DURHAM AND NORTHUMBERLAND.

53

“trappers,” to open them when necessary.This is to prevent the accumulations of inflam-mable air contained in those parts from break-ing upon the miners. But when the convul-sive power of an explosion demolishes thesedoors, every secretion is opened, and everycollection of gas liberated, and either producessecond, sometimes third explosions, or over-comes all animal respiration, by the suffocatingeffects of the carbonic acid ; so that unless thepitmen who happen to be in a distant part ofthe mine can obtain a sufficiency of atmosphe-ric air, they are suddenly and unexpectedlyenveloped in the vapour, and suffocated underall the agonies of their situation, under thedespair of being for ever cut off from theirwives and families, and under the convictionthat they are the martyrs of neglect and pre-judice.

Scarce had the public feeling subsided onthis dreadful calamity, when the meteor ofmisery was lighted up in another part of thecountry, and humanity again stigmatized by itsown inactivity,

horses or only ipen. Some of them ? which Dr. Clannyand myself passed through, were not much above threefeet square, made tolerably strong, and to fit close in theframe.