Page:Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1838 Vol.2.djvu/404

 Pit furnace, and found the after-damp coming upon it very strong like a thick smoke. They then went to the A Pit furnace, and found the after- damp coming upon it in the like manner. This convinced them that an explosion had taken place some where, and they consulted, as to whether it would be most advisable to go through to the C or G Pit, and, fortu- nately for them, they decided to go to the former, as, had they attempted to go to the latter, they would inevitably have perished. Before they left their furnaces, they stirred up their fires, and laid on fresh coals, thinking it their duty to make their fires good at all events. The time which elapsed between their first alarm, and leaving their furnaces, was about a quarter of an hour. They then made the best of their way together towards the C Pit ; they found the after-damp very strong, and Elliott became exhausted, and was obliged to lie down before he reached the bottom of the C Pit, by 200 yards, and Kennedy also became exhausted, and sat down at about 110 yards from the C Pit. In the meantime Anthony Hunter, another furnace-man, went down the C Pit, in search of his marrows* and with great difficulty assisted them out, and thus, at the risk of his own life, saved theirs. This pause in the operations had taken place a short time beftwe my ar- rival, about eight o'clock in the evening ; and as I had every reason, from circumstances, to believe that further efforts to save life, at that time, would be attended with great risk, and little, or no hope of success, I decided not to make any further efforts underground before two o'clock next morning. This was the more necessary, as all the official per- sons, belonging to the colliery, were in a state of great fatigue and ex- haustion, from exertion and exposure to the effects of the after-damp. I had also reason to apprehend that the coal was on fire below, and that ano- ther explosion was not improbable. I, therefore, appointed a party to re- sume operations in the C Pit next morning at two o'clock, as I considered, if the coal was on fire, it would shew itself before that time. Meantime some of the relatives of the sufferers became impatient and anxious that further efforts should be made, and at 11 o'clock Messrs. Geo. Hunter, and John Atkinson, Jun., with several able men, as volun-
 * Comrades.