The Coroner opened the inquiry with a few remarks, he said he understood the explosion took place about two o'clock in the afternoon of Tuesday and at present he had very little information as to how the explosion took place. The colliery in question, he was informed, was the same one in which an explosion took place some six years ago, by which 91 poor men met their deaths. He had proposed to go into the case that day but Mr. Wynne the Government Inspector of the district, who was to have been present, was in London. He wished the inquest adjourned on that account. Mr. Wynne could go through the mine, and he would then be able to give some opinion as regards the occurrence. The Coroner then took evidence as to identification of the bodies only, and he adjourned the inquiry.

The adjourned inquiry was held on the 17th March and witnesses said that the mine was well ventilated and free from gas. Mr. Wynne the Government Inspector gave the following result of his inspection:

The explosion took place on the 18th February about two o'clock in the afternoon and as no one was left to tell the tale, they had to trust to what they could see of its effects to arrive at the proximate cause.

There was a down cast shaft eleven feet in diameter and about sixty yards to the west an upcast of eleven in diameter, the depth of each being 350 yards. The air was taken along a cut of about 300 yards then along the level in the Eight Feet seam for 250 yards, which was as far as the levels were driven. About half way along the level an upbrow had been driven 200 yards, which Mr. Wynne was told had 9,450 cubic feet of air passing up it and then back to the upcast shaft. What air that did not leak or pass through Kenyon's door, went to the upper part of the brow, but on its way was forced about 40 yards into a pair of levels both bratticed and thence past Stamper's place to Grocott and Booth.

On the 17th Stamper had made a small hole into the upper level which was later opened out and allowed the whole of the air to pass that way instead of its old course of 70 yards further round. There had been a heavy fall in Grocott's drift and it had been suggested that the gas came down with the fall and was fired at his lamp after the fall. But everything Mr. Wynne saw went to negative this idea, as the force of the explosion came towards the drift and from it as could be clearly seen in Booth's drift. He therefore thought the fall was the effect and cause of the explosion.