176 ^ ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Workiiiii'S were carried on in the Dalhousie pit for a number of 

 years in the coal lyiug between the level of the shaft and its outcro]i, and 

 through a slant running to the dip in a northwesterly direction. In this 

 colliery much of the coal was worked to a height of about twenty-seven 

 leet. leaving tall and weak pillars ; this brought on a general crush which 

 overwhelmed a great part of the workings. The final blow to this col- 

 liery, however, was delivered from another and newer shaft. For some 

 unexplained reason it was decided in 18GG to start a collieiy to the west- 

 wanl of the crushed workings of the Dalhousie pit. A comparatively 

 superficial examination would have shown that in the district to be com- 

 manded by the new pit the coal was inferior in quality, and that what- 

 ever there was of good coal to the dip of the shaft would have been 

 ultimately secured b}' the new shaft then being sunk to the dip of the 

 Bye pit workings. However, the shaft known as the Foster pit was 

 sunk, and ill-advisedly connected with the western faces of the Dalhousie 

 pit. Some large stopi)ings built to shut off some of these connections 

 took fire, and in May, 1870. both the pits were practically closed. The 

 expenditure on the Foster ])it was totally loïït, without any return what- 

 ever, as only a few tons of coal had been extracted. 



The closing chapter of these notes on coal mining in Pictou County 

 refers to the Foord pit. This shaft was jn-ojected at the same time as the 

 Foster pit, and intended to win the large area of coal lying in the northern 

 half of the area to the di]) of the abandoned Store, Bye and Dalhousie 

 collieries. It was successfully completed, reaching the main seam at a 

 depth of about !I00 feet, and equipped with the best pumps, hoisting 

 machinery, etc, procurable in England. It was continuously worked 

 until 1880, when a terrific explosion of gas caused the loss of nearly fifty 

 lives, and it was found necessary to let in the water of the East Eiver, on 

 account of'the coal being set on fire by the explosion. After some years 

 the water was pumped out. and an attempt made to reopen it. As an 

 undue amount of air was admitted into the old workings during the 

 operation of reopening', s]>ontaneous fires arose which led to the reclosing 

 of the pit in the fall of 1892. The ex])lo8ion in 1880 was communicated 

 to the Cage pit, or deep seam workings, a through tunnel, and that 

 colliery has also since remained closed. The details of the history of the 

 Foord pit and of the attempts made to reopen it are given in a report by 

 the writer to the Government of Nova Scotia made in 1895, and need not 

 be dwelt upon here. 



The reopening of the solid or unworked coal lying to the north of 

 the Foord pit, as well as of the pillars and lower half of the seam in the 

 old workings are discussed in the report referred to. At present the 

 mining operations in the Pictf)U Main Seam, l)egun in 181*7 and continued 

 up to 1892, ai-e ))ractically closed. 



The lessees when the}' found all their mines closed by explosions and 

 fires in 1880, opened two underlj'ing seams which have since been worked 



