1901)] on Meaiii< of Savimj Life in Coal Mines. 475 



so they are. But, in spite of care, accidents will occasionally happen, 

 thongh we may be thankful to say that of late years an immense un- 

 provement is taking place in mining, and accidents are becoming more 

 few. In this connection you may be interested to see a diagram 

 showing as years go on the decreasing proportion of accidents to the 

 quantity of coal got, and to the number of men employed. 



[Diagram.] 



The machine I referred to is shown in the slide. It was designed 

 by Captain Thomson, the late Chief Inspector of Explosives, whose 

 lamented death deprived us of one of the most brilliant men of science 

 iunong the inspectorate. 



[Two photographs.] 



I have now to enter upon what I think is the most interesting 

 jtortion of my paper, namely, the advance that has recently been made 

 in our knowledge of the causes of explosions in mines and of the way 

 in which the miners meet their death. 



For many years after the discovery of the safety lamp explosions 

 in mines were always attril)uted to the presence of fire-damp and to 

 its accidental ignition, and the deaths of the men whose bodies were 

 found blackened and singed to the violence of the explosion. 



One fact was noticed as curious, namely, that when the bodies 

 were brought to the surface, instead of exhibiting the pallor of death, 

 the cheeks of young persons appeared red as in life. I remember a 

 poem in which was described the bringing to the surface of the body 

 of a miner and its recognition by the girl to whom he was betrothed, 

 and who could not believe he was dead, so lifelike was his complexion. 



For years the full significance of these appearances was not appre- 

 ciated. 



But when Sir Humphrey Davy retired from his post he left a 

 successor, Michael Faraday, by whom the first great step in the detec- 

 tion of the true causes of coal mine explosions was destined to be 

 taken. 



In the year 18-44, after the Haswell colliery disaster, Faraday and 

 Lyell were sent to report upon it, there being, in those days, no 

 inspectors of mines. 



In their report they say :' " In this explosion it is not to be sup- 

 posed that fire-damp was the only fuel. The coal-dust, swept by the 

 rush of Avind and flame from the floor, roof and walls of the works 

 would instantly take fire and burn if there were oxygen enough 

 present to support its combustion, and we found the dust adhering to 

 the faces of the pillars, props and walls. This deposit was in some 

 parts half-an-inch, in others almost an inch thick ; it adhered 

 together in a friable, coked state." 



