Epitome of evidence taken before the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the condition of all mines in Great Britain to which the provisions of the Act 23 & 24 Vict. cap. 155 do not apply, with reference to the health and safety of persons employed in such mines / presented to both houses of Paliament by command of Her Majesty.
- Great Britain. Royal Commission on Mines
- Date:
- 1864
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Epitome of evidence taken before the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the condition of all mines in Great Britain to which the provisions of the Act 23 & 24 Vict. cap. 155 do not apply, with reference to the health and safety of persons employed in such mines / presented to both houses of Paliament by command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![(C.)—VENTILATION. ■ntik' to bo productive, and I tlionq-ht that if ^ve could get from that into the clay slate very likely we might obtain ore. Therefore we drove an exploring level, one single level, and we very soon cut ore. As soon as we had done that we went away to a considerable distance and commenced the engine shaft for the very purpose of ventilating it, and we are sinking that shaft for the pur- pose of ventilation. 19.184. {^^|■. Holland.)'Why did you put that engine and shaft there ^—The engine shaft was for working westward; we have two shafts westward which give perfect ventilation, but when we changed the direction of the mine altogether, and began to work in unexplored ground, we drove a single level, an exploring level, and tliat into a rising hill; it was necessary to go ofl a fair distance to sink this shaft to make it pay ; we are now paying 20/. a fathom for sinking tliat sliafc. 19.185. Tycrcso/i Hover.) Do the men complain about the ventilation ?—They did when we had so many men in there. 19,18ti. Do you rely upon the c:i]Hains for knowing when the ventilation is bad, or upon the menr*—We depend upon ourselves. I go undei-ground myself as often as 1 think necessary, about once a weelc or once a lbrtniii;ht. 19.219. (Mr. Kcnddl.) As I understand, the 170 fatlioms at the 36 was driven on the course of the lode ? —Yes. 19.220. And then you were off the engine shaft about GO fathoms before j'ou found any ore ?—About (JO or 70 fathoms. 19.221. How long did that ore continue?—It has con- tiiuied more or less up to the present time. 19.222. What will it average per fathom ?-—About three tons. 19.223. What is the maximum ?—Six. 19.224. When j-ou found that there were six tons of ore did you lind the air worse than when the ore was poorer ?—-No, I do not find any dilfercnce in working v.diethcr there is more or less ore. We never had the ore continue yielding G tons ibr any length of time. Fi'om 2i to 4 tons would be the (piantity. 19,22.3. How long beibre there is ventilation shall you go on F—We shall make a comnumication in November, and we shall raise no ore there until the communication is made. 19,220. For a while yoit have eight men working in the end F—We have twenty besides the six men in tlie end ; wo have twenty-six men in all. 19.227. How many had you driving the end H—Never more than six, two at each relief. Some have eight, but then they work six hoitrs ; that is very excep- tional. We have never tried eight, but have thoitght of doing so. 19.228. In addition to driving on this end you tried to stope ?—Yes, we tried it for two months, ljut ceased that as we found that we could not do so. Mr. WiLLi.ui HosKiNG, West Beam Mine. 19,265. (Chairman.) Are any of these shafts upcast and others downcast in the draught ?—Some are up and some are down. You will find the draught playing iip in some of the shafts and in some down. 19,2t)G. Are they constantly upcast, or do they change according to the weather ?—Tiiey change sometimes. It de])cnds upon the way of the wind. 19,307. (Jlr. L. Goice'r.) Were they all well ventilated ? —Xo, some were very bad indeed. 19.321. (Ifr. Koidall.) What depth mine did you ever work in in bad air ?—In Tresavean, in hot weather, where the men worked almost naked. 19.322. What depth was it I think I worked at the 270 fathoms. 19.323. Where the large course of ore was?—Yes, I worked there in Captain John jMartin's time. It was before the man-engine was put in. I Avas not there when the engine was erected. 19.324. How long did it take you coming up ?—I can- not say now. I forget. 19.325. Were you very much exhattsted when you came up ?