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On Wednesday, the 12th May, at 8 a.m., Mr. Williams and I descended the mine. Between that hour and 11 a.m. five dead bodies were recovered. After sending the fifth body to the surface, Mr. Williams decided to take some samples of the bad air in the shaft. For this purpose he descended to the platform just above the 130-fathoms level, and, being aware of the risk he was running, he took the precaution of having a rope lashed round him, the tail-end of which was held by me and some miners standing on the platform above. Mr. Williams had three bottles with him, and emptied the water from two of them and recorked his bottles. To all appearances, he was not suffering from the effects of gas up to this moment. He then took the third bottle, and while he was in the act of emptying the water from it he collapsed and fell suddenly, as if he had been shot. As the rope was already round his body, I lost no time in dragging him up with the aid of some of the miners. While he was being dragged up the first three ladders he was groaning very much, but before he was on the platform at the top of the fourth ladder he had ceased groaning. We had some difficulty in getting him to the top of this ladder, as we felt our own strength going. When we examined him we found that he was not breathing at all, and his eyes were wide open. We poured some brandy into his mouth, but he did not swallow it. We then dragged him up one more ladder to the level. He then appeared to be quite dead. The "box" was already in this level; but we did not send him up at once, as packing him into the "box" and sending him to the surface would have taken a considerable time, and we thought it more prudent to make an effort to revive him on the spot. We carried him to a compressed-air pipe in which a hole had been punched, and I sat down under him and kept his mouth at the hole whilst two of the men were working his arms backwards and forwards. As nearly as I can guess, about ten minutes elapsed before he began breathing again. Brandy was given to him several times, and when his heart began to beat he was put into the "box," though still quite unconscious, and sent to the surface. When I tried to get up to carry Mr. Williams to the "box," I discovered that my legs were in a semi-paralysed state, and I had to sit down again by the compressed-air pipe for about half an hour. After this rest I started climbing, and reached the top of the second ladder all right, and then all of a sudden I collapsed. I thought that my heart was stopping, but I soon recovered. The same thing happened three times before I reached the surface, when I vomited and suffered from a very bad headache. I felt the effect of the poisoning in my legs for some weeks, besides suffering from palpitation of the heart on several occasions afterwards, though never troubled by any heart affection previously.

The effect upon me of the air of Snaefell mine was peculiar; physically, I am fairly strong, but in going underground the first time and before reaching the 115-fathoms level, I felt slight pain and weakness in my knees, and the back of my throat, and my tongue and lips became parched. My eyes felt as if they were too large for their sockets ; there was also a throbbing in my temples and a burning sensation about my heart and throughout my body, but there was no pain worth mentioning with the exception of that in my knees. This, no doubt, was aggravated by climbing the ladders, as there has scarcely been any of this treadmill work with us at Foxdale for many years past. However, on reaching the 115-fathoms level, and as soon as we had commenced to recover the bodies, I felt better, and able to go about and do anything; but on starting to climb up the ladders to the surface the peculiar sensation returned, and I feel sure if it had not been for some brandy, a flask of which I had the precaution to take with me, I certainly would have failed on my way up. On reaching terra firma I felt very ill and wanted to vomit. When we got down to Laxey Dr. Miller gave me a dose of something which did me good, but through the night I had severe palpitation of the heart, a thing I have never felt in my life before or since. On the Wednesday my experience underground was something similar, but I did not feel so ill on reaching the surface. The day following, Thursday, the pain in my knees was so great that I could not stand properly, and for fully a week I had great pain when walking, and still (10th June) feel slight effects of the poisoning.

On Tuesday, May 11th, 1897, at 11.45 a.m. I went down the Snaefell shaft, forming one of a party led by Captain Kitto, of the Foxdale mines.

I spent three hours below ground at the 100-fathom level, and while at work there felt no symptoms of discomfort with the exception of a slight nausea due to the gases exhaled by the dead bodies.

On starting to return to the surface I found that my legs had partially lost strength and had become heavy and numbed. My arms were not appreciably affected, and the only other symptom I noticed was an unusual shortness of breath. This was, no doubt, due to the fact that the exertion of climbing rendered the badness of the air more distinctly appreciable to the lungs. With the aid of my arms I climbed very slowly and with considerable difficulty to the surface.

