl;actice of using the ascending and descending cnges in going from the surface to the brace (sometimes a distance of 50 or 60 feet) and returning. This is a dangerous practice, and should not be permitted. In all cases in which it is practicable, the men should enter and leave the cage at the surface, and not at the brace.

Sometimes the men ascend and descend along with the trucks, which is attended with danger, especially when the men stand in empty trucks. A mau standing in an empty trnck is likely to be at one end of it, which destroys its balance,_ and is very apt to cause accident. The practice in question should not be permitted. '

Signals, The signals in use in a mine should be printed in white letters, of an inch in depth, on a black

ground, on an il'On plate, and e'xhibited in full view of the men in charge in the engine-house, at the brace, and at the phtt. This is done in some instances, but should be enforced in all.

Levels. When there are two drives from a shaft at the same level, the men in passing from ~he one to the

" other often leap across the shaft, sometimes a distance of 4 or 4i feet, and at the risk of being struck by a descending cage. This source of dangel' would be removed hy connecting the levels by means 'of a drive round one el1(l of the shaft. This is sometimes done, but should bc made compulsory in all cases.

In hauliug from intermediate levels, some difficulty is always experienced. When loose timbers are thrown across the shaft to receive the cage and bear it until loaded, the placing of them is attended with dan-ger. 'When f1ipes are nsed, danger arises from neglect'in the platman, whosc duty it is to remove them when winding from the level ceases. In that case the descending crige would be likely t? crash through them, wit.h injury to both 1lipes and cage. Of course this applies equally to loose supports. A Dew arrange­ment of flipes, for use underground, is to fit them with contra balance weights, which raise them so soon as

17

the weight of the cage is removed. When they.are to be used again, the mall in attendance lowers them into position by mcans of a lever. With so complete an arrangement of flipes available for use, the employ­ment of loose timber to carry lhe cages at illlermediate levels should be prohibited. Bven without contra balance weights, the flipes are much preferable to loose timbers.

Tramways. General rule 19, section' 5, provides that fly-wheels and other exposed and dangerous parts of the

machinery used in or about a mine shall be securely fenced; but this does not seem to apply to tramways. These are sometimes 40 and 50 feet above the surface, and, being unfenced, the working becoj11es a fruitful source of danger. It shouhl be made compulsory to enclose them wi'th a two-rail fence on each side.

Danget·ous IIoles. Rule 6, section 5, provides that every abamloned or disused shaft should be fenced or covered in.

But there are deep and dangerous holes left on the site of diseontinued mining operations which do not come uuder the designation "shaft." The rule should be so altered as to in elude in its application such holes. Another'source of danger arises from the removal of machinery from abandoned claims. Tho purchasers in taking it away remove the fencing, and otherwise render the shaft and its surroundings unsafe. Persons removing machinery from mines should be compelled, under penalty, to leave the site in a safe condition. .

Timbering. The system of timbering drives now in use is not sufficient to secure safety in working heavy ground.

The whole structure is deficient in longitudinal rigidity. Between the sets of timber, lengthwise, and Oll both sides of the drive, there should be supporting beams abutting upon both the props and the cap-pieees. If this precaution were used, the giving way of one set of timber woulU not be so likely as at present to cause the fall of the next set.

Sltots frlissing Fire. Dangerous accidents occur through shots missing in hanging fire. The men return to see what is

wrong befOl'e it is safe to do so, and should not be permitted so to return except after the lapse of a specified interval; how long the interval should be must-be determined by experience; bnt as at present advised, I should say that four hours would not be 100 long. Except in the sinking of shafts, the delay would not cause mlleh inconvenience, because when a shot hung fire ill ODe drive the meu could go and work in anot,her until it was considered safe to rotal'll to the seene of the missed shot.

Stach Hope. As winding ropes stretch with use, they should he shortened at intervals, so as to keep them always

of the length required to reach thc bottom. If this is not done, then in hauling up the cage with men in it the engine-driver should be careful to tighten Ids I'ope befol'e the men enter the cage; otherwise thc slack may become entangled with their arms or legs, and do serious or fatal injury. ,This simple precaution against accident shoulu be rendere(l compulsory. At present there is DO rule as to the number of men who

,may ride upon a cage at the same time, alld sometimes the cage is dangerously 'overloaded. The nnmber should be regulated according to the size of the shaft and the strength of the rope.

In mines in which no regular platman is employed, a miner desiring to be drawn up the shaft must first signal the engine-driver to haul up, then take his place in the cage. It thus becomes rather a critical operation to enter the cage on. the one hand, and to start the eugine on the oth81', exactly at the proper moment. If means were provided by which the miner could first take his place in the cage and then give the signal, a souree of considerable danger would be removed, and this could be done by placing a second lever behind the guide and attached to the bell-wire.

Tributes. In order to the due enforcement of the Regulation oj Mines Statute it is necessary that the eom­

panies under which tributes are held, or their manager, should be made responsible for the proper and safe working of the mine, and for the keeping of the machinery and appliances in proper condition. Also, that when portions of claims are sub-let, the manager for the claim-holders should be held responsible for the proper working of the ground, and be liable for the penalties which the Act imposes upon those who infringe it.

Old Workings. When ground is being re-worked, fire-damp is sometimes met with, antI dangerous explosions are

liable to take place. To guard against accident from this cause, great caution should be used in entering drives from which the men have been absent for even one shift. In these cases the use of the Davy lamp should be rendered compulsory, as also in entering a disused drive for any purpose.

It has been suggested that a penalty should be imposed on the mates of any person killed or injured in a mine, should they have failed to report at once to the mining manager any violation, or attempted violation, of which .they were cognizant, of the rules of the mines or of the provisions of the Statute.

The following is an extract from the verdict taken at the inquest held on the body of the miner who was killed in the York and Durham claim, at Eaglehawk, on the 17th September 1875 (see accident No. 211):-

We are unanimously of opinion that in any amendment of the Mining Act, No. 480, a clause should be inserted'making it compulsory that no,miner should work alone in any minc or part of a mine.

In Appendix C of this Report is given a list showing the various breaches of the Act for which persons have been fined during the past year..

I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant,

THOS. COUCHMAN, Chief Inspector of Mines.

No. n. c

LIST OF ACCIDENTS IN THE MINES OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA DURING THE YEAR E~,mING 31sT DECE~mlm 1875.

DilItrict. Division.

Ballarat Gordon

Ballarat ••• I Creswick

Mine Owner.

Egerton Company

Date of Accident.

1876. 1st Jan.

New Lothair G. M. Co .•. \ 2nd Jan .

Ballllrat Blackwood ..• I Sultan Q. M. Co. 4th Jan.

Ballarat Ballarat

Ballarat ... r Ballarat

Ballarat ••• I Ballarat

Mary borough \ Korong'

Sandhurst ••• I Sandhurst

Ballarat .... \ Creswick

New Red Jacket Co. • •• 14th Jan.

Hero Extended Co. • .. 16th Jan.

New Red Jacket Co. • •• 16th Jan.

P. Flanigan and J. Der-\ 7th Jan. mody

Great Hustler's M. Co. 19th Jan. Limited

We~tern Lewers ,Free- \ 9th Jan. hold G. M. Co.

Sandhurst ••• I Sand hurst ••. I New Chum and Victoria 19th Jan. Co. Reg.

I· I . I Ballarat ... I Bumnyong... Perseverance Co. No.2... 11th Jan.

Ararat ••• 1 Raglan Chong How,Ah You, All' 12th Jan. I Man, and Chu Heng

:Ballarat ... / Creswick ... Clunes Q. M. Co. . .. 13th Jan.

Sandhurst ... I Eaglehawk ... I H. R. Williams. ... 16th Jan.

~1l 0,;1

~~ Cause of Accidont.

Fall down a winze

2 I ];'all down a shaft .

3 1 Fall down a pass

4 I Fall down a "blind" shaft

5 1 Machinery in motion

6 I Canting of a truck· .... i

7 I Fall of earth in a driv:e ...

8 1 IlIow from a pick

9 \ Breaking of a rope and fall of a cage down a sh:tft "

10 1 Fall of sets of timber in a drive

11 I Fall of clay undcrground

12 I Fall of earth in a drive ...

13 Fall of quartz in a drive

14 Caught by a cage ... 1

il Il R .~ ~l ~

1., •.•

Remark ••

The man was worldng close to the winze, and was looking for the best position 'to put in two shots. He removed a part of a barricade, fell down the winze and fmctured his

left thigh. ' The man stepped out of the cage at the No. I level on the wrong side, intending to ,:walk round

the end of the shaft, instea,l of which he stepped down the empty compartment, and failing a distance of 82 feet broke his left leg and five ribs. He disobeyed instructions in' crossing from one side of the fihRft to the other. .

The boy Goul.d give no acconnt of the accident, but it appeared that, he had no business to be where he was, He must have been going along the drive either without a light or not looking where he was going. ,

The man used a rope instead of the ladders to descend a blind shaft. The rope gave way, and he fell to the bottom of the shaft, fracturing his left ribs. The' man blamed himself for the accident, as he should have descended by the ladders, '

Verdict al. inquest-" De,~th from severe shock to th,e nervous system caused by injuries accidentally received." The boy got on the connecting rod of the pump bob to have a rine, and it is supposed tbat he 8,1,t too near thtil crank, which in its revolution must have caught his

and jammed them between it and the ('onnccting rod. man was trucking in the main dri ve, which has a slight incline for a short distance, and at

this place the truck canted off the rails, and the man recei ved a severe flesh wound in the left leg.

The man's spine was injnred and he bad four ribs broken by the "caving in" of a drive in which was working. Great negligence or want of judgment. was displayed on the part of the man 1 his mate in working the ground, as it was dangerous and wanted timbering.

The man was assistiJig to put in a small prop in the back of a level, It is supposed that his harid siipped ItS his mate was striking' the head of the prop ,~ith a pick and he received the blow, which crushed the middle fiJlger of the right hand.

The man was in a cage when the rope broke, and the cage fell about 15 ft. down 'the shaft, causing dislocation of his ankle and slightly cutting his forehead. The inspector reported that the rope had only been in use about five month~, and he believed it was cut 'through by

all the pulley. at inqucst-" Death from peritonitis, caused by sets of timber falling upon the

. accidentally." Decc!tsed died on thc 19th JalJuary 1875. Bc was at work with four c timbering- at the fioo-foot level, and they were fi1l\ng up the sides behind the slabs when the tim bers feli. All the men stated that I.hey could not account for the timbers falliug.

The man was one of a" fossicking" party, and was at work ill old workings, when about two tons of black clay, which underlies the basalt, fell. The party used little timber, and that was obtained from the old workings. '

• Verdict at inquest-" Aceidental death." The jury were of opinioll that the timber was insufficient [or working the ground 'with safety. The deeeased and his mate (who was slightly injured) had undermined a" face" of gronncl, when suddenly the roof of the drive fell in upon the men. No timber·was used to snpport the roof of the drive.

Verdict at inquest-" Accidental death." 'rhe jnry were of opinion that information should have been forwarded to the Inspector of Mines immediately after the accident. The men were about. to put in a pi~ce of. timber when some quartz fell from the hanging-wall and struck deceased, hreaking his shoulder ,and thigh .

Verdict at inqucst--" Accidental death," with a rider that !,lwre was not due precaution taken to prevent sucll!ln accident happening. 'Deceased was leaning over the brace of. the shaft as the eage was descending from the platform, and w~s struck by it and dragged about 20 ft. down the shaft. . .

I-' 00

'Salldhurst ••• I'IVaramra I John Holmes and Co.'s I 16th Jan. I .15 crushing machine

Ara.rat ... 1 Pleasant Pleasant Creek Cross Reef 19th Jan. 16 . Creek Co.

,Sl),ndhurst ... Sandhurst ••• Royal Hustler's Co. Reg, 20th Jan. 17

Ballara.t ... I' Ballarat A party of "fossickers" 20th Jan. 18

Maryborough I Maryborough Claim held under bye-laws

21st Jan. 19

Ballarat ... Ballarat Leviathan Co. 23rd Jan. 20

Castlemaine ... Taradalc United Kingdom Co. ... 26th Jan. 21

~ Beechworth ••. Jamieson Mariners' Quartz Claim '27th Jan. 22 North

Sandhurst i Sandhurst Pomponia G. M. Co. Reg. I 29th.Jan. I 23

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst ... I Shenandoah G. M: Co. I 30th Jan. I 24 Heg.

Maryborough I DUn;)lly Prince of Wales G. M.I 2nd Feb. I 25 Co. Limited

Ballarat ... Smythesdale Grand Trunk LeadG. M.I 3rd Feb. Co. I 26

Beechw'()rth .. , Jamieson Victory M. Co. Reg. . .. [ 4th Feb. I 27 North

Ballarat Ballarat ... I Prince of Wales Co., No.1 14th J!'eb. I 28

I Explosion of a boiler ...

Fall of " mullock " under-ground

Fall of draw lift rods ...

Foul air, causing fall doWl! a shaft

I Fali'down a shaft I ... I

Fall of earth in a drive ...

Fall of earth in a drive ...

Fall of quartz in a

I Fall of slate in a drive ... J 2

I Machinery in motion

I Blow from a truck

I Jammed by a truck : ... J '1

I Explosion of fire-damp ... J ... I 2

I Thrown out of a cage ...

The water in (he boiler appeared to have been allowed to get too low; the plates Conse[luently became bu.rnt., !lnd yielded. The steilm rushing through the boiler blew out the hrickwork at the end and slightly scalded the man. Steam and water gauges were attach cd to the boiler.

V,rdict at inquest-" Accidental death." . The jury were of opinion Wilt no blame attached to the manilgemcnt. Deceased was clearing away qnartz while two men were drilling a blast hole in a "mullock" bank above him, when, without illly previous wilrning, a large block of "mullock " weighing several tons became dctached and fell on deceased, cansing injuries from which he died on the 29th ,January.

The miln W:1S engagcd changing a bucket of the draw lift at the lengths of the draw lift rods became uncoupled and fell on his bucket in thc usnal way, and consequently wa.s to blame. pinned similar accidents would not OCCllr.

level when about two H'.) did Dot take off the

If the coupling joints were

The man and his mat.e were working in a shallow hole. The man was at the bottom of the but in consequence of the foul air he requested to be llauled up; on l'E;'aching lhe surface

fell do)vn the shaft, and \\:ilS sC\'erely braised the end of the windlass accidentally fell out. and the man, who had been lowered

down the sha.ft about 5 feet, fell to the bottom,:l depth of 2,) feet. He was being lowered by It Jad 13 years old.

Verdict at inquest-" Death -from fall of earth producing suffocat.ion." The §ury were of opinion that the accident was due to the carelessness of deceased in not properly timbering the drive after having been duly cautioned that thc ground was dl~ngcrous. Deceased was a " fossicker."

. A portion o.f the H

The in~]Jector face.

reef, feli 011 the man and bruised Hmoered as closely as possible up to the

The accident occurred through the scaling of the hanging-wall, when the man was engaged "stoping out." ITe was bruised rather severcly about the chest and right shoulder.

Verdict ,at inqllest~" The men were killed by a fall of ground, which occurred througll their OWlJ neglect ill' not properly tim bering the same \\'ith timber." The. sunivor was 51

red. The inspector rough Iy estimated that about 30 tons of rock had fallen, lInd he nnd that any timber h"d beeu used or any precautions taken to securely protect the exca-

vation. 'l'ile men were tributers. ' The man was cleaning the grease from the stamper shank whilst the machinery WIIS working,

wilen his hand was caught between thc cam and the shal1k, and tile middle finger of his lefe haud was crushed. The inspcctor condcmllcd this as a dangerous pradice.

The m:tn was engaged trucking wash dirt to the puddling machine, imd was in the act of tipping a truck of dirt into the machine when the heel of the" kick-up" struck him and threw him over thc truck, clIusing very seriollS injuries. The inspector WIIS of opinion that thc accident resulted frolll the man's own negligence.

The mall was guiding a truck (lawn an incline, and stood in front of it· instead of behind is the usual practice). He thought he had put a drag on the wheel of the t-ruck, : stl.rting without onc, the truck overpowered him, and jammed his leg against a prop, causing a simple fmcture. The mtUl had been previollsly warned of tile danger of gettiilg in front of a loaded truck

The men recommenced work in I~ drive that had been un worked for three days. lind the \.as caused' by bringing lighted candlcs into the drive. The nrc-damp was

generated from the large quantity of' timber proved to exist in the wash in this lead.

The man Rl)d his mate were desirous of being raised to a higher level, and the former gave three knocks as a signal for raising men. He WfiS in the act of entering the cage wIlen it was lifted rather suddenly, throwing him out with great foree, causing severe injury to his head, and fracturillg se'"cral ribs. It appeared that the engine-driver only heard two knocks, whi<:h was the signal for ridsing dirt, and therefore did not allow a certain time to before lifting the cage, as is the custom when three knoeks are heard. The inspector the accident would not IIlJ .• e occurred had a. platman been employed.

......

I~IST of Accidents in the Mines of the' Colony of Victoria.during the Year ending 31st December 1875-continuea.

, , I ~5 I I ~ ii District. , Division.! MiDe Owner. llc~r3e':,~ I ~~ I' Cause of Accident. \ ~ a

I z<\·· II;j ~ -- -----------------1---1--------,--I . 1875. I 1\

Maryborough 1 Avoca .... 1 Claim held underbye-Iaws 14th Feb. i 29 ]<'a\l down a shaft. , I

Maryborough I Avoca Pcrscverltnce9ompany ... 14th Feb.

Ballarat ... , Ballarat .•• , Sovereign G. M. Co. ... i 5th 'Feb •

I !

I 30 i 'J~xploRion of a blast

. (lithofmcteur)

3i Fall of a piece of timber in a drive

Maryborough I St. Arnaud .•• I Prince of Wales Q. M. Co. i 8th Feb. 3:1 Fall of quartz in a drive

Beechworth ... I Yackandftudahl W. Axford and others ... 18th Feb. 33 Fall of earth from ahank I r

Sandhurst .•• I Sandhurst ... 1 Young Chum Q. M. Co... 9th Feb. I 34 Caught by a cage

Maryborough I Avoca ... 1 United No.2 Barnes Reef 9th Feb. 35 Explosion of a blast Q. M. Co. (lithofracteur)

Ballarat ... I Creswick ... I Lewers Central Freehold 9th }'eb. 36 1 Fall of earth in: a drive ...

G.M.Co. '!

Marybo~ough I St. Arnaud ... I Ah On and Ah Chuck... 10th :Feb. 37 i Caving in of a shaft

Ararat ... I PleasantCreekl Albion Q. M.Co. Limited I 11th Feb. 38 Explosion of a blast (gunpowder)

Sandhurst ... I Raywood ••. 1 Frederick the Great Co ... I lIth Feb. 39 Foul air

I

Remarks.

The accident was caused by the hook missing its hold on the ropc while the man was being lowered down the shaft. Thc nmn stated that the.rope waswetfrom rain, that be turned round the hook on the rope. and put his right foot in the loop. but as Roon as bis weight came on the rope the hook slipped off. The inspector reported that evidcnt,ly the man's weight diel not come on the rope before thc hook slippcd off. •

Two charges of lithofracteur had been placed ill a tnuuel, one in the roof and the other in the bottom. The fuse. in each was ignited at the same time, the charge in the roof exploded, but the bottom one" hung fire." The man went to asccrtain the cause when it exploded, slightly injuring him.

The man was in the act of placing a set of timber in a drive, and the" crown piece" not being properly notclled fell from the roof and severely bruised bis toe.. The inspector con­sidered that if ordinary cltre had been used the accident would not have occurred.

Verdict at inqucst--"Deecased was lLccidentally killed, and no blame could be attached to any­one ;" but the jury recommend that the Regulation of Mines Statute should in future be complied with. The lode had been stripped on the foot and Imllging-walls for about a distancc of 5 feet, and the stone left hanging fell whilst thc deceased was eleaniIlg up the drive. The inspector considered thu.t the accident was caused by too great a length of loile being stripped and left hanging at one time, and that more carc ought to have been exercised. Deeeased did not, on commencing work that day, sOlmd the stone ;which fell upon him.

Verdict at inquest-H Accidental death." The jury expressed an opinion that no carelessness had been shown-that the fall could not have been foreseen. A fall of earth in the claim (sluicing bank) had just been wasbed I1way, and the men were about to undermine for another. Deceased had struck one or two blows, when a fall of earth came from the face and killed bim instantaneously.

The man attempted to get out of the· cage before the engine-driver had finally stopped the engine. The inspector ascertained that the man signalled for the cage' to be stopped at No. 2 level; the engine-driver lowered thc cage to the back of No.4 plat, and then, finding his error, he commenced to wind up at tbe moment the man had his leg out of the cage to get down into the plat. His leg was broken.

The man's arms and breast were slightly injured. The man and his mate were sinking an air shaft, and a third man (using lithofracteur) was approaching the party from a higher level faster than was expected, in conseqUf!nCe of the recf being soft. The softness of the reef also prevented the party above from hearing the drilling. The injured man stated that no blame could be attached to the miner working from below, as they were all deceived in the direction of the explosion. '

The earth fell from the back of a drive and injured the man's leg. He did not blame anyone. He had sounded the ground, which was timbered close up when going to work, and considered it quite safe. .

