Dr. Clanny on the Means y^c. toi 



honour to lay before the Royal Society, will be found to afford 

 a good light, unaccompanied by danger. 



It very frequently happens that accumulations of carburetted 

 hydrogen gas, mixed with atmospheric air, take place in the 

 wastes, or old workings of the coal mines, and though much 

 precaution is used for keeping this inflammable air confined 

 to its proper places by means of partitions and folding-doors, 

 nevertheless when, by carelessness or accident, this air comes 

 into contact w-ith any ignited substance, an explosion generally 

 takes place. 



These explosions happen when the pit-men are occupied in 

 hewing out the coal at the zvorkmgs, should they chance to open 

 a cavern of unmixed carburetted hydrogen gas. This gas for 

 the most part being pent up in a condensed state, rushes forth 

 from a chasm, and forming what is locally denominated a 

 blozver, it suddenly mixes with the atmospheric air of the 

 mine, and surrounding the lights of the pit-men, an explosion 

 follows, commensurate with the quantity of hydrogen gas, 

 which is frequently very considerable. 



It will be unnecessary to detail the phenomena of an ex- 

 plosion of inflammable air, as they are already sufficiently 

 known ; but I hope it will not be unacceptable to the Society to 

 record a few of the more considerable explosions, which have 

 occurred in the course of the last seven years, in this district 

 alone, independently of those which have taken place in 

 other parts of the kingdom within the same time. In the 

 summer of 1805, an explosion happened at Hebburn colliery, 

 by which thirty-two pit-men were killed, who left wives and 

 children in a destitute state, to the number of one hundred and 

 five. About the same time, a colliery at Oxclose blew up, by 