—Yes, and very much exhausted when we came out of the levels to take the ladder. 19.326. It was so very hot?—Yes. I have seen the candles in the clay turn down double from the heat of the ground. 19.327. Did you stiffer in health then ?—Of course I did not have such good health as I have now. 19,328. Have you enjoyed better health aa an agent (C ) Ventila- than you did as a miner ?—I enjoyed very good heolth tion then, but I do not know that I was quite as well as I am now. I am in fresher air now. I am always in good air, and there is not so much powder smoke. 19.353. (Chairman.) Then you have been in the exposed part of Devon and in the sheltered part of Devon ?—Yes; the Birch Tor mine Avas the worst mine I ever worked in in my life. 19.354. What from ?—From cold damp and poor air. 19.355. 'What do you call cold damp ?—That is a damp arising from the rock. It settles in the level. 19.356. Can you breathe in that cold damp ?—Of course. 19.357. Will a light burn iu that cold damp ?—When it is very damp it will not. 19.358. When you have been in that cold damp have you ever been down close to the rock ?—Yes. 19,3.59. Could you breathe then ?—Yes. I worked in that mine about twenty-seven years ago ; it was a very rich mine when I worked there, and they had but one shaft, and in the summer time the air was very bad. I have seen the time when we could not carry in a light below the six fathoms from the surface in some parts of the season, and I being in an end I have seen my com- rade in that end working, and I have gone back and have sat down, and I could see tlto shadow of the man but not the man , that was caused by the cold damp, and if a man put some tobacco in his pipe and took the candle to smoke, directly he took away the candle from the tobacco he could not draw any more smoke ; the l)ipe would go out. 19,360. Is that mine ;it Avork now ?—Yes. I do not wish to speak of Birch Tor mine now, for I do not know anything about it. 19,389. (Mr. Holland.) Wha,tdothey complain of much 1)esides that?—When men have been working in very deep mines lor many years, and in very fottf air, you Avill see them go away in consumption. Mr. Jo.sEPJi Phillip Niciiolls, Frank Mills and South Exmouth. 19,449. {Chairman.) How far can you drive on the level away from a shaft or winze ?—That Avould depend entirely on the nature of the lode ; if the lode is small and poor Ave can drive to a considerable distance, and the air Avill continite good, but in some jilaces Avhere the lode is large and rich avo can scarcely go any distance Avithout conveying air hy some means, either by pipes or otherAvise ; Avheu the lode is small and poor, you can, comparatively speaking, go as far as you like. 19,151. In these three shafts is there one upcast, and are the others downcast ?—There is one upcast and there are tAVO doAvncast. 19.452. Is it abvays upcast ?—It has been so the last tAVO or three j'ears, and it is also against the laws of nature ; the loAvest shaft is the upcast; it is a thing sel- dom seen. 19.453. That does not shift Avith the Aveather ?—It has not shifted in the last five years ; just Avhen it was first completed it shifted a fcAV times, but it has since taken a regular draught, and continited so. 19.454. Do you adopt doors or any other means?— Yes, in some cases Ave adopt doors. 19.455. You take measures in order to continue the upcast ?—Yes, to contimte it right to the end of the mine. 19.456. What artificial means do you use Avhen the air gets bad ?—Sometimes doors and pipes, or a machine to bloAV air. 19.457. What sort of a machine ?—A fan machine worked by hand. 19.458. Have you any Avater blast ?—Occasionally ; when there is a chance we throAV a Avaterfall. 19.460. Is there no place at present Avhere the air requires a fan?—The Avorst place that I knOAV of is in the 60 fathom north, and that is not bad. 19.461. (Mr. Kendall.) ILow far is the 60 fathom north off last winze ?—About 28 fathoms. 19.462. [Chairman.) Are you going to communicate with another level there ?—I3irectly, without going any further ; we are searching for the same part of the lode in the 70 fathoms, to rise and sink and form a communi- cation. We are not in the same part of the lode, if we Avere Ave should drain the water ; we only Avant to drain the water and put a winze through. G](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2398482x_0051.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
