Mr. Bubble on Mining Records. 



317 



By this it will be seen, that in working the Metal Coal in a headway's- 

 course direction, as from a to b in the diagram, an up-cast and down-cast 

 hitch of 12 to 18 inches is formed immediately under the board-rooms in 

 the Main Coal Seam, and that the roof between these hitches is com- 

 pletely broken and shattered, so that they cannot be passed without the 

 aid of very strong " gallows timbering," or frame work. Besides, as in 

 working the Metal Coal Seam, the boards can only be driven in the solid 

 coal between these hitches, they require an extra quantity of timber to 

 support them from the want of the firm support of the coal on each side, 

 and the difficulty of working the seam is still further increased by the frac- 

 tures occasioned by the headways' Metal Ridges in the Main Coal Seam, 

 which run at right angles to the boardways' Metal Ridges, represented in 

 the diagram. This seam abounds in inflammable air. 



STOKE COAL 



Slack Stone Coa,Z 



W.i 



The Stone Coal Seam is a hard, coarse, splinty coal, and has not been 

 worked. 



YARD COAL 



Good CoaZ* 



J3a.7tcL E 



Good- CoaZ 



The Yard Coal Seam is of workable thickness, but the coal is hard and 

 coarse, and burns white. It is not of merchantable quality at this time, 

 although at some future period it may be worked to profit. It is very full 

 of inflammable air. No workings have been made in this seam. 



The Bensham Seam is now in extensive work, and supplies the whole 

 vend of the colliery, the coals being vended under the name of Bensham 

 Wallsend, and Bensham Main ; the former are the screened coals, the 



VOL. II. 3 p 



