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------------------ ---- ---- Hollinger Otticials Guilty "Omissions " Asserts Judge! 1 Report of sion Presented on Disaster in Which 39° Men Lost Their Lives -- Origin of Fire Unknown '= . May J unwarrant- & on the part of HaNager Suv K accounted for conditions, concen: oduction, and complete usly from metal "fires in Ontario, contributed to al fire in the Hollinger shaft "Porcupine on February 10 | T. BE, Godson so finds as Royal Commissioner into the disaster in which v their lives. was an omission on the part Fi ral manager, the Commis. nie in not enquiring or yw and where such inflam. ter of dry thaw house re- being placed. The assist manager was remiss in \ly satisfying himself @ refuse was being properly of, The general superin- t, mine superintendent and other officials specified "know, or ought to have known, that thaw house refuse was not being thorough- ly mixed with or completely cover- ed by waste rock, sand or gravel, and therefore in this condition con stituted a menace" Disposal of Refuse The Inspector of Mines of the Por- cupine Division did make enquiry as to disposal of the refuse, and the answer was reassuring, but "an in- spector should be satisfied only with what he actually knows to be a fact, not what he is told or hears... td i at Royal Commis. i The Department of Mines is impo- tent in its effectiveness if it cannot rely upon its officials." "The evidence does mot indicate, nor do 1 find," the Commissioner re- ports, "that a recognized danger was carelessly cast aside in order to North, It was was achieve major production. thought the material was ly placed. If so, the Is to know that it had been so There was a dependence by the management upon officials under them, and these officials upon the workmen, but po one saw to it that the chain of cOhtinuity of action was Rot: iodans n'a Judge \ two sections, the Which has yet to be completed. rt I, made pub- lic last evening a Hon, Charles Mc- Crea, Minister Mines, without comment thereon, d with cause and responsibility for fire. Part 11 will contain suggestions and re- commendations. . . Origin'of Fire Unknown The fire started on the 550-foot level of the Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines at 9.15 a.m, February 10, with 921 workmen underground. It was in stope 65-A, which contained dry refuse from the thaw house and fuse and cap houses, consisting of parafiin wrapping paper, powder box- es, box lids, sawdust, fuse ends ahd some detonators, Smdke and poison: ous gas generated by the fire was driven by its volume against the na- tural air currents in the drifts and travelled a quarter of a mile within 15 minutes after smoke was recog. nized, Thirty-nine fatalities resulted from carbon monoxide poisoning, The origin of the fire has not been determined, The commission sat at Timmins for 11 consecutive week days, com- mencing February 27, and during that time 57 witnesses were heard and an inspection made of the work- W . ; Vulcasfite Slate Surfaced Asphalt Shingles provide your home with a permanent weather safe, fire resisting, roof, Ww.» VULCANITE DIVISION BUILDING PRODUCTS LIMITED Hamilion ITI CTE = LO OO FING For Sale by CAREW LUMBER CO., LTD.,--0OSHAWA itns wilieh were relative to the is sues. "The quiet, unobtrusive and wnbi- manner in which testimony was given by all, and composure of those interested as bereaved or in the safety of their fellow-workmen, sitting with outwardly tranquil minds through the trying ordeal, was impressive and dignified," the com- missioner comments, "and bespoke the spirit of those who dwell in the ustry of Ontario "The mining 'has no occasion to bow its head, It t manage- ced, | ™ prospector who starts the its way to development, ment which wins the ore rock aided by workmen loyal an contented, is my most treasured set." John Knox, assistant general man. ager, was in the 'witness box during the first two days of the enquiry, and according to press. reports. at the time, named V, H, Em superintendent, and A, M, Yo as sistant, as responsible for the of stopes. The mining inspector for the district was George Cole, who was absent at the time of the fire, The general manager is Mr, A, F. Brigham, Following a section of the rt devpted 10 acts of the case, the missioner delivers his findings, as follows: "Dry thaw house refuse in its parts and in substance was of an inflam- mable nature, and as such an appar. ent fire hazard, Its proper disposi. tion, therefore, was of the utmost importance as a measure of protec- tion against the occurrence of five, "There was an omission on the part of the general manager in not enquiring or knowing how and where such inflammable matter was being placed, "The assistant general manager was remiss in not personally satisfy- ing himself that thaw house refuse was being disposed of through the central waste pass, or by other pro- per method diluted or mixed with waste rock and other material as he had heen informed was the practice of the company with respect thereto. "Methods of disposal of thaw house refuse were: "(1) Sent to the surface and burn- ed under mine hoilers. This prae- tice was stopped on account of minor explosions occurring © presumably from detonators or dynamite which had been mixed with the refuse. "(2) By decision of the general superintendent and mine superinten- dent, made in 1923 or thereabouts, two operations for disposal of thaw hause refuse were given: (a) Through the current waste press. Be- ing sent through the current waste pass, it would intermingle with the waste flow, be drawn off at the low- est level, used as backfill, or taken to the surface, redumped, and 'again sent down the mine to be used where needed, This process was a reason- ably safe method of disposal. (b) Direct. tn stopes which were being backfilled. This method, without complete dilution or mixing of the refuse with waste, imported danger. A duty was therefore imposed upon the general superintendent and mine superintendent to keep themselves nee, --_----nny Announcing-- | 1 | OPENING --0f the-- CAPITOL 'CAFE Tomorrow, (Saturday, May 26) Clean, Wholesome Food Cooked In Such a'Wa That Its Onl Rival is