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The Chairman then called for the first communication, 
which was a 
DESCRIPTION OF A DIRECT-ACTING STEAM FAN FOR THE 
BETTER VENTILATION OF COAL MINES. BY JAMES 
NASMYTH, ESQ., OF PATRICROFT, MANCHESTER. 
Mr. Nasmyth began by referring to the disastrous acci- 
dents which had arisen from defective ventilation, — within 
the last two years there having been 190 lives lost in the 
neighbourhood of Barnsley alone. This wholesale destruc- 
tion of human life urg-entlv called for an energetic effort to 
remove the evil. By increased means of ventilation, and thus 
getting rid of the accumulation of explosive gases, they 
would be striking at the root of the evil. This had been 
hitherto done by causing a rarefaction of air in one of the 
ascending shafts of the mine by means of a furnace burning 
below. It had, however, been proved that the furnace 
system of ventilation was deficient, disastrous accidents 
having occurred in mines so ventilated. Some more efficient 
means of sweeping away the accumulation of impure air was 
therefore called for, and Mr. Nasmyth recommended his 
direct-acting fan as supplying the desideratum. Economy 
was among its advantages : if one-tenth of the coal at present 
burnt in a furnace to produce direct rarefaction, were burnt 
under a bbiler applied to a small engine for the purpose of 
working the fan, it would generally produce a much greater 
effect. Another important advantage possessed by this 
ventilating apparatus was, that it was above-ground and 
accessible, instead of being below-ground, as at present. In 
case of accident they would thus have full means of re- 
ventilating the mine. At present many hours had generally 
to elapse, in case of accident, before the mine could be 
sufficiently re-ventilated to render a descent safe, and pro- 
bably one-half of the sufferers died a lingering death from 
suffocation, and not from the immediate effects of the ex- 
