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

22 Being so far satisfied, 1 next went through the double doors in the north narrow board (and south of the workings), into the return air, and had the gratification to find it all right and clean. I then replaced the regulating stopping, but left the aperture double its original area in order to keep the atmospheric air in the ascendancy and enable it to dilute the gas as generated from the blower. It was now half-past one o’clock, and all this vast field (several acres) of inflammable gas was dispelled in the short, almost incredible space, of four hours and a half. Some may perhaps doubt the accuracy of the statement, but “ thanks to my footing,” there are parties living yet that can and will corroborate the tale I have told. But I was not even yet satisfied. T took the candle and a young man with me to examine all the working boards, up to the north, so that we might leave no trace of danger. We found all was right; and listening to the roaring blower discharging its dangerous gas, we put out our candle, and with the lamp proceeded down east, passing through beneath the blower with cautious step, and so on down the east winning headways to south, back to the narrow boards again. The four old experienced men were sitting at the foot of the headways on the west side of the double doors, waiting with anxious hope our return. They had been commenting on the feat, and their interest had been greatly aroused, for when they heard me open the inner door, their feelings overmastered them, and when I opened the outei' door, I found them all in tears. When I asked them what was the matter, one of them (the brave old Kennedy) took me by the hand, and said, “We cannot help it. There never was such a thing done in the coal trade before. I have seen a vast in my time. I was at Sheriff Hill when the explosion was there; I was at Neasham Colliery when the explosion was there, and was one of the exploring parties at each place ; I have seen a. vast, and a vast of clever men in my time, but never anything like this in the world before. We’ll have it advertised in the papers if thou be’s willing.” “Nonsense,” I said, “we are not done yet. You know nothing is done when there is anything left undone. Get the bag of nails, axe, saw, and hammer and come away. We’ll put a temporary dea] stopping in at the west end of the north board. I cannot go home and sleep until that is done; for this reason, this blower may yet be under the influence of the atmosphere, and it might get back west to the end of the board, I must prevent it, before I can quit it.” So off we set to the north board where they heard the blower roaring for the first time. We very soon put up the stopping, leaving an aperture of sufficient area, so as to compress the air, and yet not obstruct it. This I knew was a safeguard for the Work- I ings. We then left for home, fatigued with exertion, but satisfied with the results. When we met the overman, we told him that all was right, and that the men could go to their own places; he expressed his surprise at our success: having seen the state of the district the day before, he calculated that it would be several days before we could get it again in a workable state. However, lie went in before the men, and was quite satisfied that ; al] was right and safe. The under -viewer also went in to see this district, I and expressed his satisfaction; I do not know that the chief agent ever knew anything about it, at any rate he did not know from me, neither