496 Witatbd H. H. Cambage, 12 February, 1903. —
t. C.
16221. His Honor.] Q. Your theory is not that the wire was blown adrift, but that something which was flying along at the time of the explosion cut it? A. Yes. Several things were flying along the heading and some of them may have cut the wire. 16222. Mr. Wade.] Q. Have you got a sectional plan of the roadway outbye of the 4th Right? A. Yes. 16223. Q. Did you see some rollers in that road, on the outbye side? A. Yes. 16224. Q. Was any rubbish heaped up against them 7 A. No, the rollers were smashed away from the frames. 16225. His Honor.] Q. Is there not an unaccountable heap of coal there ? A. Yes. 16226. Q. Did you form any hypothesis as to how that coal got there ? A. I searched for a clue over a large area, but I could form no opinion at all, except that I assume that it came out of some tubs. 16227. Q. Have you any idea what became of the tubs 7 A. I have no idea. 16228. Mr. Bruce Smith.] Q. Did you find any empty tubs? A. No, except some between the 4th Left rope road and the travelling road. That place is 300 yards off, and there were, between those points, four full tubs upset. 16229. Q. One conclusion which you arrive at is, from that part of No. 1 heading, opposite the 4th Right up to the 5th Right, everything was travelling inbye, and all the signs of force were inbye7 A. All the evidence I got between the 4th and 5th Right wag that the force travelled inbye. 16230. His Honor.] Q. There was a dead point, I presume, and then from that deal point, going south, the force showed signs of travelling outbye 7 A. Yes. 16231. Q. Where would you put the centre of that dead point? A. Anywhere near the 4th Right. I have to assume something; I have to assume that some canvas I found came out of the 4th Right. I assume that because there is not canvas in the main road, and there is canvas outbye and inbye of the 4th Right. 16232. His Honor.] Q. That would show that the dead point would be just at the end of the' 4th Right ? A. That is what it shows, provided the canvas came out of the 4th Right, and was not on the main road. 16233. Mr. Bruce Smith.] Q. You have shown on the side of the 4th Right an accumulation of small coal, indicating a sweep of wind round the corner like a wave 7 A. Yes. 16234. His Honor.] Q. There is a great mass of roof that has fallen just at the opening of the 4th Right. Did you notice the condition of that. About what was the thickness of itl A. Well, the space that it left would show that it is a little over 2 feet. There is the section here which shows it, about 2 -feet of stuff has fallen out. 16235. Q. Was the place at the top black, or was it clean? A. I do not remember. 16236. Q. It appears there, unless something has been removed, as though most of the stone was outbye from where it fell. Is it directly under the place it fell from ? A. Most of.the stone appears to be outbye; there is one fairly large stone which is inbye. 16237. Q. There is nothing to sbow at what exact stage of the proceedings the stone fell I A. Nothing that I could see. I could only say that it was there. 16238. Mr. Bruce Smith.] Q. I suppose your notebooks show nothing more than is shown on the plan ? A. Nothing more than is shown on the plan. 16239. I may say, your Honor, that these are all the witnesses that I intend to call. I intended to call two Managers, one of whom was with Mr. Atkinson at the mine, but I do not intend to do so. I should, however, like to ask Mr. Atkinson some questions on re-examination. The Commission has conceded tome the right of putting him in the box again, if there is anything said by the Managers which requires answering. I have also to deal with Mr. Atkinson's recommendations finally after he has heard what the Managers have to say. The few questions which I have to ask him on re-examination will serve my purpose then. 16240. His Honor.] Said that he hoped that in the future the Commission would be able to proceed with a little more despatch than it had in the past. [The Commission at 3.15 p.m. adjourned until 11 o'clock on the following Monday.] MONDAY, 16 FEBRUARY, 1903. [The Commission met at the Land Appeal Court, Darlingleurst.]
Vregatt:— C. E. R. MURRAY, ESQ., D.C.J. (PRESIDENT). D. A. W. ROBERTSON, ESQ COMMISSIONER. I D. RITCHIE, Esq., COMMISSIONER. Mr. Bruce Smith, Barrister-at-Law, instructed by Mr. Wood, Crown Solicitor's Office, appeared on behalf the Crown. Mr. A. A. Lysaght, Solicitor, appeared on behalf of— (a) the representatives of deceased miners, wheelers, &c. (victims of the explosion); (b) the employees of the Mount Kembla Colliery (miners, wheelers, dm.) ; and (e) the Illawarra Colliery Employees' Association (The Southern Miners' Union). Mr. G. J. Barry, Solicitor, appeared on behalf of the Mount Kembla Coal and Oil Company (Proprietors of the Mount Kembla Mine). (Mr. J. Garlick, Secretary to the Commission, was present to take shorthand notes of the evidence and proceedings.) Mr. A. A. ATKINSON, previously sworn, was further examined as under :Re-examination by Mr. Bruce Smith :— 16241. Q. First, I would like you to ask you about the hydrogen lamp—it was referred to as having been used in some of the mines, and not in others ? A. Yes. 16242. Q. I want to ask you whether the hydrogen lamp is used for the purpose of official inspection in Great Britain ? A. No. 16243. Q. Or in any other country that you know of 7 A. No. 16244.