Verdict at inquest-H Accidental death." The shaft in which the deceased was working was in a small block of ground surrounded by old alluvial workings, and was in a very unsafe condi-tion, lm,ving no timber whatever in it. .

Having fired a H shot," the three men in the shift, thinking it had missed fire, imprudently went to examine the fuse, and just as .they reached the spot the blast went off, slightly injuring one man's right leg, and scattering some fine quartz in his face.

The man died from hypertrophy and dila1atioll of the beart, accelerated by his inhaling litho­fracteur smoke. A verdict to that effect was returned at the inquest, and the jury unani­ill.ously condemned the use of lithofracteur in close workings. The inspector reported that there. was no foundation for the statement made at the inquest that the mille was ill-ventilated.

~ o

Maryborough Maryborough . Duke and Timor Co. ... 11th Feb. I 40 I Crushed by a truek

Ballarat ... Smythesdale City of Canterbury G. M. 15th Feb. I 41 I Blow from a eage Co.

Beechworth ... Beechworth ... Stanley United Winding I 15th Feb. I 42 I Fall of earth on the Co. surface

Gippsland ... 1 Tarwin ... GreatDeception G.M.Co. 15th Feb. 43 Influx of water

SandhuTst ... I Eaglehawk ... 'York and Durham Co .... I 18th Feb. 44 I Fall of slate in the stopes

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst ... I Windmill Hill G. M. Co. I 19th Feb. 45 I Blow from a stone

Sandhurst ... 1 Sandhurst ••• I Ulster G. M. Co. Reg .... I 20th Feb. I 46 I FaJI ofabucket and wind­lass barrel down a shaft

Mary borough I Korong '''/ Fones Q. M. Co. Reg. .. . I 20th Feb. I 47 I l;'all of quartz from a "hanging-wall "

Ararat ." Pleasant Creek Pleasant Creek Cross 23rd Feb. 48 Fall down a " pass" ... I ... I Reef Co.

Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ... Garden Gully United Q. 23rd Feb., 49 I Machinery in motion . .. M. Co. Reg.

Ballarat Smythesdale Golden Lake G. M. Co. 27th Feb. I 50 I Fall of earth in a drive ... Reg.

Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ... White's Freehold United I 2nd Mar. I 51 ! Breaking of a rope and . Tribute Co. I fall down a shll.ft

"

The man was tipping a truck of dirt down a "jump-up" shaft, and the ea:\'th being wet and clammY'did not immediately escape. The truck then swerved round. and pushed him into the ladder shaft, when he suddenly grasped at the truck, which fell on him and hurt his back.

The man was speaking down the shaft from the surface to the platman below, his head project­ing into the shaft, and while in that position a descending cage struck him and injured the back of his neck, and cut and bruised his face. 'I'he manager stated that a slate was provided by the company for conveyiug messages up and down the shaft, and that consequently there was no necessity for the man to place himself in the position he was in.

A bank of earth, about 6 feet high, fell, it was supposed through the saturation' of the earth by rain after a long drought. The man's leg and arm were broken. Tbe inspector reported that the occurrence was purely accidental, and no blame could be attached to anyone .

The man was engaged sinking a shaft for quartz. The ground had berm previously worked and abandoned, and the precise locality of the underground workings was not known to the sent company. The shaft in which the man was working at the time of the accident was a 70 feet deep, when it "holed" through to the old ",orkings, and a rush of water took place, filling 40 feet of the shaft in a minute. A man at the windlass called for assistance, and the man was rescued.

2 I Verdict at inquest-'-"Death from tetanus and exhaustion, the result of a fractured leg. accidentally reeeived." Deceased died on 1st March 1875. The men had just fired a hole in the stopes, at the back of the 500-foot level, and returned to their work without sounding the roof over their heads, when about a ton of slate fell, breaking one man's leg at the thigh, p.nd severely cutting the othcr man's head, and breaking his ribs. Deceased, who was assisting to rescue his mate, in passing by one of the blocks of slate that had fallen, placed his hand upon it; it fell upon him and fractured his leg-which was subsequently amputated. The in­spector reported that the accident might have been avoided if the ordinary prec!l.ution of souuding had been taken.

I'

A piece of stone flew out from the end of the shaft at 750 feet deep and struck the man, severely cutting his hand. 'fhe stratum through which he and his mates were sinking for a: thickness of 12 feet had been cracking and rending, and throwing out stones for n fortnight. The occurrence was purely accidental, and entirely beyond the control of mnnnger or men.

Verdict at inqncst-" Accidental death." Deceased's brother was winding up a bucket, when it caught against the side of the shaft, and the<windlass handle was jerked out of his hana. -In rapidly re"Volving from the impetus given by the falling bucket the windlass barrel was thrown out o~ its bearings aud fell down the shaft. 'fhe inspector found that there was no pin over the spindle to prevent the windlass barrel jumping from its bearings.

A piece of the" hanging-wall" at which the man was picking fell and slightly injured him. He was at work again two days after the accident.

The man feU from the face workings about 31 feet down a pass. The mining manager reported that the man had no business to be·where he was, and must ha"Ve gone in that direc­tion through absence of mind. The" pass," which is used for shooting stone down, is loggea up on three sides, leaving oue opening for the trucks to be tipped.

The man was engaged cleaning grease from one of the stamper shanks wbilst the machinery was working. The inspector cautioned the manager against permitting such work to be done when the machinery was at work. The man's forefinger and thumb were crushed, and t,he latter was subsequently amputated.

Verdict at inquest-" Death from injuries rec.eived by a fall of earth scnding his head again •• a corner of a cap-piece." Deceased died on 9th March 1875. He was alone at the time of the accident and was working on a stage about 21 feet high.

The man was being lowered down the shaft from a depth of 100 feet with an apparently almost new i-inch rope, when it broke and precipitated him about 50 feet down the sbaft, causing a severe scalp wound and dislocating his ankle. The inspector reported that at first view the rope looked sound and in good condition, but on closer examination mildew was found on the wood and on the part of the rope next to the wood; he tested the rope, which broke with a very slight strain.

w ......

LIST' of Accidents hi the' Mih-es 6f the Colony -6f' Victoria' during -the Ye'm' ending 31st Dec-ember 1875"':::co'lltlnued.-

Distriot. Division.

-------Beechworth ••• I Jamieson

North

Sandhnrst ... I Sandhurst .•.

,

Mine Owner. Date,or Accident.

1S75. Tea Tree G. M. Co, No I 2nd Mar.

Liability

Albert G. M. and Crusll- 3rd Mar. ing Co. I,imited

Ararat Pleasant Creek ! Magdala Company 6th Mar .•

Baliarat Smythesdn.le I Racecourse G. M, Co .... ! Sth MILr. I

Ballarat Smythesdale I Hopewell Q, M. Co. No I 11th Mar. Liltbility

Sandhurst Heathcote ... I Alison and Central Gold 11th Mar. and Antimony M. Co.

Castlemaine ... Tarrangower Central Q. M. Co. ' "'1 lith Mar.

Sandhnrst ... Eaglehawk ... No,th 'Jo'",,," ~~f Q.llIth Mu. M. Co. Reg. .

Castlemaine .•• ' St. Andrew's (Antimony Mine) ... 17th Mar.

~ .... " o:S d8 Z~

Cause or Accident.

52 , Blow from a whim-bow ...

53 I Fall do~n a shaft

'.'

'Ifi

54 I Fall from a bucket down n. shaft

55 I Fall of earth in a drive •.. I

56 :1<'all of a cage down a shaft

'"

~.

2

57 Explosion of a blast (gun- I ... J

powder)

5S };'all down a shaft .. ·1

59 Jammed by a pieee of slate while filling stopes

60 Blow from a bucket handle

d

!

2

Remarks,

Finding of magistratc-" Deceased was killed by a blow from an iron bow attached to a but how the accident occurred there was not sufficient evidence to show," Deceased been driving a horse in a whim, a full huckct of quartz, supposed not to have been securely lauded at the surface, is presllmcd to ha"e fallcn to the bottom of the shaft, cansing the whim to go round ,with great force, and the' iron bow attached to the .whim heam struck deceased on the temple, cau~ing instantaneous death.

The man was about to descend the' shaft by the bucket instead of by the ladders, as the buckct wa~ started to lower; the bottom. rim caught on the side of the shaft, and tipping' over it jammed against the opposite side. The man held on to the hattens until the slack rope was taken up, when the first movemcnt of the bucket caused him to loosen his hold, and he fcll to the hottom of the slmft. The manager had strictly prohibited the men from going up or down by· the bucket, . No injuries .beyond ~L shock to the systcm were recci ved.

Verdict at inquest-" Accidental death." The deceased, wh.ile enga.ged knocking away the stages in the shaft, 'discovered that the stage helow him had been carried away by one of the slabs he had dropped, and in preference to 'stepping down on the cleats to the next stage, he rang foJ' tlie hucket, in't" which he put one leg and ,~ellt on with his. 'vork. pcrhaps hy a slab falling on the bell-wire, a knoek was given, which the

. (lintely ftllswered by raising the bucket to the height of about 150 feet, position ahove described. The bell-wire heing entangled in the chain of the hucket, after forcing ont several of the staples which retained it in position, fouled, and the result was another knock, which t,lie drivcr answered hy Slopping the engine, and the mau fell on to a staging some 20 feet .from the bottom of the shaft, expiring before any assist:mce was .renoered, which was some hours after, as the accident was not perceived, the bell-wire being broken ill two places. The inspector was of o~inion that deceased was not skilled in shaft work or hc \Vonld have stepped down by the cleats on to the next stage; his life would, however, have heen sa,ed bad there been another hell-wirc'ill the shaft..

Verdict at inqucst'-" Accidental deaths." The earth fell prohahly whilst the men were preparing for the erection of a false set (If' timber, The inspector is Qf opinion that accidents from earthfall are prcventl1hle if sets of timber are properly braced. _

The cage when descending the shaft stuck fast, aml on, becoming disengaged, was precipitated t the man inside) with such force as to canse a link of the connecting chain to breftk. cage fell to the bottom, strllck t,lw well hoards, and passed through them into tbe well.

·The link which IJroke was U inch thick. The inspector fOlllld no defect iu it, and he attributed the breaking to the suddcn snap caused by the cage falling the length of the slack.

A shot missed fire in the 265-foot lcvel, aud tb.e men in attempting to drill out, the chftrge (in contravention of the Bpgulalion of M£nes Statute), caused it to explode; one man's hand was shattcred and the hand of the other was slightly injured. The inspector'reported that the men alone were to blame, as they cansed t,he IIceident by their own carelessness. .

The mun fell 60 feet from a stage in the shaft and rcceiTed a slight injury to the left leg, He , had only himself to hlame, as he trusted to one slippery plank to stand on to do his work,

there were other planks at hand which, if made use of, would have prevented the .HCCIUI;;;HL.

The man ,vas t hro'Ying a piecc of slate, which had becn displa.ced hy a blast, hehind him, when in tbe swing of his loand it struck against (:he walland cruslwd the first joint of his thumb.

The lIIan was fthout dcscending a shaft in a buckct ; the rope to which the same was attached .follled round the drum of the whim, and a slack of a.bout 6 feet in the rope was not perceived. 011 the. whim heing' reversed the bucket instantly went dQWll with a run and stopped with a sndden jerk, which eansed (he handle of the huck(~t to'strike the man :with great force, No blame appeared to be attached to' anyone. '

N:> N:>

Sandhurst ... Eaglchawk .,. Princess Alice G. M. Co./17th Mar'j Reg.

Sandhurst ... Heathcote ... South Coster field Gold I 17th Mar. I and Antimony M. Co. No Liability

Beechworth •.. Indigo Durham and Caledonian 22nd Mar. M.Co.

Ballarat ... Buninyong ... D. Stewart and others ... 22ndMar.

Ballarat ... I Crcswick ... r Kingston Park Freehold 23rdMar. G.M.Co.

Maryborough l\Iaryborough Gladstone Co. 25th Mar.

Ballarat Gordon Egerton Co. 25th Mar.

Ballarat , .. I Smyth,esdale Undaunted G,M. Co. 27th Mar.

Ararat '''1 Pleasant Creek Oriental Co. 29th Mar;

Sandhurst '" Sandhurst ... Perfect Cure Co. 31st Mar.

Ballarat ~"I Blaek~vood ••• , Sultan Q. M. Co. Q 8th April

Ballarat ... Blackwood ••• Sultan Q. M. Co. 9th April

Ballarat ... I Blackwood ... Sultan Q. M. Co. ... 9th April

Castlemaine ' •• I Castlemaine Castlemaine Paving Co. lothApril

61 ! Fall of a stone down a shaft

62 I Blow from a cage • •• 1 ••• 1

63 Jammed by a water tank I ••. in a shaft ' '

64 Fall of clay down a shaft

65 Fall from the framework of a puddling machine

GG Fall of earth underground

67 Fall of stone in a drive ...

68 Foot slipping on the sur-face

'69 Fall of mullock in a drive

70 Fall of timbers in a level

71 Fall down a shaft

72 Struck by a descending cage

73 Fall of a piece of rock in a drive

74 Fall down a quarry

-1

The boy was engaged trucking and sending away the buckets from the 490-foot level, and it was supposed a stone fell from one of the buckets and fractured his skull. The inspector reported that the plat was made SIde for the men who send away the buckets, and that if the boy had been Blanding at the spot pointed out to him (the inspector), he would have been safe from any fRlling stonc excepting it struek against and rebounded from the opposite end of the shaft.

The man was lying at the mouth of the shaft looking down, when the cage, as it "'as lowered, struek him on the back of the head n,nd knocked him against the timbering of the shaft. His upper jaw was fractured and his month and gUllS lacerated, The accident appeared to have been the fault of the man, as apparently he put his head over tbe month of the shaft to speak to s()me person working below without signalling to the engine-driver that he was about to do so.

The man was accidenta.Jiy canght under the water-tank on its descent into the well at the bottom of the shaft, The inspector was of opinion that the company was in no way to blame, as the water-tank was being used !!<)llstantly for baling at the time. It is probable tbe man went to obtain something from the well or shaft and neglected to signal the engine-driver.

The shaft was 42 feet deep and slabbed from 22 feet to the bottom; the day (several cwt,) fell from 4 feet above the slabbed portion of the shaft. The inspector reported that the accident occurred through the. shaft not being slabbed from the surfu.ee to a depth of 22 feet (exposure to the air causing the clay to flake off and fall on the man working at the bottom),

The mltu was Rssisting to raise a segment of the puddler, whep it swayed and knocked him off the framework of t.he puddling llIachine; he feli on a part of the iron puddler lying on the ground, and was seriously injured, He stated that it was !L pure accident, and that no person ,vas in any way to blamc.

The mall was finishing" blocking ont" when about two trncks' full of dirt fell and broke his arm, The inspector reported that a considerable Ittnount of carelessness in securing the ground while "blocking ont" had been shown in some of the mines.

The man and his mate were prt'paring the ground in a dri ve for a set of timber. The man used a hammer n,n(l gall in breaking down the stone on the side of the drive, when IL larger quant,ity of it thiw he expected gave way, and a picce of stone fell and fractured his leg below the knee. The'man stated that he himself was to blame for the accident, and that if ordinary care had been taken in working the ground it would not ha\'e oecllrred,

The man was cngtl.ged slnieing at the .time the aeeident occurred, and was in the act of steppiug back when his foot slipped and he fell to the ground a distance of 14 ft., breaking his collar-bone.

The mnn was picking out some mnllock which hung over the head-wall of the cross-reef, when about a owt, fell and fractured his leg.

Verdiet at inquest-" Killed by a large qnantity of timbers falling on deceased whilst he was properly securing them," The deceased and his mate had fired two shots in the crosscnt west from the plat close to where the accident happened. On going down" after crib" it was discovered that one of the legs of the plat Ijmbers had been hit by one of the shots, and that the cap-picce was partly off. Deceased told his mate to drive the cap back with a hammer and he wonld put a wedge behind to keep it in its pJace ; his mate gave the cap a slight blow, when it and all the slah covering fell on the deceased. The inspector could not blame the manager for the occurrence of the accident,

The man fell from the 40o-foot level a distance of 20 feet while in the act of emptying a truck of mullock. He received six small cuts on the head.,

The man was leaning'over in the chamber at the Soo·foot level talking to some men below, when the cage, with a man inside, des('cnded and struck him, bruising his back. The inspector reported that the accident happened, no doubt, from want of due precaution on the part of the injured man, who should 1I0t have been leaning over the shaft, where cages were constantly ascending and descending .

A piece of rock fell at the face in the 16S-foot level and struck the man, cntting the right side of his hend. The inspector reported that there is al W'LYS a great risk in pnlling down the loosened fragments of rock after a blast has been fired, and that great care should be exercised in sounding the sides and roof of a drive or stope before commencing to pull down.

The man had just fired a shot, and was descending to see the etfect of the explosion when the ladder broke-it having been injured by the shot-and he fell head-foremost 36 feet to the bottom. The man was engaged in quarrying for flagging.

~ 6:>

~

LIST of Accidents in the Minos of the Colony of Victoria during the Year ending 31st December 1875-continued.

;j District. Division. JII.in. Owner. Date of 'S~

Accident. o'g ;.;~

1875. Ballarat Smythcsdale I Trunk Leud G. M. Co.

Reg. . 10th April 75

Call1lt\ of Aeci,lent.

Struck by a descending cage

.,;

ai ~ ~ y

:Remarks.

.The accidenL occurred at the bottom of a shaft, and was caused by the cage being lowered by mistake on the man (Chinaman) whilst he and four others were engaged cleaning the well, His back Itnd leg were bruised.

Ballarat Buninyong ". I w. ;«cans, S. M. Graham, 14thAprii 76 Explosion of fire-damp ... i ... i 2 The accident occurred as the men were going to rCSUIlle work in the face of u 'drive which had brokeu into old workings full of water. The company only worked a day shift. The wut.er running from the old workings, where eh!trred timber existed, probably liberated the gas generated. The accident' occurred 400 feet from the shaft, which is 100 feet deep, and drove the tank, which was hanging 15 feet down the shaft, up to the poppet-

. aud J. Andn>ws (co. I

operative party)

I Sandhurst

Ararat

Sandhurst ... \ Mr. George Lausell's .For- \ 16th April tuna Crushing 'N orks

Ararat ... Hong Sang and Ah Tsew 16thAprii

Sandhul'st ••• I Sandhurst '" Stafford Reef Tribute ! 7th April

Maryborough I Dnnolly

Ballarat ... , Ballarat

. Co. neg.

Prince of Wales O. M. lithApril Co. Limited

Band of Hope and Albion 19th April Consols No.1

Ararat

Sandburst

PleasautCreekl Pleasant Creek Cross I 19th April • Reef Co. '

Sandhurst ... Hustler's Reef Q. M. and I 20th April D. Co. Reg.

Maryborough I Amherst

Maryborough I Amherst

Perseveranqe Co. . "'120th April

Grand Junction Company I 21st April

I

77 Machinery in mot,ion

78 Caving in of ground

79, I .Fall down an underlie pass

80 I Crushed by a cage

81 I Fall of eurth Hnller­ground

I, 82 I Explosion of a blast (gun­

powder) 83 Fall of a stone in a pass

84 'I Fall down a shaft

Si, i Fall of mullock under­ground

heads. " ' . The l)oy's hand was caught and crushed between ,the earn and shank of th!.' stamper lifter, from

which he was cleaning grease, contrary to orders, whilst the machinery was at work. Two Chinamen were removing washdin from an excavation 5 feet 6 inches high by 13 feet

long, at a depth of 10 feet from the surface, when the ground caved in and ulmost completely buried the sufferer, bruising his back, One man escaped, and after half an hour's incessant work liberated his mate. '

. I I The accident oceurred at the 360-foot leveL Whilst the man was crossing the pass on a slab, t,urned to come back and his £09t slipped, and he fell inLo the pass, injuring his elbow.

insJlector reported that there were two slabs across' the pass, which are in daily use, The man had tools in his hand, so could not save himself from slipping through.

I I' The Ulan was landing a truck of washdirt when his toe got jalllmed between the eage audthe landing door at the brace, The inspector reported that the accident was a slight one; he wus of opinion that no blame was attributable to the company but that it occurred entirely tljrough the [llan's own carelessness.

Verdict at inquest-" Death caused by suffocation from a set of timbers and funning sand, 11.8 we believe, accidelltally falling down upon him." Deceased and his mate were" fossicking" in a drive, lind had just placed an opening set of timber on the south side of it ; .deceased's mate then left. with a truck of carth, and wus ahsent about five minutes. On ret,urning with the cmpty truck he heard a fall of earth, and on reaching the face found the deceased completely buried, Deceased wus heard using a tomailnwk, and it was supposed that he displaced the opening set,' thus causing the aceident. The inspector considered that jf ordinary care had been used in working the ground the accident would not have occurred.

