18 i 3.] Accident at Felling Colliery, 445 



On Tuesday the 14th of Julj^, as the workmen were clearing 

 out the water-sump at the bottom of the John Pit, a gust of fire- 

 damp burst from the workings, and ascended the shaft. This 

 caused so great an alarm that the cry " Send away a loop ! " 

 from the bottom, and *^ Ride away ! Ride away ! " from the 

 banksmen, were heard together. Seven of the men clung to 

 the rope, and arrived safe at bank ; and two old men threw 

 themselves flat upon their faces, in expectation of an explosion ; 

 but, after a second and similar eructation, the atmospheric cur- 

 rent took its usual course. No alteration was perceived at the 

 William Pit. This phenomenon was afterwards ascertained to 

 proceed from a large fall at that time taking place in the stable 

 board, and forcing hack a foul admixture of the two damps and 

 common air. The banksmen's cry so alarmed the villages of 

 High and Low Felling that all the inhabitants, young and old, 

 hastened to the pit. At two o'clock in the afternoon the work 

 was resumed. 



On the 15th of July the bottom of the plane-board was 

 reached, where the body of a mangled horse and four waggons 

 were found. Though these waggons were made of strong 

 frames of oak, strengthened with hoops and bars of iron, yet 

 the blast had driven both them and the horse with such violence 

 down the inclined plane-board that it had twisted and shattered 

 them as if they had been shot from a mortar against a rock. 

 Number 12, though a putter, at the time of the accident was 

 employed at the meetings of the inclined plane, to keep the 

 ropes in order as the waggons passed each other. Number 13^ 

 from the position in which he was found, seemed as if he had 

 been asleep when the explosion happened, and had never after 

 opened his eyes. He was seen about a quarter before eleven 

 o'clock smoking his pipe on the place where his body was found. 

 He attended to the five horses, and had the charge of keeping 

 the waggon and inclined plane ways free from obstructions. 



After obtaining number 14 the crane was visited. Here 21 

 bodies, from number 15 to 36, lay in ghastly confusion: some 

 like mummies, scorched as dry as if they had been baked. One 

 wanted its head, another an arm. The scene was truly frightfulo 

 The power of the fire was visible upon them all ; but its eiFects 

 ivere extremely various: while some were almost torn to pieces 

 there were others who appeared as if they had sunk down over^ 

 powered with sleep. 



From an apprehension that the great body of fire-damp con- 

 fined by the stoppings newly put into the walks immediately 

 south of the plane-board, might burst forth if kept perfectly 

 tight, the atmospheric air was thrown into the full-way board by 

 a stopping placed across the plane-board, a little above the 

 crane. As soon as numbers 42, 43, and 44, were coffined, the 



