No. 4. — Thomas Dotchin. April 30th.

Calls himself 6 years old, and looks about 7. Keeps a door; has been down the pit half a year; gets up at 3 o'clock a.m. and goes to work at 4 o'clock. Works at the Low Pit. John Black and other rolley drivers beat him sometimes with their hands. His door is close at the shaft. Is not frightened. Gets upon his uncles [the overman] knees, and goes down with him. Cannot read at all, or write. Goes to the [Methodist] Sunday-school. Goes to no other school. Goes to chapel every Sunday.

No. 5. — James Strong.

Aged 7. Has been down the pit 1 year. Keeps a door. Get up at 3 o'clock a.m. Goes down the pit at 4 o'clock; comes up at 4 o'clock and sometimes later; does not know how often but it is very often. Is sometimes beaten a little by drivers, by their hands, and with their whips a little; not much to hurt. Does not go far in by [about 300 yards]. Goes down by riding upon the knees of any body in the loops, the men, or big putters. Cannot read at all; does not know his letters; has been only to a Sunday-school; does not go now. His brother is a hewer. Has two brothers down the pit, Jack puts, and Bill drives.

No. 6. — William Ranson.

Does not know his age but is apparently about 7 years old. Keeps a door; has been down about a year. Never beaten. Never frightened. Keeps a door very near to the cranes, about a quarter of a mile from the shaft. Goes down upon the mens knees when they go in a loop, the craneman's knees. Cannot read, knows his letters only. Cannot write at all. Goes only to the Sunday-school and sometimes to the chapel in the afternoons. Has 2 brothers down the pit, one chalking on and another driver. His father is a deputy.

No. 7. — Thomas Lashley.

Aged 9 years. Has been down the pits a year. Keeps a door [distant 12 sidings in the pit and each siding is about 100 yards distant from the other.] Likes the pit nicely. Never beaten. Gets up about 3 o'clock a.m. Goes down the pit at 4 o'clock. Comes up the pit at. 4 o'clock p.m.; sometimes 5 o'clock. Gives over work at 4 o'clock in general but if the work a little longer, he stops. Never goes down at nights. Gets plenty to eat, could eat no. more Father is a hewer. His brother James keeps two doors. Knows his letters only cannot write at all. Goes to the Sunday-school; has been at it this 2 or 3 years. Was at woman's school for a year before he went down the pit.

No. 8. — John Twiggs.

Going to 11 years of age. Keeps a door; has been down the pit nearly 3 years; sometimes cleaned the way. His door is nearly at the farthest place in the pit. Never beaten. Goes down upon different men's knees when they go down in a loop. Never falls asleep. Sometimes feels tired. Gets plenty to eat and good water. Knows his letters only; can write at all. Goes to no school at all. Has been at some schools before he went to work, never since.

No. 9. — Joseph Armstrong.

Aged 10 in December; keeps a door; far in by; 8 sidings in about [600 yards in from bottom of the shaft]. Goes down on the rolley-driver's knees. Gets up at 3 o'clock. down pit at 4 o'clock; comes up at 4 and half-past 4 in the afternoon. Is sometimes tired. No one beats him. Never falls asleep. Has no father. Has a brother, a rolley-driver. 12, down the pit. Knows easy words in reading. Cannot write at all. Goes to a night-school [T. Davison's] often. Goes to the Sunday-school [at the same place], and to chapel.

No. 10. — Two Trappers, 9 years old, and 11 years old.

Give the same particulars; work the same hours down the same pit. Do not like to be so long down the pit. Never beaten. They know their letters. Go only to Sunday-school and sometimes to chapel.

No. 11. — Twenty-six drivers, ages, 10 to 15.

Edward Dodds, aged 15. Gets up at 3 o'clock. Is called by his father. Is at the bottom of the shaft by 4 o'clock. They get into their places of work about half-past 4 o'clock. First of all yoke the horses. Then they go up to the crane with the rolleys. Then set corves on the rolleys. Then pull corves that have been brought to the cranes by the putters. Sets on two corves on a rolley. Each horse draws two rolleys. Sit on the limmers to drive. The horse is driven various distances; three-quarters of a mile at the farthest in the Bewick Pit and the Low Pit. They drive sometimes 12, and sometimes 14 or 15 journeys a depending on the distances to be driven.

Joseph Cowell, aged 12. Was once do the pit for a 12-hour shift, and an 8-hour shift following, without coming up at all. Never did this more than once. Did not feel sleepy.

John Nicholls, aged 13. About a year since was down two 12-hour shifts, i.e. a day and a night. Drove all the time; no sleep all the time. Was very sleepy afterwards. Went down again after 12 hours. Never did this more than once. They were making a siding, and he was told to stop. other was down with him.

