Regardless of these developments, mining remained very dangerous. It gave off light but a wire gauze acted as a barrier between the heat given off and any gas it might have had contact with. The lamp became known as the “Miners Friend”. Likewise, pit props could only take a certain amount of strain. T he risk of an explosion was reduced by Sir Humphrey Davy with the invention of a safety lamp, in 1815, which meant that a miner could have light underground but without having to use the exposed flame of a candle. It was also believed that a system of trap doors might help to stop the blast of an explosion, damaging more of the coal mine……….It was not until 1807 when the problem was eased when John Buddle invented an air pump to be used in mines. F looding was a risk that was out of the control of the miners as even Watts steam engines could not cope if a mine had a serious flood. This allowed coal trucks through but it also created a draught and it could shift a cloud a gas. To assist this, young children called trappers would sit underground opening and shutting trap doors which went across a mine. To clear mines of gas – be it explosive or poisonous – a crude system of ventilation was used. How did the miners try to overcome the dangers they faced?

Bell found in coal