366 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
obey,* and it would probably be found that accidents would con- 
siderably decrease if no man was allowed down a pit, until be 
could pass a viva voce examination in the provisions of the Act, 
and the management of the Davy lamp. Instruction of this 
sort should be given by the management at the surface, and 
followed up under ground ; and the new men should be taught the 
indications by which old colliers can detect the presence of gas, 
by its action on their eyes and nostrils before it shows in the lamp. 
How entirely the collier trusts his safety to others, is shown 
by the 30th general rule, allowing him to appoint two of his 
number to inspect every part of the mine once a month, being 
practically a dead letter, with the one exception, that owners 
provide annually a report book for this purpose, which is never 
used. 
Apart from personal anxiety for the safety of his men, no one 
can doubt that every coal owner and manager is only too willing 
to carry out every improvement, and induce every man to guard 
against explosions, when he realizes the terrible struggle and 
almost superhuman efforts that are necessary to clean and reno- 
vate a colliery that has been wrecked and destroyed by such an 
accident, entailing a cost, which with the small margin of profit 
* The following table, drawn up by Mr. Dickenson, shows the good 
results which have followed the inspection of mines — and that, notwith- 
standing the sad casualties in Great Britain in 1877, it was twice as favour- 
able as the early years of inspection : — 
Total 
accidents 
Persons em- 
ployed 
Employed to 
each accident 
Deaths 
Employed to 
each death 
1851 .... 
698 
216,217 
310 
984 
219 
10 years end- 
ing 1868 . . 
7,739 
2,460,322 
318 
10,018 
245 
10 years end- 
ing 1870 . . 
8,228 
3,192,405 
388 
10,626 
300 
1871 .... 
820 
370,881 
448 
1,075 
345 
1872 .... 
894 
418,088 
468 
1,060 
374 
1873 .... 
973 
512,199 
526 
1,069 
479 
1874 .... 
895 
538,829 
602 
1,056 
510 
1875 .... 
927 
535,845 
578 
1,244 
430 
1876 .... 
839 
514,532 
613 
933 
551 
1877 . . . . 
864 
494,386 
572 
1,208 
409 
The deaths in 1877 being more in proportion than in 1876, it is of interest 
to examine to what they are due ; and taking Mr. Dickenson’s own district, 
North and East Lancashire, as a representative area, it is somewhat startling 
to find that, out of 9 fatal explosions of fire-damp causing 42 deaths, G of 
these accidents occurred in places where naked lights are used : in several of 
these accidents blown-out shots sucked out the gas in the coal. 
