| z 796. | 
Jayers of a very hard and blackith earth, 
called metal. It is very vitriolic, and ef- 
florefces in the air. The upper layer of 
metal is a foot thick ; the lower only four 
or five inches. Thus this feam is divided 
into fix different beds or ftrata. The up- 
per coal is called Jay/ng-coal; the bed of 
black earth which fucceeds, danne (ban- 
nock) metal; the coal next below, top-/ay- 
er-coal. Vhe fecond bed of earth, guar- 
ter-coal-metal; next, the quarter-coal; 
and, laftly, a bed of coal called dot/om- 
layer-Coal. 
Thefe different coals vary very little in 
quality; they are, however, in places, 
more or lefs ftony *. The third bed, 
which is the beft, is above twenty fathoms 
below the fecond; it is ten feet. thick 
L from feven feet and a half to twelve feet 
ibick] all good coal, without any mixture 
of metal | above two inches}. 
There often happen derangements in 
the ftrata,; chiefly in their inclination. 
The rock of the roof, and efpecially that of 
the wall, caufe the feam to rife or fink all at 
once. One place is feen, where they are 
thrown four fathoms perpendicular out of ibe 
borizontal line. Thefe derangements are 
called bitches, or fmall troubles. At other 
times, they are much more confiderable, 
fince they cut the feams, if not entirely, 
yet leaving only a {mall thread, to mark 
out the courfe of the feam. The fub- 
ftance of rock, which produces this effect, 
is called a dyke. . 
The entrance into the mine is by a kind 
of gallery or level, arched with brick and 
mortar for the firft fifreen fathoms ; after 
which we enter into the workings in the 
firft bed of coal. This feam is purfued 
for fome time, a/ways defcending, and 
fillowing the divection of the dip. The 
next mect with the fecond feam. 
The works are extremely extenfive, 
being at leait a mile and a half fromthe 
entrance, always following the dip of the 
ftratum, which is at right angles to its 
dire€tion. One part of the mine, where 
they are working every day, is two-thirds 

* In the mountains of Alflone Moor, in 
‘Cumberland, is found another fpecies of coal, 
_ named craw coal: it is without bitumen, but 
‘fulphureous, The Germans call it /u/pjur-coal. 
It is not fit for the forge, but excellent for burn- 
ing lime, and for apartments, as it maintains its 
heat along time, and gives no fmoke. There 
1s no bed of this coal fuficiently thick to be 
worth working regularly : but many perfons 
extract it out of three different beds, for private 
ufe, and for burning lime. “None of thefe beds 
ae more than a foot thick, 
Account of the Coal Mines at Whitehaven. 
283 
of a mile entirely under the fea: but 
there is no danger, fince it is reckoned that 
the rocks which are between the water 
and the place where they are working, 
are more than 100 fathoms thick. 
The method in ufe-for extraéting the 
coal, is to follow the feam at right angles 
to its direétion, that is to fay, according 
to its dip. For this purpofe, the mafter 
miners trace, with white chalk, along the 
roof, a line which ferves as a guide for the 
workmen. The rule is, commonly, to 
make this excavation fifteen feet broad, 
that is to fay, feven feet and a half on each 
fide of the line. Thus the work is con- 
tinued, always of the fame dimenfion, 
every feven fathoms anda half; and at 
the fame diftance they cut, to the right 
and left, excavations alfo of fifteen feet ; 
fo that the pillars of coal which are left to 
{upport the mine, are feven fathoms and a 
half {quare. This rule, however, though 
general in this mine, is obferved only in 
places where the rock which forms the 
root is folid, and capable of being fup- 
ported with props. Jn this manner they 
ufe litthe wood; and if fometimes there 
fhould happen falls, they are not confi- 
derable, and always proceed from care- 
leffnefs in the workmen [zo7 fo}. 
The manner of working the coal is 
pretty much the fame every where: it is 
excavated in the tendereft places with two- 
pointed picks, till the coal is wrought un- 
der, below, and on one fide, to the diftance 
of feveral [shee] feet; and then with 
wedges and mallets it is brought down in 
large pieces. 
The workmen have fo much for every 
bafket of coal, according to the places 
where they work. They will earn in nine 
or ten hours, from eighteen to twenty- 
pence [fo 25.] ; but their wages are higher 
in places which are dangerous on account 
of bad air. Almoft all the workmen 4re 
paid according to the work done; the 
lowef{ wages of thofe who are not fo, isa 
fhilling a day. 
There are more than thirty [roo] 
horfes employed in this mine ; they enter 
and return every day by the opening men- 
tioned above. Thefe are furnithed by a 
fort of undertakers, at the rate of 2s. 
[and 2d.\ a day foreach horfe. 
Four fire-engines raife the water out of 
this mine; two are placed upon a pit, 
which is clofe to the fea fhore ; but as the 
{trata incline towards the fea, and it 1s 
therefore impoifible to fink a pit atthe 
loweft point in the workings, it becomes 
neceflary to raife thefe waters up to the fire- 
engine-pit. For this purpofe, they collect, 
Oo2 in 

