Mr. Buddle on Mining Records. 321 



The sinking of the shaft was completed, partly by its own pumping en- 

 gine and partly by a bore-hole into the water course drifts, driven in the 

 Main Coal Seam from the A and B Pits. 



The D or West Pit was sunk in a similar manner, but the sinking of 

 both pits by the bore-holes was a tedious operation, and occasioned several 

 accidents and interruptions in the Sinking Pits, as well as in the Coal Pits, 

 for whenever the pumping engines on the A and B Pits got out of repair, 

 and became incapable of drawing the water, the workings in the seam be- 

 low were partially or wholly drowned up, and the expense and danger of 

 drawing the water out again and restoring the ventilation were very great, 

 and several accidents occurred in consequence. 



To obviate those inconveniences the bore-holes were attempted to be 

 stopped, by dropping wooden plugs down them whenever the engines re- 

 quired repairs, but as the plugs frequently stuck in the higher parts of the 

 bore-holes, they failed in their object. At length the holes were plugged 

 at the bottom by forcing the plugs upwards with screw-jacks, which an- 

 swered the purpose effectually. 



In 1791, 1792, and 1793, the E Pit (Plate XV.) was sunk. No material 

 difficulty was encountered in sinking this pit ; neither bore-hole nor en- 

 gine was required, the water being drawn in tubs by the double bucket 

 water-wheel machine. 



In 1802, the sinking of the F Pit (PI. XV.) was finished. Nothing remark- 

 able occurred in the sinking of this pit, but the feeders of water were so con- 

 siderable as to require a pumping engine to draw them from the depth of 

 the Grindstone Post down to the Main Post. I must here observe that 

 in sinking all these pits the feeders of water were stopped by plank tub- 

 bing, oak cribbing, or riming and wedging,* 'in detail, as the sinking proceed- 

 ed, and ultimately the feeders of water were so effectually stopped back in 

 the A and B Pits, also, by the same means, that one engine with a 12-inch 

 bore drew the whole of the colliery feeders very easily, and continues to do 

 so at this time. The A and B Pits are 9 feet diameter, the C Pit is 8 feet 

 to the depth of 30 fathoms, where the great feeder of water was met with, 



* The mode of stopping back water by cast-iron tubbing had not been introduced ge- 

 nerally at this period. 



