Editing Industrial Revolution (section)

===Mining===
[[History of coal mining|Coal mining]] in Britain, particularly in [[South Wales]], started early. Before the steam engine, [[Open-pit mining|pits]] were often shallow [[bell pit]]s following a seam of coal along the surface, which were abandoned as the coal was extracted. If the geology was favourable, the coal was mined by means of an [[adit]] or [[Drift mining|drift mine]] driven into the side of a hill. [[Shaft sinking|Shaft mining]] was done in some areas, but the limiting factor was the problem of removing water. It could be done by hauling buckets up the shaft or to a [[sough]] (a tunnel driven into a hill to drain a mine). In either case, the water had to be discharged into a stream or ditch at a level where it could flow away.<ref name="auto1">John U. Nef, ''Rise of the British coal industry'' (2v 1932).</ref>

Introduction of the steam pump by Thomas Savery in 1698 and the Newcomen steam engine in 1712 facilitated removal of water and enabled deeper shafts, enabling more coal to be extracted. These developments had begun before the Industrial Revolution, but the adoption of Smeaton's improvements to the Newcomen engine, followed by Watt's steam engines from the 1770s, reduced the fuel costs, making mines more profitable. The [[Cornish engine]], developed in the 1810s, was more efficient than the Watt engine.<ref name="auto1"/>

Coal mining was dangerous owing to the presence of [[firedamp]] in coal seams. A degree of safety was provided by the [[safety lamp]] invented in 1816 by Sir [[Humphry Davy]], and independently by [[George Stephenson]]. However, the lamps proved a false dawn because they became unsafe quickly and provided weak light. Firedamp explosions continued, often setting off [[coal dust]] explosions, so casualties grew during the 19th century. Conditions were very poor, with a high casualty rate from rock falls.