14 REPORT ON EXPLOSIONS IN COAL-MINES, ETC. 



Oct. 1 or 2, Littleton Hall Colliery, West Bromwich, Staffordshire (three 

 killed; Oct. 3 (Sunday), Rainton, Durham (one man and seventeen horses 

 killed) ; Oct. 6, Haigh Moor Colliery, Wakefield (three killed). Six weeks 

 now succeed without explosions, so that there are no explosions for nearly 

 six months, except the Jive explosions that occur within eleven days during 

 the passage over Britain of a great revolving storm. 



1846, November. — On the 19th and 20th (Plate II.) a violent storm caused 

 many wrecks on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. The barometer 

 begins to fall early on the 16th, and continues low till the end of the month. 

 There were no explosions during the preceding six weeks. Two occur during 

 this storm, viz. on Nov. 17, at Round's Green Pit, Oldbury (nineteen killed) ; 

 Nov. 24'th, Brough Pit, Coppul, near Chorley (eight killed). 



1847, March. — The barometric curves for Greenwich and Rouen (Plate 

 II.), show the passage of a storm from Greenwich towards Rouen, between 

 the 1 7th and 27th of March. From the 25th to the 27th, a hurricane from W. 

 to N. blew on the coast of Ireland (the rear of the cyclone). There are two 

 explosions on the continent, viz. on March 22, at Mons, Belgium (twenty- 

 six killed and many injured) ; March 23, Lagraine, Alsace (twenty-four killed 

 and twelve burnt). 



1847. — In December a well-defined cyclone passed over the British Islands. 

 On the 1st the barometer at Greenwich stands at 30-23 and falls to 28*38, 

 i. e. nearly two inches by the 6th (Plate V.). The wind during that time was 

 S.W.; it afterwards shifted to W.S.W., and finally to W.N.W., when the 

 barometer began to rise. At Rouen the barometer falls later, but rises sooner 

 than at Greenwich, showing that Rouen was nearer the margin of the cyclone. 

 The barometer is lowest (725*21 ) at Brussels on the 7th. The only fatal explo- 

 sion during four months is on Dec. 6, at Haigh Pit, Lancashire ; also on Dec. 7, 

 at Rochdale Colliery, three men are suffocated by an escape of " foul air." 



1850. — A cyclone appears by the curves (Plate V.) to have passed over 

 Greenwich, Goersdorf on the Lower Rhine, and Versailles, between the 22nd 

 and 28th of March. The news of a great colliery explosion at Mons, by 

 which seventy-five persons were killed, reached Brussels on the 25th. It is 

 therefore probable that it had taken place on the 23rd or 24th, just as the 

 greatest barometric depression occurred. 



1 850. — On the 3rd and 4th of November, a most violent storm of wind caused 

 vast loss of life and property in Britain. The packet-boat from Boulogne 

 had to be run ashore at Margate. At Nottingham, Liverpool, &c., chimneys, 

 walls, trees, &c., were blown down. At Liverpool, the ships 'Providence' and 

 ' Arcturus ' were wrecked, and twenty-five persons perished. Several other 

 ■wrecks took place along the coasts. 



On the 11th of November, at Houghton pit, Newbottle, twenty-six lives 

 were lost by an explosion. It is stated that the workmen had been appre- 

 hensive for more than a week. 



Two great storms succeed, one at the end of November, and the other in 

 the middle of December (Plate V.), both distinguished by heavy gales, 

 thunder-storms, wrecks, &c. I have given the barometrical curve at Green- 

 wich for November and December, accompanied by the curves for November 

 at Goersdorf and Versailles. 



The contemporaneous explosions are on Nov. 19, Emroyd Pit, Wakefield ; 

 Nov. 25, Dawley, Shropshire ; Nov. 28, Victoria Pit, Wakefield ; Dec. 4, 

 Oldham, Lancashire ; Dec. 5, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire ; Dec. 7, Hay- 

 lock Colliery, St. Helen's ; Dec. 13, Rowley Regis Colliery, Staffordshire ; 

 Dec. 14, Middle Duff'ryn, Aberdare; Dec. 17, Springfield Colliery, Hindley ; 

 Dec. 21, Wrexham, Denbigh. 



