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men, and wastenien having kindly placed their pit clothes at their disposal, it 

 was not long before the whole were turned out in their new rig. And a motley 

 crew they looked ! The diversity of uniform was ludicrous in the extreme. As 

 for ourselves we sported a suit of blue duffle, about the proper size and shape, 

 while the head piece consisted of a very dilapidated white billy-cock. The 

 representative of a contemporary got into a pair of what had very much the 

 appearance of a French sailor's pants that had been made for a man twice his 

 own size, a coat that much resembled the pattern of that of Joseph's of old, 

 while the roof was covered by a sou' wester. Some of the men who supplied 

 the clothing sent their blue flannel shirts, and not a few of the new tenants had 

 got into these over their own clothes, while perhaps a pair of checked horse- 

 knee breeches covered the lower extremities. Many a hearty laugh was enjoyed 

 at the expense of a neighbour, as he emerged from the dressing-room, where the 

 metamorphosis was such as, in some instances, to defy recognition by intimate 

 friends. Everything being ready, Mr. Martin an-anged to form the 

 company into three detachments, and despatched Mr. Harker, the viewer of the 

 pit, with the first installment. The visitors were sent down two at a time, an 

 official accompanying each cage, in order that the possibility of an accident 

 should be averted. Mr. Barker's gang having been despatched, Mr. Moore, the 

 viewer on the south side, went down with the first of his party, Mr. Martin 

 remaining to the last. On arriving at the i^it bottom the route taken was along 

 the north drift, a distance of 600 yards under the sea. The first part of this 

 drift, for a distance of 300 yards, is through stone, and all arched with brick 

 and must have been both a slow and an expensive process. As soon as the coal 

 was pierced the drift was continued in a straight line, as it is intended at some 

 futm-e period to haul the coal by means of an engine plane. Of coiu-se, the 

 workings branch off from the main drift, and also from a second one, which is 

 used for the return air, and up to the present time there are some 19 fore heads 

 in the north district. The company of which we were a member (that piloted 

 by Mr. Moore,) walked right to the fore head at the end of the di-ift and found 

 a good-sized working, with a good roof some seven feet high. This place was 

 making a little gas, as was evinced by the hissing sound caused by it coming in 

 contact with water. One of the party tried it, with his lamp, and the usual 

 indication of a blue flame presented itself. The ventilation was, however, so 

 good that there was no lodgement of gas. Most of the workings were afterwards 

 visited, and Mr. Moore pointed out such places of interest as were worthy of 

 notice. There was one place of particular interest on the north side that he 

 took care his friends should not depart without having a thorough knowledge 

 of, and one which wovdd leave a lasting impression, not only on the mind, but 

 also on the small of the back, and that was a place known by the name of the 



