328 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



et, farther southward than the first 

 winning. By continuing this level 

 to the westward, they have cut or 

 intersected the Main-band or fourth 

 seam before-mentioned, about four 

 hundred 3'ards to the dip or west of 

 the outburst or appearance of this 

 coal at the surface. 



This level drained about a thou- 

 sand yards ia length, water level 

 course, and four hundred yards in 

 breadth, ordip and rise course ; and 

 also something more in breadth in 

 the Bannock-band seam of coal. 



The coals obtained from these 

 two winnings or extents must have 

 been very considerable. 



At that time the coals were drawn 

 out of the pits by men with jack- 

 rolls or windlasses, and laid up in 

 banks, from whence they were car- 

 ried to the ships upon the backs 

 of little horses in pack-loads, each 

 pack-load containing what is called 

 a Cumberland bushel, consistins: 

 of twenty-tour gallons, and each 

 •weighing about fourteen stones. 



Having obtained as much coal 

 as they could by these two levels, 

 the third winning was made at a 

 place now called Ginns, which is a 

 \ illage or hamlet near Whitehaven 

 on the south-west. 



Horizontal vertical wheels were 

 erected here, called Ginns, by 

 which they drew the coals with 

 horses out of the pits, which before 

 ■was done by men with windlasses 

 or jack-rolls. 



A few houses being built here, 

 in consequence, for the colliers and 

 workmen, became a considerable 

 village, now known by the name of 

 Ginns. 



With these ginns or vertical 

 wheels both water and coals were 

 drawn from the pits ; but drawing 

 the water thus, by horses and these 



vertical wheels, became too expen- 

 sive, so that the coals drawn would 

 not pay for the expences incurred. 

 To remedy this, the late sir ames 

 Lowther purchased the materials of 

 an engine in London, which had 

 been formerly used there for raising 

 water to svipply the city. Report 

 says, that this was the second steam- 

 engine which was erected in Eng- 

 land. The materials were sent in 

 a ship from London to White- 

 haven, where they were put toge- 

 ther and fixed upon a pit near 

 Ginns. The depth of this pit is 

 about fifty-six yards from the earth's 

 surface to the Main-bank, or fourth 

 seam of coals. This engine had a 

 copper boiler about ten feet in di- 

 ameter, with a lead top, a brass 

 cylinder twenty-eight ii.ches in the 

 diameter, and wooden pumps eight 

 inches in diameter, with a brass 

 working barrel. 



As the number of pits was in- 

 creased the water augmented, until 

 at length it was judged necessary to 

 erect another engine with greater 

 powers than the first. By these two 

 engines the water was drained from 

 a considerable extent of the Yard- 

 band, Bannock-band^ and Main- 

 band, seams of conls, which, being 

 thus laid water free, supplied the 

 town and export market for many 

 years. 



The pit, called Parker's pit, 

 about half a mile from what is call- 

 ed the Staith, (a place to hold a 

 large quantity of coals) which is 

 near the harbour, was won in the 

 Yard-b?nd seam by these engines. 



It was from this pit that the first 

 waggon-way (as it is called) was 

 laid in this country. A waggon- 

 way is a road for a waggon with 

 four wheels to run upon. It is 

 made with wood laid down fast 



on 



