§ 63. Mr. D. DAVIESasked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been directed to the report of the Bilsthorp inquiry in which the comissioner concludes that the explosion resulted from an ignition of fire-damp by the firing of a shot; and whether the experts of the Safety-in-Mines Research Department are of the opinion that the explosion was due to adiabatic compression of fire-damp?
§ Mr. E. BROWNThe answer to the first part of the question is "Yes," and to the second part that it is considered unlikely. So far, in the experimental work, no ignition has been obtained by the passage of compression waves through firedamp-air mixtures, and though ignition can be obtained experimentally by the sudden and simultaneous compression of a considerable volume of mixture, it is considered that the conditions necessary to produce ignition in this way are unlikely to occur in shot-firing practice.