Tweet

On the 13th May I did not notice any unpleasant symptoms while in the mine, but after having been on the surface for a little time I had a decided headache across the forehead. On the following day we did not go down below the 100 level, and felt no inconvenience whatever in any shape or form. On the 15th there was certainly a feeling that the air as we descended was less good than on the previous day but this in no way interfered with my work, such as testing the air from platform to platform below the 115 ; nor was my power of deciding that it was unsafe to descend to the corpse itself in any way impaired. I cannot recall any symptoms undoubtedly due to carbon monoxide, until I reached the 115 level after having climbed rapidly up the ladders, when Captain Kewley gave the alarm that he was feeling ill. The poison took effect most suddenly ; probably its action was accelerated by the exertion of climbing rapidly. I felt decidedly queer when I reached the level, and thought a drop of brandy might revive me; I took out my little brandy flask, but already my fingers seemed incapable of doing the work properly and someone unscrewed the stopper for me; I took a small sip and sat down. Everything then seemed in a whirl, and the atmosphere seemed to be a dense white fog. This must have been, as far as I can judge, a little before 1 p.m., for we went down precisely at noon, and allowing full time for the descent and testing the air from platform to platform below the 115, I do not think an hour had elapsed after leaving the surface before we were taken ill.

Sitting next to me was Mr. Williams, and within a few feet were Captain Reddicliffe and Henry Clague ; the men who had remained all the time at the 115 level, or at all events had not descended as low as we did, had started to climb to the surface, but of their starting I have no recollection. A curious fact is that we all sat without moving or trying to escape ; the foot of the ladder was close by, yet none of us made any effort to go to it and ascend even a single rung. We none of us tried to walk a dozen steps which would have led us to the other side of the shaft partition, where we all knew that there was a current of better air. We simply sat on and on ; Mr. Williams remained motionless like a statue; Captain Reddicliffe, on the other hand, was shouting and groaning nearly all the time, while Clague was moving his arms. Of all this I was perfectly conscious, though rooted to my seat. By my side was one of the pipes conveying compressed air, in which a hole had been punched some days before. I was perfectly conscious that fresh air-was a good thing for me, and I frequently leant over and put my mouth to the hole and inhaled a good breath. How soon I realized that we were in what is commonly called "a tight place" I cannot say ; but eventually, from long force of habit I presume, I took out my note book. At what o'clock I first began to write I do not know, for the few words written on the first page have no hour put to them. They were simply a few words of goodbye to my family badly scribbled. The next page is headed "2 p.m.," and I perfectly well recollect taking out my watch from time to time. As a rule I do not take a watch underground, but I carried it on this occasion in order to be sure that I left the rat long enough when testing with it. In fact, my note on the day of our misadventure was, "5th ladder. Rat two minutes at man," meaning by the side of the corpse. My notes at 2 p.m. were as follows :— "2 p.m., goodbye, we are all dying, your Clement, I fear we are dying goodbye, all my darlings all, no help coming, goodbye, we are dying, goodbye, goodbye we are dying, no help comes, goodbye, goodbye." Then later, partly scribbled over some "goodbyes," I find, "We saw body at 130 and then all became affected by the bad air, we have got to the 115 and can go no further, the box does not come in spite of our ringing for help. It does not come, does not come. I wish the box would come. Captain R. is shouting, my legs are bad, and I feel very , my knees are ." The so-called "ringing" was signalling to the surface by striking the air-pipe with a hammer or bar of iron, We had agreed upon signals before we went down. There is writing over other writing, as if I did not see exactly where I placed my pencil, and then "I feel as if I were dreaming, no real pain, goodbye, goodbye, I feel as if I were sleeping." "2.15,' " we are all done. No * ,or scarcely any, we are done, we are done, godo bye my darlings." Here it is rather interesting to note the "godo" instead of "good." Before very long the fresh men who had climbed down to rescue us seem to have arrived, and explained that the "box" was caught in the shaft. Judging by my notes I did not realize thoroughly that we should be rescued. Among them occur the words "no pain, it is merely like a dream, no pain; no pain, for the benefit of others I say no pain at all, no pain, no pain." I frequently wrote the same sentence over and over again. My last note on reaching the surface tells of that resistance to authority which likewise appears to be a symptom of the poisoning.

