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

as 1 thought; (See the dotted lines on the plan,) bringing it direct to where the crossing arch once stood at three stentings up the east headways; from this point, through the stenting 8 yards, and down the west headways; 32 yards, gives a distance of 40 yards ready made, it being previously a horse- way of ample area; this added to 75 yards is 115 yards made at no expense. At this time, there was a young gentlemen serving his time to be a viewer, who frequently came down the pit with the under-viewer about seven or eight o’clock in the morning. On their road in they called at each of these places to ascertain what progress was making. When they came to this place and found the men. turning away to the south-west, they asked him who ordered him to do that. He told them it was Scott. Well, you must leave off there, and continue the place up west other 20 yards. The man knew they were masters above me, and it was his duty to obey them. So there his jud stands to this day, a memento of defect. When the place got up to 40 yards, they then turned the men to work south-west, After it got in a few yards in that direction, those masters ordered me to provide plugs, staples, and lines, to bring two men with me, and meet them with the compass the following morning at eight o’clock. But, their former conduct had roused me up to energy. I had wrought the question out mathematically by the rule of plain Trigonometry and Logarithms, (See diagram, fig. 1,) by the question on the two inacces- sible sides. To further illustrate the principle on which I acted, and guided every process through its operations, I here introduce another question, also on engineering, in a different sphere, done by the same rule, to show you fellow-miners, that your minds, if bent in the right course, can reach the extreme point requisite to a practical miner. (See diagram, fig. 2.) Nothing came wrong to me when in practice. All drifting, ridding, arching, walling; everything I demonstrated by these rules of plain and spherical Trigonometry, as you see, before I began the process. And I particularly recommend, in addition to Parkes’s Chemical Catechism, Sir Thomas Keith’s work on these rules. They are two useful books, almost indisponible to the practica] miner, furnished with the opportunity of observation and reflection on the natural indications of the mine. In reference to this question in dispute, 1 also demonstrated it by constru- tion, from a scale of equal parts, properly to my own satisfaction. Therefore, I refused to put up tbe lines, and told them the men would hole into the goaf at 26 £ yards, pointing out the inconveniences, the immense difficulties and cost they would subject us to by so doing. They looked at each other, treated my observations with ridicule, and asked if I was so absurd as to pretend to measure the distance of a place I could not see. “Well,” I said, “can you not do that, and serving your time to be viewer. Or am I to conclude you are mocking me, if so, you ought not, you see I want to keep you and everything else right, if 1 can.” I here showed them the question and figure, and explained the particulars in full, I distinctly impressed on theii mind the infallibility of the rule• but they either would not, or could not understand it. So they insisted on the lines being put up, and the place droven. as it ought to be, without any further bother. In common, to hear and obey is the