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March 17 , T 8 G 0 . J . llie I reader and Saturday Analyst . 253
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In extended practice , however , the c . ' ise is more complicated mid more djfficult of popular description . Not only have the . main ways of the pit to be ventilated , but also all the sideways . Every man in the mine must have a certain quantity of pure , air brought to his working- place , and every passage or gallery of the vast excavation must be swept by the air current in order lhat it may be visited by human beings . Tliere must be air to breathe , an- to dilute the noxious gases , and air enough to sweep all that is . fpiil fast i . nd far away from the human beings . A popular illustration may make . this " plainer . Suppose all that portion of our metropolis known as the Strand , together with its side street s , to . be covered over and made dark , and , naturally , almost airless . Then it might represent the bottom of a large coal-pit , the Strand itself being the mamway , and its side streets the side passages or galleries of the mine . Suppose , now , that a current of air were let in at Charing--cross , and-a furnace were kindled at St . Clement Danes' chinch . The furnace heat would draw in and along all the air to itself , and the current would escape up the shaft presumed to be-represented by the tower of the church . 'That , however , would be too little . Men . working-at the bottom of Craven Street , at the bottom of" Essex Street , and at the top of Southampton and Catherine Streets . These men lfave more need of air than their friends in the Strand , because the remoter the post the more noxious the air , and the less of it . How is the current of air , which would make the best and speediest of its way along the Strand , to he turned down the side streets and brought back to the Strand ? This is only possible by a system of mechanical contrivances , which is simple enough in construction , and which , in fact , consist of obstructions to the short run of the air current . These obstructions , whether of brick or board , can be so placed across a street as to stop the current , or along a street as to divide it . The current can thereby be cut short and turned , or cut in two and split . This latter operation is the most ingenious part of the Northern' systems of ventilation , and the most " effective . By splitting a current of pure air , it can be . made to multiply its value in simultaneous services . One entire current could only go one way at one time ; but if the same . current be halved or split into three currents , clearly it can perform double or treble duty . Besides , it i $ evident that such subdivisions can be made at any time or place , and just-according to the necessities of time and place ; and , in this manner , there is no part of the pit to which the restorative purity of the atmosphere eannot be conducted . . This plan is systeniatisecl to such a degree , that any given ¦ amount of air within moderate limits can be sent down into and through a mine , from one th ousand to ten thousand cubic feet of air per minute . Every ton Li the best Newcastle coal has had some such airing before it came to the surface , and every workman in the mine has inhaled some portion of such air before he returned again to the pure and free air of the upper world . Such is the furnace system , of compound ventilation in the most popular form in which it can be represented in a brief space . The multitude of minor particulars connected with it we cannot so much as touch upon at present . Enough has been said to show its principal aim , and the outline of what it accomplishes ; and to enable the reader , to understand that if the system were really perfect , and were perfectly applicable , the pit and the workmen would be aired , the noxious gases diluted , an 4 explosions rendered very uncommon . Because it is not perfect , and not properly applied , tho Davt Lamr , or-miner ' s safety light , becomes necessary . By means of tins a lighted oil lamp can be carried into a pit , even where fire damp abounds . The fine wire gauze which surrounds and overcaps the flame of the lamp , protects the miner from an explosion outside the wire cylinder , though little explosions may proceed within it . In brief , jlamc cannot pass through wire gauze so fine that four hundred . and eighty orifices make up the square inch of its surface . The gas may pass through , and enlarge the interior Hume , and cause it to burn blue and ominous in the miner ' s grasp , but unless tho intervening wire gauze be melted by tho flame , it will prove a thin yet invaluable protection to the wandering miner . We could make up a goodly volume of disputes and queries and doubts , aibout the infallibility or not of tho Davy lamp , bwt one or two i * emin-ks must conclude our passing notice of it . It is generally ' agreed that it is a good and serviceable friend to tho miner : th ' at under ordinary circumstances , if it wore universally employed , tliere would be far fewer , perhaps very few explosions ; but it is not so generally admitted tliut it is a safety lamp under all or under extraordinary circumstances ,. Possibly u powerful blower would not only fill tho lamp , but , if accompanied with much impulsive force , or any strong current of air , might propel tho llamo of the interior so strongly iignimit the wire network as to injure it or pass tlie flame itself . This latter is tho opinion of several gentlemen who are not connected with pits , but a reliance upon tho improved form of tho safety lamp characterises those who are managers of mines . Evory lamp ; however , must be locked , and only deliverod to the minor when looked j for , alas J the careless colliers liavo somotiinea exposed tho lamp merely to li ^ ht a pipe , and sometimes to get more light . A little more hujht , or the Jkindling of tobacco , lms more than once launched a whole pit-lull ot workpeople into tho othor world 1 .,. ' .., By moans of improved safety lamps and improved ventilation , the -colliers ought to Wo air to breathe and light to worlt by , and enough of botfi , audio neutralize the two mining evils of darkness and foulness of air . Moreover , the country has to pay somo £ 12 , 000 a yeav to a number of inspectors of oonl-uiSnoa , whose duty it is to boo that nir enough and light enough are afforded * or , rather , that every tlu ' ng bo done to prevent explosions . Evory body knows that , in
