at Healon Colliery. 305 



present owners have put down no shafts; the inclination of the 

 strata is nearly east and by south. To the west and nortli-west of 

 Heaton Mall are the wastes of ancient collieries long since aban- 

 doned. Tiie conductors of the mine, well aware of the great 

 body of water tiie^' would have to contend with \vhen they ap- 

 proached these boundaries, had increased the number of their 

 steam-engines to three (one of .which is of the power of 130 

 horses), tlie whole being capable of drawing 1200 gallons each 

 nnnutc ; and by this prudent precaution had already freed them- 

 selves from the water pvessiiig w^Qm them fronr the west ; but 

 that accumulated towards the nortii-west was still to be let oiT. 

 For this purpose a drift was driven in a direction to perforate the 

 old workings near Heaton Burn, a little to the north and by- 

 east of the Hall, where tlie remains of numerous pit heaps are 

 to be seen. A-i upcast dike of eight futhouis had just been 

 passed through ; this should have sen-ed to point out the spot 

 where the miners of form.er times were from necessity likely to 

 suspend their labours ; and now all due {.-rccaution should have 

 been used to guard against impending danger. This diift in the 

 stone had been driven in a sloping direction upwards to regain 

 the seam, and two feet of cord already formed its roof. — At four 

 o'clock on the fatal morning, Mr. Miller, the resident or under 

 viewer, \'isited the men engaged in this operation, and a dripping 

 of water from the roof being pointed out to him, he gave direc- 

 tions that the work shonld be squared t/p ; and said " he would 

 send in the borers at nine o'clock with the next shift, to ascer- 

 tain whether the water proceeded from, the waste or no. In less 

 than a quarter of an hour after ibis conversation took plaee, 

 the water began to run more fieely through the chibk ; and the 

 two drifters becoming rather alarnied, sent their boy to apprize 

 two other men who were ^vorking near them, with the state cf 

 the mine ; also directed him to go to the crain where the caves 

 of coals are delivered from the board -ways into the waggon or 

 rollyway. and acquaint the whole of the "men in the pit of their 

 danger. The youth asserts that no one was at the crain when 

 he reached it; but this is altogether improbable, and no doubt is 

 enterfiaed that, im.pelled by fear, he made the best of bis way 

 to th-; phaft and escaped. The two workmen fin't mentioned 

 had I.'.:-.'- quitted the face of th.e drift, and one of them recollect- 

 ing tnat he had hit his jacket behind, proposed to the other to 

 return and see how the water wa^ coming off; but at this in- 

 stant a frightful crash, accompanied by a violent gust of wind, 

 which extinguished the candles, warned them that an immense 

 torrent of water was rushiig into tlie mine ; thr^y fled precipi- 

 tately tc.v-irds the working ',„aft, distant about a mile ; and, as 

 the wav.-i ..f course flowed firit down the lowest !.:vc!, reached 



it 