A shot was fired, and the man, not being sufficiently far away for sufety, was struck by a small stone on the arm. '

'The man had gone down for slRhs, and was handing one up to his mate, when it struck and loosened a stone from the "filling," which fell ubout 5 feet and struck him, causing a scalp wound. The inspector reported" carelessness by both men, as the slightest inspection would have shown thut there was a loose stone in the wall of the pass."

In consequence of the man's feet slipping (on a wet night), he fell head· foremost down a shaft iO feet deep; in his descent he caught the rope, which brought his head uppermost, but he could not retain his hold, and fell to the bottom, receiving severe internal injuries. The man was of opinion tlmt the fan was purely accidental, and was owing to the slippery nature of the ground 011 a dark wet night,

Verdict at ingncst-"Deceaged was aceidentally killed by a fall of earth whilst milling. The accident in all probability would not have occurred had back laths been ~ntered before such a space of ground was opened:' Deceased was in the act of. clcRning the drive, preparatory to putting in a new set of timber, wben the mullock fell and killed him. The inspector, on examining the mine, found the excavation very neatly cut out. imd the ground all round appeared t,o be firm, excepting at the top, from whence the earth fell. He reported that back

, slabs, or a soldier prop, would have prevented the accident, hut considered that it was one of \ . those things that will occur occasionally, al though every ordinary care is taken.

t.::> f!>.

~andhurst ... I Sandhurst ... I Lazarus No. 1 New Chum I 22nd Apr. I 86 Co.

Ballarat ... I Smythesdale I Trunk Lead G. M. Co. [24th Apr~ I 87 Reg.

Ballarat .. ; I Ballarat ••• I Prince of WaJes Co. .., I 24th Apr. 88

Sandhnrst ... I Eaglehawk ... I.Tohnson's Reef Gold I 26th Apr. Mines Co.

89

Sandhurst •.• I Sandhurst ••• I Latham and Watson's I 26th Apr. Tribute No.1 Co. Reg.

90

Maryborough Maryborough Alma and Timor .Tunc- 27th Apr. I 91 tion Co.

27th Apr. I Sandhurst ... Eaglehawk ... Republic Company 92

Gippsland ... Stringer's Walhalla G. M. Co. . .. 30th Apr. I 93 Creek

Beechworth .. , Buckland Johnson Stephens 30th Apr. 94

Gippsland , .. Stringer's Messrs. Wilson and 1st May 95 Creek Barthold

Explosion of a blast (gun­powder)

Fall of earth under-ground .

Fall down a ladder sh!tft

Explosion of a blast (Hall's powder)

\

Explosion of a blast (gunpowder)

Fall of an iron weight at the surface

Fall down a shaft

I Fall of slate in a dri"\"e ",

Fall from a poppet-head into a creek

Fall of ground in a stope

Notice of firing' in the 650-foot level had been given, and several holes were discharged at the same time. The man went to the place, when another hole exploded, driving dust into his eyes. The accident arose from the man's going to his work on the change of shift too quickly after he had received notice of firing .

Verdict at inqucst-"Deceased was accidentally killed by the ground suddenly falling down upon him." Deceased, whilst working in a new drive alongside old workings, observed some sllpports in the old ground giving way, and stepped back to secure the falling timbers, when a mass of earth fell upon him, completely covering him.

Verdict at inquest-"Death caused by violent concussion of the brain, with possible fracture of base of skull, caused by his having accidentally fallen down some 90 feet ill ·the balance

whilst descending to his work." Deceased's work consisted of turning a fan for ting a portion of the quartz workings, and in getting to where it was placed he had to

descend a ladder shaft from the 400-foot to the 600-foot level. Immediately on proceeding to descend he blew out his candle, and at the same time must h!we lost his hold and fallen on to one of the ladder stages, from which he was taken quite dead. The inspector reported that the stages were about 2 feet 3 inches by 2 fcet 6 inches, with a bearer to the side of the shaft, thus leaving all open space of about 2 feet 3 inches by 4 feet; and that if this space had been covered, leaving only sufficient room for the men to get through, it is probable the accident would not have occurred.

Verdict at inquest-" Death from injuries accidentally received whilst he !md his mate were unramming a missed-fire shot, coutrary to the Mining Regulations I1l1d the instructions of the manager." The accident occurred at the 530-foot level of the No.2 engine-shaft, where the men were driving the level on contract. The inspector reported th!tt drilling out of missed­fire holes was strictly prohibited at this mine; copies 'of the Act were posted in the office, changing-house, engine-house, and at the mouth of the shaft. The survivor was slightly injured. Deceased died on thc 30th April 1875.

Verdict at inquest-" Whilst carefullY avoiding a blast deceased was accidentally killed by a 70-lb. stone from a shot, fractnring his skull and left leg, coming 87 feet along a drive." The accident occurred on a stull over the 470-foot level, where deceased and his mate had retired as

of safety from a hole which was about to be fired in the S. end of the 4io-foot level, a ; of 87 feet away. Before the blast (which killed deceased) was he went up on to

the stulling and was thought to be out of danger. A miner deposed at inquest that he had neyer seen any stones thrown from a shot so far into the level. The inspector inferred that this extraordinary accident must have been produced hy the ricochet of this large stone

the bottom of the level up to the slabs over the stull-piece. accident occurred at the shaft, on the surface, when the man was about to descend.

On the side door being raised up through the slides, a small rope passing over the pulley broke, and the iron weight attached to it fell on the man's toes, causing' a compouud fracture of one.

The usual manner descent appeared to have been by the horse-whip rope, and the man put his foot into the attached to the whip and swang off into the slmft heforc the boy in charge of the hor.se had hooked on the rope the harness. 'I'he man fell about 110 feet and sprained his ankle. The secretary of the company had previously cautioned hilJl about his carelessness in going down the shn'ct.

The man was working in an old drive from the adit level, and was in a stooping position, preparing the ground for a set of timber, when a piece of slate, about 3 or 4 owt., fell from the hanging-wall and struck him, fracturing his skull. The inspector reported that the hanging-wall had been repeatedly sounded, and was considered to be safe. No blame could be attached to anyone; it was purely accidental.

The mnn was eugaged in removing some iron bolts, &c., from the old poppet.heads, when the flume on which he was stauding gave way, and he fell into the creek some 30 feet below, breaking his left ankle and bruising his left arm.

In a stopc about 8 feet above the adit level a piece of ground, ahout 1 cwt., fell and rolled over on the mall, who had just previously sounded it and pronounced it safe. The inspector reported tbat the mine was in excellent order and the stopes well secured, but being high in places and the ground flakey, some risk will occasionally be run by careless men before the stuUs can be got in.

t>:;)

~

LIST 'of Accidents in the Mines of"tlie Colony of Victoria during the Year ending 31st December 1875-continued.

District.

Sandhurst

Saridhurst

Sandhurst

Division. Mine Owner. Dateot Accident.

1875. '" I Sandhurst ••• I Bendigo and Melbourne 13rd May

G. M. and D. Co.

... ! Sandhurst ... 1 Oriental Perseverance Isrd May G. M. Co.

... Sandhurst Morrison's Company 4th May

Maryborough Korong Alexander Watson '4th May

Ballarat Smythesdale Prince of Wales, Co: 5th May

Ballarat ... I Ballarat ... 1 Band of Hope and Albion 16th May I _ Consols Co.

Ararat ••. / Pleasant Creek I Ophir G. M. Co. Limited 7th May

Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ... Albert G. M. and C. Co. 8th May No Liability

Ballarat Buninyong ..• Perseverance Co-opera-tive G. M. Co.

11th May

! Ballarat ... I Buninyong ••• Perseveranee Co-opera-

tive G. M Co. (Chinese llth May

tribute party) Sand hurst ••. ISandhurst ... I Morning Light Patent III th May 1

P)~rites Co. .

Sandhurst ... I Eaglehawk ... I New Nelson G. M. Co. 13th May, Reg.

SandhUISt ... I Sandhurst ••• I North Whip G. M. Co. Reg.

13th May.

CaUl!E> of Accident. 1ii ~

96 I Explosion of a blast I ...

(Hall's gunpowder)

I . 97 I Fall of slate underground I .•. I

98 Blow from a windlass handle

99 ' Fall into a shaft ••• 1 ... 'I 100 Explosion of fire-damp ... I

101 I ExploRion of a blast I ...

• (gunpowder)

1021 Fall from a ladder

103 Fall. of sandstone in a, drive

104 Collapse of drive and fall , of headings

105 Fall of sand in a drive ... ,

106 I Machinery in motion ....

107 Breaking of the rung of a I ladder and fall 'down shaft

108 Fall of clayslateinadrive I

~ ~

I

1 ,

2'

Remarks.

The accident occurred at the 200-foot,lm:el soutl), whilst· the man was tamping a hole in quartz after having charged it. The hole, which did not throw its burdcn, was a tlat one, and Whell the e'xplosion took place therc were two layers of tamping on the powder, The man was a steady and experienced min'er, and no explanation could be given by the other miners present, beside what the inspector suggested to them as the probablc causes-1st/that the llOle was not thoroughly cleaned from powder after it was charged; or, 2nd, that the tamping contained small quartz. ,

The accident occurred in the backs over the 260cfoot level, through the fall of a small quantity of slate and quartz from the roof. The man was at work timbering when the accident took place, The inspector reported that the largest stonc which fell from the roof (only 4 feet high) did not cxceed 6 inches square.

The 'windlass handle was jerked out of the man's hand, as he started to willd up a bucket without having first drawn back the sliding-bnr,

Thcman was opening out.a chamber, when be slipped and fell into thc shaft, rccciving a slight cut over the eye. The inspector was of opinion that no blame was to bc attached to anyone .

The men were working in the immediate vicinity of old workings, when an explosion of fire­damp occurred. The manager stated that both men approached nearer the old workings t.han was necessary, and in so doing ncted contrary to his positive and repeatedly-expressed instruc-tions. Only one man was ~eriously bnrnt. ,

A shot was prepared and set fire to in a drive; the men retired to a safe distance and remained there for about 15. minutes, The shot not exploding during that time, one man returned and t-,:)

re-tamped .it, using a fresh fuse, which he lighted, left, and nmmined away about 10 minutes. CI':I The shot still lingering; he went back and cut al)Qut 2 inches from the fuse, re.lit the remainder, and itgain left. By this time the man was doubtful of the gennineness of the fuse, and returned nfter a very short absence for the 'purpose of destroying it, He WI~S in the act of so doing when the shot went off and injured his £nce, right hand, nnd arm, The inspector reported that if thc mail had used perfect and sound fuse the acddent would not 'have occnrred .

Some contractors were engaged in putting up it whim; thc man was on a ladder, which slipped, and he fell to the ground, slightly iujuring his elbow. '

A block of sandstone,3 feet by 2.feet 6 inches by I foot, fell from thc roof of the drive while the lUan was at work. The inspector reported that the level wns timbered up as close to the face as was convenient for working. The men had sounded the roof twice dnring the shift, and it was probable that in sounding the block wns loosencd.

The £nil took place while the slabs for the roof of the drive, 1,500 feet from the main shaft, werc being driven home, The inspector found a sufficiency of driving timber and good. driving ground on the gutter, with black sand overhead, and no water. Iron dogs were not used, though supplied by the company'; their use, or some other means to stay the driving timber, would probably have prevented thc accident. , ; .

A seam of sand fell from the roof of a drive where the slabs had not been drivcn close home. The man was blocking back in the bee of a washdirt drive, The impector reported that the. headings (If the drive were black elay with seams of sand, requiring close timbering,

'rhe man's finger was caught. between the crown, and pinion wheels over the amalgn.mating basin. He was putting the wheels ont of gellr wlIen, under his own instructions, the cuginc was moved round. The mnn informed the inspector that it was his,own fault; he forgot that his hand was resting on the crown wheel when he told his mate to turn the engine,

The man, on going with his.mates to work, went below to' semI up the tools, and fell from t.he • 70· foot to the 93-foot level, and ,then to thc bottom, in consequence of ft rung of the ladder 1?l'eak­

ing. The in8pector reported that the ladrier was not fit for usc, and the manager of the company was tined 2os, without <:osts', on t.he 28th May 1875, fol' allowing sueh a ladder to be in usc,

Verdict at inquest-" nenth £rom injuries accidentally received by a large quantity of ~tone falling upon him whilst he and his 'boss' were incautiously working 011 the stopes at the

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst •••

Maryborough l1Ylaryb~rOUgh

M~ryborough Dunolly

Castlemaine ... I Fryer's Creek

Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ...

Maryborough Maryborough

Sandhurst Sandhurst

Sandhurst

, ••• I Eaglehawk •••

Ballarat Ballarat

.Ararat Pleasant Creek

Cambrian Co ....

On or abt. 13th May

14th May

Goldsborough Q. M. CO. I 15th May l'teg.

Deceased ... 17th May!

Lansell's No. 222 claim ... 17th.May

Duke and Timor Co. ... 18th May

Lansell's Thanct claim ... 18th May

Golden Age Tribute Co. 20th. May Reg.

Sovereign Q. M. Co. 20th May

Pleasant Creek Reef Co.

Cross 21st May

.Ararat PlcasantCreek Tribute partyworking in 21st May the Emerald Isle and Rose of Denmark Com-pany's ground

109

llO

111

Fall of earth at the surface

Fall·of earth in a stope •••

Crushed by a cage in a shaft

112 ! Fall of earth on surface I I

113 Fall of ground in a drive

114 Fall down a jump-up ... 115 Fall of sandstone in thc

stopes

116 Fall of slate and quartz in the stopes

117 Fall of a picce of quartz I ... I down a shaft

118 Blow from a hammer .••

119 Fall of stone down a shaft

1

1

1

332-foot level. We find no blame attachable to anyone excepting deceased and his mate, arising from their own carelessness." Deee!\sed's mate was engaged pulling down loose quartz from the roof of the stope when a stone fell and killed deceased, who was a tributer. The mining manager cautioned the tribute party as to the unsafe state of their workings, and pointed out what was, in his opinion, the proper way to secure them, but they did not act on his advice. The inspector deposed at the inquest that the positions in which the men were sitnated at the time of the accident showed a great want of thought of the danger to which they were exposed, and that it was a1ll10~t incredible t'hat experienced miners would be so culpable.

Verdict at inquest-"Decea~ed was accidentally killed by a fall of earth upon him whilst he was searching for gold." The deceased was missed from home on the lath May 18i5, and his body waS not discovered until the 7th Augnst 1875. The place where the body was found waS in an angle of a creek, and the beight of the bank was 12 feet. The position in which his body was discovered led to the snpposition that he was engaged digging uncler the bank when the

fell. About three tons of earth were removed from 011' the hody. man was working iu a stope when" a piece of dirt, about the size of a man's head, fell

from the roof 011 his arm" abd bruised it. The man was leaning over from the winding into the pumping compartment, fastening a rope

to the eolumll of the draw-lift pipes. A miner was beillg hauled to the surface in the other winding compartment, and the descending cage was lowered on to the man, jamming him in the shaft. One rib was fractured, another one wa~ injured, and his chest was se\'erely bruised. The inspcetor was of opinion that the injured man only was to blame, as he should not have been in the winding but in the pumping compartment. The inspector objected to the system of lowering the whole draw-lift column at once. He suggesle(l a telescopic or sliding windbore for the purpose of sinking. •

Verdict at inquest-Deceased came by his death whilst mining at I,ong Gully, and it was . the result of injuries accidentally received; there were no external marks of violence. The accident happened while deceased was sluicing headings. A I~rge heap of undermined earth fell and smothered him. Inspector reported that in this case it did not appear that the llIall was careless or negligent, and he therefore presumed the occurrence was purely accidental. '

The young mall was at :work in the 330-£00t level when the accident took phice, which fractured his left leg. The ground had been pronounced safe by the underground manager (his father) two days previonsly. The ground fell from a smooth face, which rose diagonally from the east side of the roof of the level to the hanging-wall of the reef on the west side of the level and about 2 feet above it.

The accident occurred while the man was descending a "jump-up" shaft about 40 feet deep . He missed his hold and fell about 30 feet.

The man was at work in the stopes over the ISO-foot level, loosening a block of sandstone, when it fell. He, working on his knees, conld not escape quickly enongh when it was falling. The inspector reported that the stopes were kept closely filled up to within 4 or 5 feet of the back of the workings. 'I'he man said he "knew it was coming, and ought not to have continued working on his knees."

Verdict at inquest-" Death from secondary lia:rI!or,1wge after an operntion necessitated from the deeertsed heing injured by an accidental fall of mullock." The accident ocen rred through the man returning too quickly after having fired a shot in the stopes over the ~30·foot level, when 11.1 5 tons fell. The place where he was at work had heen idle for some time, and" the ground winded." Deceased received compound fracturesoftheright armand leg,anddied 17th June 1875.

The man was engaged in placing a loaded truck on th~ cllge at the ilO-foot level, when a small pit'ce of quartz fell down the shaft and strnek him on the right hand, injuring it to such an. extent as to necessitate the removal of the tbird finger. No person witnessed the accident.

The man struck his finger with II hammer while engngcd wedging up a piece of timber. The aecidcnt was of a very trivial nature.

The man was being lowered down'a shaft; a balance-bag, filled with sand and mullock, was on the other end of the rope. When the man was about 50 feet below the balance-bag a stone fell from it, and struck his leg n little above the knce, causing a compound fmcture of the femur. The bottom of the bag (made of bnllock.hide) was afterwards found to have burst open, and it is supposed that it must have strnck a projecting slab in the shaft i the for<'e of the blow breaking the bullock-hide string which fastened the bottom to the body of the bag. The inspector recommended the re-slabbing of this shaft from top to bottom in order to make it safe for the men l;>eing lowered and raised.

~ --l

LIST of Accidents in the Mines of the Colony of Victoria during the Year ending 31st December 1875-continued ..

Dilltrict. Division. Mine Owner. Date of Accident.

1875. Beechworth ••• i Yackandandah I Bigelow and Clingan ... I 26th May

Maryborough I Maryborough I Maryborough Consols Co.1 29th May

Ararat ... I PleasantCreekl Band of Hope Co. ... i 31st May

Ballarat ... I Gordon ... I Egerton Co. Limited ... lIst June

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst •.• I Hustler's Reef Q.M. and lIst June D. Co. Heg.

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst .. , I Great Britain Q. M. and i2nd June . D. Co. Reg. ,

Sandhurst ••• , Sandhurst· ... I Hustier's Premier G. M'13rd June I Co.

Castlemalne ••• I Tarrangower I Grigg and Co. ... I 3rd JUne

Sandhurst Sandhurst ... I Lansen's No. 180 claim I 3rd June

Castlemaine ••. I Fryer's Creek I Black Hawk Co. ... I 3rd June

CallJle of Accident.

120 I Explosion of a blast (gunpowder)

121 I Machinery in motion .••

122 I Fall of earth in a drive

123 I Fall of a stone in a drive

124 Fall of a block of slate in a drive

"lii

~

2

125 Fall of a stage in the i ... I stopes

126 I Explosion of. two car-tridges of gun-cotton

127 I Fall of earth in a shaft

'128 I Fall of a stone down a u pass"

129 I Fall of a "billy" of tea down a shaft

] ~

2

Remarks.

·The parties concerned said that they fired three charges at once, two of which were effective, while the t!lirtl partly blew out the tamping, On clearing out the tamping, a second explosion took place throwing some of it ill the mau's face. The man's mate said that'the tamping was partly blown, and tbat a portion of the charge must have explOllcu, but the inspector reported that this appeared to be a subterfuge on the part of the men to cover their carelessness and breach of the Statute.

Verdict at illquest-" Deceascd met with injuries to his body whilst mining, from the em~cts of which he died." '1'he deceased dropped a hammer into the "bob pit," and while going under the bob to recover it, the mell overhead, not noticing· the occurrence, moved the sky-roil, and the exira weight on the "bob" lowered it, pressing on the man's leg and breaking it in two places. The milling manager deposed at the inquest that had the elld of the "bob" been'propped before the accident, us it was after, the accident would not have occurred.

The justice of the peace at the inqniry was of opillion that the mcn were suffocated by a fall of earth in a drive, and that no blame could be attached to the mrmager or, any other ·person connected with the claim, The deceascd men were cllgaged putting in a "set" of timher in a new drive, and it was presnme(l that one of them made a foul stroke while attempting to kllock a lath ill position and hit the cap-piece instead, thus driving the" sets" which hud beell put in previously out of position, and causing the superincumbent earth te fall and bury them, The inspector found, OIl inspecting the mille, that all the timbering in the workings was efficient and gooeL . •

,The man and his mate had just ·completed a "dig" of about 3 feet along the westem wall of a and the sufferer was in the act of placing a shot when a large stone fell froll! the roof

Ijured his back and right ankle. The inspector reported that had the urive been accident would not have oeeurred. The man stated that the manager directed

that timber should he used on all occasions where there was the slightest apprehension of danger.

