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

55 of the viewer to take me in with him. On one occasion, he took me into a district where I had not been before, to look at a trouble which was difficult to keep secure with timber from side pressure, &c. The strata were deranged and brittle, having fallen a great height. In going in we came to a place were the water was pouring down a. strong feeder on the horseway. He told me to take care of my light, and keep on the top of the railway if I could. We tried the experiment, but failed, and after I got through and over the water, I turned round to look at it, when I observed a crevice or thread running parallel with the horseway for several yards in. extent, the water pouring down on the .backs of the horses, and also subjecting the men and boys to sad incon- venience every time they went in or out, the drift being com- pletely inundated, and the penning swimming about on the top of the water. I said to him, “ I wonder you have this place in such a state. Why don’t you take off that water, and thereby render the drift dry like other parts of it, it’s a shame to see it in that state.” “ Can thou take it off,” he said. “ Yes, easily, it’s soon done,” T said. He walked away, and as he went h© said, in a scoffing and ironical strain, “Thou can do more than any mau at Seaton Delaval Collieiy this nine years, if thou can take that water off. It s killing the horses very fast, I can tell thou. AVe have had three horses died within a month of the gripes: I would like to see thou do it.” “Well, 1 can do it, and easily too, at a very little cost I assure you.” We proceeded on our journey until we got to the trouble. After examining it, I prescribed a plan to timber it, but recommended them to build an arch through the distance, and stow it well up on the top, as the best way to secure it. The following day, when he saw the under-viewer and was telling him iny opinion of the trouble, he also took an occasion to tell him what I said about the water. The viewer sent for me, and asked if I could take the water off the horseway. I said I could. “ How will you do it1? he asked. I then described the process, which he saw through clearly, and told me to begin with it immediately. I went to the head enginewright and ordered two bags of wood wedges of two sizes, the lesser of hard wood, and also a few dozen iron wedges of various sizes, with a point, mallet, and hammer. I then went to the master blacksmith and told him to make us a sheet iron arch, giving him the shape and dimensions with chalk, and eight cramp-irons to hang it with. This order being completed, I took another man (still living) with me, and commenced at one end of the thread, wedging it up tight as we went on and bringing the water to one point, were the crevices were largest. The following night, when we got a suffi- cient distance wedged up, we placed the sheet iron arch in its proper place beneath the water, so that the water fallen on the top of the arch, was borne by the latter down on each side of the horseway. We next formed a bridge with the penning to let the water run through into the levels. The rollyway men also got all the other penning wholly adjusted in its proper place, and there it is, perhaps, to this day, as dry as any other part of the drift, and equally secure. You here see that, what it was considered could not be done, or at least was not done, was completed by two men in two shifts, although certainly the shifts were long, wet,