Scenes And Incidents From The Life Of A Practical Miner
With A Treatise On The Ventilation Of Coal Mines

the flues, tli?n such was the increased heat, that it was difficult, almost dangerous. to venture along; yet, it was an imperative duty on to see the tai encl, and know that all was right before we left it. However on a Jbunclay morning, when I myself, and another man, went to inspect it, , . °U1n e VI 011 fire to an enormous extent, one pillar, of 20 yards, jcmg wholly lighted up, and in some parts burnt full three feet into the ■ o Kt coal winch produced an awful sight, with little prospect of getting put out. J he excessive heat issuing from such a mass of fire, and operating on the upper strata, made it impossible to get near it for a ime; we, and two of the deputies, went down the pit, at six a.m., and nnnl nT d°-Vn at WOrk a11 ni«ht’ which constituted the whole number down the pit at the tune. I was obliged to stop them, as their a stance was necessary. I knocked out a stopping in the wall, between it horseway and the horizontal chimney, situated eight yards west of ± Ä ng iV'T °,f the fce' 1 ^opened the iron door in the side of the flue, next to the damper. (See accompanying Plan. Tlæ letter indicates the two iron doors, the one on the top, the other by the side oi the flue.) So we now had a strong draft of air passing along mdei and also on the top of the flue, with this holeing open to the west ot it, which increased the fire, but very materially reduced the heat, so that m a short tune we were enabled to get to the flue end. We immediately put a dam in, to raise the water up to the fire, as the only antidote to the destructive element. I then took a man with me, and turned the Kenton whioi' °i T?!’ chimney’ discharging 500 gallons per minute, hich absolutely boiled for a tune, as it arrived at, and rose upon the mass U?ng SUc[l a 3uantity of steam as made it insufferable, and eulfEX et T ? ’etlre until water got the ascendency over those diffi- J • haid t0 contend with- We then again advanced with the pessary implements, and by perseverance we succeeded in extinguishing Il0-T b? ‘Ie,ve o’cMi- B"t “1(W> Sd aWMw -t n< °1 jV "7^' *æ ’V11 the flooding of the water washed anders, clay, &c., in and along the flue, winch, if al owed to remain, wouM mevitabIy iu a short a serio’as impediment; consequently, it was necessary for us to make all thoroughly c ean and m a working state again, without delay. In describing the stmnT S ° r ?nde™wer, he thought it advisable to take some n on g. ?rwr a(Vltl; meJ t0 Operate in the flues’ in preference to riXt f n'' ‘at-OthT 1,iands 1 mi8ht deem necessary, to get all put right for the following day’s work. We returned to it at six o’clock m the e^nxng and got everything put in order from end to end, by one ,brakesman’ &c- I« order to ventilate this flue. n t ic damper was down, and the fire made large and damped through j * mght’ Ye 1’a<1 a,sni,aU u'on door in a frame, four yards behind the < npct ant w lru (j)e brakesman let down tlie^damper he opened this loor a little, to send a draft of fresh air along the flue, to keep it right and clean until he came back to lift the damper, and shut the door, niese were my instructions, and he was always careful to attend to them, n connection with tins engine, 1 acquired a great deal of experience. I nad heard it said that the safety lamp of Sir II. Davy was not safe in an