104 



Very many years ago, at some period of which no record exists, 

 two pits were sunk to a depth of twenty fathoms, with the object, 

 it would seem, of discovering coal. None, however, was found, 

 and they were abandoned. After the Yarlside mines were dis- 

 covered, the then owners of Stank determined to reopen one of 

 these two pits. As they were in close proximity, it was a question 

 which pit should be selected, and by mere accident, and as was 

 subsequently proved — by a strangely fortunate accident, one was 

 chosen ; and after passing through the shale, it reached the lime- 

 stone at the depth of about sixty fathoms. The appearance of the 

 rock, from the very moment it was reached, so indicated the 

 presence of ore, that the shaft was continued j ore was found, and 

 the shaft was ultimately sunk to the depth of one hundred and 

 thirty fathoms. Subsequently the other shaft was sunk, but simply 

 for drainage. At about the same depth as in.the first pit, limestone 

 was reached ; but this limestone, instead of being mountain lime- 

 stone, was apparently magnesian limestone* — blue in colour, 

 solid in formation, and without any trace of iron ore. And this 

 formation has been found continuous down to the same depth of 

 one hundred and thirty fathoms. So that if this second shaft had 

 been selected instead of the other, the Stank Mine would not have 

 been discovered, because the limestone in this second shaft was 

 so utterly unlikely to lead to iron ore, that the works would at 

 once have been abandoned. Lastly, when we state the mass of 

 dolomitized Hmestone does not appear to be more than twenty 

 fathoms in diameter, and that its form is almost circular, we have 

 mentioned perhaps the strangest peculiarity of this singular mine. 



The Stank Mine has been worked for about twenty years, and has 

 produced some two-and-a-half million tons of ore; but the formation 

 is more irregular than in any other mine in Furness, not even 

 excepting Whitriggs. No rule governs it, except the general one, 

 that the ore runs N.W. and S.E. Yet so many branches lie in a 

 direction opposite to the ordinary apparent vein, that the general 



[*Probably Carboniferous Limestone, locally converted into dolomite, as it 

 often is where it has been affected by magnesian matter percolating downward 

 from the New Red that formerly covered all that part of the country. Ed.] 