These notes afford ample confirmation of the effect produced by carbonic oxide poisoning of causing reiteration. I wrote the same words over and over again unnecessarily. The condition I was in was rather curious. I had absorbed enough of the poison to paralyze me to a certain extent and dull my feelings, but at the same time my reason had not left me.

The general sensation was like a bad dream, and yet I was able to reason properly and write intelligibly, though in a disjointed fashion.

I have been asked whether some of my notes may not have been written automatically or unconsciously. If there had merely been a goodbye to my wife and children I might have been doubtful on the subject, as I find that in my note book I used some wording identical with that of a letter addressed to my wife which I had written as a matter of prudence before leaving Laxey on the morning of my first descent. After my visit to the mine on the previous afternoon, I knew there was some risk to be encountered, and I simply penned the letter for use in case things should go wrong. Fortunately, the letter was not wanted. Wholly apart from my farewells, it seems to me from my notes that I was recording things correctly, and that my brain was reasoning properly ; I do not think I ever lost consciousness in the mine.

Mr. Williams, on the other hand, and Capt. Reddicliffe, though not absolutely unconscious, did not recognize the lapse of time, for they thought that only about ten minutes passed between my calling out "All up at once" and their arrival at the surface. In reality, nearly two hours had gone by.

That the numbness of the fingers recorded in my notes was no fancy is proved by the fact that I burnt my wrist and hand with my candle while sitting underground, and had no notion that I had done so until a friend in the evening called my attention to a big blister. I daresay this was five hours or more after the burn.

I think there certainly was a feeling of exhilaration on reaching the top of the shaft ; I was quite able to walk and was in full possession of my senses, for I at once asked Dr. Miller to take a little of my blood, so that it might be tested spectroscopically. He tied a bandage round my arm, and when one of my veins was well swollen he inserted a hypodermic syringe, but no blood could be drawn. He then tried Mr. Williams in the same way, but again without success. That the puncture was deep is proved by the scar which is still apparent. About an hour after I came up I sent off a telegram to my wife, which I reproduce in order to show that the effects of the carbon monoxide in producing unnecessary repetitions had not worn off "Am perfectly right, do not believe any report to the contrary ; I repeat I am perfectly right. — Clement. Address, Peveril, Douglas."³³

Though feeling quite able to walk to Laxey a distance of about 4 miles, I took the advice of Dr. Miller and went down with some others in a trap. One of the miners who was with us was vomiting from time to time, and by and by I felt a desire to be sick also, and put my finger down my throat with the idea of assisting nature, but without effect. Soon after this I became unconscious for a few minutes ; it was not a true fainting, but something of the nature of an epileptiform seizure, as I am told that I was a little convulsed, though I never had anything in the nature of a fit before. Dr. Haldane has pointed out that seizures of this description are not uncommon after carbonic oxide poisoning.³⁴ On getting to the hotel at Laxey I laid down on the sofa with a headache, and Mr. Williams suffered from headache and vomiting.

On arriving at Llandudno three days after the accident, I happened to pass our family doctor, and he told me afterwards that he at once noticed that the colour of my face was strange.

A few days after I got back from the island the first time, about the 21st or 22nd of May, I noticed my heart ; it could scarcely be called palpitation, as I understand palpitations to be, for there did not seem to be any increased rapidity of its action, but I was conscious of its beating; as a rule, I am not. This passed off, and then on 1st and 2nd of June I noticed it very decidedly again, so much so that I went to my doctor. He sounded me, and said the heart was all right, though there was one sound which was not very distinct. This consciousness of having a heart still returns from time to time. though only to a slight extent. On the 19th May I suffered much from headache, not regularly, but intermittently. The headache lasted for several days, and the feeling in the legs was very apparent; it was an aching in the legs from the knee to the ankles. A coldness from the knees to the soles of the feet was also noticeable ; it came on occasionally for a considerable time. The headaches continued at intervals for some time, and lasted certainly for some months after the accident ; indeed, I cannot say that they have disappeared altogether. Whether these headaches are still a consequence of the poisoning or not, I am unable to say. I have, at the risk of being wearisome, given the above account of the mental phenomena accompanying partial poisoning by carbonic oxide, because it is possible that they may be of assistance to those who are investigating the subject from a scientific point of view.

