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25

James Stone miner Nanaimo being duly sworn saith: To Mr. Ebert: I was down in the mine on the day of the explosion. I worked in the Engine Room and [?Stable tavern and four aids?]. The explosion occurred about five minutes to six. It was supper time. I was in the Engine Room with Johnny Jones at the time of the explosion. I had just come into the engine room and I had passed the man at the handle of the engine on my way to take a seat on the other side. When I was just going to sit down I saw a red flame coming down from the no 2 shaft into the engine room. It came through the stopping. I immediately took my jumper and put it over my head and laid down as flat as I could and I was mighty glad to get there. It was all over in a minute when I saw another flash which nearly smothered me and nearly knocked me over. I then got down as close to the earth again as possible. Then it stopped a little and I [?anted] out of the engine room down through the slope: I sang out this is a hell of a boy smitthee” Josh John Smithi who was lying in the middle of the slope called out to me that his arms were broken. He was in the middle of the slope between the points. I picked him up as well as I could and supported him until I got him to a part where I propped him up. This part was at the end of the engine room. It was all dark at that time. After putting him there I walked up and saw the glimmer of a light coming up from the engine room. When I went back into the engine room where I found my hat and lamp lying on the floor. Then I went down the engine room to where the brattice was and lit my lamp at at the fire which was just heating through the brattice. The set of brattice near the engine room was already burned down. Then I returned to Johnny Smithi. I saw James in one corner of the engine room holding on to a post. I got