Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: tained it with the evidence, numbering 140 pages, was soon consigned to the shelves of the various libraries, where it remained, rarely consulted and almost unnoticed. Colliery explosions continued to occur at frequent intervals. During the year 1837, among other minor accidents, one occurred at Springwell Colliery, by which thirty men were killed; another at Wallsend, killing eleven men; and in the following year a still more serious explosion occurred at the St. Hilda Colliery, near South Shields, by which fifty-one lives were lost. Soon after this calamitous occurrence, and in consequence thereof, in August, 1839, a number of South Shields gentlemen formed themselves into a committee to investigate the cause of accidents in coal mines. This committee continued its labours for three years, and eventually published a report in the year 1842. The enquiry was specially directed to the study of the different safety lamps in use; the various systems of ventilation; the employment of boys underground; plans and sections; scientific education of officers of mines ; Government inspection; and medical treatment after explosion. A more exhaustive and complete investigation could scarcely have been made, and to the report of the South Shields committee is due the merit of first exposing,in a clear and comprehensive manner, some of the causes of the accidents in coal mines, and also of making many valuable suggestions for their prevention. Referring to the employment of women and children underground, they " hope that the Legislature will at an early day be induced to pass an Act to remedy the state of things, by restricting the employment of boys till a more advanced age, and for a more limited time each day, and preventing women aud girls altogether from descending mines." This s...