But now the Colliers working more in the deep of these Works, they are constrained to sink Pits, some of which Pits are from eight unto twenty yards deep, and some are near twenty fathome deep, which fathome contains two yards.
In these Pits, after you have made or hit the uppermost measures of Cole, and sink or digged thorow them, the Colliers getting the nethermost part of the Coles first, about two yards in height or more, and when they have wrought the Crutes or Staules, (as some Colliers call them) as broad and as far in under the ground, as they think fit, they throw the small Coles (fit to make Iron) out of their way on heaps to raise them up so high, to stand upon, that they may, with the working of their Picks or Maundrills over their heads, and at the one end of the Coles so far in as their Tool will permit, and so high as their working cometh unto a parting in the measure of Cole, the which Coles, to the parting by his self clogging and pondrous weight, fall often many Tuns of coles, many yards high down at once; with which fall and the Colliers breaking of the said Cole, many small coles do so abound of no use, and fit for no sale; that in getting of twenty thousand Tun of Pit-cole, one half near is small cole, not drawn out of the Pits, but destroyed, left, and lost; which small cole, with the sleck thrown moyst together, (heat the sooner) and by means of its sulphurousness fire in the Pits, to no small prejudice unto the Owners of the Works, and the Workmen, besides Great Brittains Loss; which Cole might have made many thousand Tuns of Iron, and also have preserved this Islands Woods and Timber: I might here give you the names, and partly the nature of every measure, or parting of each cole lying upon each other; the three uppermost measures are called the white measures for his white Arcenical, Salsuginos and Sulphurious substance which is in that Cole; the next measure, is the shoulder-cole, the toe-cole, the foot-cole, the yard-cole, the sliper-cole, the sawyer-cole, and the frisly-cole, these last three coles are the best for the making of Iron, yet other coles may be made use of.
I might give you other names of coles, but desire not prolixity, yet must I tell you of a supernumerary number of Smiths within ten miles of these Cole-Works near twenty thousand; yet God of his Infinite goodness (if we will but take notice of his goodness unto this Nation) hath made this Country a very Granary for the supplying these Men with Iron, Cole, and Lime made with cole, which hath much supplyed these men with Corn also of late, and from these men, a great part not only of this Island, but also of his Majesties other Kingdomes and Territories with Iron wares have their supply, and wood in these parts almost exhausted, although it were of late a mighty wood-land Country.
Now if the Coles and Iron-stone so abounding were made right use of, we need not want Iron as we do; for very many measures of iron-stone are placed together under the great ten yards thickness of cole, and upon another thickness of coles two yards thick, not yet mentioned, called the bottom cole, or the heathen cole, as if God had decreed the time when, and how these Smiths should be supplyed, and this Island also with Iron, and most especially, that this coal and iron-stone, should give the first, and just occasion for the invention of the making of iron with pit-cole, no place being so fit for the invention to be perfected in, then this Country, for the general good; whose Woods did formerly abound in Forrests, Chases, Parks and Woods, but exhausted in these parts.
Now for the names of the iron-stone, the first measure is called the Black-row-graines, lying in very hard and black Earth.
The second measure is the Dun-row-graines, lying in dun earth or clay.
The third measure is called the white row grains, lying in very white Earth or Clay; under these three measure are sundry other measures, and are called, first, the Rider Stone; secondly, the Cloud Stone; thirdly, the bottom Stone; fourthly, the Cannock or Cannotstone, which last may wel be so caled (although all the other measures be very good) yet this Stone is so Sulphurous and Terrestrial, not fit to make Iron; because the Iron thereof made is very Redshare, which is that if a workman should Draw or Forge out a Share mould fit for a Plough in that red heat, it would crack and not be fit for the Use of the Husbandmans Plough or Share. I may take occasion here to speak of the Nature of Coldshare Iron, which is so brittle if made of the grain Oare or Iron stone would be almost as brittle as some Regulus Antimonii made Iron, for with one small blow over an Anvil you may break the biggest Bar that is, if it be perfect coldshare Iron; nay the Plough-man often breaks his Share point off if it be made of coldshare Iron. But perfect tough malliable Iron will not break feisibly in hot-heat or cold, as coldshare wil, or red hot as Sulphurious veneriated redshare iron will; but yet tough enough when it is cold: All which aforesaid qualities of Iron the Authour very well knoweth how to mend their Natures, by finning or setting the finery, lesse transhaw, more borrow which are terms of art, and by altering and pitching the works, and plates, the fore spirit-plat, the tuiron, bottome, back and breast or fore-plate, by the altering of which much may be done, if the work be set transhaw and transiring from the blast, the Iron is more coldshare lesse Fined, more to the Masters profit; lesse profitable to him that makes it into manufactorage, and less profitable to him that useth it; but the Iron made in a Burrow work, becometh more tough and serviceable; yet the nature of all Iron stone, is to be considered, both in the Furnace, and in the finery, that the Sulphurious Arceniall and Veneriating qualities which are often-times in Iron stone be made to separate, in both the works from the fixed and fixing bodies of Iron, whose fiery quality is such, that he will sooner self calfine than separate from any Sulphurious veneriated quality.
No man, I hope, need to be offended at any terms of Art, it hath been alwayes lawfull for Authours of new Arts and Inventions, at their own pleasures, to give name to their new Inventions and Arts, every Tradesman is allowed it in his mystery.
But the Authour hath as much as he could avoided the terms of Art that Simon Sturtenante and others have used, which are very many: onely the Author hath given you the common names and terms (for the most part) which are so common among Forge-men and Founders, as is nothing more common; but kept secret amongst them and a mystery not yet known, but unto very few Owners of Iron-works; nay I have not yet troubled your memory with any of the Founder terms, of but making his harth as the Timpe stones, the Wind-wall stones, the Furion stones, the Botton-stone, the Back-stones and the Boshes, in the making and pitching of which harth, is much of the Mystery.
I must confesse, there is given unto some Phylosophers, etc filii Artis, some few terms how the Sulphurious Arsenicall, Bituminos, Antimoniall, Venerial, and other poysonous qualities, either in the Pit-cole, Sea-cole, or the Iron-stone, may be in part at the Furnace separated, and not permitted to incorporate in the Iron, and if it be incorporated, yet by Fining at the Forge, to fetch it out; also to melt extract, refine, and reduce all mines mettals and minerals, unto their species with Pit-cole, Sea-cole, Peat, and Turff, by wayes not yet in use, which the Authour will make known, hereafter, if God permit him health, time and space, or leave his knowledge unto his Brother Aylmore Folliott, Esq; his Nephew Parkshouse, Esq; and to his Kinsman Master Francis Dingley, to declare unto this latter Age of the World, in which God is pleased to manifest many of his Secrets; Qui vult secreta scire, secreta secrete sciat custodire.