255
very great height into the air and Blew vp al
so aloft
into the Air All the building that stood ouer & about
the mouth of the mine.
S
r. Paul Neile herevpon Related the way how the Cure
for the
se kinds of Damps was found out accidentally.
To wit the which
R he affirmed to haue Receiud from
S
r. W
m: Lampton the Owner of the aforsaid Pitts or mines
which was to this Effect that the miners hauing been
aboue making merry and being almo
st fudled they
began to throw the
fiery fiery coles at one another
some of w
ch. falling accidentally into the mouth of
the cole mine set fire to the Damp and made it
Di
scharge w
th. a very great noy
se & shaking of
theearth. taking notice of w
ch. and the Cau
se of it
they after a Little ^ /space of/ time
after tryed by de
signedly
throwing down burning
. . . coles into the mouth of
themine and presently falling down flat on their belly
vpon the ground obserued that the mine againe
ttooke fire & blew vp into the air w
th. a great noi
se
this they repeated seuerall times one after another till they
found that it would fire noe more, after which they
ventured down into the mine w
thout any succeeding
injury from the said mine for the remaining part
of the Day but for fear they
coul should be further in
commoded by the said fiery damps they did always in the
morning before the workmen De
scended indeauour
to fire the said Damp by throwing down Lighted Coles
till the Pitt would fire noe more.
S
r. Iohn Hoskins Related that ther was a pitt /at Bro
sely/ in
Shrop
shire where if a candle were held neer to the ground
the steame or Damp would take fire, but if the
candle were held higher at a Di
stance the same effect
would not Follow. -
Ref: CELL/RS/HF_257 © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters
