REPORT UNDER THE QUARRIES ACT. Persons employed.-The number of persons employed at quarries to which the Quarries Act, 1894, applies was 15,124 or 374 less than in the previous year, the decrease being principally in workers outside the quarries. The decrease in the number of workers inside the quarries is not confined to any one county, but there is a slight decrease in most counties, except those raising iron ore, where there has been increased employment. Mineral worked.-There is an increase of 278,398 tons of mineral got as compared with the previous year, the iron ore of Northamptonshire being 259,122 tons more than the quantity raised in the preceding year, a good feature as indicating the prosperity of the iron trade. The brickclay got during the year was 107,510 tons less, which indicates that the building industry has not been so brisk, but the quantities are confined to the mineral raised from quarries under the Act. There are numerous quarries to which the Act does not apply, and from such quarries no return is made, and neither the number of persons employed nor the mineral worked can be given. SECTION I. PERSONS EMPLOYED. The following table records the number of persons employed in both quarries and factories and workshops, as returned by the owners upon their Annual Statutory Return : TABLE (21). Inside the Quarry Outside the Quarry (ie., inside the actual pit, hole, or excavation). (i.e., outside the actual pit, hole,or excavation). Males. TOTAL Number of Persons employed inside and outside the Quarry. Females. 12-14. 14-16. 16. 12-14. 14-16. 16. The following table supplies a detailed description of the particular class of mineral worked : Total, 1906.. 695,508 194,765 62,939 541,142 2,579,840 300,350 634,224 2,447,776 119,658 2,348,705 737.958 53,625 6,619 1,131,263 11,854,372 Total, 1905.712,187 172,375 56,966 414,950 2,572,743 334,509 687,246 2,529,038 149,733 2,109,889 719,540 41,493 6,315 1,068,990 11,575,974 3,209 = 5,342 252 12,688 306,079 5,058 3,400 823 4,285 19,693 * Igneous rocks. + Unclassified. a Colly Weston slates. b Sarsen stone. SECTION III. ACCIDENTS. The list of fatal accidents will be found as an Appendix to this Report (see Appendix I.). The following table is an epitome of the fatal and non-fatal accidents reported during the The total number of deaths from accidents at quarries is 10, which is a decrease of three as compared with the previous year. Accident No. 63.-This accident occurred at a gritstone quarry, where there are large blocks of stone, forming the over-burden or waste, which must be removed to uncover the good stone. The deceased was the foreman of the quarry, and was using a rope coupled to a crane engine, for the purpose of pulling over a large stone to be thrown down the quarry face about 50 feet deep. A chain was attached round the stone, and coupled to the rope, the deceased, standing between the rope and the edge of the quarry, directing the operation. It was while the rope was taut that the stone broke in two pieces, this allowed the rope to swerve and catch the legs of the deceased, knocking him over the edge of the quarry with fatal result. BLASTING ACCIDENTS. Fatal. Accident No. 200.--A shot of half-a-pound of gelignite was being fired about 15 yards from the workmen's cabin, and as it was the rule to fire shots at meal times, the deceased was inside the cabin getting his dinner, but seeing a fellow workman pass, he went out to speak to him just as the shot exploded. A stone from the shot caught him on the head inflicting fatal injuries. The cabin was good shelter for men, and at the time of firing it was his duty to keep inside. Non-fatal. HINDLOW, BUXTON, DERBYSHIRE, 8TH JANUARY.-Accident No. 1.—In charging springing shots a copper tube is frequently used for directing the gunpowder to a given point in the break in the stone. In this case a tube of inch diameter and seven feet long was used, but it became choked up and would not let the gunpowder run through. The quarryman took it to the blacksmith's shop to have it set free. The blacksmith put the end of the tube in the fire, and shortly afterwards an explosion occurred. A piece of the copper tube struck a man who was standing watching the smith at work. BARDON HILL, LEICESTERSHIRE, 17TH JANUARY. -Accident No. 31.-In this case two men were blasting the rock by charge after charge of gunpowder, or what is termed "springing" the rock. A charge of 10 lbs. of gunpowder had been fired, and, by the rules in force at the quarry, the men should have waited 30 minutes, but a few minutes after the shot exploded they returned to the place and made preparations for re-charging. In this case the charge was to be 20 lbs. of gunpowder, and within 15 minutes of the previous shot they were pouring the gunpowder into the hole, and had nearly completed the charge when it exploded, severely burning both men, probably due to a smouldering piece of fuse from the previous shot. GROBY, LEICESTERSHIRE, 3RD MAY.-Accident No. 109.-On the day previous to the accident a shot had been charged with gunpowder and missed fire. The following morning the injured person commenced to unram the missfired shot with a drill, and while doing this, the charge exploded and inflicted severe injuries upon the man. It is difficult to understand why men will run such dangerous risks for the sake of saving a little explosive and the time and labour in drilling a new hole. I do not think it is so much the recovery of the charge as the saving a new hole to be drilled, and when it is hard rock this is a material consideration; but whatever may be the incentive, the men are now well acquainted with the rule forbidding such unramming, and, therefore, whatever may be the cost the rule should not be broken. POOR LOTS, MATLOCK, DERBYSHIRE, 28TH MARCH.-Accident No. 93.-About two years previous to the accident the office at the quarry was broken into during the night ; also the premises of a neighbouring quarry. The perpetrators left behind them a box containing a quantity of detonators, also some detonators scattered all about the office. They were collected, and put in the box and placed on a shelf in the office and forgotten; neither explosive nor detonators are used in the quarry. On the day of the accident one of the workmen went to the office, and, finding the detonators, took one out of the box, and on his return to the quarry put the detonator on a stone, and was cutting the end off so as to make a ferrule for his pipe when it exploded. The end of one finger was blown off and both thumbs injured. Five accidents occurred to persons not taking sufficient cover during blasting operations, the injuries being due to stones flying from the shots, and two accidents occurred SECTION IV. PROSECUTIONS. No prosecutions under the Quarries Act have been taken during the year. FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS. Fatal. I have no fatal accident to report in connection with the administration of the Factory and Workshop Act as applied to quarries. Non-fatal. A few non-fatal accidents have been reported, but they are all of a simple character, and do not call for detailed description. GENERAL REMARKS. With reference to the statutory regulations regulating the processes of loading and unloading at any dock, wharf, or quay, or coaling any ship in any dock, harbour, or canal, I have nothing to report, for where coal or other mineral is loaded for water carriage, the water is a shallow canal, and, so far as I have been able to ascertain, there are no shore cranes in use at any of the wharves which come under my inspection. I have the honour to be, Your obedient servant, ARTHUR H. STOKES, The Right Hon. H. J. Gladstone, M.P., |