Sir Clement Le Neve Foster. 375 



the School, in which he had himself had such a distinguished career, 

 Le Neve Foster was indefatigable. 



For fourteen years Le Neve Foster carried on at the same time the . 

 instruction of the students of the School of Mines in mining and his 

 work at the Home Office. Nothing but wonderfully methodical habits, 

 combined with unflagging energy and the vigorous health which had 

 always been his great characteristics, could have enabled him to cope 

 with the amount of work which he was able to accomplish during this 

 period. Although he had attained, as we have seen, the full measure 

 of his powers at a remarkably early age, yet the manner in which he 

 retained his capacity for work was no less noteworthy. His personal 

 appearance bore striking testimony to this wonderful vitality, for up to 

 and even beyond middle age he retained the appearance of juvenility. 

 The freshness and alertness of his mind, too, were conspicuous up to 

 the last, and his eagerness in all he undertook was, like his personal 

 appearance, almost boyish. 



But in 1897 an event occurred which was to cause a serious interrup- 

 tion to this energetic career, and eventually to bring it to an untimely 

 end. In that year an underground fire in the lead mine of Snaef ell, in 

 the Isle of Man, accompanied by a derangement of machinery by which 

 the movements of the cage in the shaft were controlled, led to the 

 entombment and death of a number of miners. Le Neve Foster, in his 

 capacity as Inspector of Mines for the district, determined to undertake 

 a personal investigation concerning the cause of the accident. Though 

 he managed to descend the shaft safely at the head of an ex- 

 ploring party, return appeared to be hopelessly cut off by the 

 jamming of the cage. It was very characteristic of him that, while 

 undergoing the process of slow poisoning by the carbon monoxide 

 which had been generated by the fire, he, nevertheless, when 

 escape seemed utterly hopeless, had the presence of mind to take out 

 his pocket-book and make a series of entries as to his sensations, for the 

 benefit of medical men and chemists after his death. These notes, 

 were interspersed with touching messages to his wife and children, 

 and afford a striking evidence of his devotion to science, as well 

 as to his coolness and presence of mind in the face of danger. 



Although succour arrived in time to prevent an immediately fatal 

 termination to the accident, and he, with the other unconscious victims, 

 was brought to the surface, Le Neve Foster never recovered from the 

 cardiac injury sustained during the process of gradual suffocation. For 

 nearly a year he was incapable of engaging in any work, and even 

 when partial restoration to health took place, it was only by the 

 exercise of the greatest care that he could continue his accustomed 

 labours. In 1901 he took advantage of the opportunity afforded by 

 .his attaining the age of sixty to retire from his more exacting duties 



