Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.16191

    Ventilation of coal mines

    Date
    1662
    Creator
    Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
    After
    Henry Power (1623 - 1668, British) , Natural philosopher
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Manuscript page number
    p154r
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (Page): 209mm
    width (Page): 323mm
    Subject
    Content object
    Description
    Ground plan of a coal pit showing drainage, ventilation and the room and pillar method of coal extraction. With a key to the significant features of the mine.
    Transcription
    A. the Cole pit.
    B. the Vent-pit.
    CCC the Sow, it draining both pitts and heads from water
    ddd the vent-head, wch runs from the Coale-pit to the vent pit under ground, and is not above 2 yards broad wth us.
    eeee. The Laterall heads, wch are not above 2 yards broad after.
    FFF the diagonall prickt lines is the Thurle-vent, it is a vent driven through the lateral heads.
    gggggg is walls or pillars of the whole Coale-bed remaining (wch Coalebed wth us is not above 2 feet thick.) These walls or pillars of coale are always lift ungotten, and to support the roof of the pitt-heads, to hinder it from falling.

    The Roof and seat is the top and bottom of the Workes, wherein they get coals, wch is about 2 foot or more the one distant from the other in our pitts.

    H. Power.’

    Endorsed verso: ‘Ichnography of a Cole pit. done by Mr. Power. copied by Mr Oldenburg.’
    Transcribed by the Making Visible project
    Object history
    Henry Power’s observations on coal mines were read to the Royal Society and discussed in a meeting of 3 December 1662 (Birch 1:133-137 and plate 2). The corresponding version of the paper, to which this illustration belongs, appears within the Boyle Papers at RB/1/21/3/129-32 [BP/21/129-32].

    At the meeting of the Royal Society on 26 November 1662, ‘Dr. Croune brought in Dr. Power’s subterraneous experiments, which were ordered to be read at the next meeting, and the amanuensis to draw large schemes thereof’ (Birch 1:130).

    A meeting of the Royal Society on 3 December 1662, ‘Dr. Power’s paper of subterraneous experiments, and observations made of the damps of coal-mines, were read, and afterwards registered’. Paper reproduced in Birch 1:133-36, and refers to Sir William Gerard's pits in Lancashire (136).

    Printed in Henry Power, Experimental philosophy, in three books containing new experiments microscopical, mercurial, magnetical: with some deductions, and probable hypotheses, raised from them, in avouchment and illustration of the now famous atomical hypothesis (London : Printed by T. Roycroft, for John Martin and James Allestry, 1664), p. 173.
    Related fellows
    Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
    Henry Power (1623 - 1668, British) , Natural philosopher
    Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691, British) , Natural philosopher
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > United Kingdom
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