Mr. Buddle's Notice of a Whin Dyke. 



No. IV. — Notice of a Whin Dyke lately discovered in the Fenham 

 Division ofBenwell Colliery. By John Buddle, Esq. 



Read, January 19, 1830. 



The Dyke, which I am now about to describe, was first discovered in 

 the workings of the Beaumont Seam, in the Montague Main ColHery, in 

 the year 1795. At that time, it seems to have been considered as 

 merely a branch from the main or 90-fathom Dyke, as appears by Mr. 

 Winch's account of it, pubhshed in the 4th volume of the Transactions 

 of the Geological Society. 



At the time this Dyke was examined by Mr. Winch, the Whin, which 

 lies in the heart of it, had not been discovered, the exploring drift hav- 

 ing followed the leader of " sooty Coal," which passes under the Whin, 

 to the upcast leader, on the opposite side of the Dyke ; so that in this 

 exploring drift the Whin was not seen, and the seam of Coal being found 

 on the North East side of it, at 20 feet above the most depressed part of 

 the coal leader, the Dyke was merely considered to be an ordinary up- 

 cast Slip Dyke of 20 feet. This description will be best understood by 

 referring to the diagram, Plate II. 



I received the above account of this Dyke from one of the workmen, 

 Joseph Scott, who was employed in the exploring drift. And on fol- 

 lowing the leader of bad Coal in Benwell, until we arrived at the up- 

 cast, I concluded from the coincidence, that we had got the twenty-feet 

 upcast Dyke of Montague Main Colliery.* I, therefore, commenced a 

 stone drift at the point A. (see diagram, Plate II.) to be driven so as to 

 cut the seam at the point, where we assumed it to be thrown up to by a 

 Slip Dyke, 20 feet above the lowest part of the " danty" leader. The 



*This Colliery ceased work in the year 1812. The Benwell drift through the Dyke is 

 500 yards distant from the drift in Montague Main Colliery. 



VOL. I. C 



