506 



ANNUA LREGISTER, 1813. 



Many of the widows continued 

 about the raouth of the John Pit 

 during the whole of Monday night, 

 with the hope of hearing the voice 

 ofa husband or a son calling for 

 assistance. 



On Tuesday the 26th of May, 

 the natural propension of the 

 human mind to be gratified with 

 spectacles of horror was strongly 

 exemplified. An immense crowd 

 of colliers from various parts, but 

 especially from the banks of the 

 river Wear, assembled round the 

 pits, and were profuse in reproaches 

 on the persons concerned in the 

 mine, for want of exertion to re- 

 cover the men. Every one had 

 some example to relate of suc- 

 cessful attempts in cases of this 

 kind — all were large in their pro- 

 fessions of readiness to give assist- 

 ance ; but none were found to 

 enter the inflammable jaws of the 

 mine. Their reasonings and asser- 

 tions seemed indeed to be a mix- 

 ture of those prejudices and con- 

 celts which cleave to workmen 

 whom experience has afforded a 

 partial insight into the nature and 

 peculiarities of their profession, and 

 not to be grounded on any memory 

 of facts, or to result from a know- 

 ledge of the connection between 

 causes and effects ; and on this 

 account, as soon as the leaders of 

 the outcry could be brought to 

 listen with patience to a relation 

 of the appearances that attended 

 this accident, and to hear the rea- 

 sons assigned for the conclusion 

 that the mine was on fire, and that 

 the persons remaining in it were 

 dead, they seemed to allow the im • 

 practicability of reachingthe bodies 

 of the sufferers, till the fire was ex- 

 tinguished, and consequently the 



necessity of smothering it out by 

 excluding atmospheric air from the 

 mine. 



The proprietors of the mine gave 

 the strongest assurances to the 

 crowd, that if any project could 

 be framed for the recovery of the 

 men, no expense should be spared 

 in executing it ; if any person 

 could be found to enter the mine, 

 every facility and help should be 

 afforded him; but, as they were 

 assured by the unanimous opinion 

 of several of the most eminent 

 viewers in the neighbourhood, that 

 the workings of the mine were in 

 an unapproachable state, they 

 would hold out no reward for the 

 attempt: they would be accessary 

 to no man's death by persuasion or 

 a bribe. 



The mouth of the John Pit had 

 continued open since the accident : 

 the William Pit was to-day almost 

 wholly muzzled with planks. 



On Wednesday theii7th of May, 

 at the clamorous solicitation of the 

 people, Mr. Straker and the over- 

 man again descended the John Pit, 

 in order to ascertain the state of 

 the air in the workings. Imme- 

 diately under the shaft they found 

 a mangled horse, in which they 

 supposed they perceived some 

 signs of life; but they had only 

 advanced about six or eight yards, 

 before the sparks of the flint were 

 extinguished in the choak-damp, 

 and Haswell, who played the mill, 

 began to show the effects of the 

 carbonic poison, by faltering in 

 his steps. Mr, Slraker therefore 

 laid hold of him, and supported 

 him to the shaft. As the baneful 

 vapours had now taken possession 

 of the whole of the mine, and 

 they found it difficult to breathe 



