at Wallsend Colliery, June, 1835. 357 



They found Moor and AVatkin at the bottom of the C pit, who had been 

 down the east Mothergait, as far as the entrance at D, into the 3d south- 

 east district, marked A on the plan, where it was known that 21 men and 

 boys were working, but they could not proceed any further for want of air. 



Mr. Atkinson, with his party, found a powerful current of air, as usual, 

 passing down the east Mothergait, and felt little difficulty in travelling with 

 it as far as the crossing F, between the second and third south-east districts. 

 This crossing, which at the time merely answered the purpose of a stopping 

 was damaged, and the greater part of the current of air was leaking through 

 it into the A Pit furnace return drift.* They, nevertheless, persevered as 

 far as the entrance into the third south-east district, D. 



At this point they found all the air stoppings blown out, and the after- 

 damp so strong, that they became exhausted, and could not proceed any fur- 

 ther. They found the atmosphere at this place explosive, filling the 

 Davys with flame, which showed that the workings had been rapidly re- 

 charged with gas after the explosion. In consequence of this Mr. Atkin- 

 son decided to extinguish the furnaces at the A and B Pit, lest the gas, 

 which was accumulating so rapidly in the workings, should reach and ex- 

 plode at them. 



A party of eight men, under the charge of Alexander Haxon, the master- 

 wasteman, was now sent down the A Pit for this purpose, but they found 

 the after-damp so strong that they could not effect their object, and escaped 

 to bank again with the utmost difficulty. Further operations were now 

 suspended to allow time for the furnaces to burn out, as all hope of saving 

 life was given up. 



When the explosion took place, William Elliott and Thomas Kennedy 

 were at the furnaces in the A and B Pits, which are only 70 yards asunder. 

 They were alarmed by the shaking of the door, near the A Pit furnace, al- 

 though they did not feel any concussion in the air. 



They went immediately to the frame doors which separated the two pits 

 to see if they were disturbed, but found all right, and then went to the B 



* All drifts or passages, through which the current of air travels to the up-cast shaft, 

 after having ventilated any division of the works, are called Return Drifts, Return Head- 

 ways, &c. 



VOL. II. 3 U 