Edward Dodds. aged 15. Was down a double shift of 12 hours and 8 hours following, a year and a half ago. Was sleepy, but not very tired. They making a siding and he was kept down.

Thomas Ransom, aged 12. Was down a double of 12 hours each, about 2 years since. Kept a door all the time. Was very sleepy after. Never did it more than that once. Has been down pits two and a half years.

William Cowell. A year since a stone fell upon his hand and he was kept off 3 months [the mark appearing now].

John Nicholls. Got his leg broken about 2 years since and was kept off half a-year, is not lame now; quite sound now.

Robert Armstrong, aged 12 years. Got his hurt by the rolley about a fortnight ago and has been off a fortnight; is not well yet.

Frank Crosby, aged 12. Horse flung at him half a-year ago and he was kept off 2 months.

Three others had slight accidents from the rolleys and one had his finger broken. Several complain of occasional slight sickness and slight headaches but nothing special can be extracted from them. 12 boys out of these can read fairly, 8 write their own names, 3 go to a night-school, 12 go to a Sunday-school but few will unhesitatingly say they go to chapel or church regularly.

No. 12. — Edward Holt.

Aged 15. Keeps the Davys. Has been down 6 or 7 years. Goes down at 4 o'clock in the morning, and rides at 4 o'clock p.m. Pit whiles makes his head work a little, but nothing else. His work is very easy. About a year since was down double shift-two shifts, one of 8 and one of 12 hours. Never did this more than once. Has no father. Can read [well], writes his name. Goes to no school now, nor to a church or chapel, except a few times.

No. 13. — George Charlton.

Aged 16. Is a craneman. Chalks on and hoists the corves on to the rolleys. Goes the pit at 4 o'clock, and rides at 4 o'clock [p.m.] Has been down pits 2 years. Goes down the Bigge Pit a fortnight ago, at the time of the explosion. Felt a strong wind and a good deal of dust with it. Was on the eastern side of the shaft about 500 yards from the bottom of the shaft. Knew directly that it was an explosion. Had a tin lamp, like a 'mistress' and this was put out. He got out with two others, 2 men, very badly. Found the cage at the bottom and had to take the hooks off and pulled the rapper, and the other cage was sent down. Had to climb about two fathom up the shaft to get into the cage, as the 'spears' were broken. Heard one man groan sore, thinks it was John Crawford. The stone had fallen before he had gotten to the bottom of the shaft and some fell afterwards. Fell four or five times with the after-damp before he got to the shaft. Felt as if he was asleep and as if the power of his legs was taken from him. Saw the stables on fire as went by. Was never sick before that day, has had no pains or accidents, thinks the pit agrees with him. Can read [well], can write his name. Goes to no school now. Attends chapel regularly. Father is dead. Has a brother putting in the Low Pit.

No. 14. — Elias Crozier.

Aged 17. Is a wood leader down the Low Pit. Has been down pits about 7 years. Never 'put'. Never has had very hard work and has always been well in health. Has kept a door, driven, hoisted the cranes, chalked on, &c. Father is a shifter. Has 2 brothers down pit who are hewers. Can read [well.] Goes to a Sunday-school only. Attends chapel regularly.

No. 15. — Thomas Forster.

Aged 17. Leads the wood. Has been 9 years down pits. Kept a door for 3 years, drove for 3 years, hoisted a crane for 2 years, wrought shift-work for a year, put stones in a corf upon a tram (in the night-shift), which was the same as putting coals, and was sometimes hard and at others easy. The working hours of the pit are from 4 to 4. Has been 36 hours down the pit without coming up, about 3 years since. They had not enough lads. Was leading wood for 2 shifts and working shift-work 1 shift.

Three weeks ago was down Low Pit 34 hours without coming up, leading wood, &c. There were no other lads at the but himself, the rest were men. Felt very sleepy and drowsy. Slept for half an hour he was down. Putters never work more than 12 hours following. Half marrows are down a double shift, perhaps twice or thrice in a-year They cannot always get lads enough. Thinks a half marrow is hard worked, considering his age. The putters sometimes the half marrows to make them work. Have no 'foals' down the Low Pit where 2 half marrows make a tram. Some places are steep sometimes. They put the full corves up the rise often than down in this pit Some places have a helper-up. The air is very bad, for they are all working in the 'broken.' There is no working in the whole. The air sometimes makes him sleepy in the daytime; smells it bad sometimes. Can read, can write his name. Goes to no school now. Attends chapel regularly.