18.

Q: You couldn’t tell when it went down? A: Couldn’t tell from the dust that was on it. IT might have been sent down that day, and it might have been sent down previously.

By Mr. Potts:- Was it in a dusty state when you found it?

A: Yes. You can quite understand that from the dust blown upon the road. Mr. Pooley:- Did you examine it closely? A: Very closely. Mr. Potts: - Your theory is that that lamp B did not cause the explosion? A: There was a probability of it causing the explosion. OF course you have got another lamp there too under the same circumstances. By a Juror:- How far was that lamp “B” from the face? A: I should judge about 30 feet down the road from the working face. Q: Had the clothes hanging there any signs of being disturbed? A: Not much; a slight deposit of dust on them. The only part of the mine where I found coking dust was there, on that car nearly loaded there; very fine dust over it, but with that exception there was nothing much disturbed. The lamp was further down the road that the car, about 20 feet perhaps further down.

Alexander Folds.

Take upon oath and acknowledge this 14 day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and three, before me, James Abrams, Coroner.