442 Accident at Felling Colliery, [JCJNE^ 



south of the plane-board discovered to be much fallen : carrying 

 a brattice nearly to its face was the last proceeding of the 9th. 



Early in the moraing of the 10th of July the air in the Wil- 

 liam Pit was discovered to be casting up with a current so feeble 

 as nearly to approach to stagnation. This being supposed to be 

 caused by the water collected about the bottom of the John Pit 

 approaching the roof of the mine, the machine was put in 

 readiness for drawing it. A collection of water amounting to 

 about 4500 gallons was twice a week raised from a sump or well, 

 immediately under the John Pit shaft. This sump was made for 

 the purpose of receiving it as it oozed from the tubbing. The 

 dip of this colliery being about one yard in twelve to the south- 

 west, the lowest part of the colHery was consequently at this 

 shaft, and the little water that the mine produced collected here. 

 The double head-way was nearly water level. The annexed 

 section may assist in giving a clear idea of the appearance of the 

 water when the circulation of air through the mine began to 

 stop. A represents the shaft, and B the inner narrow-board. 



A 



Hitherto the air had desceaded into the mine by the John Pit 

 tube : but now the clay laid over the mouth of this pit on the 

 evening of the 1st of June was removed, and the settle hoards^ 

 or frames, upon which the corves are loaded, were refixed. At 

 45 minutes after four o'clock this afternoon the water began to 

 be drawn in buckets, each containing 90 gallons : 30 buckets 

 were drawn in an hour. 



On the morning of the 11th a larger stream of water than had 

 been hitherto used was diverted down the William Pit, with the 

 expectation of forcing the air to descend with it. This was a 

 desirable point to effect, as the bodies of the sufferers might be 

 more readily obtained by this pit than the other ; but as the 

 water fell about the John Pit the atmospheric current set more 

 strongly down it : the attempt was therefore abandoned as 

 hopeless. 



The machine was constantly at work drawing water till Monday 

 the ISth, when the rubbish occasioned by the falling of the two 

 scaffolds on the 1st of June, stones blown from the roof by the 

 blast, and the body of a horse, began to be raised. As the body 

 of the boy number 1 1 had lain a long time in water it was per- 

 fectly white. 



