DURHAM AND NORTHUMBERLAND. $3

CHAPTER X.

Continuation of Explosions, viz. at Felling ,Hepburn, Leefield, the Success Pit, theTyne Main, Sheriff's Hill, and NewbottleCollieries, with the dreadful Inundation ofthe Heaton Pit, including from 1813 to 181 6.

Felling.

By a reference to the date of the former ex-plosion at Felling, it will be fouijd that scarcelya year intervened before this mine was againvisited Jby the destructive arm of death, whichon December 24 , 1813 , destroyed twenty-three men and boys : exclusive of this, twelvehorses were killed, and twenty-one workmenescaped with more or less injury.

Unfortunately there seldom remains anyclue whereby to ascertain the exact causewhich produces the explosion, as the poorworkmen who are pursuing their labours nearestto the point of inflammation seldom escape togive evidence of the fact.

It is presumed however, from a concurrenceof circumstances, that this explosion was oc-casioned by the inflammable air igniting at

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