1867.] 



The Ventilation of Coal Mines. 



181 



the lamentable fact, that the agent which gives us so much comfort 

 at home, and which enables us to maintain our manufacturing and 

 commercial supremacy abroad, is obtained at such a mournful cost. 

 Men then ask one of another, cannot this be prevented ? and many 

 an active mind, perfectly innocent of any knowledge of the con- 

 ditions of a coal-mine, at once favours the world with crude sug- 

 gestions. Floods of letters appear in the newspapers, many of 

 them indicating the strongest possible desire to do good, but at the 

 same time most of them show a want of that acquaintance with the 

 physical facts and the mechanical appliances, which must be closely 

 studied and familiarly known, ere any — even the least — improvement 

 can be hoped for, in the practice of coal-mining. Nor is our legis- 

 lature free froni this spasmodic effort to effect a good. For years 

 the reports of Her Majesty's Inspectors have been laid on the table 

 of the House of Commons. They have regularly told the tale, 

 which we now repeat, and yet no member has felt sufficiently inte- 

 rested in the matter to make an earnest effort to secure a better 

 state of things. 



"We are indebted to Mr. Atkinspn, H. M. Inspector of Collieries 

 for Durham, for the following compilation, showing the results of 

 fatal accidents which have occurred during the last ten years. 



1 



Tons of Coal 

 raised. 



Miners killed by — 





Explo- 

 sions. 



Falls of 

 roof. 



Shafts. 



Miscel- 

 laneous. 



1. Northumberland, Cumberland,"! 



and North Durham / 



2. South Durham 



3. North and East Lancashire 



4. West Lancashire and North \ 



Wales J 



5. Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and "1 



Nottingham / 



6. Leicester and Warwick . 



7. North Stafford, Shropshire, \ 



and Cheshire / 



8. South Staffordshire .... 



9. Monmouthshire, Gloucester- \ 



shire, and Somersetshire J 



10. South Wales 



11. East District of Scotland . 



12. West District of Scotland . . 



92,825,433 



126,240,072 

 59,991,875 



70,442,000 



89,616,315 

 60,980,319 

 41,900,000 

 76,483,405 

 52,894,500 



64,951,136 



54,208,000 

 59,082,897 



186 



48 

 238 



169 



340 

 52 

 121 

 126 

 231 



412 



27 

 69 



308 



292 

 268 



358 



238 



228 



202 



745 



354 



530 

 216 

 214 



118 



110 

 132 



227 



130 



115 



156 



319 



96 



123 

 93 

 91 



529 



359 

 148 



216 



79 



150 



112 



112 



102 



292 

 82 

 53 



Total 



849,615,952 



2,019 



3,953 



1,710 



2,234 



SUMMABY FOlt TEN YEARS. No. 



Deaths from fire-damp explosions .... 2,019 



Falls of roof and coal 3.953 



Shaft accidents 1,710 



Miscellaneous accidents in mines and above- 

 ground 2,234 



9,916 



Per cent. 

 20-36 

 39 '87 

 17-24 



22-53 

 100 00 



