At another general delegate meeting, held on the 8th of March, and which was very largely attended, it was agreed to send three men round to all the collieries in the two counties for the purpose of ascertaining the number of pits that were worked with one shaft, and to deliver petition sheets at each colliery in order that they might be subscribed to, and request the men to send them in with a delegate to the next meeting to be held on March 22nd, 1862. This meeting was held in the Lecture Room, Nelson Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, for the purpose of receiving the reports of the persons appointed to ascertain the number of pits worked with one shaft, and also to receive such petitions as had been filled up. Mr. William Grieves, of Choppington, was called to the chair, and the following report was then submitted to the meeting :

"Prudhoe and Mickley Collieries.-These were very extensive workings, and were connected with a drift, which made them equivalent to having 2 shafts. At Wylam Pit there were 4 shafts, 3 down-cast and 1 up-cast. Townley pit was constructed similar to Hartley, having only 1 shaft, and the pumping beam working over the pit mouth. Blaydon had 2 shafts. Walbottle 4 shafts, 3 down-cast and 1 up-cast. Walker Pit had 2 shafts, 1 up-cast and 1 down. At Harton and Hilda there were 2 shafts, 1 up and 1 down-cast. East Holywell had 2 down-cast and 1 up shaft. Backworth only 1 shaft. Seghill 2, 1 up-cast and 1 down. West Cramlington 1 up-cast and 1 down. East Cramlington, Dudley, and Shankhouse Pits, were 'holed ' one through another; but they had 6 shafts in all, 4 downcast and 2 up. Seaton Delaval had 8 shafts, 2 for pumping, 4 down-cast and 2 up. Seaton Delaval, in the opinion of the delegates who had drawn up the report, presented a perfect model of a colliery. Burradon had 2 shafts, 1 upcast and 1 down. Killingworth Colliery had 1 shaft 14 feet in diameter, divided into 3 shafts. There was a pumping beam working over the shaft mouth, 4 cages, and a set of pumps, all working in the shaft in which the men had to go up and down. It was a highly dangerous state of things, the lives of the men being constantly in peril. At Seaton Burn there was an up-cast shaft, a set of pumps, a

steam pipe, and a furnace, all in the one shaft in which the men had to ascend and descend. The men must necessarily be subjected to much annoyance from the steam pipe, as the steam leaked from every joint of such pipes, and through this parboiling process, the men had to pass and repass in going up and down. At New Delaval there was only 1 shaft, and the same state of things prevailed at New Newsham. Cowpen had 3 shafts, 1 up-cast and 2 down. The men had to ride in the up-cast, and and there was a steam pipe in the shaft. Bebside had two shafts, 1 up-cast and 1 down. Sleekburn had 5 shafts, and the Glebe and Sleekburn Pits were 'holed' through into each other. Netherton had 3, and Choppington 2. North Seaton, a very extensive colliery, had only 1 shaft. Ashington had 2, 1 up-cast and 1 down. Ratcliffe, Broomhill, and Togston were well provided with shafts. At Whickham there were 2 shafts, 1 down and 1 up-cast. Shipcote had 2, Marley Hill 2, Crookgate 1, Burnopfield 2, West Pelton 2, and the Lintz Colliery 2. East Tanfield had but 1. shaft, but there was a way out in some of the neighbouring pits. Tanfield Lea had 1 shaft, and a way out. Tanfield Moor 1 shaft, and a way out. Medomsley and Derwent had each 2 shafts, with a way out, but the means of egress was many miles from the working places. Investon 1 shaft, Tyne Mill 1, Berry Edge 2, Lizzie Pit 1, Bank Foot 1, and Pontop 2. The last three pits had a way out by means of small holes. Barnhope 2, Quaker House 2, South Stanley 1, East Stanley 1, Oxgate 1, East Beamish 2, West Beamish 2, Urpeth 1, Whitworth 2, Merrington 2, Bishop's Close 1. Page Bank 2, Byers' Green 2, Black Prince 2, Elm Park 1, Farnley 1, Etherley Hope 3, Inkerman 1, Stanley 1, Roddymoor 1, Grimsley 2, Whitelead 1, Job's Hill 1, Bar's Close 1, Crook 2, Bitchburn 1, Annhope 1, Roughlea 2, North Bitchburn 2, Hunwick 2, New Field 2, East Sunnybrow 2, North Sunnybrow 2, Bean 1, Langley Moor 2, Sacriston 2, Eaninsley 2, Framwellgate Moor 2, Ryhope 1, Seaton 2, South Hetton 1. This latter pit and Dalton were 'holed' into each other, Haswell had 2, Shotton 2, Castle Eden was worked in a similar way to Hartley. Wingate 2, Trimdon had a staple, but there was no apparatus for bringing up the men in case

of accident. Trimdon Grange had but 1 shaft, though this colliery, Kelloe New Winning, and Five Houses were all connected. To Thornley and Great Hetton Collieries there were six different pits, all holed' one through the other. They were considered models of ventilation and good arrangement. There were 2 shafts at Thornley, at Cassop 2, Belmont 1, Kepier 2, Whitwell 2, Shincliffe and Hoffe 2, 'holed' through into each other. At Coxhoe there were 3 pits, two of them connected with each other. Haggersgate 1, Chilton 1, Leasingthorn and Westerton 1 each, Shildon Lodge 1. At West Auckland and St. Helen's plenty of shafts, and this was also the case at Evenwood and Etherley. Lady Londonderry's and the Earl of Durham's Collieries were well arranged and 'holed' to each other, and they had not one colliery with but 1 shaft."

