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XII. On the iii(Jispensille N'ecessity of perfectly ventilating 

 Cool-pils, and tlie Insnffidennj and Danger of Safety-lamps, 

 a<s Substitutes far such (Ventilation. By Mr. John Farey, 

 Sen. Mineral Surveyor. 



To Mr. Tilhch. 



Sir, — As your correspondent, Mr. J. Murray, affects now great 

 moderation in the discussions carrying on, regarding safety' 

 lamps for coal-pits, and says, in your last number, p. 453, " It is 

 painful to see the asperities of controversy" on this subject, — I 

 think it but just, on the part of Mr. Longmire, myself, and 

 others, who have been aspersed, to rc(juest the insertion of the 

 following letter, wliich appeared in a newspaper printed at Car- 

 lisle, called the " Patriot," of February the 10th last: 



" To the Editor of the Carlisle Patriot. 

 *' Sir, — 1 confess I read in the Old Monthly Magazine of the 

 1st inst., with considerable surprise, and no little indignation, 

 the attempt of Mr. Farey, senior, to damp the efforts of scienti- 

 fic men in the cause of humanity, and to interdict the continued 

 use of safe-lamps. He would liavg up the srfety-larnp like a 

 bucket for the extinguishment of flame, only to be used when 

 the house is on fire. The safety-lamp ought ' to be hung up in 

 the office of the overlooker, on the pit liill,' and to be used oc- 

 casionally, forsooth; i. e. on the recommencement of labour on 

 the Monday, or the like. This is absolutely trifling tvith hu- 

 man existence ; it is plp.ying at the game of life and death, 

 I affirm that it is impossible to calculate on the explosive point, 

 so as to take precautionary measures, ensuring safetv ; the dis- 

 engagement of carbonated hydrogen may be instantaneous, and 

 the explosive measure filled up on the moment. Breaking into 

 old workings, for example, or excavating seams where the blotvers 

 are more prevalent, wouKl render the occasional use of the safe- 

 lamp a mere non-entity ; — to act on Mr. Farcy's wise suggestions, 

 is neither more nor less than to sport on the verge of a precipice. 

 Certainly, I admit with Mr. Farey, that the use of the safe- lamp 

 ought not to relax our endeavours in the grand and primary ob- 

 ject of a proper ventilation — but to .say that its uuintermitting 

 use would relax such efforts, is to argue from the abuse of a va- 

 luable discovery, and is illogical. Farey would, it seems, only 

 employ the lamp when it could be of no use : this is really a cu- 

 rious s|)ecimen of his reasoning, if reasoning it may be called. 

 When the phajnomena on the flame of a candle indicate that the 

 explodible mixture has reached its maxiimim, the lamp of Sir 

 H. Davy is of no service whatever, for it is instantly extinguished. 

 Nowj how must those who have laudably directed their labours 



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