The slate fell from the roof of the 900-fo·ot level and slid down the foot-wall, man was resting, eatiug "crib." The inspector reported that" the block of been taken down by the men working in the level."

which the shoulrl have

The men were at work on a stage ill the stopes over the 200-foot level when the stage gave way. Each l1lan hau his ankle sprained. The manager supposed that the stage was badly constructed hy the men. The inspector reported that the stage was only for temporary lls'e during the shift, and must have been badly constructed.

The man had placed two cartridges, eaeh containing five" cottons," in the breastcpoeket of ·his underground coat, The accident oceurreu immediately after he had left the manager's office, where he had been supplied with the gun-cotton for use in the mine. He admitted that he had been smoking just previously, and thltt he had put thc gun-cotton in the same pocket in which he had placed his pipe.

The earth fell about 40 feet from the surface, and the accident occurred in old workings. The inspector reported that proper precautions had 1l0t been taken to secure the ground with timber. Sufferer was part owner, and received injury to his spine.

The accident oceurred ili the stopes over the 700-foot level, whilst the man was descending a "pass" by a ladiler about 10 feet long. It was supposed that his mate, who was following him, "must have touch~d a stone with hi.s foot in stepping on to the ladder."

S~veral men were descending the shaft, each carrying a "billy" of tea; through the breaking of the string, one of the cans fell on the sufferer's head. The inspector reported that this was purely accidental and no blame could be attached to anyone.

N) 00

Sandhurst ••• I S!lJldhurst ... I North Old Chum Co. ... 14th June

Maryborough I Amherst S tar Hill Gold Mining Co. I 7th June

Ballarat ... I Creswiek New Lothair G. M. Co .... 18th June

Castlemainc ... I Taradale ... I Glengonner Co. ••• 19th June

Ballarat '''1 Ballarat ... Blaek Hill Co. Reg. ... 11th June

Ballarat .. , Blackwood ... Sultan Q. M. Co. ... 12thJune

Ararat Pleasant Creek Pleasant Creek ('ross 12th June Reef Co.

Ararat Pleasant Creek Pleasant Creek Cross 15thJune Reef Co.

Ballarat Smythesdale I !teform G. M. Co. 16th June

Sandhurst ... I Eaglehawk ... I Catherine Reef United I I 7th June Claimholders G. M. Co.

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst .•. I Garden Gully United Q. I 17th June M. Co.

130 I Crushed by a cage in a. shaft

131 I Breaking of a windlass • rope, and full down a

shaft 132 I Fall of earth in a drive

133 I Fall of earth underground

134- Struck by a cage on the surface

135 Crushed by a cage in a shaft

136 Slipping of a crowbar ...

137 Fall on the foot-wall of the fiat reef

138 Fall of earth in a drive I

139 I Fall from a ladder down a shaft

140 I Fall of slate and quartz in a stope

2

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased was killed between the cage and the cap-piece, by his being in too great haste getting out of the cage into. the plat, and in not giving the engine-driver sufficient time to raisc the cage high enough so that the plat doors could be let down across the shaft where the cage returned for thc mcn to get safely ont of the cage into the plat." Deceased with three other mon wero lowered in the cage to the 550·foot level, where they all got out except deceased, who attempted to do so after the signal to wind up had been given. The iuspector was of opinion that the accident occurred through the deceased attempting to get out of the cage hefore it had finally settled, and whilst the signal to wind up WfiS iu force. .

The ll1an was being drawn up an old abandoned shaft, and was about 25 feet from the bottom when the ropc hroke. The men were working as mates in drawing the slabs from the shaft.

rope, a borrowed one, was old, and injured by friction against the slabs. at inquest-" Deceased was accidentally suffocated by a fall of earth." The

man received injuries to his loins and ankle and had his shoulder fractured. It was supposed by the survivor that the deceased, in driving laths, must. have loosened the timber, which sup-position \I'as in some degrec confirmed by the namely, that the ariving-hammer was found tightly grasped in the deceased's h!mds, and none of the timber was broken. A miner deposed that the men could gct as much timber as they wanted. The inspector found the mine in thorough working order, aud all thc requirements of the Act No. 480 complied with.

The fall of earth was caused by a cap-piece suddenly giving way under great not being centred; the man and his lllfite were shut in, in thc face where they were out." The inspector reported that the accident might have been avoided by putting in a prop, under the centre of a cap-piece, before out more than two. sets of timber. In this case, it appearocl that the length of three had been excavated, He was also of opinion that the accident was attributable to a great waut of caution on the part of the men themselves, who appear to have disregarded the mining manager's instructions.

The young man was in the act of speaking from the surface to some of the men below, and his head was partly over the shaft for this when the dcscending cage caught it, causing a slight sC.llp wound. The inspector that thc sufferer had no busiiless to be at the shaft at that time, as his shift did commence until four hours after the time at which the acciden t occurred.

'1'he man at the 400-foot level attempted to got off the cage while it was in motion lowering him and three others to the 50o-fooL level. The man could give no reason for attempting to get off the eage in the manner he did,except tbat he was in the habit of doing so. This is another instance of great want of caution and disregard of mining managers'im

The man was engaged in prizing up a piece of qua.rtz with a crowbar, when it caused a jar to his back. The mall was hack at work again a week after the accl

The man was walking to his work when he fell. It was thought that one or two of his l'ibs wcrc broken. No one witnessed the accident.

Verdict at inquest-"Deceascd with his mate were killed by the ground falling upon them whilst at work in a drive; thcre is no evidence to show what caused the ground to cave in," No positive proof could be given as to how the accidcnt ocourred, but the probability was that it occurred while putting in a false set of .timber. No one witnessed the accident.

Verdict at inqucst-" Deceased was accidentally killed by falling down the No.3 shaft, incautiously carrying picks whilst descending the ladder-way. We unanimously coincide with the inspector, Mr. Nicholas, that so carrying picks or tools should be prohibited." The man was descending the shaft with two picks in his bolt, one in his right, and a candle in his left hand. Deceased was a tributer. The inspector teste(\ every rung of the ladders, and found one rung, on putting a strain on it, slightly loose; thc stages and. ladders were well and strongly fixed. The father of deceased was of opinion that his son could not have exercised proper care or the accident would not have occurred,

A small block of slatc and quartz fell from the roof of the stopes, where the man and his mate were "filling up." The sufferer was handing up blocks of mullock to his mate, about 6 feet above, when the stone fell from the roof, rolled from the" stull," and struck the man on the back of the head, causing a scalp wound. The man blamed neither the manager nor himself for the accident. The men were at work taking the necessary precautions to secure the workings for the safety of the miners who were working there.

t-:;l <::.D

District.

Sltndhurst ...

Ararat ... .. .

Sandhurst ...

.Beechworth ...

Ballarat ... Beechworth .•.

C

Ballarat ...

.Ballarat ... .. . ,

Gippsland ... Castlemaine ..•

Ararat' ...

LIST of Accidents in the Mines of the Colony of Victoria duririi(the YeareIiding 3L~t' December 1875....:...coritinued.

'Division. Min . Date of 11 e Owner. Accident. .

----------- ----- ---

1875. I Sandhurst ... Kentish Mine (J. B. Wat- 18th June 141

son)

Pleasant Creek Pleasant Creek' Cross Reef 19th June 142 CO. ,

Sandhurst ... 'Horwood's Freehold G. 21st June 143 . M. Co. Reg.

,

Beechworth.:. Roeky Mountain·Co. ... 22ndJune 14·i : ;

, , ,

Smythesdale Hope Q. M. Co. ... 23rd June 145

'l3eechworth ... Brandes and Co. ... 25th June 146 ,

Smythesdu.le Bute G. M. Co. .. ' 29th June 147 ,.

.

IBlackwood ... Sultan Q. M. Co. o.. 30thJune 148

! ..

,Donnelly's , Creek

. Bismarck United Co. . .. 30th June 149

'Hepburn ... 'Cornish Q. M. Co. 3rd July 150 I I i

: Pleasant Creek Prince Patrick Co. ... 3rd July 151" ;

't5 O,,1Ill6 of Accident. .!

~ I-

.Explosion of a "powder . .. : bottle"

i ;

Slipping and fulling un- I ....

derground

Shock through the rapid descent of a cage down

... a shaft

Fall of earth at the sur- ... face

l!'all of the iron frame of ... a battery

Fall of a bank of earth at 1 the surface

Fall of a prop down a ... jump-up

Fall of rock in a drive ... . ..

Fall of slate underground ... Machinery in motion ... ...

Blow from a hammer ... ...

ai ~ ·s ,..,

Remark ••

The "bottle" contained .about 6 Ibs. of colonial blasting'compound. It appeared to have heen the eustom of the' niiiiers working .at thc 40()-foot level, when they required· powder, to go to the mouth of the cross·cut, where a tin pltrlly filled was kept, and fill their" bottles" from it. The man was following the usnal practice, when his candle fell from the wall and went onto He returned back about 12 feet, lit his eandle, and threw the lighted match away, which' fell directly into the neck of the" powder bottle," causing it to explode; the man bnrnt his hands whilst extinguishing his trousers, which had eanght fire. The manager of the mine ,vas not proceeded n.gltinst, by advice.

'The: man was a trucker, and while engaged at his work slipped and fell, his hand came in contact with a sharp piece of quartz, and was severely eut. The man would probably be able to resume work in a few days .

The c.~ge descended from the 308-foot· to the 'got into the cage .after having signalled to without having fastened dowll the break-handle. driver was immediately dismissed.

level in the engine-sbaft. Four men engine-driver, \vho had left the Jj'or his culpable negligence the

I The man wn.s engaged 1n knoeking a way a picce of timber placed a~ a snpport to a bn.llk. E\'ery Iltiol1 it appeared had hecn taken, bllt thc earth gave· wn.y suddenly, and in mnn he fell OIl a log, and was canght by tIle fltlliug earth,· man blamed no one;

stated it was the rule to exercis'e the utmost care in undermining banks, which at a dcpth of CN 30 feet are necessarily dangcrous. ' 0

Tlie man wn.s assisting to lift the iron frame of a battery, when it slipped and fell 011 him, fracturing his left shoulder-blade.

V",rdict at inq uest-" Don.th from injuries received by the fall of 1I bank of earth while at work." Deeeased was in the nct of undermining thc hank in a sluieing eln.im, when it g!l.\·e.way sud­

and a cOllsiderablc qnant.ity of earth fell on him. He died on 6th .July 18i5. '.rhe of the alluvium was not lIlore than 8 or J 0 feet. This, and the n.ceident which h>lppcned

on· the 22nd .June 18i5, may, the inspector stated, be attributed in a great measure to the soft state of the ground produced by rain, llnd the neglect of the miners in not making dne allow­auce for this w hon undermining the banks.

The man had fastened a prop to the windlass rope, in order to have it rn.ised io the top of the "jump-lip" (40 feet in height), He incautiously stepped into the shaft whilst the mn.1l on the

was U ]n.nding" the prop, which slipped from the rope and fell on the foot of the man sligh tly injuring his ankle.

The man was engaged denring away the fragments from:a blast which he had just fired, when a stllnc fell. The inspect·or reported that the stone which fell was apparently very firm. '1'he men were n.boui to drill n. hole for another blast, thinking the stone would not come onto

The slate fell in the north stope while the man was timbering the ground, and bruised his left foot.

The maTI was employed as an engine-driver, and was He was in close proximity to the sweep-rod, whieh, 011 its dmvnwarcl stroke, struck him on the foot, broke his ankle, and erus!led his foot. The inspector was of opinion that the·uccident was the result of the man's own carelessness. .

The sufferer wn.s turning a drill and n.nother man was striking. The strik.er made a funl blow, and his hammer hit the side of the shaft, from whi9h it glaneed and struck the man, causing a simple fracture of the arm.

Sandhurst Sandhurst son)

Mine(J.B. Wat-15th July

Gippsland ... 1 Donnelly's United Star Tribute 5th July Creek party

Gippsland ... 1 Jericho Timothy O'Ljlary, and J. 6th July Lamb

Sandhurst ..• I Eaglehawk ... I Deceased ••• 16th July

Ballarat ... Smythesdale Prince of Wales G. M. I 6th July Co.

'Ballarat Smythesdale I Hopewell ~. M. Co. ... 8th July

Ballarat Ballarat .. , Claim held under miners' 8th July rights by Chine~e

Ballarat ... Smythesdale Prince of Wales G.M. Co. 9th July

Sandhurst Sandburst '" Wilson's Reef G. M. Co. lOth July

Castlemaine ... Taradale ... Comet Company ... 12th July

<>

Gippsland ... 1 Tarwin ... I No.1 South Co-operative Co.

12th July

Beeclrworth ... I Wood's Point I Dempsey's Tribute party 13th July

152 I Fall from a. ladder down , a shaft

153 Explosion of a. blast (gunpowder)

154 Fall of earth on the sur-fMe

155 I Fall of clay slate in a stope

156 Blow from a windlass handle

157 Slipping and falling at the surface

158 Explosion of fire-damp ... I ... I

159 Fall of a prop in a drive I ... I

160 Machinery in motion ...

161 Foul air ... I ... I

162 Fall of a slab from a heap of quartz at' the surface

163 Fall of rock in the stopes

I,

1

2

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased met with his death by falling off the ladders in the shaft, there not being sufficient foothold in couformity with the Hegulation of Mines Statute, No. 480." The deceased fell from the 400-foot to the 450-f'oot level when attempting to get on to the ladders, which were perpendicular to the latter level. The footholds at each ruug of the ladder were not sucll as werc required by the Act, and at three of the rungs there was neither hand nor foot-hold. He was carrying a coil of fuse .

The blast exploded when the man was taml}ing a hole with an iron tamping-bar. The breach of sub-clause d, clause 2, section 5 of the Act was reported to the police, but in consideration of the surroulldiug circulllstances tim pmsccution was not proceeded with. .

Verdict at inquest-" Accidentally killed by the bank of his claim falling in." The claim had all open face of 20 feet high, from which a tunnel had been driven on the gutter, and the face was heing prepared hy deceased for starting a second one, when the ground gave way and fell 011 him. No one wltuessed the accident. The ground had not been worked for twenty­three days prior to the accident. The inspector reported that the bank was exposed to sunrise, and the accident was attributahle ·to carelessness, and also to heavy frosts succeeded by a thaw.

Verdict at iuquest-"Death from injuries received by a fall of a large mass of slate mullock upon him, whilst injudiciously working on stopes in his own claim, near his residence." The accident happened whilst the llIan was working aloue in the backs over the 45-foot level. The inspector fOllnd the slmfts, level", and passes in good order, and showing fair attention to safety; the ba.cks were filled up with llIullock to within 4- feet of the roof, but as llHl ground w:is very loose it should have been suppnrted by temporary props where there was any "doubtful place," and he was of opinion that, wilh earcful examination, any such "doubtful place" 1v(mld have been diseov«red.

The man stated that he was raising a prop to the top of a " means of a windlass; that when ncar thc top the rope suddl motion was thereby given to the windlass, the baudle of forehead, causing a severe Ivound.

'""",_,m" (30 feet in height), by and a quick reactionary

struck the sufferer on the

The man was engaged pulling a truck from a cage which bad heen just raised to the "brace," wheu he slipped and fell backward Oll a sapling at the surface, a. distance of 1,1 feet, severely injuring his back. He was a tributer.

A Chillamnn was working in a drive about 60 fect from the main shaft, ahout 80 feet deep. In his absence at dinner a small portion of the drive "caved in" to an old drive. On his return, as he was lighting his candle the explosion. took plaee, burning his arms Rnd face. The in­spector stat"d that if a Davy lamp had heen med the accident would not have occurred. , .

The mau was engaged repairiug the main drive when ,a prop (6 feet 6 inches loug) which had been placed against the side of the drive fell, and bruised his leg.

The engine was started without warning the man who was at work ahout the stamper-box, when the stamper fell aud crushed two fingers of his right haud. '1'he man whp started the engine was not the driver, and should not have beeu permitted to take charge of i~ under any circnmstan'ces whatever. The mnnager has since prohibited allY oue "touching the engine other than the engine-drivers."

The men were being lowered down the shaft, and wben at a depth of ahont 280 feet hoth men appear to Imvc become stupefied by the foul air; they man8ged, however, to shake the rope, when the engine-driver, suspeetiug something wroug; raised them to the 240-foot level. when one man fell off the cage, and the other man was jammed against the cap-piece of the chamber. The shaft (in spite of every appliance), when left ullworkcd for a few hours, becomes fnll of foul air. The manager of the company was fined Is. and costs, on the 21st July 1875, for a. breach of clause 15, section 5 of Act 480 .

The man was engaged filling trucks from a quartz heap in the palldock, and iu shovelling too ':llUch under brought down a fall of quartz, and a loose slab on the top of the heap fell and broke the, small bone of the man's leg.

'1'he stope waS about 8 feet from the face of a very steep hill, in soft b'Tanite dyke, with tongues of slate .. About half a ton of rock fell. The inspector reported that the state of the stope in which the man was working evinced great carelessness on his part.

C;.:; .......

LIST of Accidents ill the Mines of the Colony of Victoria during the Year ending 31st December 1875-continued.

," District. I Division. Mine Owner. , .B~i3e":t. ~1 Ca.use of Accident. ~ 1 Remarks. ~~ ~ ~ --------

. Ballarat

Ararat

Ballarat

1875. Smythesdale I Reform G. M. Co.' ' ... I 14th July

PleasantCreekl Extended Cros's Reef Q. I 14th July l\f. Co. Reg.

Blackwood .•• I Albion Q. M. Co. No I 15th July

Beechworth ... I Buckland Liability

Deceased On or abt. 15th July

Ararat Pleasant Creek N e\\'ington and Pleasant 17th July Creek Co.

Maryborongh Maryborongh Seaham Co. (let on tri- 20th July bute)

Sandhurst ... Raywood Frederick the Great Co. 21st July

Maryborough I Amherst '" I Henry Duncan ... I 22ndJuly

Ballarat ... I Creswick ••• I Cameron's Freehold G. M. 23rd July • Co. No Liability

Maryborongh I Maryborough I Gladstone Co. (let on tri- 24th July bute)

Sandhurst ... Sandburst ... Central Garden Gully Co. 24th July

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst ... I No. 180 claim (G. Lansell'i 26th July I owner)

164 I Fall off a stage flown a shaft

165 I Blow from a piece of steel

166 , Fall of centre slabs down a shaft

16i Fall of earth at the sur­face

168 I Jammed by timber

169 Jammed by timber

110 Fall down a quartz "shoot" underground

171 Fall of a bucket down a shaft

172 , Explosion of a blast (gun. , powder)

173 Fall of earth in a drive ...

174 Explosion of a blast (colo. nial blasting compound)

175 I Explosion of a blast (gun-powder)

The man was precipitated off a stage ill the pump-shaft 90 feet ftom the bottom; a chain which he was holding vibrated so much from sudden tension that he lost his hold and fell, fracturing the smn.ll hone of his right leg.

The man was engn.ged turtling a drill and another man was striking, whl'n a small piece of steel splintered from the drill and entered his eye (n.t the iris). The accident was not likely to result ill a loss of the lllau's eyesight. . '

The man was engaged sinking the shaft when the lJUcket knocked out some centre slabs, which fell, and cut his head and hruised his shoulder.

Verdict at inqucst-" Accidentally killed hy a fall of earth at the Bnckland.'J Deceased was a Chinese" hatter," working by himself, und left his hut 011 the 15th July for the purpose of "fossicking" in old ground. His nearest neighbor-a Chinaman-not seeing Ilis com­

)t on the following dILY, looked for him, and found his tin dish. Suspecting bis fMc the fall of fresh earth, be infoTIned the police; the eartb was removed, and the body

found. No one witnessed the accident. The man was lifting a piHce of timber on tbe surface when it slipped and jammed his fingers

ag'linfit the ground, bruising them se,erely. The man's leg was jammed between two logs of timber after tipping the logs from a cart at

the air-shaft. The man was at work in the backs, over the 380-foot level, when he went, without his candle,

to put It rope into a "block oyer the shoot," and fell about 45 feet down the shoot. The inspector reported that. it was the man's practice to go without his candle, although he had been cautiolJed against so doing. '.rhe inspector suggested that the mouths of the shoots should be contracted, Qr partly covered.

The bucket fell at about 3 feet from the bottom of the shaft when being drawn up. The WItS insecurely !tttached to the hook and was not noticed by the boy's fatber'(Henry who was employed winding up the "stuff." The injured boy was only nine yeal the inspector reported that great carelessness was due to the boy's father, in not seeing the rope was properly fastened·to the hook. Henry Duncan was fined Is. and 2s. 6d. costs, on 5th August 1875, for a breach of section 4 of Aet No. 480.

The man was blnsting in bluestone rock in the shaft; he had elmrged !l. hole, lit the fuse, and ascended the shaft. Thinking it had missed fire he was in the act of descending, and when about 40 feet from t.he bottom the shot exploded, and he was struck on the arm by a stone, causing 11. flesh wound. The man attributed the accident to his own hastiness in going down.

A sudden slip of the reef caused the accidp.nt, which occurred while the man was driving in the face after the Illldcr-cut. He had his right ann broken, alld his right side and legs severely bruised.