* word illegible.

On the evening of the 10th May, I descended the Snaefell mine, accompanied by Captain Kewley and four miners. The Captain and some of the men, who had been down several times during the day, suffered from fatigue and the effects of the poisonous gases, so they descended no lower than the 74-fathoms level, but Frederick Christian, who had a brother among the victims, accompanied me to the platform immediately above the 100-fathoms level. At this point a stiffened corpse blocked the manhole, and we could proceed no farther.

While descending, I had suffered no discomfort beyond a burning sensation in the throat and chest, and a perceptible increase in the temperature of the air in the mine as we proceeded.

We then commenced the ascent to return to the surface. This I found to be a very different task from descending, as almost immediately I experienced my strength fail more particularly did my legs totter ; my head also began to ache. We climbed very slowly, and at the 60-fathoms level we came up with our comrades, who had ascended so far and were quite exhausted. After burning about 1¼ lbs. of potassium chlorate and remaining in the gas produced thereby for a while, we continued our ascent. I felt as though a great weight had rolled off me, but the headache continued.

After a short interval at the surface, I descended with a party of men to recover some of the bodies. The lowermost point reached on this occasion was the third platform below the 60-fathoms level. We were down from two to three hours. My headache increased, and a muscular pain began in the region of the heart; this soon became very severe, but I felt no weakness in my legs, worth speaking of, when climbing up.

As I walked up the mountain side to the "Bungalow," between one and two o'clock in the morning, I felt completely exhausted, and each time I struck my foot against any object in the dark, it seemed as though a knife pierced my forehead ; there was also severe pain at the back of the head. For the few hours I was in bed I lay wide awake ; by morning the headache was better, but I could not bear to touch the left side over the heart; so bad was the pain that I felt it would be quite impossible for me to descend the mine on the Tuesday. At 7.30 a.m., however, I did descend, and the pain over the heart had completely disappeared before I again reached the surface about 9.30 a.m., and it has not since recurred.

In a quarter of an hour's time I descended again with a fresh party and felt much stronger than I had done on my first descent the same morning. As time went on, I felt my strength give way ; I was also becoming stupid and sleepy, and at intervals I lost consciousness for short periods, but tried to attend to my work. The men asked me to give the signal to have the "box" raised, but I was unaware of it till Captain Kitto, who had kindly come down the mine to assist, roused me and said, "You are not well, go and sit down." To this I replied that I was all right and could go on. I recollect giving the signal, but nothing more till I found myself sitting in a level with Captain Kitto and Mr. Wynne-Finch giving me some brandy. I was informed that I had fallen down insensible by the manhole. After remaining there a short time I could barely stand ; my legs were powerless ; with the aid of men pulling at a rope put around me, and others supporting me behind, I began to ascend, but my legs refused to act. Mr. Wynne-Finch asked me if I would not go into the "box" ; I said "box," and right glad was I to find myself in it.

I was quite conscious when I got to the surface, and able to walk without assistance to the mine office. I did not suffer much from headache on this day, and a good night's sleep at Laxey quite cured it.