past times , explosions have been numerous ' and-fearfully destructive . Some pits , like AVallsend arid Jarrow , have obtained a most unenviable notoriety for sudden mortality . Hundreds of deaths are chargeable upon ' each . We ourselves -found sufficient records ( though ; none were systematic ) years ago to prove that the mortality in collieries was greater than any one had supposed . Even now , with improvements , with advancing education , and with well-paid inspectorsmore than one thousand ( some would say fifteen hundred)—7 ) ives are lost every . year by explosions in coal-mines , exclusive of other accidents in and around them , terminating fatally . We may fairly say that , despite of every thousand pounds annually paid to coal-mine inspectors , one hundred lives are lost , or , in other words , that the . ¦ ' remedy fails to that extent . The most humiliating result of all arises from the comparison of our coal-mining mortality with that of other countries , as made known , by the late Mr . Mackwobth . Jt is as follows : — Proportion Killed . In Prussia :.. 1 " 89 per 1000 persons , per annum . In . Belgium .......... 2 ' 8 ' ¦ ' " ,, . ,, In England 7 ' 5 „ ,, In Staffordshire ... ; .. 7 * 3 ,, » ¦ ¦ . . If the reader were to converse with a coalowner or viewer of large experience and average intelligence upon this topic , and inquire whether any further steps could be taken towards the prevention , of explosions , . he would most probably ( we might say certainly , from our own knowledge ) be informed , that all is now done * that can be done , that nothing more of a remedial nature can be adopted ; . that cayburetted hydrogen in some pits cannot be further opposed than it is ;¦ " and that , in short , neither the visits of men of science nor of inspectors can do much more than keep up attention to established routine . Now , of the Newcastle district , to which alone our attention is at present directed , we are willing to affirm that it is by far the best managed of all theBritish districts , and that higher intelligence is there at work in supervision than in many others , and perhaps we might admit any other . But after saying thus much we are bound to state our lionest doubts as to the ' infallibility of the ' northern colliery viewers . Though we have little sympathy with the outside propositions sometimes rriade to the practical men of the North , we must confess we da not think them perfect , nor do we agree with their tdne of remark just quoted . It is , our conviction from personal observation that- very muck vetremains to be done , and that some things might speedily be done , to ensure a greater "degree of safety in the pits . This also is tho conviction and expression of the miners themselves , and it is that which they can support by proofs underground . We cannot enter ' into detail , but will conclude by pointing out the line of direction improvement should take . First of all , the underviewers and their subordinates must be educated up to their position , and for this purpose the underviewer should be better paid . The head viewers obtain large incomes by divided services--the uiulerviewers are but poorly remunerated for undivided services . True , this is the common lot of professions , but the rich conlownors can prevent this . Otic hundred a year more to an . underviewer , or one hundred and fifty , would be wisely expended . Secondl y ' , the owners must be made to suffer pecuniarily the results of tlusir illjudged parsimony ;• and they must be made to understand that the " public hold them responsible - , as well as their servants , for every proved neglect . Thirdly , the voices of the miners themselves »> k . s ^ bo heard in the way of respectful remonstrance and suggestion , not through demagogues and " the pitmen ' s attorney , " or any such person ; but through the inspectors themselves , and through them to the Government . At present , it is a complaint of tho pitmen that they are not heard , or not snfliuiently heard , or not privately hoard , and that they cannot so prefer their complaints as to crfciipo being marked men . Fourthly , the science of ventilation and 1 lre > pit gases ( carbonic acid as well as carburetted hydrogen ) must bo thoroughly cultivated ; not merely once ' observed now and then , but , regularly and systematically studied . The gases should be oxuerimentod upon , lectured upon , and investigated , with all tho aids smd all tho resources of modern chemistry . ' : LaBtly , and certainly not , least , tho system of selooting and appointing coal wine inspwitor ^ must bo revised . We happen to he acquainted with tho coimo <> l proceeding when the last batch of inspectors was appointed , and wo must say that tho whole course of procedure tended most undoubtedly to throw all the interest and all tho bias of inspection into tho . seak * of tho Northern coul owners . Wo do not exactly blamo the tlii'ii Homo Secretary ) ho was anxious to do well ; but thu truth is , lie , and almost ovory Home Secretary , aro too ready to bow to the . appeals of tho Northern coal owners and viewers , who have jjreat local and purlitunontury interest—nud tho country ought to mow that tho original intention of independent inspectors is eomplolPJy neutralized by tho ingenious representations and provisions ot the vorv won who manage tho inspected mines . It ih impowjiluo that nny inspector can come into tho list unless hu coino * in through and out of tho vevy mpn connected with tlio munagomeut of mines . All scorns fnir at ( u-Ht Right ; bu ^ wo havo conversed far hours togotlior with thyHO who were intimately acquainted with ovory utup talcun , mid who assurou \\ a thatundor tho present ammgomonts a thorough nud lndopomjejircourso of coal-pit elimination could ; not ho cxpootod , It has iihIcim s happened , that sorno of tho inspectors havo proved to bo ablei tint serviceable mon , and aro' much uHteomod . But this is not nil . 1 Jo ; nhoirid bo fearless , though urbnno , totally rogrmllciBH of tho Irowiia « . i coal owners and viewers , and totally unprejudiced us <> ^ »" mid modes of working tho mines . T « l «> . tho omho of »< o Bl' ^ o . for tho vory district whovo tho Into explosion hint happonoU
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 17, 1860, page 253, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2338/page/9/
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