189 



The following letter from Mr. Barker, of Whitehaven, 

 regarding the performance of one of Mr. Fourness's Ma- 

 chines for Ventilating Coal Pits, &c., was read : — 



Whitehaven, May 22nd, 1844. 

 Mr. William Fourness. — Sir, — Your machine for ventila- 

 ting mines having been in operation upon my new winning, at 

 Wyndham Colliery, near this town, a sufficient length of time 

 to test its efficiency, I have to make the following statement 

 of its results : — The mine, before the machine was applied, was 

 ventilated by a furnace consuming 45 cwt. of small coal in 24 

 hours, exhausting 5,700 cubic feet of air per minute. Since the 

 machine has been applied, our ventilation is more than doubled, 

 and, as the machine throws off 13,500 cubic feet per minute, it is 

 our fault if we do not secure that quantity of air through the 

 mine. The machine is driven by power taken from our pumping 

 engine, and, by careful experiment, I have found the additional 

 consumption of small coal to be 9 cwt. per 12 hours. This, 

 therefore, is all the cost of working the machine. I have to add, 

 that I am gratified with the performance of the machine in every 

 respect. The Colliery kept me in continual fear of an accident 

 before erecting the machine ; whereas the ventilation is so much 

 improved, we now work without danger, and I am happy to bear 

 this testimony in its favor. 



I remain. Sir, &c., 



RICHARD BARKER. 



At a preceding Meeting of the Society, Mr. Hartop 

 read a communication from Mr. Fourness, describing the 

 construction of the above machine, (for which a patent 

 was obtained November 16th, 1837,) together with some 

 remarks " On the Advantages of Mechanical Force over 

 the Power of Rarefaction in Ventilating Mines and Build- 

 ings," as exhibited by the efficiency of his apparatus, of 

 which paper the following is an abstract : — 



" The machine applied at the Wyndham Colliery consists 

 of a drum made of sheet iron, one-eighth of an inch in thick- 

 ness ; the dimensions are five feet diameter, and 27 inches 



