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

24 the air’s return passage was provided for, and all made complete, I rebuilt the regulating stopping near to the down-cast pit, and reduced everything to its former state. But I have not done with this staple yet, as I intend to show that miners have many, very many, dangers to dare, even up to hair-breadth escapes, in the coal mine, apart from the dangers of gas. As I have told you, this shaft was won by a stone drift going west by north, and at ten feet to the south by west from the drift, they set oil this shaft, all in the blue stone, and near a trouble or an eruption in the strata, consequently it was necessary to arch the drift and side drift with a groin arch, and wall the shaft, connecting the whole up as far as the stratification was bad; to superintend these operations oi drifting this shaft, two men of wood practical knowledge were appointed, who had charge of everything, except the ventilation, which devolved upon me. After getting the ground work and all cut out ready for the masons to begin the arching and walling, these two men were separated into opposite shifts, with each an equal number of men and masons, to follow up the woik day and night with eight hours in, and eight hours out, until they got it secured. The first shift went in at eight o’clock one Sunday morning, but they had not long begun to work, when the men engaged in the shaft were alarmed by small stones falling down upon them, which made them run into the drift for safety; this alarmed all the rest, thirteen in number, and it was well they did, for the next minute down came the upper strata in a rush right across the drift, seventeen feet up, forming a cone at the bottom of the shaft, and closing the drift. Fortunately nine of the men had run beyond the range of the fall, and they got out the other foui, who were barred in behind the falling stones, yet quite safe, as the drift was continued past the shaft thirty yards, which gave shelter to the men in their flight. When all had become settled, it was found that none were injured except two, who had received slight bruises; as a matter of course they left their work, and came to bank to acquaint the masters with what had happened. It was now between ten and eleven o clock, and the chief agent himself, and the under-viewer, were at the pit with the men. They sent a messenger off for me, and when I went, the chief agent requested me to go and take charge of the job, saying “ Go and order what timber you think proper, and take as many men as you like.” Obedient to his wish, I went and selected such timber as would answer my purpose j one piece was a boani twenty-two feet in length, <uul sixteen inches diameter, this was to extend from side to side, with its ends set into the solid stone, to secure the roof off, and it had to be arranged so as not to interfere with the walling or arching, and to remain in when all was built and sowed up solid above the arching and behind the walling: I divided the men into two shifts, eight hours each, and 1 engaged to remain with both until the danger was past. I took one half of the men in with myself at four o’clock on the Sunday afternoon, the other half to come and relieve them at twelve o’clock at night; we lost no time in commencing our operations, and we made rapid progress, so that I ordered them to bring the masons in with them, when they came back on the Monday morning, at eight o,clock. They came, but were extremely