ABSTRACT
The owners, Messrs Brandling, Henderson, and Grace, wanted to stop-up the shaft in order to extinguish the fire. The villagers argued that this would kill all hopes of survival for those who might be trapped. They and other pitmen who had come to help and advise recalled examples of survival against all the odds. The owners wanted to save their inflammable investment; the community was adamant that where there was oxygen there was hope. The owners had their way. Two days later the mine was sealed. At nearby Low Fell, the carpenters made and stacked ninety-two coffins.
