In message <[log in to unmask]>, Joanne Macartney
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>Recently I have had the task of looking for texts and/or internet sites
>that refer the use of canaries in coal mines for the detection of gas.
>Although the phrase "like a canary in a coal mine" is very much over
>used, I have yet to find a single reference in a mining text to the
>actual use of canaries.
>
>If anyone on this list is aware of any texts, bulletins, etc. that refer
>to the use of canaries in coal mines, it would be very much appreciated
>if you could forward this information to me. This research will be used
>to provide an historical background for animals as sentinels for the
>detection of environmental risks.
>
>Thank you,
>
>Joanne Macartney
>Research Assistant
>University of Guelph,
>Guelph, ON, Canada
>[log in to unmask]
On the closure of Markham Colliery, the last coal mine in Derbyshire,
the Society was given the canaries from the pit. They, or their
descendants, live in a cage in the Peak District Mining Museum. AFAIK,
and somebody should be able to quote the legislation, all mines covered
by the legislation are required to keep a supply of small birds or mice
for the detection of gases.
--
Dave Williams - [log in to unmask]
Visit the Mining History Network at
http://info.exeter.ac.uk/~RBurt/MinHistNet
for information on PDMHS Ltd., the active Mining History Society.
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