and G were the down-casts; the latter being a double shaft, as already described, afforded the convenience of two down-casts.
The two up-cast pits had each a burning furnace, and two pipe-drift currents were discharged through the B Pit dumb furnace. The current of air which supplied the burning furnaces ventilated the divisions in which the whole coal was being worked, and where gunpowder and naked lights were used. The current which passed through the dumb furnaces, ventilated those divisions in which the pillars were being worked, and where the Davy lamps were exclusively used; and these carried off the gas discharging from the several divisions of the mine where the pillars had been worked by the pipe-drifts and dumb furnaces, as already described. The whole extent of the workings, at the time the accident occurred, only amounted to about twenty-five acres.
Matters were in this state, and had been going on in a very satisfactory manner for several years, up to the moment of the fatal accident, which happened about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the 18th June, 1835.
The only places in which danger was apprehended, were in the district marked A on the plan, in the C Pit, and B, in the G Pit; both those districts were working in the pillars, and the coals were all drawn at the G Pit, the C being only used at the time for the convenience of letting the people up and down to their work.
Both those districts were working in the pillars with Davy lamps, exclusively; the latter rising gently to the east, the gas could not be swept so effectually away from the tail of the goaf, behind the workmen, and, therefore, required greater vigilance on the part of the under-viewer and overmen, and I had when at home, a daily report from Mr. Atkinson, the under-viewer, of the state of the workings, &c.
I had been absent from the 15th, on professional business in Scotland, and only returned home on the morning of the 18th. I saw Mr. Atkinson at 1 o'clock, P.M., and heard his report as usual, which was favourable, as to the general state of the underground affairs of the colliery. Nothing unusual had occurred during my absence, except a "bag of foulness"[1] having
- ↑ A sudden discharge or gust of inflammable air, of short continuance, is called "a bag of foulness."
