at WaUsend Colliery, June, 1835. 359 



teers, who had suffered the least from their former exertions, -went down 

 the C Pit, with the determination to penetrate into the third south-east 

 division A, if possible. They found a very good current of air going as far 

 as the entrance of this division, but from the crossing F, and the stoppings 

 near to it, having only been repaired in a temporary manner, the current of 

 air fell slack as they proceeded, and they reached the ninth board south 

 with difficulty, where they got sight of some dead bodies. But although 

 the Davys burnt very well, the after damp was so strong that it over- 

 powered them, and, but for the exertions of the reserve, assisted by a party 

 of able and experienced men from Jarrow Colliery, under the direction of 

 Mr. John A. Forster, the viewer, who kindly came, unsolicited at the mo- 

 ment, to render all the assistance he could, some of their lives would have 

 been lost. Mr. Hunter was brought out in a state of insensibiilty, and 

 Mr. Atkinson, Jun., and others were much exhausted and very ill. 



Men were immediately set to work to put the crossing F into a 

 more complete state of repair as a stopping, and to replace the brick 

 stoppings which had been blown out, with temporary wooden ones, to throw 

 a stronger current of air into the third south-east district. By this time it 

 was near two o'clock in the morning of the 19th, when I went down the 

 C Pit, with Mr. Atkinson and a party of men ; we found a pretty good air 

 passing into this district, but not sufficiently powerful to enable us to go 

 with prudence beyond the point where Mr. Hunter and his party had 

 reached. 



It was evident that a more powerful current of air was wanting, as well 

 as more time, to clear away the after-damp. The ventilation was, however, 

 sufficiently strong to carry off the gas, as the atmosphere was not explosive 

 in the Davys. 



Here we found the body of John Robson, one of the deputy-ovemen, 

 and three or four others near to it. Robson was not burnt, but had died 

 of suffocation, after creeping some distance. 



The further repair of the stoppings for conveying a more efficient current 

 of air into this district was now set about with great dilligence ; and as it 

 was anticipated that the main current would slacken, as the mass of brick- 

 work about the furnaces and the upcast shafts cooled, the furnaces being 



