194 Mr. Bubble's Account of the Explosion in Jarro'w Colliery. 



him to the place where he was taken up. Doxford was at the crane i, 

 when the explosion happened ; these boys and the craneman survived. 



Several attempts were then made to penetrate beyond the crane g, 

 but without success, as the current of fresh air could not be urged be- 

 yond the stenting k, until a stopping could be placed in it. This, on 

 account of the large space above the stone-drift, as represented on the 

 section, No. 2, Plate XVII., being filled with smoke and after damp, was 

 difficult to accomplish, and caused considerable delay. But for this 

 interruption, there is reason to believe that several more lives would have 

 been saved. At the crane g were found John Elliott, Thos. Stewart. 

 Ralph Watson, Thomas Young, Wm. Hall, Wm. Smith, James Doxford, 

 William Fairley, William Jefferson, John Marshall, Edward Millburn, 

 George Cowey, and James Hughs. These persons had escaped from 

 the places where they were working as far as the crane, where all but 

 MiUburn and Hughs had died of exhaustion ; Hughs only survived 

 two days ; he was severely burnt, and Young, Hall, Smith, and Jeffer- 

 son were also burnt, but only slightly. 



At length, however, the closing of the stopping k was accomplished ; 

 and as all chance of saving life in the workings to the eastward of the 

 crane g was relinquished as hopeless, the stopping i was placed in the 

 head- ways course, which forced the current of fresh air up the second 

 west drift, to the crane stenting i. This enabled the party to find Thos. 

 Holland, George Shaw, William and Benjamin Robinson, John Nay- 

 smith, James Brown, and James Tate ; Holland and the Robinsons, 

 brothers, were dead. All the others survived except George Shaw, 

 who lived only two days. None of this party were burnt. 



The stopping in the crane stenting i was next repaired, which threw 

 the current of air into the face of the drifts. George Thornton and 

 Langly Marley were found in this stenting ; Thornton was dead, and 

 Marley was in a state of insensibility — neither was burnt. Marley 

 has continued ever since in a state of insanity. James Pringle was next 

 found in the face of the fore drift at i7; he was in a state of insensibility. 

 The ventilation was now partially restored round by the face of these 

 drifts, and as far back as the crane g. William Richardson, Thomas 



