Mr. Buddle on Mining Records. 327 



reached it, as on the Viewer going down with some assistants, they found 

 him lying dead about half-way between the bottom of the pit and the fire. 

 He seemed to have been in the act of endeavouring to reach the bottom 

 of the pit, but had been suffocated by the after-damp and smoke proceed- 

 ing from the fire, before he could accomplish his object. It was then clear 

 that the coal and brattice in the Mothergait had been set on fire by the gas 

 burning at the blower, and it was with difficulty that the Viewer and his 

 party got to bank again, owing to the strength of the smoke and after- 

 damp. The colliery being thus set on fire, it was resolved to stop the 

 engine, and to extinguish the fire, by allowing the water to fill the dip 

 workings, which was done accordingly. 



This accident did not delay the working of the Colliery many days, and 

 although great difficulty and danger was experienced from the fiery nature 

 of the mine, no serious accident happened till the 9th of October, 1785. 



On this day the air course became loaded to the firing point, and explo- 

 ded at the B Pit furnace, this pit being the upcast. Fortunately the 

 pit was not at work at the time, and nobody was down, except the waste- 

 men who were occupied with something or other, near the bottom of the 

 A Pit, which was the down-cast. They were thrown about by the concus- 

 sion (wind), occasioned by the explosion, but were not seriously hurt, and 

 all got safely to bank. 



The explosion at the B Pit was a complete blast, so powerful, as to blow 

 the pump collarings, or fastenings out, and displace the pumps. The coal 

 at the bottom of the pit was also set on fire. 



No one durst now go down the pits, as another explosion was expected 

 to take place every minute. The mouths of the pits were therefore cover- 

 ed up with all expedition, with the intention of smothering out the fire, and 

 at the same time the A Pit engine was stopped, and the water was allow- 

 ed to fill the workings, and to rise several fathoms up the two shafts. 



The pits remained covered up till the 2d of November, when John 

 Soulsby, Nat. Frizzel, and Wm. Moor were sent down the B Pit to ex- 

 amine the state of the shaft by the light of a steel mill. They had 

 descended about 70 fathoms when an explosion took place ; Moor was 



