CHAPTER V.
GREAT SNOW-STORM—STRIKE AMONG THE MINERS—RIVER SEVERN BREAKS IN, ON THE SEA-WALL SIDE.
Progress of the work—1881.The year 1881 opened under brighter auspices than its predecessor; the water from under the river being entirely excluded by the head-wall and door which had been built by the Company, and on the 4th January the water from the big spring also being shut out by a head-wall and door as before stated. For double security we proceeded to build, inside each of these, a second head-wall; the one in the western heading being about half-way between the first one and the shaft, and the other one as close as we could place it to the head-wall under the river.
By building these second head-walls, all the small leakage which had come through the first was stopped out from the works.
The work of enlarging the existing heading, to line it with 18 inches of brickwork, and leave a 9-ft. barrel, was commenced; and it was well that all these precautions were taken, for a new