Editing .MTA1.MTQ2NDk

John Matthews, Cumberland. Manager of the Wellington Colliery company mines. Sworn:-

By Mr. Potts:- Will you tell the gentlemen of the Jury all you  know about this accident in the mines on the 15th of July; what examination you made, and what conclusions you came to?

A: A boy came to my place a little after seven o' clock that evening and told me there was a fire in No.6. I went down there and saw some Chinamen on top who had already come up. I asked them where it was and they said the fire was down there. I went on and met some Chinamen coming up at the Drum, No.3 Incline. I passed them and went on up the level to No.2 South, and found the fire was in there. I met Gillespie and asked him where it was. He said there was an explosion. Of course I knew that before I arrived there. We went through to the return side of the places to ascertain if there was any fire. No finding any to amount to much I came up. By that time Mr. Kelsey was down. I sent him back for help. When he got the help, we restored the ventilation and rescued two that we knew were alive, and recovered the other bodies during the night, with the exception of the man in No.6.

I then made an examination, a casual examination of the wholee section of Second South level, and have examined it once or twice since. In making an examination the second day afterwards, although I am not positive as to that,  Mr. Kelsey found the bottom of the lamp "B" in No. 5 stall, secreted in a cog; it was really hid, not placed there after the explosion, but placed there before, I searched around some more for the cover of it, and I found that it hid between two cags, covered with a curtain. Evidently that was hid. We examined the place carefully, and came to the conclusion, at least I did, that the explosion had originated between No.6 and No.7 on the top of that branch road off six. The reason for coming to that conclusion was this:- in the first place, the forces had all radiated from there; That it had passed inward along the wall face towards 7 and 8; the forces had passed out from that towards six and five, and it also passed down through six, blown a stringer out there, and went in down the stall blowing down hill. There were other indications also that it had blown down hill. Another very strong reason, which I think is almost conclusive that it originated there, is that outside of No.6 on the top of that Six branch, there was no gas giving off, at least not in any quantity, nothing unusual, whereas, just at the top of that branchSix, it was coming off in huge volumes as a result of the squeeze; and that is where the cave occurred, also showing that the gas broke out there; the cave coming down naturally gave it freer access. 

Q: Was it coming out in huge volumes prior to the explosion?

A: No, this was subsequent to the explosion.

Q: Was there any marked quantity of gas coming off in that stall prior to the explosion?

A: Nothing unusual prior to the explosion, any more than many other place.

Q: How is the air course?

A: Good. It has to be good; it must be good. And that is one very strong reason pointing to the origin of the explosion in that case; in fact it was conclusive as far as a thing can be conclusive.

Q: In regard to the cause, did you find any evidence?

A:
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 Q: In regard to the cause, did you find any evidence?
-A: I couldn't say definitely but that lamp "a" there could have caused it. That glass could have been broken in several ways; it could have been hit with a pick or with a rock at the time of the cave; or it could have been tilted and the glass broken and the gas ignited in that way. Some men will crack a glass and not come out. Ordinarily there is no gas travelling, and it is perfectly safe to work on if they crack a glass as to come out means a loss of time. The explosion may have been caused in
+A:
- that way. The other lamp, I haven't examined carefully. that may have caused the explosion, but I couldn't say it did.