Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite coal regions of ...

104 Eeports of the Inspectors of Mines. [No. 10,
a cfir down at the time, and was not near enough to hear the fall. When I
heard it, I went into the chamber where the accident occiurred as fast as I
could go, and when I readied there I saw the roof had fallen and that the
men Avere under it. I then called fo,r assistance and Michael Larkin was
the first man to respond, and he was followed immediately by William
Morgan and several others. We pried up tlie rock which had fallen, and
fonnd that the men were then dead. I saw two or three props that were
blown out b}^ a blast which had been fired about five minutes before the
roof fell. I had not been in the chamber where the accident occurred
daring that daj^, but I had been there on the evening before. I knew from
their appearance that some of the props had been knocked out by the
blast. There might have been four props knocked down by the blast ; I
can't say how fgr the first prop was from the face—it was pretty near;
can't say how close the props were ; saw props on both sides of tlie road ;
we put in some props to secure the roof while we were working to take
the men out from under the rock. I believe, from the appearance of the
way the men were when we found them, that they were putting up props
that had been knocked out by the blast. I saw some props under the
fallen roof, but don't know how many. On the evening before the acci-
dent, from what I saw, I think there were sufficient props for safety. I
can't say what number of props were on the right side of the road, but I
know there were some on both sides ; saw props on the ground ; the props
and two men were under the stone ; think George Batt had hold of a prop.
I cannot tell whether the props were under the thin edge of the rock ;
they might be discharged if placed under the thin edge, by the weight of
the rock ; did not notice which way the head of the prop nearest the face
laid ; there was one or two props standing on the right of the rock after
the accident ; as far as I can recollect, we stood three props to secure the
roof while we were working to get out the men ; think I could keep up
the rock which fell without putting props in the center of the road; we
got those three props which we stood along the road ; don't know if any
props were taken out from under the rock at the time the men were taken
out ; I left before the two bodies were taken out. I was there when some
of the props Avere stood and helped to stand some of them ;
one we stood
in the middle of the road, t,he other two on the left hand side of the road
don't remember whether we stood two props alongside of one another;
one had no cap-piece on it; did not notice the distance between the props;
I consider props from four to six feet apart suflScient. The two props
which we stood on the left hand side of the road we found alongside the
track.
Michael Larkin, sworn: I live in Hyde Park ; am
his
Benjamin X Humphries.
mark.
a miner, and work in
the Diamond shaft, where George Batt and James Johnson were killed.
The accident took place on Saturday, November 1 7th, 1877, about ten o'clock