On Wednesday, May 12th, I went down shortly after 3 p.m. The party consisted of men from Foxdale mines led by Captain Kitto. Our object was to find and if possible recover the one remaining body. The air was known to be bad below the 115-fathom level, and my portion of the work consisted in punching holes in the compressed air-pipes to freshen the atmosphere as we went down. This necessitated my descending first with a rope attached to my body to avoid accidents.

While I was striking the punch I noticed once or twice a violent quickening of the heart's action which, however, passed off again after a few moments in each case. At about 5.15 p.m. I had just climbed back from the open portion of the shaft on to one of the platforms, after making a hole in the air-pipe. The platform in question was, I believe, the fourth below the 115-fathom level. At this point a sudden giddiness seized me, lasting a few seconds only and then passing off. A minute or so later, the same sensation recurred more strongly, together with a pain in the head and an unpleasant feeling of pressure on the chest, almost amounting to pain. As the giddiness continued, and I felt my legs growing weaker, I decided at once to climb to the 115-fathom level, fearing that if I waited longer I might have to be lifted up with ropes. It was necessary to reach this latter point, as it was the lowest point at which the "box" was accessible, the hoisting compartment of the shaft being boarded off from the ladder road except at the different levels. After I had removed the rope from my body I began at once to climb. As I felt the effects of the gas rapidly increasing, I climbed as fast as possible, so as to get to the level above before I was overpowered.

Before I had climbed the first ladder my eyesight began to be impaired, and, though there were men stationed at each landing, I could not see them. On calling out to them as I passed, however, I was able to hear and understand their answers in each case. The position of the ladders rendered it possible for me to climb without the use of my eyesight. The last ladder I was only able to get up with a great effort, and I am not sure whether I climbed, or was pulled through the manhole at the top.

On reaching the 115-fathom platform, I lost all physical power, and both my breathing and the action of my heart became much affected. Paroxysms of rapid breathing set in, during which respiration was very laboured.

During the periods of apparent inaction of the lungs between the fits of hurried breathing, I experienced no particular pain or discomfort, feeling only extremely weak. I could still hear and understand all that was said to me, as well as speak intelligibly myself, but had entirely lost physical power, besides being unable to see or recognise faces even when quite close to me and in a tolerably good light. My eyes at this point could only discriminate between light and darkness, and seemed to have entirely lost the power of focussing objects. After I had been lifted into the "box" I remember explaining to the man how to strap me in, &c. I was quite conscious during the time that I was being drawn to the surface, and can remember all that occurred on the way up, including the catching of the box on the timber about halfway. On reaching the surface I could see nothing distinctly, though my eyes were conscious of the brightness of the light. I attempted to walk from the shaft top but had not sufficient strength, and was consequently carried to Captain Kewley's house, where I was immediately attended by Dr. Miller, of Laxey.

Paroxysms of difficulty in respiration continued at intervals for between two and three hours from the time that it began in the mine.

I do not think I was ever quite unconscious, but for an hour or so after I came up I could not see properly. About two hours after I reached the surface I was sick, which relieved me considerably.

The sense of weakness was greatest just before the sickness mentioned above, and for about ten minutes at this time I experienced a sensation of complete collapse. I can only describe this by saying that all vital functions appeared to have stopped. After the sickness a severe frontal headache came on, which lasted for nearly four hours, and then wore off gradually.

At about nine o'clock I was lifted into a trap and taken down to Laxey, still having no power to move.

By the following morning the physical effects of the gas had quite passed off, though for several days afterwards I noticed a certain amount of weakness in my legs.

I may add, in reference to my mental condition during the time that I was under the influence of the gas, that, while my head was tolerably clear, there was undoubtedly a certain incompleteness in the action of my memory. The persistence of one or two ideas seems to have been very marked. I repeated five or six times to Captain Kitto my desire that the men should not be allowed to attempt to go any lower that day. This request was dictated by my sense of the suddenness with which the effects of the gas had overtaken me. On each occasion I was assured that nothing more would be attempted that day, and under ordinary conditions one such assurance would certainly have been sufficient for me. This, I think, shews that the action of my brain and memory were somewhat impaired.

I am informed by a friend of mine who was present at the time that during the few minutes before my sickness, to which I have previously alluded, I appeared to be quite unconscious. He tells me that at this time he spoke to me more than once without receiving any sign of recognition on my part, while all sign of respiration appeared to have ceased. From my own recollection, however, I am sure that I was not entirely unconscious, as I distinctly remember a consciousness of the sensation of complete collapse mentioned above.