The accident occurred at the 386-foot level, where the Illan and his mate had just gone to work. It appeared that the previolls shift had fired a hole which threw only a part of its burden, leaving abou~ 9 inches at the bottom, and that this was in the very position where it would be best to drill the next bole. The charge exploded soon after they commenced drilling, and slightly burnt the man's right .eye a,nd wrist. .

Verdict at inqucst-" Death from the effects of an accident. We are of the opinion, unani­mously, that the deceased met with his death from an explosion of powder owing to the neglect of not using a properly made cartridge, which should have been required by the miners from their manager." One of the men was charging It 4-foot hole with gunpowder in thestopes over the 700-foot level, when the button end of the scraper "hitched," and in wrenching it out he broke off the button, and must have ignited the powder, which exploded, aud severely injured the two men. At about 12 inchN\ from the bottom of the hole the inspector found two small quartz veins had been drilled through, and ill one of these he had no doubt the scraper "hitched," and the violent wrenching in the quartz produced sparks of fire which ignited the l?owder. Deceased died on 12th August 1875.

~ b.::)

ndhurst Sa:udhurst •.• 1 Thll.net cl:Lim (G. Lansel!, I 27th July! I owner)

Z Saudhurst ... 1 United Pyrites Company 1 27th July I ? Sandhurst

:"' Ballarat Smythcsdll.le I Racecourse G. M. Co ... : 1 28th July j Bee<thworth .•. Y:wkandandah Mun Cheong and others 29th July I

Ballarat ... I Creswick ... I ... ... I 30th July I

Sandhurst ... 1 Sandhurst ... Victoria Reef Q. M. Co. ! 1st Aug. I Reg.

I , Great Kc'l:tellded Hustlers I 2nd Aug. I Sandhurst ••• I Sandhurst

Reef Q. M. Co.

Ararat Pleasant Creek Pleasant Creek Cross Reef 14th Aug. Q. M, Co. Reg. . I

Sandhurst ·:·1 Sandhurst .. ·1 ~one ... 4th Aug. ':l

Castlemaine ... i Tarrangower Eaglehawk Liruited Q. 17th Aug. M.Co.

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst Hercules Co. Reg. 9th Aug.

Beechworth ... I Deechworth ... I Kingston Quartz Co. • .. IllthAug.

Maryhorough I Avoca .... llthAug.

Ararat Raglan ••• I New'Charlton G. M. Co, I llthAug.

176 I Fall of clay slate in a drive

177 I Blow from a piece of iron

178 i Fall of , earth in a drive ...

179 i Fall of earth at the sur-I 1 I face

180 I Explosion of matches and I"'j three detonating caps for lithofl'acteur

181 I Fail of a piece of timber down a shaft

182 I Machinery in motion

183 I Tipping of a truck

1841 Fall of earth at the sur-face

185 I Fallfromaplatformdown a shaft

186 I Fall of It block of "lava" from the roof of the stopes

187 I Explosion of a blast (gunpowder)

188 i Fall of earth in a drive ...

189 I Fail of earth in a drive ...

The man was at work in the 320-£oot level when the slate fell. There was just room for . another set of back" laths," which should have been put in at once. The man and his mate

were experienced miners and should have secured the roof of the level before they shovelled out the Illullock.

The Ulan had the sight of his left eye destroyed by a piece of iron flying from the anvil whilst cutting it off from the iron he was working. When cutting off the piece of iron which injured him he should have held it from and not towards his face.

The man, while engaged 'iu driving latlls in a blocking dri ve, accidentally displaced the" false set," causing the earth to fall and partly cover him. No one witnessed the accident.

Verdict at inquest-" Accidentally killed by the fall of a bank whilst working in his claim." Deceased was undermining for a fall of eltrth in a' creek sluicing claim, of which he was one of the holders. Chinese were the only persons who witnessed the accident. As far as could be ascertained the fall came unexpectedly, and he was buried under th,e earth.

The man was prospecting, and, in an interval from work, struck a match on II box (containing matches and detonating caps) to light his pipe, when the contents of the box exploded. The bottom of the box was stamped for igniting matches, but the material was so thin that the stamping perforated the bottom, and left several small holes in.it.

The man was at work timbering the shaft below the plat Itt the 900-foot level. The windlass men cautioned him to stand from under, as some timber was being lowered in the sling; this he failed to do, when the timber slipped and fell on him, bruising his left shoulder. The mining manager told the men not to send the timber down in the sling, but to put one end in

bucket and lash the other end to the windlass rope . young man was at work in the shed, feeding 11 circular buddie, and having occasion to go to

the upper floor, instead of going by the staircase, which was easier of access, he climbed through the opening in the floor, and in so doing was struck on the head by the crank of the tailings pump. The opening in the floor was securely fenced.

A full truck was being taken of!' the cage at No, 1 level of the No.2 shaft; two wheels of the truck were of!' the cage, when it rose a little and tipped the truck against the man's leg. The accident \vas supposed to have been caused by there being no slaek rope on the cage.

Verdiet at inquest-" Accidentally suffocated by a fall of earth. There were no marks of violence upon the body of a wilful character." Deceased, like other boys, was in the habit of searching in the Bendigo Creek for gold, when not at school or after school hours. Apparently he had been sinking a hole under the bank, when the earth fell upon and smothered him. There was about a-foot of earth on the body when found.

~~he man fell from a platform erected 6 feet from the bottom of the engine-shaft. He was cutting a hole for a piece of timber. The accident was caused by a r-ebound of the hammer from the drill he was striking,

The lava fell from the roof of the stopes between the 480 and 550-foot levels, where he was at work building up a "pass." His hand was "resting" on the stone which he had just placed, when the lava fell and broke the first joint of his thumb. The" lava" was about 2 feet wide, and was disintegrating at the joints of the blocks, thus requiring constant watchfulness.

The man was engaged drilling out It hole which had missed fire on the previous evening (in wet ground, but not below watcr), wlfen the shot exploded. The man, -without consent and against the usual practice of the mine, took upon himself to drill out the missed hole, in contravention of the Regulation of Mines Statute.

Verdict at inquest-" Accidentally killed by severnl tons of earth falling upon him while work­ing in a drive in his claim." Deceased (Chinltman) was working in a drive 12 feet from the shaft when the accident occurred. The drive was not timbered,

Opinion of magistrate at inquiry-" Deceased was accidentally killed by the ground falling on him while working in the Charlton claim." Dece!tsed was working in a blocking drive, when a quantity of earth fell, displacing four sets of timber, nnd completely covering him. When released sometime afterwards he was quite dead, Deceased was, to all appearances, smothered by the earth, as there was no timber lying on him, and he ,vas not disfigured in any way. Sometime previous to the accident, deceased was requested to come out of the drive, which was considered to be dangerous. -

"'" "'"

LIST qf Accidents in the Mines of the Colony of Victoril!- during the Year ending al'st December 1875-continued.

~ District.

.... <>

e~l'3~t ~~ Mine Qwuer. Division. z<

Cause of A.ccidont. r 1 , t ~ I ~

\

Remarks.

-----1---1--------1---1--1--------1-1-1---------------------------------

1875. S:wdhurst ••• II Eaglehawk "'1 Belmont Trib~te Co. Heg. 16th Aug.

I ,. I

Castle maine .•• I' Castlemaine ••• Central Wattle Gully Co. 16th Aug.

Samlhurst ... I Sandhurst .,. South Alliance Co. 16th Aug. , •

19th Aug. \ Castlemaine ... I Tarrangower I Northern ~eehlve' Co.

I , "

Atm'at . ,. I Pleasant Creekl Baud of Hope Co. (Chi- I 26th Aug. \ , nese tribute party) .

Ballarat Creswick Australasian G. M. Co .••• 1 30th Aug.

:'hryborough Maryborough Fossicking party ... , 31st Aug.

190 I Fall down a shaft .~.;

191 Fall of stone from the heud of a stope I

I I

192 Fall of earth at the Bur-face

193 Fall of qnartz in'11. '(!;iv'e

I 194 I Caving in of a drive ••• !

195 1 Fall of a stone' from a slippery head in the face of a reef dri vc

196 I Foul aircllusing fall down, a shaft

Ballarat ... ,I Creswick ... 'I Richardson's Freehold Junction·G. M. Co.

31st Aug.: 197 Fllll of a small stonc down ,a shaft

2

, 2nd Sept. I 198 Fall of a piek,dow!1 a I" 1

shaft, I

Eaglehawk .. : 1 Hose of Denmark Co. Sandhurst

,

,I I I • , ' . '

The man was at work with the manager re-timbering the shaft. They had just sent down by the rope II 30-foot length of ladder, and thought the end of it WIIS on the stage, instead of which it was resting on a dividing'?iece across the shaft, about 7 feet above the stage on which' they were working. The man then descended.the shaft by the windlass rope and fixed l!ldders to .the loose ladder, got on it, and 1\.<1 he did so the end slipped from the dividing piece, aud the jerk and tuming of the ladder which followed caused him to loosen his hold and fall away, striking the divjding piece, aud thence to the stage. The mlln had his ribs broken, and pro­bably received internal injuries.

Verdict at inquest-H Death caused by irritative fever and blood poisoning, the result of injuries acddei1tll.lly received in workiug in the Central claim." Deceased was working lit the head of a stope; the stone fell q.s he and, his mate were shovelling aWIlY stone, ,preparatory to jJutting in a set of timber. Deceased died on the 20th August 1875. Inspector reported-" The mine WIIS well.timbered, and no blame could be IIttllchcd to the mine owners nor manllger.",

A ~mall qllllfl~ity of,earth fell' whilst the man was at work in a surface cutting, not exceeding 6 feet in dCJ~th. The mlln was one of a sub-tribute pllrty under the tributers from the Com­mercial Bank, anu thcy,had no manager employed.

'The man anu his mate ~"ere engaged taking out II bloek of quartz which had been left standing in old work,ings. The latter was watching the block,while the'sufferer was under-cutting it; when his mate saw it giving, way he sang out to the other, who had not time to get out of the .way before the block fell on him. The inspector was of opinion that the acciuent occurred through carelessness and inexperience on the part of the men; there was no one else to .blame in the matter .

Verdict at inquest-It Accidental death. No person was to blame, ,but that in future the use of , dogs' should be insisted on throughout thc mine." Magistrate's decision at inquiry--" Death by mislldventure, through the falling ill upon him of the mine in which hc was working." No one witnessed the accident, the cause of which could only be conjectured. It is probable

.tpat,one of, the men (both were Chinamen), in striking at,a lath, hit the cap-piece, thus dis­placing the props, 11.nd causing the whole of the timbering to collapse. Inspector found the timbering in other parts of the workings" carefully and properly put in. Be recommended that the use of iron" dogs" be insisted upon in the further working of the mine.

The man had the slllall bone of his left leg broken, but ascribed no blame to anyone. The inspector reportcd that the drive was ,,:ell timbered close up.

Verdict,at.inquest-"Deceased met his 'death, whilst mining, through the effects of foul air." Deceased and his mates were fossicking ;n old ground, near the old Magnum Bonum claim.

.Deceased was lowered down an old shaft, about 130 feet deep, and ~s supposcd to have become insensible from the effects of fO,ul air whilst u!1covering the well at the bottom, in which he was found dead.

The man was at work sinking the shaft lit a depth of 120 feet, when it is supposed that ·the canvas bag, which was used in baling water, swept a stoue into the shaft; which cut 'and bruised the back of his left hand.

Verdict at inquest-" Death frOB;! inflammation of the skull, causeu by a pick faIling uP?D . him; and deceased would not have ,met his death had clause 11 of seetion 5 of the Act, No. 480, been complicd ,with, and that, in crossing shafts, miners should not carry articles with, them which, in falling, would be ,likely to cause an accident." The pick was dropped into.the,shaft by a miner who was stepping across the shaft at the 410-foot level; it struck

,,~.he ifljured n,an in the 4-60-foot level, CaUSiIl!l'.a componnd,fracture of the skull,.and then fell to the bottom level and struck deceased, :who had just got into .the cage, which was not covered as require(l by the Act'.' '

~

""'"

Salldhurst Sandhurst .•. I Shenandoah G. M. Co .... I 2nd Sept.

Castlemaine .... I Tarrangower 'Eaglehawk Limited Co. 1 3rd Sept.

Sand hurst ... I Sandhurst Eurek~ Tribute Company' 3rd Sept.

Ballarat ... I Creswick Robinson's Freellold G., 4th Sept. M. Co.

Ballarat ... I Buninyong ... 'Perseverance Co-opera- 16th Sept. tive G. M. Co.

Ballarat ... I Ballarat ... I Band of Hope and Aibion ~ 7th Sept. , Consols (Co-operative

Maryborough Maryborough Maryborougb Dunolly

Beechworth ... I Indigo

Co.)

Cambrian Company 9th Sept. I Prince of Wales G. Y. 9th Sept.

Co. Umited

H. A. Tompkins and 19th Sept. others

Ballarat

Ballarat

Smythesdale 'Hopewell Tribute Co .... '11th Sept.

Smythesdale I Eldorado G. M. Co.

Castlemaine ••• I Hepburn Richard Martyn

13th Sept.

16th Sept.

199 I Slipping and falling un­derground

200 I Explosion of a blast (gun­cotton)

201 I Injured by the fall of a cage in a shaft

202 I Fall of earth from the back of a drive

203 I Collapse of a drive 2

204 I Explosion of fire-damp .•. I ... i

2051 Fan of quartz in a drive I 206 Fall of earth and timber !

in a drive

207 I Fall of slate from the wall of a drive

208 Machinery in motion

209 Fall of earth •••

210 FaIl down a shaft

3

'1

.1

The man had just firml a hole in the stopcs over the 390-foot level; he returned to examine the effect of it, and in so doing wns leaning 011 a block of quu,rtz, a part of which broke off, and he fell 011 the sharp edge; severely cutting his arm.

The man was pricking out the tamping from a hole -which missed fire-with a copper pricker. Tbe accident occurred at the bottom of the engine shaft, at it depth of 550 feet, .and is sup­

d to have been caused through the use of damaged fnse. It was an hour after the fnse lighted that the blast exploded. ' ,

The cage bad been stationary in the shaft at the 300-foot plat for about ·two hours, during which time the sufferer and his mate were frequently in and out of the cage. 'rhey signalled to commence pumping, and in order to do this it was necessary to put the winding drums out of gear; this was done, and the engine-driver said that he put down the break the usualmallner. 'rhe sufferer got into the cage and the break 'not acting it at once to descend, the velocity of its descent rapidly increasing caused the wire rope to run off

and fall down the shaft, and, but for the cover overhead on the cage, it wonld prouably eaused fatal iujuries.

'fhe accident was not witnessed by anyone. The sufferer ascribed no blame to was captain of the shift and was tapping the tace of an old prospecting drive when fell and broke the small bone of his right arm. ,

one; he earth

Verdict at inquest-"Accidentltlly killed by a quantity of earth falling suddenly." The men timbering·at the face when the accident occurred without the slightest warniu,!!. The was four sets of timber in length, and the deceased men were putting in the fourth set the false sct. One steadied the timber and said to the other-H This one," meaning the

lath whieh he wanted driven; upon striking this, theclrivc instantly fell in for its whole length, smothering them. It was good working ground, and the timber sufficiently strong. "Dogs" or stays w(:re not used, and the inspector considered the use of them should be made imperative .

The accident occurred lit the change of shifts. An old dlive had been tapped immediately before the retiring shift left the face. One of the relieving shift was in the act of breaking

, into the old drivc when a rush of water and fire-clamp took place; the gas exploded and the men were burnt abont the face, hands, and arms. The air were \vithin ahout 15 feet from the face of the drive. Two other men were in the drive the timc, :llld witnessed the accident, but were not injured ..

The qnartz fell from the roof of the drive aud inflicted a slight scalp wound 011 thp man. Verdict at inquest-" Death from fracture and displacemcnt of the spinal vertebral, caused

by the carelessness of deceased while working ill a mine." Deceased the man, in order to save time in ncw set of tilll ber cut, were dra wing a of old

timber from the middle of an abandoned Instead of first taking out the laths, dceeasetl knocked out one of the legs or props with a hammer, and ,vhen the leg fell, the wholo of t,hat set, two other sets of timber, and the earth which was resting on the laths fell. Some of the timber must have struck deccased on the spine, c'LUsing instant death. Deceased had not been instructed to draw thc timbcr by the mining manager, as there was plenty of ncw timber ·on the surface. The inspector wus of opinion that the accident was entirely due to the careless mauuer in which deceased-who was stated to have been mining for 23 years-was porforming his work. .

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased came by his dcath through being crushed against the wall oC It drive by It slip of rock from the opposite wall, and his death was purely accidelltal." No onc witnessed the accident; deceased was working in a drive by himself. There was DO super-· vision of the works by any of the partners, eaeh man timbered as he considered necessary. Deceased was very careless, and han frequently been warned by his mates fol' not using more· timber, but without any effect; amI it was only a few weeks previously that he had a narrow

. escape from a similar accident. The man's foot was caught by the "spin" wheel of the cam shaft, and the great toe was cut

off whilst he was engaged in oiling the machincry. The accideut occurred I~t the battery. The man was engaged in filling a truck from a " shoot" when a piece of earth feU on his left

hand, forcing it ag:tinst the edge of the truck and breaking his little finger. The man was injured while ascending the shaft. He was carrying a piece of timber in one hand

und held the rope with the other, his foot being in the loop of the rope; his foot slipped, and he fell 38 feet, sustaining a compound fracture of the leg. The inspector was of opinion that

injudicious for a miner to carry anything in the hand when ascending or deseending a foot in the loop of a rope.

- LIST of Accidenls in the Mines of the Colony of Victoria during the Year 31st December 1876-continued.

District.

Sandhurst

Ballarat

Ballarat

Division. (Mine Own,er:

1875. Eaglchawk ••• I York and Durham'Co. ' .•. I 11th Sept

... , Ballarat ... , Hero Extended Co. 17th Sept .

••• I Blackwood ... I RoUert Griffin nnd de-" 22n(1 eeased

Maryborough 1 Avoca "'1 David Farnsworth ... ! 23rd Sept. Sandhurst ••. Sandhurst •.. North Shenaniloah G.M. 23rd Sept.

Co.

Maryborough Amherst Duke of Edinburgh Co ... 26th Snpt.

Sandhurst ... Eagleha'yk ... Princess Alexandra Tri- ~8th Sept. bnte Co.

Bcechworth '" .r. C. Bigelow ... ... ,30th

Castlemaine ... I Castlemaine ... I Frallk Harper and his I 5f,h Oct ... brother

211

212

213

CaUl!() of Accident.

~\dl ofa bloek ofcla,y slate in the stopes

Fall of a portion of the hanging wall ill 11 drive

Fall of enrth a,t thc face

214 ! Fall of the roof of a drivc

215 Fall of a stagc causing fnll inn drive

216 Fail of sets of tim bel' in n drive

217 Explosion of blasting I cOlllPound

218 I :Fall of earth and timber dow n a shaft

219 I Fall of earth at the sur­face

i ~

. 1

'1

I Remarks.

Verdict at inquest-O Deceased ";8 accidentaI1y killed whilst working alone in the York an'd Durham claim on tl'ihute. IVe are unanimously of opinion that, in 'any amendment of the Act, No, 480, a clause should be inscrted making it compulsory tbltt no mincr should work. alone ill, any mine or part of any mille." The workings were narrow where deceased was, 4 feet high by 3 feet wide for :;OIIlC 15 feet in length; two IlIcn could not work together there. No timber had been used to secure the ground in the stopes, which were, however, closely filled up with mullock. The inspector thought the proximity of the old workings rendered the place more than usunJly d~ngcrous, thus requiring unusual supervision; did not SEC any violation of Act No. 480. nor did he think that the ordimtry supervision of the manager would have prevented the accident.

The mnn was drilling a hole in thc face of a dr1\'e in which to place a shot, when a portion of the hanging wall gave way and struck him, bruisiug his back om] shoulders. The maustated that he was aware of the being loose, out thought it would not give way until the shot was fired. The reported that the accident was entirely due to the man's own carelessness .

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased met with his death from fracture of the 08 pubis accidentally caused by a fall of earth upon him whilst he was at work in his alluvial claim." The paddock was sunk in old and the £nil was 14 feet deep. Deceased was taking out a pillar without first putting in when the earth fell, aud he was injured in the groin by a pick handle, which was the immediate cause of deltth. Inspector was of opinion that the aceident was caused by carelessness of deceased in not securely timbering the ground before proceeding t{) knoek out the pillar which was its only support.

The accident occurred in an old drive hy the falling in of a portion of its roof.

The sufferer had erected It in the 300-foot level, and while testing whether it was securely fixed it fell, he falling with and injnring his right arm.

The man was sinking:t sand-pit, 16 inehes deep. alld 5 wide, in the main drive, an,d had neglected to timber, in consequencc of which the two sets of timber fell in and three more immediately followed. The man was buried in the drive for nearly two hours before he was released.