On Wednesday morning, along with my colleague, Mr. Jones, and a party of miners, I descended the mine, feeling quite fresh, and intending not to return till the last body had been recovered. When one of the men, who was on the platform immediately above the 130-fathoms level called out that his candle was extinguished, I went down to him and put my candle below the platform, when it immediately went out. We climbed up to the 115-fathoms level, and, though the atmosphere immediately below the platform was deadly, that just above it must have been comparatively free from carbonic oxide, as I felt no inconvenience whatever in climbing to the 115-fathoms platform to communicate with the surface by means of the "box." Having all in readiness for bottling the gas. I descended to the same platform, having a rope lashed round me at the arm-pits. William Christian and Robert Cubbon, two strong and willing young men, were on the same platform with me, while my colleague, Mr. Jones, and some other men held the rope on the platform above. With my legs through the manhole and my head well above it, I succeeded in filling two bottles with the gas and corking them ; then I discerned a strong disagreeable smell rising from below. I am told that I took a third bottle and put it down through the manhole ; I have no recollection whatever of doing this, though it must have been the case, as I found the bottle, along with my cap, at the 130-fathoms level, five weeks after, close to where Kelly's body had lain. My next sensation was indescribably pleasurable, and one which I wished to last for ever, for, as it passed away, and I recovered consciousness, I ungratefully said to Dr. Miller, "Why did not you let me die?" I then enquired where I was and what the time was. A feeling of sickness followed, which the doctor told me was partly at least due to his treatment of me in bringing me round. I then became somewhat hysterical, but was soon able to get off the sofa on which I had been placed. The characteristic band of headache across the forehead, and the pain at the back of the head, troubled me through the rest of the day, but, thanks to the careful treatment I received from Dr. Miller, and the kind nursing of Mrs. Hall at Laxey, I got a good sleep and felt quite well by morning.

On Thursday, along with others, I descended under the guidance of my chief, Dr. Le Neve Foster, and suffered no inconvenience in any way.

On Friday, the air was so good up to the greatest depth reached by us (though Dr. Foster's mice and candle tests indicated that the air was still bad below), that it was, as Dr. Foster remarked in ascending, quite a pleasant climb.

On Saturday, I experienced no unusual sensation, nor did I detect any smell similar to that of Wednesday; in fact, I had no suspicion there was anything whatever wrong, till Dr. Foster called out, "Kewley is bad, all up at once to put him in the 'box '."

I recollect turning round to start climbing, but I have not the faintest idea how I managed to climb up the ladders for 80 feet to the 115-fathoms level, and only know from the testimony of others that I did so. John Kelly tells me that he took hold of me at the top, i.e., just at the 115-fathoms level, to help me. There, I am told, they seated me. How long I remained in a completely unconscious state I know not; but some time before I was removed I felt at intervals a great weight on my head ; possibly these sensations occurred at the various times when one of the rescue party poured a hat-ful of water on to my head. I imagined I was dead, then I thought I was in a horrid dream. I could see a black object pass up and down before my eyes, as one sees an object move between the closed. eyes and the light; this I was afterwards told must have been Captain Reddicliffe's arms; he sat close by me, and moved his arms up and down. I had a sense of something revolving inside my head from left to right. Then I could hear the signals being given to communicate with the surface. Giving the signals had been part of my duty all through the sad days of the week: among other signals, three strokes on the compressed-air pipe were meant to tell those at the surface to raise the "box" ; six strokes told them that all was right. I was able to count the number of strokes given, and when they passed three I knew there was something wrong, and I wanted to say so; I was struggling inwardly to speak, but could not.

When I recovered consciousness, I was being carried in a horizontal position to be put into the "box," which was only a few yards distant, to be sent to the surface. I could speak and could fully understand what was being told me. I was conscious all the way up the shaft, and I know I shook hands very heartily at the top of the shaft with some of the men who had been repeatedly down the mine with me during the week, but I could not bear to have any one order or contradict me : I would have my own way. I insisted, not with very good grace, I fear, on walking by myself to the office, and Dr. Miller, who thought I ought to allow myself to be carried, at last said to me, "Walk, then, you pugnacious little fellow." When I sat down at the office, I became unconscious again for 15 or 20 minutes; the first thing I recognized afterwards was Henry Clague, one of the miners, who was moving his limbs convulsively while sitting in a chair in front of me. This must have roused me. I asked if that man was Clague, and if the place we were at was the Snaefell mine office.

From this time I was fully conscious, and, although I felt excruciating pain in the head, I was able to go down to Laxey; the pain continued all the evening, but it had quite left me by Sunday morning.

My face wore a deep red blotchy appearance for some time, and my friends on the mainland remarked upon it repeatedly, even as late as the 23rd of May. I also suffered from weakness.

In my case, any ill effects which I could attribute directly to carbonic oxide poisoning passed quickly away, and I am not aware that the experiences of the week have done me any permanent harm.

33 i.e., Peveril Hotel, Douglas.
34 On the Causes of Death in Colliery Explosions and Underground Fires, London, 1896 (C. 8112), p. 18