Page:Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1838 Vol.2.djvu/413

at Wallsend Colliery, June, 1835. 367 to his horse, when he heard a great rumble to the west, and recollected nothing more, until he found himself all in the dark, and thought the pit must have fired. He was soon afterwards joined by John Brown and Moralee, and remained with them for some time, as already related. They complained of thirst, and he left them with the intention of going to the far north-west crane (a distance of half a mile) to seek the water-keg, kept there for the use of the putters, but was stopped by a fall of the roof, at the entrance of the district, which is only ninety yards from the shaft. He was about to return, but was frightened by hearing the roof-stone falling near him, and finding the rolly, on which the props, &c., are carred in-bye to the workings, he crept under it for safety. He then thought that all the men and boys had gone to bank, except Brown, Moralee, Reed, and himself. He recollected perfectly that he was singing "Oh! let us be joyful," when he was found, but had no recollection whatever about pulling off his clothes. As he was being carried out he made the party smile by assuring his father that if he would only take him safely home, he would never again play the truant from the Sunday School, a promise, however, which was soon forgotten; he was then thirteen and a-half years old.

Tuesday, June 23. — A brisk and steady current of air continued to pass down the G Pit, by which we were enabled to gain access by the first north-west district G, to the fourth south-east district of the C Pit E ; and in the course of the day, twelve more dead bodies were got out, making ninety-six in all.

Wednesday, June 24. — The south shaft of the G Pit was cleared of the wreck of the brattice, in the course of this day, and a free passage was effected to the bottom. The underground operations for the recovery of the remainder of the dead bodies were pursued unremittingly, and the reparation of the air stoppings, and other measures for the restoration of the ventilation of the C Pit, were also continued.

Thursday, June 25. — In the course of this day four more dead bodies were found, making one hundred, and being all that were missing, except one, a trapper boy, belonging to James Hepple. The body of this boy was supposed to be covered by a fall of the roof in the E narrow board of the fourth district of the C Pit E, at e on the plan, as he kept a stenting door