COAL MINES OF

02

perfection in mines, as their better regulationdepends upon the total removal by some meansof the fire damp, which might probably beaccomplished by the combination of chemicalinvestigation and mechanical ability.

The Netherton and Buffery collieries inStaffordshire are now ventilated according toRyan’s system, and, from being the most dan-gerous mines in that part of the kingdom, arenow the most secure; but such was the extentof prejudice amongst the viewers and under-men, that all the benevolent attentions andauthority of Mr. Shirley were insufficient toprocure Ryan satisfactory trials, until he com-pelled obedience by discharging his men, andsunk a new pit for experiments in the cause ofhumanity.

Having thus delineated, as far as circum-stances require, the internal structure of theearth, the feature which coal wears in thisstructure, and the interior of a mine, withthe mode of working and ventilation, I nowproceed to finish the accounts of explosionand other accidents originating from a wantof proper management in collieries, and trustthe reader will find himself better acquaintedwith the subject, and proceed through the re-maining statements with more satisfactory in-formation.