The chairman said he thought the step they had taken was a right one to bring their condition before the public, and he hoped that at some future time their appeal to the Legislature would result in placing them in a position of security, so that in future they would not, upon the occurrence of a misfortune, have to go and throw themselves upon the benevolence of a sympathising public as paupers. If a proper investigation were made into such matters, more caution used in the working of mines, and more scientific men placed over them, there would be less loss of life.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THREATENED RE-INTRODUCTION OF THE YEARLY BOND. GREAT MEETING AT HORTON. COMMENCEMENT OF THE PRESENT UNION OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND MINERS. THE MINERS' PERMANENT RELIEF FUND.

Towards the close of the year, 1863, the colliery owners gave notice of their intention to re-introduce the system of binding the men on the collieries for an entire year in place of the monthly binding then in force, an intimation which created much alarm, and at once provoked a spirit of resistThe owners no doubt imagined that the men were

ance.

occur.

disunited, and that there would not be sufficient unity in their opposition to the proposition to render it successful. In this they were mistaken, for the men, viewing the matter with a grave apprehension, displayed great alacrity in at once organizing themselves for any struggle that might The initiatory meeting on the question, convened by anonymous advertisements and placards, was held in a large field at Horton, near Blyth, on Christmas Day, and was attended by between 3,000 and 4,000 miners, representing the collieries of Seaton Delaval, Holywell, New and Old Backworth, Old Cramlington, West Cramlington, Burradon, Seaton Burn, Seghill, North Seaton, Sleekburn, West Seaton, Barrington, Cowpen, New Delaval, Bebside, and Dudley. Old banners, that had been folded away in the houses of some of the men, since the memorable strike of 1844, were brought out again, and unfurled in the frosty breeze. Bands of music played merrily to the field of meeting, and some of the old and well-tried heroes of the hardfought battle of 1844, were present. The chairman said the pitmen of th County of Northumberland had been working for the last 18 years with a monthly bond, and were never expecting at this time of the year that a yearly bond would be brought forward. The meeting had been called that day to allow them to give an opinion whether the yearly bond was practicable and useful to the men at this time of the year, and to show their determination to resist the bond, if in their opinion its re-introduction would be to their disadvantage. Their opinions would be given freely, and when they held up their hands, they should do so, not simply as a matter of form, but as an expression of their determination to show the masters that they were not to be imposed upon. Mr. J. Nicholson, of Sleekburn, then moved:

"That it is the opinion of this meeting that we resist the yearly bond, and make no agreement until the masters put away that bond." Mr. Patterson and Mr. Thomas Baulks then addressed the meeting, after which Mr. Nicholson further moved :- "That the pitmen of Northumberland form themselves into a union." Mr. Wilson, Seaton Burn, seconded the proposition, and this, as well as the former one, was unanimously adopted.

A delegate meeting was afterwards held at the Folly Inn, when Mr. Thomas Baulks was appointed treasurer, and Mr. R. Patterson, secretary, of the new union, which the larger public meeting had decided upon the formation of. It was resolved that another delegate meeting should be held at Seaton Delaval on the Wednesday following, the 30th December, and this meeting was held at the Hastings Arms Inn, in the village. There were twenty delegates present, and most of them reported that the owners had withdrawn the yearly bond; whilst at Choppington and Bebside, the owners had never introduced it. Many of the collieries had commenced work at the old prices, but some, however, had suffered a reduction of a halfpenny and a penny per ton. At those collieries where the owners had not withdrawn the yearly bond, it was agreed, should the men come out on strike, to support them. Mr. Nicholson moved that an executive committee of five men be appointed, and that there should be a levy of a halfpenny per man to form a sinking fund to be appropriated to the men when they were turned off. It was agreed that each colliery should keep its own funds, and that its contributions in case of necessity be according to the number of members enrolled at such colliery, and that they be sent to the executive committee when called for. Messrs. Elliot, Dixon, Wakenshaw, Nicholson, and Wilson, were appointed as an executive committee, and it was also resolved "that a cordial invitation be given to all the collieries or colliers to join in fellowship as a trade union, as the only way of securing that independence that Englishmen should enjoy, and which it is their duty to secure in every legitimate way."

The average earnings of the Miners of Northumberland and Durham were taken at this time, and amounted to 4s.2d. per day. Several collieries, however were only working half time, but the men had a very selfish practice of going every day to work and hewing coals to fill the next day the pit worked. There were no rules as to when a man should go down the pit or come out of it, and many_stayed as long as their strength would allow them. It was customary for men to take bargains at the colliery, at a very low rate on account of the privilege of being allowed to