NATURAL HISTORY. 



327 



iiundred yards under the sea to- 

 wards the west, making in area 

 about two thousand four hundred 

 acres. This is the extent of the 

 present workings, and is asserted 

 to be the most extensive colHery in 

 Great Britain. 



In this colliery are now discovered 

 five workable seams or bands of coal, 

 besides several smaller scams which 

 are not worth the working. 



In the pit nara.^d King-pit, which 

 is the deepest pit in this colliery, or 

 in Great Britain, the iirst seam or 

 band is called the Crow-coal, which 

 is two feet two inches thick. It lies 

 at the depth of sixty yards. 



The Second seam or band is call- 

 ed tlie Yard-band, in thickness four 

 feet sis: inches, and lies at the depih 

 of one hundred and sixty yards. 



The third seam is called the Bnn- 

 nock-band, about eight feet thick, 

 including two metals, which are 

 about twelve inches thick. It lies at 

 the depth of two hundred yards. 



The fourth seam is called the 

 Main or Prior-band, which is from 

 ten to twelve feet thick, and about 

 two hundred and forty yards deep. 



The fifth seam is called the Six- 

 quarters coal, about live feet thick. 

 It lies at the depth of three hundred 

 and twenty yards. No part of this 

 last seam has been yet wrought. 



What other seams lie below these 

 are yet unknown. No trial has 

 been made above twenty yards be- 

 low the fifth seam, which makes 

 the greatest perpendicular depth hi- 

 therto sunk to be three hundred 

 and forty yards below the earth's 

 surface. 



It would not be difficult to per- 

 ceive, before any coals were got, 

 that this tract of land contained 

 seams or bands of coai, because the 

 JJannock or third seam, .md thf 



Ma'n-band or fourth senm, before- 

 mentioned, have burst out, as it is 

 termed, at Whitehaven ; that is/ 

 they shew themselves in several 

 places on the sloping surface of the 

 earth, on the west side of the valley 

 leading from Whitehaven to St. 

 Bees. To the southward of this-* 

 colliery, these seams of coal are also 

 thrown much nearer the surface by 

 what is called upcast dykes (words 

 which will be hereafter explained) 

 the largest of which is about forty 

 yards. 



At a pit called Wilson's pit, which 

 is the most southern pit in this col- 

 liery, the Main-band, or fourth 

 seam, before-mentioned, lies only 

 about one hundred and forty yards 

 below the surface ; whereas at 

 King pit, as- before stated, it lies 

 one hundred yards deeper, or about 

 tv.'o hundred and forty yards. 



It appears, that flt the first be- 

 ginning to work this ctjlliery, a le- 

 vel or water-course has been driven 

 from the rivulet called Ppwbeck, 

 near the copperas-work, to the 

 south of the town about three hun.» 

 drcd yards. 



The course of this level is to the 

 full dip or descent of the colliery, 

 which is nearly due west, until it 

 cuts or insects tlxe Bannock-band, 

 or third seam of coal beibre-men- 

 lioned. This level efi-'ectually 

 drained about tiuee hundred yards 

 in length, and about one hundred 

 yards in breath, water level course, 

 in this seam. The extent of ciKils 

 thus drained is called a winning. 

 The depth of the pits in this win- 

 ning or extent is from twenty to 

 sixty yards. 



The second wimiing or extent 

 drained, has been efi'ected by dii- 

 viu'T a level from the surface of the 

 Vov.beck, near a farmcail-dlliick- 



y 4 et, 