Verdict at inquest-" Death from exhaustioll alld hremorrhage cansed by extensive burns, the result of the ignition of Woolf's l'atent Blasting Compound (sent in imperfectly made

by.}, Lyons & ~o.). We are unanimously of opinion that the dcath of the aeccasea was the result of censurable carelessness on the part of the management of the tributers of the said elahll." The man's shirt was set on fire by the explosiou of two tins of blasting eompoulld which were ignited by sparks from the anvil in the smithy where he was at work. Thcse tins were in excess of the quantity ordered by the manager, and the agent­had been notified to take them away. The man died 011 the 25th October

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased was accidcntally killed pya fall of timber and earth. Rider­The jury can find no blame attached to the working manager or other person." Deceased was at the mouth of a 40 feet from the bottom of the shaft, 410 feet deep, when some earth fell from near the broke through two filled galleries, each 30 feet deep, at the 110 and 230-foot levels, and a cltp-pieee ~truek deceased and killed him. No one witnessed the accident, the lights beillg blown out, Inspector founel that every preca,ution had been taken to prevent accidents, the galleries being well timbered and filled up.

·1 , The man bad been picking to fall a face of soil about 9 feet deep; he saw the earth giving way, and in trying to escape his foot caught ill a stOIlC and he fell, the earth falling UPOll him breaking both his legs. The ill spector when visiting the claim on the 29th September per­ceived no SilrllS of danger.

C;:> 0;,

Ba.llarat ••• I Creswick

Maryborougb I J{orong

Ballara.t Ballarat

Balla.rat Smythesdale

Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ...

Maryborough I Maryborough

Castlemaine... Fryer's Creek

Ararat

Maryborough Maryborough

Castlemaine ... Taradale

South Clunes G. M. Co ... ! 8th Oct ...

.r oseph Whitfield and de- I 11 th Oct. ceased

National Co-operative Co.lll th Oct. \

George Maldree ... [13th Oct.

Shenandoah G. M. Co .... ! 14th Oct. I

Abandoned grollnd ... I 15th Oct.

Black Hawk Co. 20th Oct.

Albion Q.lll. Co. limited I 21st Oct.

Junction Company ... I 21~t· Oct.

Ironstone Hill LC!td G. I 22nd Oct. M. Co. limited

220 Jj'all down a shaft

221 FRII of washdirt ill a drive

222 [ Fall of earth in a drive ...

223 I Fall of earth in a drive ...

224 i Explosioll of a blast

225

226

227

228

229

powder)

Fall of a stage causing fall down a shaft

Fall of a block of sand­stolle in a drive

Explosion of a blast pOll-der)

:Fall down a "jump-up"

Fall of earth in a drive •.•

2

2

Verdict at inquest-" Death by drowning and other injuries received in an accidental fall down the shaft." Deceased was putting in a cross bar at the No.3 level for the cage to rest on, when both he and the bar fell down the shaft to the No. 5 level into four feet of water, in which the man was drowned. It was supposed that deceased had one foot on the cross bar and one on thc .. flat sheet" when he fell. Deceased was in the habit of pntting in the eross bars by himself.

Verdict at inquest-H Deceased died from injuries received by the aecidental fall upon him of a block of eement whilst working in a mining claim." Deceased was driving under the wash­dirt-which had got loosencd by exposure .to the weather-near tbe shaft (13 feet deep) ; he neglected to sound. the ground before eODlmencing to drive, and drove further under it than, was prudent. The inspector was of opinion that the accidcnt was entirely due to deceased's neglect and want of caution. The mine was imperfeetly timbered, but he was of opinion that it was not this imperfect timbering that caused the accident.

The man was engaged working in a reef drive when II piece of earth fell from the face of it and struck him Oll the left leg, fracturing it immediately above the ankle.

The man was working by himself ill a drive, and was taking out a pillar of earth when the ground gave way and partly covered him. 'Whilst trying to extricate himself a mass of cement, about 3 cwt., fell on his back and side, severely bruising him. He crawled to the shaft and was speedily raised to the surface. No one witnessed the accident.

Verdict at iuquest-H Death from inflammation of the brain and fracture of the skull, acciden­tally received by a large quantity of quartz falling from a blast upon him whilst he had gone there coutmry to the warning of his boss!' Notice had been given that a shot was to be fired in the bottom of a winze in the 390-foot level, and all hands went baek in the level to a place of safety. About tell minutes elapsed without an explosion, and it is supposed tbat deceased was anxious to get back to his work, and returned just as the blaBt exploded. Some of the loosened quartz struek him, causing injuries from the effects of which he died on the 20th October 1875. The inspector deposed at the inquest that the aeeident eould only have bem prevented by forcibly detaining deceased in his place of safety.

The man and his mate were drawing slabs ill an old shaft about 220 feet deep, when a portion of the reef slipped and the stage on which they were working' gave way, and the sufferer felJ about 40 feet to thc next stage, sustaining a severe scalp wound, His mate saved himself by holding on to the rope made fast to the wiudl!tss on the top, where two other mell were stationed.

The man was drilling a hole in a block of sandstonc for the purpose of blasting, when a mass of stone fell from the face and struek him, breaking his leg. The inspector believed therc was no blame atta{'hed to anyone.

A shot had missed fire, and tbe two men who charged it proceeded .to drill it out when it exploded. One man was severely burned about the face and breast. This is another instance of the recklessness of miners who had both been cautioned against the drilling out of missed fire shots, but persisted in doing so in contravention of the Regulation of Mines Statute.

'1'he men were in a drive 16 feet long, at the top of a "jump-up" 65 feet deep, and were putting in an additional course of oreastillg timber when suddenly the whole face burst in. The two men were only able to reach the top of the" jump-up" when the rush of water and sand hurled them to the bottom; each man had his ankle sprained and was bruised in different parts of his body. The inspeetor reported tIl at the drive appearcd to be well timbered, but was unable to resist the pressure of watcr abreast.

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased were suffocated by the falling in of a quantity of earth caused by the accidental breaking of blocking timber, and we, the jury, are of opinion that the timber used was insufficient, and of too light a description for the safety of the men employed in the mine." The deeeased men were blocking out ground along the gutter, and eight feet of ground had been opened out a-hcad of the set of timber where the cap-piece gave way. The caps used were 8 feet long, supported at each end by a prop 4 or 5 feet long. They were gen­erally further strengthened by a centre prop when there was room to do so, but in this case no centre prop had been put in, hence the accident. '1'he inspector was of opinion that the aecident was owing to gross carelessness and want of precaution on the part of the men them­selves, and neglect on the part of the captain of the shift whose duty it was to see that the mine was properly timbered.

C>.? -4

.~

\

LIST of Accidents ill the Mines of the Colony of Victol'ia during the Year ending 31st December 1875-continued.

~\ II' District, -Divisioll. Mille OWllcr. Da.te of I 'o~ . ~ "Cf

Accident. I cl'g Cause of Accldent. ,'" I .~ :-« I . ~ ,.. ------, 1-

lfaryborough \ Dunolly ... \ Joseph Barnstable others

1875. I and \ 25t11 Oct. 2:30' F~I of earth at the sur- I ... I

i face

Ballamt ... Ballarat ... i Countess Company ... I 25th Oct. I 231 I Fall from a tramway at ! '" ! i the surface

Beech worth ••• Beechworth Broadhead and party .•• I 26th Oct. I 232 I Fall of earth from the I 1 I ...

'bank of !t sluicing claim

BaIlal'at ... I Creswick ... I Ah Lem (deceased) and '12/th Oct. ! 233 I Fall of earth in a drive 1 I

another ) . !

Castlemaine ... I Fryer's Creek I Small and Co. ... i 28th Oct. I 234 I Fall of a piece of slate I down a shaft

Sandhurst ... I Eaglehawk ... I Princess Alexandra Tri- 28th Oct. I 235 I Fall of a DJan down a I bute Company shaft on another man

236 I Fall of ca.rth from the I Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst ... I Patrick Hamill '''h 0"'1 (deceased) side of a gully

Ballarat '" \ Blackwood ... I North Britain Co. ... lSt'Nov: 1237 Fall of a bucket eontain- I ... I iog drills down a shaft

SalltUlUrst ... i Eaglehawk .•. i St. Mungo Hill G. M. Co. 'i 1st Nov.

BiIllarat '" I Ryrie's Freehold G. M. I ~st Nov . Co.

... , preswick

238 ! Fall of a shovel down a shaft

239 i Fall from the bracc to the ground

l~mark8.

The mau and his mates were paddock~g the ground, which is about 13 feet deep, and the man .was driving under one side of it to take out a small block'of solid ground, the .surroundillg ground having heen previously workcd.About 4 feet of the earth under which he was working fell on him, causing a compound comminuted fracture of the left thigh and byuises

. about thc back and stomach. The insppctor reported that this was another instauce of grc"t carelessness and want of caution, as the block of ground which the· man was taking out WitS

all thcre was to support the superincumhent strata. The man was engaged in running a truck along a raised tramway which opened out to admit of

two roads-onc for quartz "nd one for mulloek. A sharp curve at this juncture reqnired eonsiderable force to turn the truck, and when the man was in the act of using .this foree he lost his hold, oyerbnhnced, and fell over the tramway to the ground, a distance of about

I 22 fect, c"using severe injuries to his Icft side and back. No one witnessed the accident. Verdict at inquest-" Death from injuries accidentally received, caused by a bank of earth j falling on him whilst working in a sluicing claim." Deceased was standing under the bank 1 after his return from dinner, and the water being let on' suddenly and unexpectedly, a mass of , earth was loosened and fell before he had time to get out of the way. Deceased died on 29[.h

October 1875. . Verdict at inquest-" Death from suffocation, brought on by a quantity of earth falling on

deceased while in tbe act of mining." Deceased (a Cbinaman) was working in a drive abollt ; 10 feet from the shaft" 30 feet .deep, when the earth fell. ,He had been asked by his Illate, ,another Chinaman, to come away from -the drive previons to the accident. Deceased was about two honrs under the fallen earth before he was got out.

Verdict at inquest-" Decensed was accidentally killed by the fall of a stone from a bucket in its ascent." Deceased was crossing a shaft nt the '120~foot level durillg ,the ascent of the bucket, which was filled with rock. A piece of slate fell therefrom on the man's head,

. inflietiug a frightful wound. No blame was attached to anyone but deceased, the net of cross­, ing the shaft being exceedingly dangerous. Thc shaft \vas properly and securely timbered. A man was asccnding the ladders (at 24-0 feet deep) when he fell about 25 feet on to the sufferer,

who was sitting on a stage. The man who fell was in thc habit of ascending the ladders grasping the sides of the l:tdders and not the rungs with his hands. 'Where he fell away was at t·he joining of two laddcrs, and the boUs at this place projcct about an inch from the sides. If he was ascending, as described, these bolts might ha.ve caused him to lose his hold.

Verdict at inqnest-" Accidentally killed whilst seeking for gold under a bank of /lew 6 to 7 feet hig'b, in Spring Gully, which fell upon him." Deceased was" fossickiog" when the earth fell, smothering him. No one witnessed the accident, bnt dccetLscd's son informed the inspector that he had seen his father within a quarter of an hour of finding the bank had fallen,

Thc bucket containing drills, securely fastened thercin, was bcing lowered down the slutH, and, when at a depth of about 50 feet, got foul of the Jadder, and, by some means or other, it was jerked out of the spring hook, and fcll on the man who was working at the bottom, causing compound fracture of the left leg. There did not appear to be any blame attached to anyone, except that the men seem to have disregarded the manager's instructions against lowering tools down the shaft where the ladder was fixed.

The shovel fcll from the plat at 4-10 feet to the bottom of tbe shaft, 434 feet deep, where the man was at work preparing for a blast. He had just before sent up thc tools without securely fastening the shovel. The accident resulted from the gross carelessness exhibited by the man when sending, up the tools.

The man had been down the srlaft putting' in a shot and had returned to the surface. On his way to the changing· house he slipped and fell from the brace, fracturing his right leg. The night was very dark, and there was no light on the bracc.

v:J (f:;

Ballarat

Gippsland

Sundhurst

f'andhurst

Smythesdale Speedwell Tribute Com- I 2nd Nov. pany

'''1 Stringer's , New North Gippsland G'12nd Nov. I Creek :M:. Co.

... Sandhurst ... Deceased ... •.. 4th Nov.

... 1 Sandhurst ... 1 Garden Gully United Q.ll0th Nov. , :M:. Co.

l'faryborough :M:aryborough Gladstone Company ... I 10th Nov.

llallm:at Ballarat Winter's Freehold G.:M:. I 15th Nov. Co. Limited

Sandhurst '" I Raywood' ... I James Kershaw ... I 15th Nov. I

Saudhul'st ... 1 Sandhurst .•• 1 Lazarus No.1 New Chu: 116~h Nov. M.Co.

13allarat ... 1 Creswick ... 1 Cameron's Freehold 6: . 19th Nov. M.Co.

'Mary borough Mary-borough Bismarck Company 19th Nov.

Ballarat Smythesdale New North Briton G. M. 21st Nov. Co.

Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ... Albert G.:M:. and C. Co. 22ndNov. No Liahility

Ararat ... 1 Pleasant creekl Extended' Cross Reef Q. 23rd Nov. M.Co.

240 Blow from the rebound of a sapling in a drive

241 1 Fall of a piece of rock in a drive

242' Fall of earth from thc sides of ,a gully

2431 Fall,of lava in a drive

244

245

Struck cage

a descending surface

Fall of earth in a drive

246 : Fall of earth from the sides of a gully

247 Slipping and faIling un-derground

I'" , 1

l'

248 Explosion of a blast I ••• I (lithofracteur)

249 Slipping of a crowbar

250 FaU:down a shaft

251 Explosion of a dynamite cap

252 Explosion of a blast (lithofracteur)

Verdict at inquest-" Death from injuries accidentally received." A mass of quartz got detached from the face, displaeed in falling a set of propping timber; some sapling were used in fe,ncing back debris ,were released from their position, one of which struck deceased on the bl;)<ly, causing injuries from the effect of whieh he died on the 4th November. It was stated that it was purely an accident, and retleeted no blame on the management.

The accident occurred in an adit level where the man was putting up a rise, when a piece of rock fell on his back. The man was a tributer.

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased was accidentally suffocated by a large quantity of earth falling upon him whilst undermining it in search for gold." Deceased was "fossicking," and had been missing for two days before his body was discovered., About seven or eight loads of old ground fell on him.

The accident occurred at the cap of the reef at a deptli of 300 feet. The man was at work, preparing the hitches for the timbers for the backing of the roof, when about I cwt. of" lava" fell and se,verely injured him. The inspector reported that the roof of the stopes was care­fully backed up, and the man and his mate were then engaged in keeping up this work as closely as it could be done.

The man stated that he was calling down the shaft-leaning slightly over it-when the cage deSCElncled from the brace and struck him on the back of the head, whereby he was precipi-

to the bottom, a depth of 140 feet, causing slight injuries. The inspector reported that it,was impossible for the man's statement to be correct; had the cage struck him, as stated, he would have been killed at once. The inspector was of opinion that he must have clung to the and accompanied it to the bottom. '

at inquest-" Accidentally killed by a fall of earth in a drive." Deceased and his mate were working in the face of a strip of ground between two drives. While preparing to

a false set of timber the roof gave way and knocked out the mllin set next the face, the of earth covering deceased and killing him. The ground showed symptoms of danger

for a1;tout seven hours during their shift, and although this ,vas the case the men did not use any extra precaution to avert it. Deceased wu.s a tributer. Inspector reported-" Had ordinary care been used in working the ground the accident would not have occurred. The deceased and his mate were young men, and could not have had much experience in driving I

The accident occurred while the man was undermining a fall of earth in a shallow gully within 2 feet of a road used daily by wood-carters and others. The inspector reported that the depth of the sinking did not exceed 4 feet, and where the man was working was only 2 feet from the wheel tracks on a narrow road crossing the gully. Tile man had his leg hurt and received internal injuries.

The man fell on the sharp edge of a block of broken quartz when getting out of the ",ay of a stone of "tlucan," which was falling from overhead. The accident occurred in the stopes, over the 700-foot level. The inspector reported that it appeared to be purely an accident.

The blast had missed fire, and the retiring shift, by whom it had been put in, failed to give notice or warning to the succeeding shift of the circumstance. 'l'he sufferer in working out the rock with a pick caused it to explode. Great negligence was shown by the parties leaving the charge, but fortunately the injuries inflicted were slight.

The accident occnrred on disconnccting the lift. While the man was taking' out the brasses the crowbar, with which the weight was suspended, slipped on the edge of the brass, and the tips of the man's finger and thumb were nipped off.

The man was engaged in putting in the set for the main drive, and whilst in the act of striking the prop with a heavy hammer slipped off the plank on which he was stand-ing, causing him to fall into the well. In falling his right side came in contact with the plank, causing a fracture of one'rib and other

The man found the cap on the floor of the en,(l:irle-h0111se to open it with a pair of scissors the cap eXl)lU'Ue'J,

finger of the left hand. The inspector was of that he was at the time trying to ex-tract the fulminate from the cap without any idea of the danger.

.The man went back to the "face" to examine It shot which he 'thought had missed firc, when it exploded, slightly cutting his face, It was quite contrary to the rules of the company, and the orders of the mining manager, that any person should go'back to the "face," after 1] shots, within the prescribed time. None of the men working in the mine knew that he returned to the face.

~" ~

(J

District. Division.

LIST of Accidents in

Mine Owner. . Dato of Accident,

1875. Ararat "'1 PleaSnl1tCreekl Cafolinn Company 25th Nov.

Bceehworth... Beechworth... Nil DespemndulIl Co. 2ith Nov.

Ararat '''1 PleasantcrcC'kl ,Y,ohn W" al.kcr and anot.her 29th Nov. I Ballarat ... Ballarat ... New Kolnnoor COml)allY 29th Noy.

Ballarat Smythesdale J I Cameron .Freehold G. M. lIst Dec. Co.

Beeehworth , .. I Yackandandahl Deceased and another ... I 3rd Dee.

Sandhurst .•• ! Waran!!aNorthl J. Riley (deceased) [tnd ! 3rd Dec. others

Sandhul'st ... I Em!lehawk ... I John Bashton (the de· 16th Dec. ceased)

Sandhurst ... I Eaglehawk ... I Duchess of ]~dinburgh 17th Dec. G.lIL Co.

Sandhurst Sand hurst ... I Golden I.ion 'fribute 17th Dec. Company

Gippsland ... I Crooked Deceased [tnd others ... I 7th Dec.

Sandhurst Sandhurst ... I p[tudora G. M. Co. ••• ,7th Dec.

253

254

255

256

257

258

259

260

261

262

263

264

of Victoria during the Yellr ending 31st Deee'm~er 1875-continued.

Caus. of Accident.

}'all of lIlullock. ill a drive

];'all of a piece of quartz down a " shoot"

Fall of e,Lrtli'in a drive ...

Fall of earth in a driye ...

Fall of a call-piece at the surface '

Fall of a bank of earth at the surface

Fall of earth at the sur­face

Fall of earth in a l1rive ...

Fall of quartz lllllllock in a drive

Explosion of a blast

Fall of earth in a drive ...

Slipping of an adze

~ 1 ''':;

RemarkA.

The man was sitting on a stage in the drive, when a piece of mulloek fell from the roof, and striking him forced him off. the stage on to some quartz. He wns severely bruised and shaken.

The man was in a. tunnel filling a truck with qunrtz from the" shoot" leading from the stopes above the tuune( The quartz became jammed; he then removed the truck, and in so doinl!' stood under the mouth of the" shoot," when a large lump of quartz became loosened and fell on him, injuring his thigh and groin.

The man was engaged ,putting in a prop in a drive I 0 feet long. when a large quantity ·of earth fpll upon him and buried him, whereby he had three ribs, and his leg broken at the ankle

The who was ,\ tributer, was working ill the face of a drive, and was engaged in fillmg a truck carth, \\'11('11 a slllall portiol1 of the roof and side of the drive fell upon him, and bruised his left shoulder and both hips. The man b!(lmed himself only, as the ground was not dangerous to drive. The inspector reported" had ordinary care heen observed in work­ing the mine the accident would uot have occurred."

1'be man was assisting to lower a "lift" of pumps by means of of the" poppet-heads." In consequence of the heavy weight the man's head, and illfiietillg severnl cuts and bruises.

Verdict at inqllest-" Deceased was 11ecidentally killed by a fall of earth." His mate was 1l0t badly injured. The mine was an aliuY}!LI sluicing one, worked open in the usual manner. The two men were hoth "holing for a fttll," without having anyone on the watch. The fall came sud­denly, jalllming deceased against a side face; he must have died instantaneously. The other Ulall was working where there was more room, and got partly away, when he was Knocked over and covered to the waist. '1'he inspector imputed the accident to carelessness, as somc one should haye been watching on top of the bank.

Verdict at illqucst-" Accidentally smothered by a sudden falling in of the earth at the W llranga diggings, and the accidcnt is more or less due to the recklessness of the deceased ill wbrking under ground which was entirely unsecured." Deceased was driving in very shallow ground, w hen the top fell in and smothered him.

