at Wdlsend Colliery, June, 1835. 367 



to his horse, when he heard a great rumble to the west, and recollected 

 nothing more, until he found himself all in the dark, and thought the pit 

 must have fired. He was soon afterwards joined by John Brown and 

 Moralee, and remained with them for some time, as already related. They 

 complained of thirst, and he left them with the intention of going to the far 

 north-west crane (a distance of half a mile) to seek the water-keg, kept there 

 for the use of the putters, but was stopped by a fall of the roof, at the en- 

 trance of the district, which is only ninety yards from the shaft. He was 

 about to return, but was frightened by hearing the roof-stone falling near 

 him, and finding the roily, on which the props, &c, are carred in-bye to the 

 workings, he crept under it for safety. He then thought that all the 

 men and boys had gone to bank, except Brown, Moralee, Reed, and him- 

 self. He recollected perfectly that he was singing " Oh ! let us be joyful," 

 when he was found, but had no recollection whatever about pulling off his 

 clothes. As he was being carried out he made the party smile by assuring 

 his father that if he would only take him safely home, he would never 

 again play the truant from the Sunday School, a promise, however, which 

 was soon forgotten ; he was then thirteen and a-half years old. 



Tuesday, June 23. — A brisk and steady current of air continued to pass 

 down the G Pit, by which we were enabled to gain access by the first 

 north-west district G, to the fourth south-east district of the C Pit E ; and 

 in the course of the day, twelve more dead bodies were got out, making 

 ninety-six in all. 



Wednesday, June 24. — The south shaft of the G Pit was cleared of the 

 wreck of the brattice, in the course of this day, and a free passage was 

 effected to the bottom. The underground operations for the recovery of 

 the remainder of the dead bodies were pursued unremittingly, and the 

 reparation of the air stoppings, and other measures for the restoration of 

 the ventilation of the C Pit, were also continued. 



Thursday, June 25. — In the course of this day four more dead bodies 

 were found, making one hundred, and being all that were missing, except 

 one, a trapper boy, belonging to James Hepple. The body of this boy was 

 supposed to be covered by a fall of the roof in the E narrow board of the 

 fourth district of the C Pit E, at e on the plan, as he kept a stenting door 



