Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-10
DEEPEST COiLPIT IN ENGLAND.
The WIgRn Galleries n taiTd Of
IL Mile Underground.

4 correspondent Of the london TsLe-
graph has been down the great eoalpit at
Wigau, and writes a long account of
what he saw and heard. from which we
extract the following interesting details.
1t Is very difficult to realize the enor-
nous value Of Wiean underground.
Looking at the plans Of the mines which
We mean to inspect today, we see that,
between the surface and the deepest
point to which the sinkers have reached.
there have been no fewer than twelve
workable seams of coal. These include
the great seam Of camel. The seams
are classed in FIVE different series. First
there is the Ince series. consisting Of
four seams-the yard seam, at a depth Of
eighty-fou- yards the four-feet seam,
one hundred and thirty-four yards below
the surface the ~seyen-feet seam, at a
distant Of one hundred and eighty-six
yards from the surface. With the ex-
ception Of that which was named last,
all these seams are exhausted. Below
them come the PembertoD series, with a
fve-feet seam, at a depth Of two hundred
and seventy yards, and a four-feet seam,
twenty-five yards beneath. Then there
is the Wizan series. with its fye-feet.
four-feet and nine-feet seams, the first Of
which Is four hundred and forty-fye,
the second four hundred and sixty-six,
and the third four hundred and ninety
five yards below the surface. Lower
still, at q depth Of six hundred yards, is
the famous camel seam, and the men
are going even below that; they have
indeed sunk the shaft 10 the yard seam
Of the Orrell series, which is SIX hundred
and seyenty-three yards below the sur
face, and are now, night after night.
pushing their way to the fiery and
dangerous Arley seam, which is here
more than eight hundred yards below
ground, although at Hindley they have
reached the same coal at a depth Of three
hundred and twenty yards. There are
about SIX hundred and fifty men en-
at these mincs-the Rosebridge |
just now the times are rather |
bad for golfers. They have not been
known to be worse at any time during
the last thirty years.
After chatting awhile with the man
and his son, we made ready for a
descent. We do this by dofing the
,lothing we ordinarily wear, and DOMINIC
its stead a very rough miners dress.
Then We (the managers son and the
walk out, and calling at a lamp
room, provide ourselves with lamps,
which are somewhat better than the
ordinary "Dayy."
1t is necessary to prepare the nerves
a shock. We are going down TO the
Camel Nine, a depth Of six hundred
yards, and the big engine will throw rs
hat distant in less than a minute At a
signal there is, as it were, a sudden with
Of the bottom Of the cage be-
our feet, and a rapid falling
through Ozark space; then there is as
a check. and We feel, not only as
f we had our footing, but as if we are
being thrust back again as rapidly as we
lad before been falling. Before time is
allowed to analyse the sensations We had
experienced, the cage touches the bottom.
md we stumble but half dizzy into the
we Of the pit.
Before we leave the pit-eye we have
,ur lamps lit, and then turn to take a
troll into the workings. We are not
ong in reaching a little cabin, into
which VIC step, and whilst sitting there
are told some particulars respecting
i've in the pit. When the men come to
work they obtain their lamps, already
il, but unlocked, at the pit bank, Then