1815.) Explosion at the Success Coal-Pit. 55 
The Governor-General ordered search to be made; but the old 
chronicles are wanting. ‘There is a tradition among the people that 
it lay at the Biichel, and that as long as it lay there the warm baths 
would never fail. Some are of opinion that when the castle of 
Charlemagne at Aachen was burnt, the iron in it was melted, and 
formed this mass. Others are surprized that it was not destroyed in 
former times. My opinion is that we ought not, without knowing, 
the conclusions of naturalists, determine any thing respecting the. 
origin of this remarkable mass of iron. 
ArtTicLe XII. 
An Account of the Explosion at the Success Coal-Pit, near New- 
bottle, in the County of Durham: drawn up for the Annals of 
Philosophy. 
Anoruer dreadful and destructive explosion of carbureted hy- 
drogen gas took place in the Success coal-pit, near Newbottle, in 
the county of Durham, the property of Messrs. Nesham and Co., 
on Friday, June 2, at half-past four o'clock, p.m. by which 57 
persons were killed upon the spot, besides several wounded. 
The immediate cause of this shocking catastrophe is not clearly 
ascertained ; though it is generally believed that the pitmen had 
inadvertently worked into the old workings, or some place where 
there had been a large collection of inflammable air. 
As all the unfortunate labourers were instantly killed, and the 
explosion and consequent very rapid return of the atmospheric air 
after the explosion destroyed the headings and air courses, the 
whole of the colliery became so completely altered that no correct 
idea of the cause from appearances could be formed. It is also the 
opinion of well-informed persons, who were present at the time of 
the accident, that from some unaccountable circumstance the at- 
mospheric air could not be sent down im sufficient quantity, and in 
a proper direction, after the explosion, to those persons who might 
have escaped the destructive power of the explosion, who might live 
till their scanty supply of atmospheric air became exhausted. 
When the explosion took place, 72 men and boys were at work 
at the depth of 108 fathoms; and though the greatest endeavours 
were made to relieve those distressed persons, only 15 survived, 
some of whom are in a very precarious state. ‘The explosion was 
So great as to carry every thing before it, till it was impeded in its 
rogress by a large waggon, which, with the driver and horse, were 
dashed to pieces. 
Several men in the colliery, after they had escaped this fornado 
of fire, endeavoured to reach the shaft; but death arrested them on 
their road ; for breathing an atmosphere surcharged with carbonic 
acid gas, their destruction now became inevitable, 
