What was the reason of Wharton's delay cannot be stated with certainty, but evidence was given at the Inquiry that one of his knee caps was apt to become displaced and render him helpless, and that about three months before the disaster this had occurred in the pit, and a stretcher had been sent inbye so that he could be carried out, although it had not been used, as he had recovered the use of the limb before it arrived.

There were rumours after the accident that previously false alarms had been spread through the pit that the water from the Backstands Pond had broken in, and that in consequence Wharton had not heeded the warning given him on the day of the accident.

No confirmation of these rumours could be obtained, and the witnesses at the Inquiry all denied any knowledge of them.
After the persons who escaped were out of the mine, and it was found that the three deceased persons were missing, attempts were made to reach the part of the mine where they were known to be. The moss had then extended along the main level nearly to the bottom of the main dip, but here it was much mixed with water and not very deep. The undermanager, who was in the office on the surface when the moss broke in, at once returned to the mine on hearing what had occurred, and with Robert Jackson and Joseph Dodd attempted to wade through the moss and water on the main level; they persisted until up to their waists and hardly able to move.

Arrangements were made to allow the moss and water to flow readily into the dip workings below the main level by opening holings inbye of the foot of the main dip. The watery moss was also filled into tubs and sent to the surface.

When it was seen that it was impracticable to make use of the main level, attempts were made to proceed inwards by the old levels to the rise, but this proved difficult owing to falls of roof, stone blocking the roads, and to the presence of stythe or black damp. It was hoped that if the endless rope incline could be reached and crossed, the imprisoned men might be rescued.

A point about 900 yards from the main dip was eventually reached. I received a telegram on the morning of the 29th January, informing me of the accident, and took the first train to Brampton Junction, accompanied by Mr. A. D. Nicholson, Assistant Inspector. On our arrival at the mine, the state of affairs was explained to us, and I felt and expressed considerable doubt as to the safety of the explorers along the higher levels, as a sudden rush of moss down the endless rope incline and from the workings to the rise beyond might cause it to enter the openings between the rise levels and the main level and cut off their retreat, as I knew that a rescue party of four persons had been so trapped and lost their lives at a similar accident at Donibristle Colliery,* in Fife, on the 26th August, 1901, which happened while I was Inspector in charge of the East Scotland district.

On an examination underground, accompanied by Mr. Nicholson, the manager and undermanager, I found watery moss in the main level, and then went inbye along the higher levels, and then descended to the level next the main level where the explorers were engaged in it and in the next level above. We also descended to the main level at the point indicated by the first L in the words MAIN LEVEL on the plan, and found the moss about 4 feet deep moving slowly forward, but a small current of air was passing inbye over the top of it. As no change of any moment had taken place for some time, although small rushes occurred now and then, I thought the risk was not too great considering the object sought to be attained, although some of the explorers were somewhat nervous as to their position.

These efforts were continued until the workings below the main level were filled with moss and water, drowning both the electric pumps there and the excavations to the rise of the main level were being filled, and the pump at the foot of the main dip had been lost.

While these operations were being prosecuted underground, attempts were being made on the surface to block up the hole into which the moss was flowing. A near approach could not at first be made to the point, but trees were cut down in a neighbouring plantation, dragged to the edge of the subsidence by men and horses and pulled across the hole by ropes, but they disappeared without producing any apparent effect along with streams of soft moss which flowed like glaciers from all sides into the hole, together with considerable feeders of water.

A framework cylinder about 10 feet diameter and 15 feet long, consisting of arch centres held together by planks, was constructed and stuffed with brushwood. It was rolled to the edge of the cavity about dark on the 29th January and left there; next morning it had disappeared down the hole.

A second and stronger construction of the same nature was rolled into the hole, where it stuck, but by this time the flow of moss had nearly ceased, and access to the hole could be obtained by a plank road laid down on the slope of the cavity.
There was solid strata on the east side of the hole and immediately above it was clay of a sandy nature; above the clay was about 2 feet of sand and then moss ; the clay soon came to rest, but the moss above it continued to flow from all sides, and beyond the actual cavity thus formed there were rents in the moss extending right round and for some yards from the cavity.

On the 30th January I visited the hole on the surface, and found moss and water flowing nearly constantly into the mine and disappearing, and that nearly all the water from the smaller tarn had been drained off into the mine. A dam had been constructed in the narrow channel connecting the tarns, and two trenches were cut to attempt to drain away to the south the water from the larger tarn. On the 31st January, accompanied by Mr. T. E. Forster, Lord Carlisle's mineral agent, Mr. Nicholson, Assistant Inspector, and the manager, I descended No. 7 shaft, and we travelled as far as we could in the direction of the road through the whin dyke, but were arrested by moss about half way down an incline between the Byron and Roachburn levels at the point marked A on the plan.

The moss and water along with some clay and sand continued to flow into the mine for seven days ; the materials forming the sides of the depression or cavity above the hole then came to rest, and on access to the hole being obtained, as already described, steps were taken to prevent more material flowing into the hole, which was a rough oblong 13 feet by 16 feet, by forming a barricade of brushwood around it; the feeders of water, however, continued to flow into the mine. A ladder was fixed extending to the floor of the seam, and workmen descended.

It was at first proposed to construct a dam of steel girders and cement in the bord close to the hole, but it was ultimately determined to build it at the bottom of the bord: commencing from the solid coal on the low side of the level, a distance of 7 yards up the bord was filled with concrete, and in addition dry stone dams were built in the four bords to the north on the dip side of the level, and the level above stowed with stones for 50 yards from the concrete. After the dam was finished, the flow of water was checked, and the cavity in the moss began to fill with water.

I descended into the hole into Pattinson's bord on the 7th February, and examined the workings in its vicinity. The two bords to the north which had reached the clay were then closely timbered at the face and the clay could not be seen. In addition to this face protection rough dams were built in them near the level. The bords still further north had not reached the clay. The level beyond the bord in which the inflow took place going to the whin dyke was partly filled with moss, and on the other side the moss extended for 40 yards, but most of it had descended the bord nearly opposite that in which the inflow took place.

The electric pump at the bottom of the main dip was kept going until the 1st February when it was drowned, owing to moss choking its working parts, and water and moss then commenced to ascend the dip itself. Had Roachburn Colliery alone been concerned it is probable that all operations would have been abandoned, but as the rise of the water beyond a certain point in the main dip would have caused it to flow through the whin dyke into Byron Colliery, where there are extensive dip workings and where the existing pumping plant might not have been able to deal with it, it was determined to arrest this rise before that point was reached, and two steam pumps were placed in the main dip with this object.

Two brick and cement dams were also built in the two lowest levels communicating with Byron Colliery (at a point where they lay closely contiguous and in hard stone where a fault had been drifted across) to meet the contingency of the steam pumps failing and allowing the water to rise in the Roachburn shaft up to the adit level. There were other connections at a higher level crossing the same fault, and where the nature of the ground did not lend itself to the building of dams on which reliance could he placed.

At the Inquiry the manager was asked if he had anything to say as to the ultimate recovery of the bodies of the three entombed men, but he was unable to hold out any hopes in this direction.