Mother's Own Dinner. Special Dinner 50c AND UPWARD - Dine Tomorrow at the "CAPITOL" or) d as | ery, mine | EE of MAGIC BAKING POWDER Made in NO ALUM W. GILLETT 0. NTR ist ©) MAGIU BAKING POWDER SAE TO A informed if this prescribed manner of disposal was being properly and safely carried out, In this duty they failed. "(3) Dumping of thaw house re- fuse in empty stopes where backfill ing was not to be done. This dan- gerous and hazardous plan seems to have been adopted without orders from the general superintendent or mine superintendent, From a sys- tem of permissible dilution as re- ferred to in clause 2, the practice became one of complete segregation of inflammable rubbish, "Officials who issued ordBrs per- taining to methods and practices to be observed and carried out in the disposal of thaw house refuse under- ground failed to keep themselves in- formed if such methods and prac- tices were being maintained. "Verbal orders were given where writfen orders were advisable in or- der to fix responsibility and as a pre- cautionary measure, "The failure to issue written or- ders respecting the method of dispo- sal of refuse as determined by the perintendent, and the absence of any cpmplete record, prior to April, 1927, of stopes in process of being backfil- led were contributing causes of the fire. The lack of co-drdination in the or- ganization of the company resulted in a disjointed system 6 of control, thereby permitting the improper dumping of thaw house refuse in empty stopes where there was no concurrent act of backfilling or cov- ering, "The general manager and the as- sistant general manager cannot dis- assocjate themselves from responsi- bility for their own organization; and in my opinion the'responsibility of a general manager and assistant general manager is not limited in extent or time, where it concerns the safety or protection of the workmen { or others under them, "It is a fact that thaw house re- ' fuse was being placed in Stdpe 55-A for two or two-and-a-half years prior to the fire, and it is an admitted fact that Stope 55-A had not been back- filled since April, 1927, It is further in evidence, and I find as a fact, that this conditipn prevailed during 1926 or earlier. | "Those workmen who placed it, nd those who saw or knew of it be- | 'ng so placed, were intebigent, prac- | ical miners, capable of appreciating he danger of the act, and owed a luty to their fellow workmen to re- ort. the fact to the safety inspector, heir superior officer or the Govern- ent mine inspector, "The general superintendent, the general superintendent and mine su- | a ty tially, but not wholly true, as thaw house refuse J times through the central and more frequently to stopes, where was in process, or had been definitely suspended. "The statutory duty of the inspec and the responsibility of th ent unconfided in the | tion with or relating to the safety insi t in comparison with other major erations of the mine, it became > seu "By the men who placed the waste or saw it be placed without com- plaint: the habitual use of oilskins as protection against wet induced a placid state of mind, a reliance upon the judgment of experienced officials over them; the stope itself with its dripping walls not being combustible, presented the security of an inciner- ator, and, finally, familiarity with powder fumes." As to the duty of the Government inspector "to exdmine into and make enquiry respecting the state and con- dition of any mine," the commission- er reports that the inspector for Porcupine district did make an en- quiry as to how thaw house refuse ---------- 4 of the persons employed in a mine. "The fact rs to be that in no part of the North American contin. ent, where metal mines are in opera: tion, is there a specific requirement by law or regulation that empty box- es, paper and combustible refuse must be brought to the surface, and the further fact is that such refuse, as a general practice, is placed un- derground when it is accompanied by a filling of waste rock or other simi- lar material." The commissioner pays tribute to the heroism of the miners caught underground. 'From the moment smoke was detected, officials and workmen, unmindful of danger, gave freely of their services in the com. mon task of rescue. Mention {is made of the resourcefulness of Fred Jackson, deteymination of the man Zolob, who fought his way to the light of day; Villiancourt, the cage- tender; Fred Poulin, shift boss, courting death while seeking his ------ kept and every shoe made Boots and shoes of every are the better when regularly polished with Nugget, For a lustrous polish that lasts and lasts, Soran There's a Nugget Shade for | men, and George Pond, the foreman, who thought of his men and not' of himself, . "The fire department of Toronto sent its best," the commissioner re- calls, "The Consumers' Gas Company of the same city answered the call, and the Bureau of Mines of the Unit ed States hastened on its way their mine rescue car, The railroads op ened their line, and 1,000 miles wat covered in a period 11 hours lest than would be taken by the fastest express train, EE ---- teen Depots and Mont Joli. makes of tires. in motoring. Go with us on an imaginary trip from Windsor, Ontario, to Mont Joli, Que, From Windsor to Lon- don we will pass by nine Dominion Tire Depots (not including the three in London). From London to Toronto we will pass eighteen Depots (not including the twenty- five in Toronto). Between To- ronto and Montreal we will see six- ; six between Montreal and Quebec; five between Quebec Within a radius of fifty miles of Montreal there are twenty-five Dominion Tire Depots; sixty-six within a radius of fifty miles of To- ronto; fifty-four within a radius of fifty miles of London, Ont, Many of these Depots are modern garages; many operate towing trucks; many have vulcanizing equipment; all of them are equip- ped to give expert tire service on all Drop in and see us, and let us explain how thoroughly this system of Depots covers every locality in Ontario and Quebec, and how it can be of use to you All roads lead to Dominion Tire Depots A ---- You are never far away from a DOMINION TIRE JAMIESON & JAMIESON DEPOT -- {