Let down an iron pot

To prevent the many accidents that happen in cleansing foul wells through the badness of the vapour lodged at the bottom of them, the following method has been discovered and recommended by Mr. Millington, of the city of Worcester. Let down an iron pot, with a few ounces of gunpowder in it, to the surface of the water; then toss a shovel full of live coals into the well, some of which will probably fall in the pot, and set the powder on fire, the explosion of which will effectually dispell the noxious damps, and thereby render it safe for workmen to go down into it.