Page:Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1838 Vol.2.djvu/410

 the other three survivors had sufficiently recovered, they gave the following account of what they knew of the circumstances of the accident.

Moralee, an elderly man, kept the second main door b in the West Mothergait, which stood fifty yards from the north shaft. He went round to the other shaft to ask Joseph Harbottle, another old man, who also kept a main door, what o'clock it was.—It then wanted eight minutes to two o'clock by Harbottle's watch. Moralee returned to his door immediately, and sat down on the seat, behind the brick jamb on the east side of the door, and was just preparing to eat something, when he heard a tremendous rumble to the westward, and in an instant afterwards was overwhelmed by a shock which rendered him insensible. How long he might remain in this state he has no idea, but on recovering his senses, he knew that the pit had blasted, although he had not seen any fire, and he found himself hurt and bruised, but did not perceive that his legs were burnt. On getting a little collected he went upon his knees and prayed, from which he derived great relief and confidence. He then groped his way towards the bottom of the shaft, in search of Christopher Ovington, another old man, who kept the first main-door, which stood between the shaft and his door, but he could not find either Ovington or his door. He pursued his way towards the bottom of the shaft, but his progress was so impeded by wreck of all sorts, that he despaired of being able to reach it, and thinking he was the only person left alive he turned round to go back again to the seat at his door. At this moment he heard a groan at the bottom of the north shaft, which induced him to persevere, and, groping his way through the rubbish, he found John Brown at the bottom of the north shaft, who, by this time, had so far recovered his senses as to recognise Moralee. They then considered that they would go round to the south shaft, to see if they could find any body there. They found the first stenting stopping c, twenty yards to the west, blown out, and went through it into the West Mothergait from the south shaft, and, on their way, found the boy, Martin Middleton, standing against a prop, and took him with them. It was their intention to have gone to the bottom of the south shaft, to endeavour to procure a drink of water, of which they stood much in need, and in the expectation of finding