Verdict at inqllEst-"Deceased was accidentally killed in tile Easter Reef claim, ,\Vhipstiek, ,L fall of grollnd." The ground which fell had lieen sounded both before aud after dinner, it sounded solid. The cause of the fall of ground clearly appeared to have been through an unseen greasy face, rising frolll the foot of the workings upwards into the hanging wall. The elailll was carefully worked,

Verdiet at inquest-" Deceased was killed through a fall of earth from the roof under which he waS working, and the managemellt have exhibited negligence or a want of knowledge in timbering and securing the ground, and we belieye that the timber used in the mine is alto­gether insufficient to support such heavy ground." The manager was fined, nominally, 5s. aud £2 7s. 6d. costs for a breach of clause 8 of section 5 of Act 4S0,

Verdict at iuquest-I< Death from injuries accidentally reeeiyed whilst working at the bottom of the Golden Lion Tributc Company's shaft, caused by a large quantity of mulloek and timber being drh'en down that shaft by a blast, through the deceased having miscalculated the dis­tance between the top of the rise there and the end of the shuft." No blame was attributable to anyone for the Itceidellt. The injured IIlILl! sustained serious injuries to his back, shoulders, and arms. The inspector thought the accident was due to the error made by the deceased mauager in hig survey of the top of the rise. ,.

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased met his death through injuries received by an accidental fall of earth in his alluvial claim." Deceased was putting in a main set of timber, and on removing the false set, the main set gave way, and the carth f!)ll on' him. The timbering of the mine was entirely under the charge of deceased, and no blame was attached to his mates.

The man was using an adze in his work as mine carpenter; the piece of timber turned, and the adze cut his foot.

iJ:.. o

Ballarat '" I Ballarat ... I Sovereign Q. M. Co. • •• 19th Dec.

.~ ::: Ballarat ... I Ballarat ... I Parade Company 11th Dec.

t;J

Sandhurst ... I Sandhurst ... I Kentish Mine ... ••• I 13th Dec.

Castlema.ine .•• I Fryer's Creek i Ferron's Reef Q. M. Co. I 14th Dec.

Sandhurst ... I Eaglehawk ...

Ballarat ••• I Smythesdale

Catherine Reef United Claimholder's G. M. Co. Limited

City of Canterbury Co ....

16th Dec.

16th Dec.

Castlema.ine ... I Taradale ... I Fenton Tribute Co. 17th Dec.

Castlcmaine : •• I Castlemaine Castlcruaine Paving Co •.. , 18th Dec.

Ballarat Creswick ... Richardson's Junction I 19th Dec. Freehold G. M. Co.

Balla~t ... I Smythesdale New North Briton G. M. I 23rd Dec. Co. Limited

Sandhurst ••• I Eaglehawk ••. I Johnson's Reef Extended , 23rd Dec. G.M. Co.

I

265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

274

275

Fall of earth in a dd ve ...

Fall of earth in a drive, and fall down a shoot

Fall of a piece of timber down a winze

Fall of rock at the 230-foot, level

Fall down a " pass"

Stepping out of a ca.ge while in motion

Crushed by a cage in a shaft

Slipping of a slab of flagging

Swerving of a pulley wheel at the poppet heads 'all of a skid down a shaft

earth in a stope ...

\.

Verdict at inquest-" Deceased was accidentally killed by a fall of earth in a drive." The sufferer, who was a tributer, was engaged with his mates in working the face of a drive, when the roof gave way. He sustained a slight bruise to the back and right shoulder The in­spector reported that if two single props with small covers on the top of each had been placed in the drive, the accident would not have occurred.

The sufferer, who was a tributer, was engaged in putting a sole piece over an old shoot for the purpose of placing a set of timber to enable him to continue the drive further. A small por­tion of earth fel! from the top of the face of the drive or shoot and struck him on the head and face, causing slight injuries. He at the same time fell down the shoot, about 12 feet, and in the eourse of falling received a slight bruise on his right side. If the sufferer had sounded the ground and removed the loose dirt before commencing to place the sole piece, the accident would not have occurred.

A piece of timber fell from the timber truck down the winze;where the li:Ul.Il was at work, and caused a slight injury to his right leg.

Four miners were preparing ground to put in a set of timber when about 6 cwt. of rock suddenly fell, striking the sufferer on the ear, face, and leg, severely lacerating and otherwise injuring him. No blame was attached to anyone. The men'were preparing to secure the ground at the time of the accident.

The sufferer was at work on thc eovering of a "pass" at the No.3 level when the boards shifted. He fell about 23 feet and sustained a fracture of the right leg above the ankle Purely accidental. No onc to blame.

The sufferer was descending the shaft in a cage, and when opposite the upper chamber (11 feet from the bottom) he stepped out, as he tbought the cage had arrived at the main chamber. He missed his footing and fell back into the cage, which was still descending, eausing a fracture of the right leg above the ankle. .

Verdict at inquest-"Death the result of injuries accidentally received." The inspector deposed at the inquest that, although the cage 1llled was of wrong construction in having a cover so close to the bottom. he still attributed the accident entirely to deceased's own careless ness. Deceased was jammed by the cage against the top of the chamber, caused by its being raised before the signal to pUll up was given. After the engine-driver had left for the day one of the shift went up by the ladders for the purpose of pulling up the others by the engine Not being an engine-driver he had no right to interfere with the engine or to attempt to work it. Hence the accident.

The mining manager and some of the workmen were engaged on the surface in shifting a large slab of flagging for cutting, &c. It slipped, and one of the workmen had his left leg broken in two places. -

'I'he sufferer, who was one of the contractors for erecting machinery, was engaged in flxing the pulley wheel at the poppet heads, when it swerved and knocked him on one side, bruising hi hip and loins. He caught a cross piece of timber, whieh saved him from a fall of 50 fect .

The sufferer was standing in the bottom of the shaft whilst a skid was being lowered from the surfaee by means of a rope. When within about 10 feet of the bottom the rope broke and the skid fell on the sufferer's right arm, fracturing the bone above the wrist.

Verdict at inqucst-" Death from severe injuries received by a quantity of mullock from the roof of the stopes falling in upon him unavoidably, as the greasy veins causing thc fall could not have been known to the miners working there at the time." A shot had been fired in the western side of NO.4 winze about 18 feet below the 465-foot level, and shortly afterwards the men commenced to pick down the quartz which was loosened by the shot. Whilst this wa being done, deceased told them to put in a shot to dislodge the partly loosened quartz Preparations were being made to put in the shot when a quantity of slate fell suddenly and killed deceased.

ioI>­)-l

42

APPENDIX A.

TABLE showing the Number of Mining Accidents that have occurred in Alluvial or Qua;tz Mining i~ the , several Divisions of each Mining District during the Year 1875. ' ,

• ! ,.: ' "i

(Compiledfrom information oblain'ed in the Office oj.Mine,~,)

------------------~----~------~----i'-------------,._----------------, -I, Qunrtz :Mining,

DlslrI.ct. Dlvisioll, , IN b f" IN' b f Killed, Injured, .'urn er 0 Killed, Injured, UBI er u , Accidents. ACCld,ents.

--'------1--·-------;--------- '--- ---, --- - __

BALLARAT

BEECHWORTH

M..I.RYBOROUGH

CASl'LEMAINE

ARARAT

GIPPSLAND

. { 'Balbtrat Itnd Gordon , .• ~Smythesdale .. , ...

": ;. BUllin~ong and Steiglitz .. , " CreswlCk ,.. . ••

B1ack'woQd _ ••• ".

Total

. Beech worth ... Indigo ". Buckland ". Yltckandandah ... Jamieson North Jnmieson South Gaffhey's Creek Wood's,Point ...

l Big River ...

Total

3 6 2 2 I

10 17

6 12

II 20

6 13 ·1

3· II 1 4

2, I 8

13 5

3 8

-- --,~-I .. ---:-!----'I--,.--14 45 51 '6 24 29

--- ---I--,------·I--~

2

1 3

2 1

1 2

4 I I 3 I

.; ..

, ::: :: ~ I ----1----1-----

6 , 6 I, 10 i

, 1 I

3

2

1 ' 1 1

. .. ...:.

6 i

2 I 1 2 '2

1-

9 ---, --- ----,--- -----'1----

4 2

4 2

12 13

{

Sandhurst ... ... Eaglehawk and Raywood

... , Heath'cote and Waranga South ... KUmore ••• ... . ..

'Waranga North ...

46 12

3

53 21

2

" Total

'j" Mal'yborough ... . •• : '. Dunolly aud Tarnaglll1a ..••

... :Korong -... . •• , Amherst ... . ..

"Avoca ..• .. . l . St. Arnaud .,. .. .

Total

Castlemaine." .. . Fryer's Creek ... ' Taradale Hepburn St. Andrew's t ... Tarrangower

Total

.. (:; Aramt -, ...

... ~ 'Pleasant ,qreek ... I "Barkly , ...

. L : HRglan ..) '" •••

Total

" 'f~ : Donnelly'S Creek

I Russell's Creek , Stringer's Creek

J Jericho .,. .•. ,. 'Crooked River .. .

I Omeo ... ' .. . Mitchell Ril;er ..•

l 'l'arwin

I

Total

Grand Total

------:--I--·!---5 2 7 25 62 77

------,-, - .. -1------1 II II I, 3 4 I 4 4 •• , 1 :1 1 2 3 .•. 1 1 1 4 ;; .•. '" •••

.1 3 4... 1 1 1... 1 L .•. I

... -6- -;;- =~-' ,2 I 6 ' __ 8_

I 2

1 1 2 I

3 3 1

1 4 3

.1

4 .•• 1 1 1 . --\'--1-1---1--3.1 4 6' -·3--- -11 - .. 13· --1---'-'----1-. -- ---1'---:--

- 1 ,], ...

4 .. ~;: } 17 19

" 2 , I I 2 I' .. , •.. " '--6- -~:--6-1-:- -1-7 - --~

. "r----·

a··' 1 1

lO •• , 2 2

... - -,- ... -' ... _---... 3 .3

2 .1 2

"

41 133 162

11< 'rwo llccidell~ occurred also to tW0 men while ellgagcd in stone Quarrying at the Castlemninc P~vin~rCompan!,s quarry. J One non-fatal nccident occurred to n mall Willie cngageq III nntilllQ"! n~inh,g.at Uill:;wood~,

43

APPENDIX B. TAllLE showing the Names of Persons .killed by MiniLig Accidents in Victoria during the Year 1875,

whether Married or Single, and the Numher of Children left by them.

District.

Ballarat Sandhurst Ararat Ballarat Sanrlhurst Ararat Ballarat

Sandburst

Maryborough Beechworth M aryborough Sandhurst Sandhurst Sandhurst Ballarat Beechworth

Ararat

Ballarat

Sandhurst Ballarat Maryborough Ballarat Ballarat Sandhurst Sandhurst Sand hurst Sandhurst Castlemaine Sandhurst Maryborough

Ararat

Sandhurst Ballarat

Ballarat

Division. Date ~f Accident,

, 1875, Ballarat .. . 6th January .. .

... Sandhurst .. . 9th January .. .

... Raglan .. . 12th January .. .

... Creswick .. . 13th January .. .

... Eaglehawk .. . . 16th January ...

... Pleasant Creek .. . 19th January .. .

... Ballarat .. . 23rd January .. .

... Sandhurst .. .

N lime of Person Killed.

Edwin Bartlett .. . Samuel Allen .. . Chong Hoiv... .. . John Veruon Creed .. . John Terrill ... .. . William Martin .. . Charles Gough .. . James Dodgson .. . Thomas Cox ... .. .

Married o~ Single.

. Single (boy) Married ••. Married ••. Married ••. Single

Number of Children.

Six Two 'Ihree

Single Married Married Single

... Four

... St, Arnaud .. .

29th January 1 8th February ... 8th Fe bmary ... lOth Fclli'uary IIt.h February 18th F,ebruary 20th Febmal'Y 27th February 2nd M,1l'ch ...

Thomas Wells .. . Married •.. Four ... Yackandandah .. . ... St. Arnaud .. . ... Haywood .. . ... Eaglebawk .. . ... Sandhurst .. . ... Smythesdale .. . ... Jamieson N ort-h .. .

Pleasant Creek ... 6th March

... '8th'March ... Smyihesdale

William Axford .. . Ah On ... .. .. John Holt... .. . Richard Barras .. . William. Henry Jenkins. Henry Dobbie ... John Charles Henderson

. Married ••. Three 'Not known IIfarried ••. 'Two Married ... Seven Single Married ... Five Supposed to

be single ... Thomas McCarthy... Married ... Two 5 Thomas Rosser·' ... Married .•. One , . Joseph Burns ... Married ••. Two

... Sandhurst .,. 31st March ... Jonathan Smith ... Married ... Four 13allarat ... 19th Aprfl ... IIIichael· Ticrney ... Married ... Eleven

.•. Amherst ... 21st April ... Uavid Williams •.. Married ... One

.•• Smythesdale ... 24th April ... Ah Wing... .•. Single

... Ballarat ... 24th April ... .James Flood ... ... Single (boy)

... Eaglehawk ... 26th April ... JohnThompsonRichardson Married .. . Five

... Sandhurst ... 26th April ... William 1Ioyle' ... ,Married .. .

... Salldhurst ... 13th May, ... Dennis Glceson ... Marricd ."

... Sandhurst ... Onorabout13thMay James Kenmdy ... Widower

... Fryer's Creek .•. 17th May . ... Bun Sing... ... Married

... Eaglehawk ... 20th May, ... Neill Gellon ... ... Married

... Maryborough ... 29th'M;ay, ... John Judd... ... Married

{Thomas Laity ... ~Iarried ... Pleasant Creek .... 31st Mat

... 4th'June

... 8th .Tune ... Sandhurst ... Creswick

. Peler Roberts ... Single ... Thomas Richards ... Married ... Edwal'll Hyan ... Single

Four

(Wife in China) ... Ten ... Five

One

... J<'OUl' (grown up)

... Smythesdale 16th 'June { Ah Lin ... ... Single . NockI-Iock' ..... ..: Married ... Three

Sandhurst .•. Eaglehawk 17th 'Juue ... John Kneebone' ... 'Married' .. . Two Beechworth ... Beech worth ... 25th Junc .. . Edll1llrul Berkfield .. , Single Sandhurst ... Sand hurst 5th July .. . Thomas.Drew ... Married ... Seven Gippsland ... Jericho ... '6th July .. . John Larrib:.. ... 'lI.[arried ... Six Saudhurst ... Eaglehawk ... 6th Jnly .. . Carl Haertel ... ... Married ... Three Beechworth ... Buckland Ah CllOng..... ... Not known Sandhurst ... Snndhurst

... On or abOlit 15th July

... 26th July: .. John .Tolinson ... Married ... One Beechworth .•. Yackandandah ... 29th July, .. . Ah Wah ... ... Single Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ... 4th August .. .

... llth A~gust .. . Thomas IIenry Newhouse Single (boy)

Maryborough ... Avoca Ping W,un,... ... Married ... (Wife and Children in China)

Ararat Castle maine

Ararat

Mary borough Sandhurst

Ballarat

Maryborough Beechworth Sandhnrst Ballarat Sandhurst Beechworth Ballarat J\Iaryborongh Sandhurst

Castlemaine

Beechworth Ballarat Castlemaine Sanrlhurst Ballarat Sandhurst Ballarat Beechworth Sandhurst Sandhurst Sandhnr~t Sanrlhurst Gippsland Ballarat Castlemaine Sandhnrst

... Raglan.

... Castle maine 1) th Aug~~t ... 16th August ...

Alexander Campbell ... Single John Kewley... ... Single

... Pleasant Creek... 26th August ,5/ Chun Yoon... ... Single Chun Ymv..... ... Single

... Maryborough ... 31st August ... James Downing ... Married

... Eaglehawk ... 2nd September David Punes ... Married

B . 6th S t b 5 William Fowler ... Single ... unmyong ... . .op em cr', William Prior ... Single ... Dunolly ... .,9.th Septeplbcr James Lockett ,.,. Married ... Indigo ',9th, SQP~enlber, James Shcehan ... ;l1arrieci' ... Eaglehawk ... 17th'Sept!mlber Thomas Hille ' M11.rried ... Blackwood ... 22nd Scptember George Armytage ... Single ... Eaglehawk ... 28tl1 September Thomas Staunton Married ... Yackandandah ... '30th Septembin: .John Dunn... ...Married . ., Creswick ... 8th October Thomas Iluncan Campbell Married ... Korong ... I I th October... .J ames .Millstead :.. Married ... Sandhurst '" 14th October ... ' Williaril Aspii:tdale '" Manicd ... Taradale ... 22nd October. f George Lisle ... Married

t Henry ~ity .... ... Married ... Bcecbworth ... 26th Octp):lCl'... All Man. ," ... '" Sin "Ie ... Creswick ... 27th Ociobe'r... Ah I.,{:iin' , • ... ... Single ... Fryer's Creek ... 28th Oc'tober... .James Allen ... Single ... Sandhurst ... 29th October... Patrick Hamill ... Married ... Smythesdale ... 2nd November James Conn .. ... Married ... Sandhurst ... 4th No"ember Hung Ah Fun Single ... Ballarat ... loth' November Allan Seager.... ... Single ... Yackandandah ... 3rcl Decemher ... 'Roger McCorniack ... Single ... Waranga North ... 3rd December ... James Rieley... ... Single ... Eaglellawk ... 6th December... John Bashton ... Widower ... Eaglehawk ... 7th December .. , William Durward ... Married ... Sandhnrst ... 7t.h December... ,James Erldy... .. .. Married ... Crooked niver ... 7th December... Joseph Flaunagan Single ... I 1311 II II rat ,.. 91h December... John Nicholls ... l\Iarried ... ' Taradale ... 17th Dccember John 'ronkin ... ... Siugle ... Eaglehawk ... 23rd December John Moyle ... '" Married

... Five (grown up)

... Two

.... Two

... Three

Two ... Nine ... Three ... Fonr ... Two ... Three ... One

... Seven (youngest9yearsold)

... Six

... Four

... Two

... Six

... Nine (youngest 16 mnth, oldl

44

APPENDIX ·C.

'LIST OF FINES inflicted for Breaches of the Pro:visions of the Regulation of Mines' Statute 1873 during the Year 1875.

Where the Date of Prosecution Clauses or Sections of the Amouht of Fines, &0. Remarks. took place. Prosecution. Act No. 480 violated.

187~.

Eaglehawk ... 28th :M:ny . .. Clause 12 of seetion 5 . .. £1 ... ... The Aet was violated by tributcrs. Englehawk ... 28th May ... Section 7 ... ... ... 5s . Sandhurst ... 3rd June ... Clause 6 of section 5 ... I s. and £1 I s. costs . Englebawk '" 4th .Tune ... Clause 6 of section 5 ... I s. and £1 6s. costs. Sandhurst ... loth June . .. Clause 6 of section 5 ... I s. and £3 3s. costs . Eaglcht:twk ... 11th June ... Clause G of section 5 ... I s. and £2 7s. costs . lTryerstowll ... 21st June ... Clauses 9, 20, nnd 23 of section 'Is. for each violntion

5, and section G of the Statute and costs, total £1 4s.

Eaglehawk ... 9th July . .. Clause 6 of section 7 . .. 5s. and £3 7s. 6d . costs.

... 9th July . .. Latter part of clause 20 of 5s. and £2 7s. costS. section 5

Eaglehawk ... 9th .Tuly . .. Clause G of section 5 . .. 5s. and £2 7s. costs . E~glehawk ... 9th July . .. Clause 6 of section 5 . .. 5s. and £2 7s. costs • . Sandhurst ... 15th July .., Section 7 ... ... ... 5s. and £2 4s . Gd.

costs. Dunolly ... 16th July . .. Clauses 18 and 19 of section 5 £1 and 5s. costs for

breach of clause 19, and fined) Os. and 5s. costs for breach of clause 18. ,

Taradale ... 21st July ... Clause 6 of section 5 and sec- Is. for each breach of tion 6 the Act and costs of ,

court. Taradale ... 21st July ... Clause 15 of section 5 .,. Is. and costs of ' court. Stuartmill .. , 24th July ... Clause 19 of section 5 ... 5a. and 5s. costs. Buninyoog ... 30th July ... Clause 23 of section 5 .. . lOs. and 5s. costs. Inglewood ... 5th August ... Clauscs 6 and 19 of section 5 £ 1 and £ 1 68. costs. Talbot ... 5th August ... Section 4 ... .. . '" I s. and 2s. 6d. costs ... Father was fined for employing

Inglewood 5th August Clauses 6 and 15 of seetion 5 £2 and £1 6s. costs. his son, aged 9 years, in mining. ... . ..

