460 Accident at Newlottle Collienj on the Wear. 



colliery, the scene of the disaster, is situated on the river Wear. 

 At present the proprietors are working the Hutton main ; the 

 deepest and best of five beds of coal witliin the royalty, its thick- 

 ness being six feet two inches, and, like most seams subjected to 

 carburetted hydrogen, nearly destitute of water. This mine was 

 won about four years ago, and is carried on by the means of 

 three shafts ; one, called the Success Pit, is one hundred and 

 eight fathoms deep. At five o'clock in the afternoon of the 

 2d of the month, a cloud of dust and smoke was seen to issue 

 from the mouth of this shaft, by which the workmen at bank 

 were convinced that an explosion had taken place below ground, 

 and in a few minutes one of the trappers, who was not above 

 six years of age, cried out to be drawn up ; he was quickly fol- 

 lowed by fourteen men and boys, most of whom were shockingly 

 scorched, four only having escaped the effect of the inflammable 

 gas. But a short time was allowed to elapse before several in- 

 trepid pitmen descended into the mine, where they found the 

 corpses of fifty-seven of their unfortunate fellow workmen 

 stretched on the floor; — some of whom appeared to be burned 

 to death, but the greater number to have been suffocated by the 

 after-damp, or azotic gas left by the combustion of the hydro- 

 gen with the oxygen gas. Some few still retained signs of life, 

 but expired on being brought into the atmospheric air. From 

 these circumstances it is evident the blast was partial ; for many 

 of the men had quitted the boards where tliey had been at work , 

 apparently unhurt, but met their fate on the waggon-way, being 

 suffocated before they could reach the shaft. Of the nineteen 

 horses in the mine, six only were killed ; those in the stables 

 having survived, for the air-courses were soon restored. It is 

 asserted that the inflammable air which occasioned the disaster, 

 issued from an adjoining waste carelessly holled into in the 

 course of working, but I believe this point has not as yet been, 

 ascertained. 



Heaton Colliery is still inundated, and the water pumped from 

 it has become highly offensive to the neighbourhood from the 

 putrescence of the animal matter it contains. 



Neucastle-npoii-Tyne, June 10, 1813. ^' 



P.S.— When speaking of the depth of the High Main at 

 Heaton, I should have said " where there was 25 fathoms less 

 covering on the seam," instead of " 25 fathoms covering on the 

 seam." 



LXXIX. On 



