now burnt out, preparations were made for applying a waterfall at the C Pit; and the sinkers had been employed incessantly in endeavouring to effect a passage down the G Pit south shaft, through the wreck of the brattice.
In this state of affairs, I requested the professional advice of Messrs. Fenwick, Morriss, Geo. Johnson, N. Wood, Matt. Dunn, and J. A. Forster. — See my request and their report, Appendix, No. 1.
The restoring of the stoppings was pursued unremittingly during the morning and early part of the day, which so far removed the after-damp from the third south-east district, that the dead bodies of the twenty-one men and boys, who had been working there, were recovered, nine of which only were burnt, the remaining twelve had died of suffocation. The body of William Craster, one of the deputy overmen, with those of five boys, putters, were all found lying together; they were not burned, but had been suffocated in attempting to make their escape, and had got a considerable distance from the places where they had been working. It was discovered that the separation doors, between the C and G Pits' workings had been carried away, and, therefore, the ventilation of the two pits was laid intercommon, which rendered the current of air precarious and difficult to direct, for the purpose of gaining access to those parts of the workings where the remainder of the dead bodies were; and the effecting a passage through to the G Pit was found to be utterly impracticable.
The water-fall was applied at the C Pit, and the restoring of the ventilation, in a temporary manner, prosecuted unremittingly all night. An abundance of assistance was afforded by the under viewers, overmen wastemen, and colliers from the neighbouring collieries, all of whom exerted themselves in the most zealous and efficient manner, aud with such effect, that during the day of the 20th, thirty-five more dead bodies were got out of the fourth south-east district E of the C Pit workings.
About 9 o'clock this evening, a passage was effected down the southeast shaft of the G Pit, which was nearly choaked up at the bottom, the baln (roof) stone having fallen very heavily and stopped up the ingate. Nothing, however, could resist the zealous exertions of the colliers, and they soon forced a passage through the mass of fallen stones and rubbish.
