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speculative theories, aims at ascertaining the elements of things, and rendering al! 

 nature tributary to the wants of man, achieved, if we look at results, a greater tri- 

 umph, nor been crowned with more complete success. This instrument, so simple 

 in its construction, yet so admirably adapted to its purpose, serves as a striking il- 

 lustration of the value of science, and the mastery which high intellect may obtain 

 over inanimate matter. Thus that difficult problem, which had for centuries baf- 

 fled the prjc'ical wisdom of the world, was solved in a few hours by the philoso- 

 pher in his laboratory. The coal mines of England may be justly regarded as the 

 basis of her prosperity, and without them her rich ores would lie valueless in the 

 bowels of the earth, her manufactories would be deserted, her commerce annihilated, 

 and the skill and energy of her operations be paralyzed. Yet, until this discovery 

 by Daw, the most frightful explosions, attended by a lamentable loss of life and 

 property, were most frequent ; but now they need never happen, and rarely take 

 place, and when they do occur are always the result of carelessness. It was thought 

 by some persons, that free hydrogen gas existed in the atmosphere of coal mines, but 

 this notion is now, I believe, exploded without doing much injury. The subjects 

 of fire damp I may return to again more in detail, when visiting the bituminous 

 coal mines of New-Castle-on-Tyne, as it is becoming every day more important 

 that we should be well acquainted in the United Stales with its nature, and the 

 best means of rendering it harmless. 



The coal in this mine is usually worked by picks and wedges, but sometimes 

 is blasted in large masses. Many irregular scams run through it, affording great 

 facilities for mining. The surfaces where the seams or joints occur, are perfectly* 

 smooth and glistening, as if they had been polished by attrition. Above the coal 

 is shale, with vegetable impressions; below it, sandstone", with small nodules ot 

 iron ore. One stratum of coal is called the Brass vein, on account of the pres- 

 ence of iron pyrites — "strong indications of a brass laine," as an engineer once 

 wrote in his field book ! The strata are often disturbed, and occasionally much 

 distorted ; at one place it is seen suddenly to strike upwards, and, in a few rods 

 further on, it descends again to its regular dip, having been thrown up by a dyke, 

 which had not, however, disturbed it to any great extent. The Welsh anthracite 

 is said to be inferior to ours. Some parts of the drifts arc sustained by the natural 

 roof of rock ; other portions are arched, and others again supported by timbers. 

 Train lailwaya are carried through the different galleries, and the workmen load 

 the cars as they quarry the coal, and these cars convey the mineral directly to the 

 canal boats. 



.\fier leaving the colliery, visited Mr. Crane's anthracite iron works, at Ynsce- 

 dyn. He claims to be the inventor of this process of smelting iron ore, and 

 seems to succeed \4i(h it perfectly well. From 25 to 35 cwt. of coal, with about 

 15 cwt. of linicstoni-, produce one ton of good pig iron. The furnaces, in which 

 anthracite is exclusively used, are small, not being more than nine feet across the 

 boshes ; hut, bo says, they may be built twelve feet wide. Another furnace, fif- 

 teen feet across the boshes, is worked with a mixture of anthracite and coke. Thi* 

 is called by the workmen p/n/siclcinf; the aiil/irucite. Mr. Crane, in all case«. 



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