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men ©f the Royal Society to determine ; only I fliall tell 
you, that for feveral Days k very ftrong and noifome 
Smell continued'to come out of the Pits. 
And that I may give you, Sir, the fulled: Account I 
can of this Fire, I lliall endeavour to make the beft 
Conjedure of the Caufe. of it, that I can cfraw from the 
Keport or Experience of the Men entruded with the 
Management of the Colliery, who being above Ground 
that Morning, fhared not in the common Calamity. 
In order to which I mud acquaint you with the Nature 
of Coal Mines, which are in general fubjed to Stith or 
Sulphur. 
St f thy as vulgarly fo called by the Pitmen, I think 
corruptly from* Stench, or Stink, is a, want of Air, of ra- 
ther fucli a Foulnefs in the Air, that overcomes the Spi- 
rits of the Men, and fo fuffocates them, as well as extin- 
giiifhes the Candles, 
Sulphur. differs in this, that as. the other differs not 
the Candles to burif,. this makes them burn too'fad ; 
and the Flame by the impulfive Quality of the Air, or 
attraded by the Sulphur, extends it feif upwards into a 
prodigious length, and, as a Match lighted for the Did 
charge of a Cannon, as fpeedily fets on Fire that Va- 
pour, equally dedrudive. 
Now to prevent both thefe Inconveniences, as the, 
only Remedy known here, the Viewer of the Works 
takes the bed care he can to preferve a free Communi- 
cation of Air thro’ all tbe Works ; and as the Air goes 
down one Pit, it fhould afeend another ; but it happen’d 
.in this Colliery, that there was a Pit which dood in an- 
Eddy, where the Air had not always a free Paffage, and 
which in Hot and Sultry Weather was very much fub- 
;jed to Sulphur ; and it being then the middle of Juguft, 
andfome Danger apprehended from the Clofenefs and 
Heat of the Seafon, .the Men were with the greated care 
and caudon withdrawn from their Work in. that Pit, 
