The visit of The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers to the Furness district was suggested to the writers as a desirable and opportune occasion on which to present a short paper dealing with above subject from an essentially practical standpoint.

To many people, however, and probably to none more so than to the bulk of the persons employed in connexion with the iron-ore mines of Cumberland, the title of this paper will appear as somewhat of a misnomer, inasmuch as the majority of Cumberland iron-ore miners have, happily, never come into contact with the dangerous gas known as firedamp.

Until last year, indeed, the Cumberland iron-ore mines, with one exception, were entitled to claim entire immunity from the visitation of this insidious and unwelcome agent.

The exception referred to is the Montreal mine, situate at Cleator Moor, and, although gas has from time to time been noted there, it should be mentioned that no accidents have been recorded, probably owing to the fact that the officials, having a practical knowledge of the nature and properties of fire-damp, take the precaution to carefully inspect with locked safety-lamps any place where it is likely to generate or accumulate. Montreal enjoys the unique distinction of being both a coal and iron-ore mine, both minerals being drawn up the same shaft.

The only other iron-ore mine in Cumberland where fire-damp has been reported is at Hodbarrow, by far the largest and most important metalliferous mine in the district. It was not until August, 1898, that for the first time the presence of gas was there discovered, and then a small quantity, which had collected in a cavity in the roof, ignited at a miner's candle. The injuries inflicted were very slight, and the man went on with his work.

Most of the Furness iron-ore mines have had some experience of fire-damp, but not in large quantities. Although the accumulations of fire-damp in these iron-ore mines have never reached such an extent as to create the dreadful havoc and destruction too often experienced in coalmines, yet the records show that fire-damp is a factor which must be reckoned with in winning iron-ore in this part of the district.

During the last 7 years 10 accidents from explosions of fire-damp in iron-ore mines have been reported, whereby 12 persons were more or less seriously injured. The only fatal accident from this cause which has occurred in the district took place at the Mouzell mine, near Dalton, in 1888, when a man was so severely burned that he succumbed to the injuries received.

There can, the writers think, be no question as to the source or origin of fire-damp in any of the mines hitherto investigated.

At Montreal mine, Cumberland, the iron-ore is found in close proximity to coal, the coal-fault forming the boundary of the iron-ore. In this mine, the geological formation is an all-sufficient explanation of the presence of gas, and it is not surprising that under these conditions gas is met with in working the iron-ore.

The methods adopted in mining the softer ores of Furness are largely the same as those in use at the Hodbarrow mine, in Cumberland, and the presence of gas, at both of these places, may he directly traced to the same cause, namely, the decomposition of mining-timber, especially in places where water is percolating.

The accidents investigated have all occurred in places where old and decaying timber was present in large quantities, and in no case has gas been discovered in the Furness iron-ore mines in opening out new or virgin ground.

The reason why gas has not been found at the Hodbarrow mine, until recently, is probably owing to the fact that this mine is younger than those in Furness, where explosions have occurred, and the process of decomposition of timber is not therefore so far advanced.

Fire-damp being lighter than air, would naturally be expected near the roof, and especially in rise-workings, hence the writers find that most, though not all, of the accidents occurred through small quantities of gas collecting amongst the old timber which forms the roof of ordinary working-places.

These mines are all worked with open lights, and the actual explosion has usually been caused by the miner pushing his candle into the interstices or cavities among the roof-timber — of course in complete ignorance of the fact that gas was lodging therein.

Old workings, which had been abandoned for some considerable time and were only partially closed, were, on being reopened, responsible for some of the accidents, and although, as previously observed, the gas is not met with in large quantities, there was sufficient to inflict on the persons concerned more or less serious burns.

In view of the peculiar nature of the accidents, and owing to the fact that they may occur at any moment, inasmuch as the miners, generally speaking, have had little experience of fire-damp, it behoves the officials responsible for the management of each mine to take precautions similar to those adopted in coal-mines, and to have each working-place examined with a safety-lamp prior to the commencement of ordinary work — proceeding on the prudent assumption that as gas is generated in the mine, its occurrence may be expected in any part thereof. The practice of examining part of the mine with safety-lamps and part with open lights is unwise, and has been the cause of many accidents in coalmines in the past.

Good ventilation is, of course, essential in every mine, both for the health of the workmen, and in order that pernicious gases may he safely diffused, nevertheless the above-mentioned precaution should never be relaxed.

In conclusion, the writers may be permitted to express the hope that — inasmuch as the Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act, 1872, has never been amended, so far as its safety-provisions are concerned — an amending Act may become law at an early date. The provisions of the existing Act are unsatisfactory and incomplete, and although the writers have pleasure in stating that mine-owners, as a rule, have gone far beyond its requirements, so far as the safety of the workers is concerned, it is at the same time exceedingly desirable, in the interests of all concerned, that an Act of a moderate nature should be passed with the view of bringing the regulations affecting metalliferous mines into line with modern requirements.

Mr. Henry Ayton (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), with regard to the last paragraph in the paper, thought that there was already too much legislation relating to mines. H.M. inspectors of mines admitted that owners and managers of mines exercised greater precautions than they were required to do by Act of Parliament, and he did not see why they should ask the Government to make them do compulsorily what they were at present doing voluntarily.

