46 NOTES ON CRICH HILL. 



" Coestead." In the centre of the building was a stove with a 

 good fire, on the wall were hung the miners' working clothes. Mj 

 guide ciianged his dress, wliiist I put on over my clothes a loose paii 

 of trousers and a coat belonging to one of the men. We took a 

 supply of candles and matches, and my hammer and bag foi 

 specimens. The engine shaft, about 600 feet deep, is used for 

 bringing up ore, but not for conveying persons. The entrance to 

 the climbing shaft is through a door near the outside of the " Coe." 

 The descent of about 420 feet is made by means of ladders, 

 which are almost vertical, and are fastened to the side of the shaft. 

 At the foot of some of the ladders is a small landing stage of wood. 

 In climbing, the candles are placed in a lump of clay for candle- 

 sticks, and held between the thumb and forefinger of the left 

 hand, whilst the iron rungs of the ladder are grasped with the 

 three remaining fingers of the left hand and with the right hand 

 The descent is moderately easy when the ladders slope sufficiently, 

 but rather difficult when they are vertical, and too close to the 

 sides of the shaft for much toe room. 



Near the bottom of the shaft we came to a heap of lead ore 

 mixed with fluor spar and calcite, and other vein stuff, some of 

 which had the appearance of decomposed toadstone. From this 

 place, a narrow line of rails is laid on the floor of the '■' gate" for 

 a distance of about 1,000 yards, to the present working. " Gate," 

 or level, is a technical term for a horizontal, or approximately 

 horizontal, tunnel in a mine. I was pushed along in one of the 

 waggons for the above distance by my guide. The waggon was 

 small and narrow. The candles were stuck in front of it to light 

 up our way. I had to kneel, resting with my hands on the 

 bottom or front of the waggon, and keeping my elbows close to my 

 side and my head low down, to avoid coming into contact with 

 the rock in the sides and top of the " gate." The " gate " has 

 very little water in it, and the sides are generally clean. We 

 stopped a number of times to examine the rock and get specimens, 

 both going and returning, but I shall mention them in the order 

 we met with them in our outward journey. Our general course for 

 the first 400 yards was nearly N.N-E., then S-E. for about 