St. Arnaud ... 6th August ... Clause 6 of section 5 .. . 5s. and 12s. costs. Heathcote ... 6th August ... Latter part of clause 20 of 5s. and 5s. costs.

section 5 St. Arnaud ... 6th Augu8t ... Clause 6 of section 5 .. . 5a. and ) 28. eosts. Heathcote ... 6th August '" Latter part of clause 20 of 5s. and 5s, costs.

scction 5 St. Arnaud ... 6th August .. , Clause 6 of section 5 .. . 5s. and 128. eosts. Heathcote ... 6th August ... IJatter part of clause 20 of 5s. and 5s. costs. p

. section 5 , St. Arnaud ... 6th August ... Clause 6 of section 5 .. . 5s. and 12s. costs. ,

St. Arnaud ... 6th August ... Clause 6 oj' section 5 . .. 5s. and 128. costs. Sand hurst ... 12th August ... Clause 6 of section 5 . .. 5s. and £2 76. costs. Sandhurst ... 12th August ... mause 6 of section 5 ... 5s. and 5s. costs. Sandhurst .... 12th August ... Clause 6 of section 5 .. . 5s. and £2 7s. costs. Sandhurst ... 12th August ... . Clause G of section 5 .. . 55. and £2 7s. costs. Sandhurst ... 12th August . .. Clause 60f section 5 .. , 5s. and £2 75. cpsts. Sand hurst ... 19th August . .. Clause 6 Of section 5 ... 55. and £2 7s. costs. Sandhurst ... 19th August . .. Clause 6 of section 5 ... 5s. and £2 7s. costs. Saudhurst ... 20th August ... Clauses 6, 11, 19, and 23 of 5s. and I 5s. costs for

section 5 each offence. Sandhurst ... 20th August . .. Clause 6 of section 6 ... 5s. and 15s. costs. Creswick ... 25th August . .. Section 11 ... ... 5s. and 58. costS. Sand hurst ... 27th August ... Clause 6 of section 5 ... 5s. and 58. costs. Huntly ... 8th September Clause 12 of section 5 ... 5s . and £2 7a, 6d.

costs. Sandhurst ... 16th September Section 7 ... - . .. 5s. and £2 79 • Gd.

.costs. Maryborough 21st September Clause 6 of;section 5 ... Is . :M:aryborough 21st September Clause 17 of section 5 '" Is. Maryborough 21st September Clause 6 of section 6 .. '" Is . Maryborough 21st September Clause 6 of section 5 ... Is • Maryborough 21st September Clause 6 of section 5 ... lri . Sandhurst ... 30th September Clause II of section 5 ... 55. and £2 7s . 6d.

costs. Jericho ... 25th November Section 6 ... ... .. . £2 and £1 4s. costs. Saudhurat ... 25th November Section 7 ... ... .., 5s. and 55. costs. Creswick ... 30th November Section II ... .. . 5s. and 5s. costa. Bright ... 2nd December Clause 23 of section 5 ... 1 s. and costs. Bright ... 2nd December Clause 23 of section 5 ... Is. and costs. Ballarat ... 2nd December Clause 6 of section 6 .., £1 and £1 Is. costs. Sandhurst '" 9th December ... Clause 6 of section I) ... 5a. and 5a. costs. Ballarat ... 9th December ... Clause 11 of section 5 . .. £1 and £1 Is. costs. Ballarat ... 9th December ... Clause 11 of section 5 , .. £1 and £1 Is. costs. Gobur ... 16th December Clause 23 of section 5 .. , oS. and £1 18s • 6d.

costs. Chew ton ... 16th December Section 6 ... ... ... IS • Eaglehawk ... 24th December Clause 8 of section 5 ... 5s. and £2 78. 6d. costs. This was only a nominal fine.

~ p

::-

~

District.

"3allnrat .. ... Ballarat Mnryborough 13allarat ... :-:andhurst '" l';,mdhurst ... Ballarat ... Uallarat ... Ballarat ... "';,wdhul'st ... ~alldhurst ... ~"T1dhurst ... ]~"llarat ... Ballarat ... !'iandhurst ... San <lhurst '" ~andburst ... ]3allamt Jle"c!rworth ... Ballarat ... Ballarat ... :-:uudhtll'st Castlemaine ... Maryborough ~:mdh!lrst '" ~:tndhurst ... (~ippsland ... ~alldhllrst ... Hllndhurst ... ElLilamt ... j~aihrat ... Jktllarat ... ~lLlldhurst ... Ballarat ... Sandhurst ... Sandhllrst ... Sand hurst Heechworth ... Ihllarat ... bandhurst ...

APPENDIX D. SCHEDULE OF AMOUNTS paid as compensation during the year 1875 to Persons Injureu and to the relatives of Persons IGllcu Mining Accidents.

. DivIsion. Name of Company. Name of Name of Date of Accident • . Amount of money paid, a.nd ~ whom. Person injured. Person kHled.

1874. Creswick ... South Clunes G. M. Co. ".;- L ... , '" .. . W. Cox and W. 23rd June . . .. £10 paid to the relatives of each deceased man.

Holman Creswick Clunes Consols G. M. Co. ... ... W. Birch . .. ... . .. 22nd Ocf,ober '" £10 paid to sufferer by the company. Maryborough .•. New Magnum Bonum Co. ... ... J. Attwater .. . ... '" 2nd November £50 paid to sufferer by the company. Creswick .•. New North Clunes Co. . .. F. Jewell

"'1 . .. ... 25th November ... £500 paid to sufferer by the company.

Sandhurst ... Great Extended Hustlers G. M •. Co. ... J. Paseoe '" . .. . .. 15th December •.. £51 paid to sufferer by the company. Sandhurst .,. Pandora G. M. Co. Regd. ".,. ... R. Ferguson . .. ... 26th December ... £26 paid to sufferel' by. the company.

1875. Gordon . .. Egerton Company ... . .. ... M. Hopkins .. . ... 1st January . .. £10 donation paid to sufferer by the company. Ballarat '" Hero Extended Co. . ~. . .. ... ... E. Bartlett ... 6th January . .. £5 paid to relatives of deceased by the company. Creswick ... Western Lewers Freehold G. 14. Co. ... J. Minahan .. . . .. ... 9th January . .. £73 5s. paid to sufferer by the company, in consequence of verdict in IiI

Sandhurst County Court. ...

... New Chum and Victoria.G. M. Co . . .. .. . S. Allen ... 9th January . .. £25 paid to relatives of deceased by.the company. Sandhurst ... Royal Hustlers Co. Regd. ... J. Bourke . .... ." . .. 20th January . .. £10 paid to sufferer by the company. Sand hurst Shenandoah G. M. Co. Regd .... ... J. Hennessy ..- ... .. , 30th January . .. £6 158. paid to sufferer by the company. Smythesdale ... Grand Trunk I-ead G. M. Co ..... ... T. Lillis . .. . .. . .. 3rd February £20 paid to sufferer by the company. Smythesdale ... City of Canterbury Co • ... ... W. Kelly ... 15th February· ... £7 6s. dividend paid to sufferer whilst unable to wtlrk. Eaglehawk ... York and Durham Co. . .. . .. R.. Barras and W. Bullock ... 18th February . .. £50 paid to wido.w of Bullock, and about £15 'each paid to Barms an

D. Roberts Roberts by. the company. Sandhurst ... mster Company... '" . .. ... '" W. H. Jenkins 20th :February . .. Funeral expenses of deceased (single man; paid by the company. Sandhurst Garden Gully United Q. M. Co. ... J. Trotter ... . .. ... 23rd :I;'ebruary ... £13 paid to sufferer by the company. . Smythesdale ::: Golden Lake G. M. Co. ... ... ..... H. Dobbie ... 27th lfebruary .. . £10 paid to relatives of deceased by the company. Indigo ... Durham and Caledonian Co; ... ... W .. McKay ... "'-!'.' 2nd March . .. £20 paid to sufferer, and medical attendance, &c., provided hy the companJ Smythesdale ... Racecourse G. M. Co. . .. ... ... ... T. Rosser and J . 8th March .. . £154 paid to the relatives of deeeased men.

Burns Smythesdale ... Hopewell Q. M. Co .... ... '" R. Harvey .. . ... . .. 11th March ... £5 paid to sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... Princess Alice G. M. Co. ... . .. G. Gunnell .. . '" ... 17th March ... £31 lOs. paid to sufferer by the company. Castlemaine ... Castlemaine Paving Co. ... It. Radford ... ... lOth April . .. £ I paid to sufferer by the company. Amherst ... Grand Junction Alluvial Co .... ...... .. . D. Williams ... 21st April .. . Share of tribute for about two months paid to the widow of dece~lscd. Sandhurst ... Lazarus No. I New Chum M, Co. Regd. W. Stott ... ... ~ ... 22nd April . .. £2 5s. paid to sufferer by the company. Eaglehawk ... Johnson's Reef G. Mines Co. ... ... . .. '" J. T. Richardson 26th April ... £50 paid to widow of deceased by the company, and funel'lll expenses ( f

deceased paid. Stringer's Creek Wilson and Barthold's Mine ... ... J. Kelly ... ... ... 1st May . .. £12 IUs paid to sufferer by the owners. _ Sandhurst .. Oriental Perseverance G. M. Co . D. Robinson . .. 3rd May . .. £1 Is. paid to sufferer by the company. ~ Sandhurst Bimdigo and Melbourne Q.M. alld D. Co. J. McPherson ... ... . .. 3rd May . .. £7 paid to sufferer by the company. Smythesdale ... Prince of Wales G. M. Co.... ... N. Hocking ... ... .,. 5th May ... £6 13s. paid to sufferer by the company. Ballarat . ... Band of Hope and Albion Consols J. Read . .. ." '" 6th May ... The man's shift was worked by his eo-tributers, which was equal to a SUIll of1. Buninyong ... Perseveranee Co-operative G. M. Co. .. • • T. Quick ... . .. Ilth May . .. £5 paid to sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... North Whip G. M. Co. ... ... ... D. Gleeson ... 13th May . .. £8 lOs. paid for funeral expenses of deceased. Ballarat ... Sovereign Company... ... .. . C. J. Klugg ... . .. 20th May . .. £25 paid to sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... I Great Britain Q. M. and D. Co. Rega. ... S . Hooper and ... ... 2nd June . .. £5 paid by the company to Tralhan, who was in poor eirculllstances.

W. Trathan Sandhurst ... i North Old Chum Co, ... ... ... ... T. Richards ... 4th June . .. £13 paid for medical attendance and funeral eJrpenses. Dccrascd wn~ a

single man. Sand hurst ... Kentish Mine (J. B. Watson) ... ... D. Wilkinson ... ... . .. 18th June . .. £22 paid to sufferer by the OWner. Beechworth Rocky Mountain Co.... • .. '" A. IJachmund '" ... 22nd .Tune ... £10 paid to sufferer by the.company. SmythesdaJe ... Hope Q. M .. Co. .... . ... ... J. Murphy ... ... , 23rd June . .. £3 3s. paid to sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... Kentish Mine (J. B. Watson) ... ... ... .. . T. Drew "'j5th July . .. The owner paid to the widow of deceased £410, purchased a cottage for Ite

placed one of her SOIlS in the smiths' shop, and gave him £ 1 :!s. per wee as wages-£521 16s., total anlOunt paid to and for Mrs. Drcw.

, k

APPENDIX D. SOHEDULE OF' AMOUNT paid as compe~s~ti~n during the yea,r 18'75 to Persons Iujured and to the relatives of Persons Killed by Mining Accidents-contimted.

District. Division. ::;rame of Compa.ny. Name of Nameo! Date of Accident: Amount of money pnld, and to whom. I"ersou injured. Person killed.

- - 1875. Ballarat ... Smythesdale ,'" Hopewell Q. M. Co. • •. ... ... W. Wilson '" ... ' 8th July ... £6 paid to sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... Saurlhurst . ,. Wilson's Reef G. M:. Co. . .. ... J. Woolcock ... ... ... 10th July . .. £10 paid to sufferer by the company. He was re-employed as soou as he

was able to work. Ballarat ... Smythesdalc .•. Reform G. M. Co. ... ... J. Cole ... . .. .. . 14th .July . .. £2 28. paid to sufferer by the company. Sandhul-st ... Raywood ... Frederick the Great Co. ... ... H. Mace ... .. . ... 21st July . .. £27 paid to the sufferer while he was unable to work. Sandhurst ..... Sl1ndhurst ... Central Garden Gully Co. ... ... R. ]\:irk ... ' .. 24th .July .. . £9 paid to the sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ... No. 180 Claim (G. Lansel!) ... .. . E. Webster ... J. Johnson ... 26th July w ••• £25 paid to relatives of deceased by the agent of the proprietor, and £17

paid to the injured man. Sanrlhurst ... Sandhurst '" Great Extended Hustlers Reef Q. M. Co. II. Blunden ... ... ... 2nd August ... £2 5s. lod. paid to sufferer by tlle company. Sandhurst Salldhurst ,.'. Hercules Co. Hegd. . .• ... ... N. Georgeson ... ... . .. 9th August .. . £10 paid to sufferer by the eompany. Sandhurst "'1 Eaglehawk , .. ' Belmont Tribute Co .... ... J. Arblaster ... '" ... 16th August £9 paid to sufferer by thc company. Sandhurst ... Salldhurst ... Shenandoah G. M. Co. Hegd .... ... J. Herron ... 2nd September ... £15 paid to th!" sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... ' Eag\chawk ... Hose of Denmark G. M. Co. . .. '" R. MeWilIiltlllS D. Purves ... 2nd September ... £100 compensation paid to the widow'of deceased man. £20 compensation

paid by the company to the sufferer whilst he was in the hospital. Castlemaine ... Tarrangower ... Eaglchawk Limited Co. ... ... ;r. Jose ... .. . ... 3rd Scptember ... The man's mates kept his place good, and paid him the full share of the

contract money. Bttllarat ... Buninyollg . .. 'Perseverance Co-operative G. )H. Co. '" ... .. . W. Fowler and 6th S~ptember '" £8 paid by the company to the relati ves of each of the deceased men.

W. Prior Ballarat ... Ballarat ... Band of Hope and Albion Consol8 Co .... W. Sleeman. S. ... ... 7th September ... £6 paid to Oliver, £6 paid to Sleeman, and. £14 paid to Lukies by their co-

r Lukies, and J. tributers. Oliver

:Beechworth .•• Indigo Happy-gp..Lucky Co. ... ... ... J. Sheehan ... 9th September ... £30 paid to wido\v of deceased, being dividend on o.ne-fourth share in the

Smythesdale ... , claim, which is still being worked for her benefit.

Ballarat ... Hopewell Q.-M, CO .... ... -.. :N:. McColl . .. .~. . .. II th September ... 14s. paid to sufferer by the company. Ararat ... Raglan ... New Charlton G. M. Co. ... ... ... .. . A. Campbell '" lith September ... £6 paid to relatives of deceased, and the funeral expcnses paid. Ballarat ... Ballarat Hero Extended Co. . .. ... D. Sell . .. .. . 17th September ... £2 2s. paid to sufferer from the Tributers' Accident Fund. Sandhurst ... ]~aglehawk ... Princess Alexandra Tribute Co. ... .. . . .. T. Staunton .. . 29th Septembcr ... 'rhe sub-tributers paid to the widow of deeeased £150, and £26 for wages,

Homeward Bound' Co. fuueral expellses, &c. .

Bccchworth '" Y ackandandali ... ... ... .. . J. Dunn 30th Septembcr ... £50 subscribed by the compauy to a fund for the widow of deceased. Sandburst ... Saudhurst ... Shenandoah G. 1II. Co. '" ... ... W. Aspiudale ... 14th October ... The widow has been maintnincd by the company since the accident. A SI1Ill

, of £70 has been lodged in a bank by the chairmau of directors to her credit. whieh amount will be supplemented by a vote from the company at the next dircetors' meeting.

lIIaryborough Maryborough : ... Junction Company .•• ... ... J. l~oIlock ... ... . .. 21st October '" £10 paid to sufferer by the company. Castlemaine ... Taradalc Ironstone Hill Lead Co. ... ... ... .. .. G. I"isle and H. 22nd October ... £50 paid by the company to the widow of G. Lisle.

Kay £7 Is. paid to sufferer by his co~tributers. Ballarat ... ' Ballarat Countess Company ... ... ... C. Brouderick ... ... 25th October ...

Ballarat ... Smythesdale : .. Speedwcll Tribute Co. ... ... . .. '" J: Conn ... 2nd November .. . £10 paid to relatives of deceased, and the funeral expenses paid by the

i company. , Ballarat ... Ballarat Winter's Freehold Co. ... ... . .. A. Seager 15th November ... £16 11s. 6d. paid to relatives of deceased by the company's tributers. Sandhurst Sandhurst ; Lazarus ~o. ! New Chum M, Co. R. Gray ... ... ,16th November ... £9 paid to sufferer by the company. ... ... .. . Ballarat ... Ballarat t .. ~ New Kohinool' Co. ... ... J. lYlullins ... ... ... 29th November .... £ 7 lOs. paid to sufferer by his eo-tributers. Sandlmrst ... Eaglehawk Duchess of Edin burgh Co. ... ... ... W. Durward ... ' 7th December ... £150 compensation paid to widow of deceased by the company. Sandhurst ... Sandhurst ... Golden Lion Tribute Co. ... J. Kinsman .. . J. Eddy ... ith December ... £34 paid to the widow of deceased by the company. Ballarat • Ballarat ... Parade Company ... ... ,R. Goold ... , .. ... 11th December i ... '£7 lOs. paid to suffcrer by his co-tributers. Sandhurst Sandhurst ... Kentish Mine (J. n. Watson) ... '" l' .. Hicks ... ... ... 13th Deeember... £15 15s. paid to sufferer by Mr. Watson. His medical expenses, about

I . ' £3 :is. were also paid. ' Cast lemaine ... Fryer's Creek ..• Ferron's Recf Q. M. Co. ... W. Williams '''1 ... ... 14th December... £2195. Gd. paid as compensation to the sufferer by the company. Sandhurst ... Eaglehawk ... .Tohnson's Reef G. M. Co. Regd. ... ... ... J. Moyle ... '23rd December... £50 paidl~f the company to the widow of deeeased, and funeral expenses,

&c. (£1 paid, .

;+:

"

>

Division.

Ballarat & Gordon Smythesdale Buninyong and

r

ij 6' ~I

l

Steiglitz Creswick Blackwood

Totals

Beechworth Indigo Buckland Yackandandah Jamieson North ... .Jamieson South .. . ,Gaffney's Creek .. . Wood's Point Big Hiver

Totals

r Sandhurst

~ Eaglehawk and S 'Raywood S Heathcote and z Waranga South ~ l Kilmore .•• ...

I Waranga North , .. !

Totals

iii r Maryborough ... g I Dnnolly and Tar-~ 1 nagulla ~ ~ I Korong .~. ... .... I Amherst ... ~ Avoca ... ~ l St. Arnaud

Totals

~ ( CastJemaine '" !:;j t' Fryer's Creek )< Taradale ... ::l I Hepburn... ' Ii; : St. Andl'~w's J 'Tarrangowert

Totals

i

3 4

3 4 I 2

16 20

....

1.

3 11 7 2

!

~ 11·Ararat ... '''1 " ~ "Pleasant Creek ... _, ~ Barkly... . , •.

<rj I Raglan... ... ' __ 1 __ .

I Totals ••• 1--1--

(I Donnelly'S Creek I

A J i Russell's Creek ... ~ I SLr~nger's Creek .. . ... . JerIcho... .. . ~ II Crooked River ." .~ Omeo .•• o l i Mitchell Hiver

I TarwlU ...

I, Totals

Grand Totals ... 45

2

1 3

6

4

!i 'd .;z

1·

2

2

3

5

2 3

2

1 2 I

:n .~

3

'!",*

I 2

. ..

47

APPENDIX E.

TABLE showing the Causes of Mining Accidents which have oceurred in the several Mining Districts of Victoria

~ 15 " .l5

1 2

5

.

2 3

1

2 5

... .. .

I

r

-

3

...

3

. ...

1

,

6

6

3 1

4

.. ,

2

4 1

2

7

Explosions. ~ .a

"

the Office of Mines.)

, ~ 0

J, ""~ <l ,,~ a "il ~:c " "" ,,-0 a ~I ~ .Boo

'" ,"0

" .. .B r;;::';h >'l

... I

3

4 2

the Year 1875.

.; 00

~ i ~ "il

~ ;j

..

2

3 2 4

I 2

I !

.,. ~ • I

" AccIdent. numbered 74 and 2i21n the Ust 01 accidents are not Included in this table, as tlley occurred In a stone quarry. t Accident numbered GO in tile Jist of accldenls !alnot Included In this tabJe,c~s it occurred in an o.ntimony mine.

By Authority: JOHN FBRRES, Government Printer, Melbourne.

~ ~

.S '"

. ..

,1

.. .

2

2

! •••

2

Totnl.

7 ... 1 2

2 4-I

3 20

2 I 1 4-1

2 9

4 16 2 13

30

2 1

1 1 1 2

3 8

1 2 3

~ -."

6

3 6 ...

2

3 8

13 8

69

4 1 I 2 3

46 14

3

64

14 5

3 4 4

30

1 3 4 2

... 5

15

1 18

20

2

3

2

7

217