Mr. Cedric Vaughan (Millom) said that the accident described in the paper was the first which had occurred from the accumulation of gas in the Hodbarrow mine, but since the paper was written, a second accumulation had been found, in a drift in close proximity to old workings. Its presence was ascertained in time by means of a safetylamp, and steps were immediately taken to clear the place of gas. The occurrence showed that where there was a quantity of old timber in process of decomposition, the presence of gas was to be suspected, and steps should be taken to guard against its accumulation. The Hodbarrow mine had been working for about 40 years, and gas had only been discovered on the two occasions mentioned.

Mr. W. I. Barratt (Millom) supposed that the suggestion as to the examination of the working-places only referred to portions of the mine where the presence of gas was known.

The Chairman (Mr. J. L. Hedley) said that the suggested examination would apply to all working-places.

Mr. J. Cartmell Ridley (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) said that it would be of interest to have an exact description of the gas and of the reactions occurring from the decaying timber.

Mr. Bennett H. Brough considered that the authors' paper was one of very great value in that it directed attention in a practical manner to the fact that gas was met with in metalliferous mines more frequently than was usually thought to be the case. In a paper* contributed to the Institute 10 years ago, he liad given a history of the occurrence of gas in metalliferous mines, and brought forward evidence to show that all the occurrences observed were not due to the same cause, but might be explained by eight different hypotheses, the one most generally applicable being that the decomposition of timber in a mine, in a manner similar to the decomposition of vegetable matter in marshes, might produce fire-damp which would accumulate in cavities. Messrs. Hedley and Leek's observations tended to support that hypothesis. It was also supported by the recent observations of Mr. J. Libert,** who recorded five cases in which fire-damp had been encountered in iron-ore mines in the province of Namur, and also by those of

Mr. Lodin,*** who described gas-explosions in the mines of pisolitic iron-ore in Alsace. That hypothesis was, however, not applicable in all cases. For example, Prof. G. Nordenstrom**** had recently found that inflammable gas issuing from borings in the Dannemora iron-mines contained 33.6 per cent. ot marsh gas and 66.4 per cent. of nitrogen. In that case, the gas had certainly not been derived from the decomposition of timber under water. It was curious to note that gas-occurrences similar to those described by the writers had been observed in metalliferous mines more than 200 years ago. Thus, the celebrated Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher, devoted a chapter of his great Latin work Mundus Subterraneus (1678) to mine-gases, and described the occurrence of inflammable gas in the Herrengrund copper-mine, near Neusohl, in Hungary. Gottfried Moller in his treatise De aere fodinarum metallicarum noxio (1730) described an explosion of gas at an abandoned shaft in the Carl adit at Sandberg. According to Stelzner's Beobacklungen uber Grubenwetter (1786), 12 miners lost their lives by a fire-damp explosion in a silver-mine at St. Andreasberg in 1694. The occurrence of fire-damp at the Idria mercury-mines and at the Weitwiesen iron-mine in Salzburg, was also recorded. In all these ancient examples, the origin of the gas appeared to have been similar to that of the fire-damp in the iron-ore mines of Cumberland and Furness. Reference to them might, therefore, perhaps not be out of place in the Transactions.

Mr. George Scoular (Whitehaven) asked if gas had been found only in wet or damp mines. Many of the iron-mines in the Whitehaven and Furness districts were quite dry, and it would be well to know if it was safe to reckon upon immunity from gas in such mines.

Mr. Miles Kennedy (Ulverston) remarked that he had always found the gas in the driest parts of the iron-ore mines.

Mr. W. E. Walker (Whitehaven) remarked that in Cumberland his experience had been that gas was only produced where the timber was dry and he had never found it where the timber was wet.

Mr. W. Leck, replying to the discussion, said that there had been practically no legislation with reference to metalliferous mines since the passing of the existing act in 1872. More than a quarter of a century had elapsed since that time, and with the advent of a new generation, different conditions had arisen, which necessitated further legislation. It was certainly true that most mine-owners were in advance of legal requirements, but a new act would bring up some of those owners who were somewhat laggard, and it was only fair that all should be put under the same conditions.

He was unable to give the composition of this gas, as it had hitherto been impossible to obtain a sample for analysis. The gas had always been found in small quantities, and was therefore easily diffused. In every accident which he had investigated the gas had been dispersed before his arrival.

Actual experience of these accidents showed that the gas accumulated for the most part in places where water was exuding from the roof. In one case, which occurred recently, the working-place was absolutely dry when the men went away at night, but when they returned the next morning they found that during their absence a piece of stone had fallen from the roof, leaving a small hole through which water was percolating. A miner pushed his candle into the hole, and an explosion occurred, by which he was burned. The water evidently assisted in the decomposition of the timber which produced this gas, and so far as they could ascertain, the latter was of the same nature as ordinary fire-damp.

Mr. G. Scoular proposed a vote of thanks to the writers of the paper, and it was cordially approved.

* Transactions of The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, 1889, vol. xxxviii., page 59.

** Annales des Mines de Belgique, 1899, vol. iv., page 48.

*** Annales des Mines 1895, vol. viii., page 40.

**** Geologiska Foreningens i Stockholm Forhandlingar, 1896, vol. xviii.,