9815.) On Coal-Mines. 118 
those at the surface; driven, in their search of refuge from the 
roaring flood, to seek shelter in some of the more elevated parts of 
the mine; there, if they succeeded in escaping the torrent for the 
moment, to lie in darkness and despair, some of them perhaps in 
solitude, conscious that every hope of being rescued was for ever 
cut off, waiting the approach of the water to swallow them up; or 
the equally certain ravages of hunger or suffocation ; no sound 
to be heard but the dying groans of their companions. Great God 
of mercy! what a situation for human beings to be reduced to! 
The imagination turns away with sickening horror and affright from 
the picture which itself has drawn ; and the only hope which even 
the most benevolent heart can cherish, with any degree of patience 
composure, is, that the noxious air, or submersion in the water, 
must have speedily put a period to their miseries by terminating 
their existence. 
An event of a similar description is said to have taken place in 
this neighbourhood about 30 or 40 years ago. The manner in 
which this accident happens is sufficiently well understood, and 
may be easily conceived. ‘Throughout the greater part of the Tyne 
and Wear district there are innumerable wastes, or spaces, left by 
the former working out of coal seams. ‘These old workings, on 
account of the deficient means, both chemical and mechanical, 
possessed by our forefathers, are, generally speaking, shallow, when 
compared with the depth to which the operations in what is called 
the Low Main now penetrate. They therefore now constitute so 
many cisterns, into which the water from the surface, and from 
other sources in the 'silent and stupendous laboratory of Nature, is 
perpetually filtering; till at last there come to be collected pto- 
digious bodies of water, which in general overlay the stratum of 
coal in which the more modern workings are carrying on. From 
uncertainty respecting the vicinity of these wastes and aqueous re- 
servoirs, from tenderness or want of power in the wall or roof of | 
the mine, to support the lateral or superincumbent pressure of the 
water, or, still more, from ignorance or rashness in the workmen 
in approaching too near to these vast. accumulations, the side- of 
roof of the mine gives way, and the overwhelming inundation takes 
em Against such an awful and ruinous occurrence there neither 
8, nor probably can there be, provided any effectual safeguard. 
Yet much may be done by way of precaution: and here | must 
take the liberty of mentioning a plan which was brought forward 
with this view by Mr, Thomas, of Denton, near Newcastle, so far 
back as the year 1797. A paper by this Gentleman on the subject 
of establishing an office in. Newcastle for recording plans and other 
particulars respecting coal-mines was fread at that time; but, from 
some unexplained cause, was never acted upon. On account of the 
increasing importance of the subject, this paper was again read at 
the last meeting of the Literary and Philosophical. Society of this 
place, held on the Gth inst., and Was ordered to be published, 
together, with supplementary observations by Mr, Wm. Chapman, 
Vor, VI. N° Jb, H 
