MISCELLANIES. 



507 



even in the course of the full cur- 

 rent of the atmospheric air, they 

 immediately ascended. But the 

 afBicted creatures, still clinging to 

 hope, disbelieved their report. 

 Wishful, therefore, to give as 

 ample satisfaction aspossible to the 

 unhappy women, Mr. Anderson 

 and James Turnbull (a hewer of 

 the colliery, who had escaped the 

 blast) again went down. At 30 

 fathoms from the bottom they 

 found the air exceedingly warm : 

 to exist without apoplectic symp- 

 toms for more than a few yards 

 round the bottom of the shaft, was 

 found impossible, and even there 

 the air was so contaminated, as to 

 be nearly irrespirable. When they 

 ascended, their clothes emitted a 

 smell somewhat resembling the 

 waters of Gilsland and Harrow- 

 gate, but more particularly allied 

 to that of the turpentine distilled 

 from coal tar. 



The report of these last adven- 

 turers partly succeeded in convinc- 

 ing the people that there was no 

 possibility of any of their friends 

 being found alive. Some, indeed, 

 went away silent, but not satisfied : 

 others with pitiable importunity 

 besought that measures to recover 

 their friends might even yet be 

 adopted and persevered in ; and 

 many as if grief and rage had 

 some necessary connection, went 

 about loading the conductors of the 

 mine with execrations, and threat- 

 ening revenge. Some were even 

 heard to say, ihey could have borne 

 their loss with fortitude had none 

 of the workmen survived the cala- 

 mity : they could have been con- 

 soled had all their neighbours 

 been rendered as miserable and 

 destitute as themselves ! From 

 6uch a multitude of distract- 



ed women, unanimity of senti- 

 ment could not be expected — no 

 scheme of proceedings could be 

 invented fortunate enough to meet 

 with the approbation of them all. 

 In the evening of this day it was, 

 therefore, resolved to exclude the 

 atmospheric air from entering the 

 workings, in order to extinguish 

 the fire which the explosion had 

 kindled in the mine, and of which 

 the smoke ascending the William 

 Pit was a sure indication. This 

 shaft was accordingly filled with 

 clay about seven feet above the 

 ingate or entrance from the shaft 

 into the drift ; and the John Pit 

 mouth was covered over with loose 

 planks. 



On Thursday the 28th of May, 

 both the pits continued in the state 

 they were left in on the preceding 

 evening ; but early on the morning 

 of the 29th, 20 fothers of additional 

 thickness in clay were thrown into 

 the William Pit, in order to insure 

 its being air tight; and on the 

 same day, a scaffold, at 25 fathoms 

 and a half from the surface, was 

 suspended on six ropes, each six 

 inches in circumference, in the 

 John Pit. Upon this, ten folds of 

 straw were thrown, and 26 fothers 

 of clay ; namely, 15 fothers on 

 Friday, five on Saturday, and six 

 on Sunday ; on which day the 

 scaffold was found suflBciently air 

 tight, by its holding the water 

 poured upon it.'' 



The remainder of this account, 

 which we should have given entire 

 had it not frequently referred to 

 the accompanying plates, relates 

 chiefly to the progress of taking up 

 the dead bodies of the unfortunate 

 sufferers. It commenced on July 

 8th, and did not finish till Septem- 

 ber 19th, when the 91st body was 



