The need for coal was never as evident in British industries as it was during the Industrial Revolution. In the past, the people of Britain made do use charcoal and wood as sources of fuel. Coal mines existed, but they were built near the surface, allowing only a small portion of the earth's coal supply to be touched. The supply provided by these mines was enough to satisfy the need of the product throughout Britain; however, with the development of factories by Richard Arkwright, followed by the new invention of the steam engine by James Watt, coal was becoming more and more needed. Coal mining during the Industrial Revolution was necessary, but the dangers that came with it far out-weighed the positive outcomes.
             The mines used before the revolution included such ones as drift mines and bell pits. Both types of mines were surface mines and served the same purpose. Most of the coal retrieved was used in homes and local industry. Drift mines, which were usually sunk into a hillside, had the coal seam visible at the side of the hill. At first, the coal was removed from the hillside, and then workers made their way deeper into the coal seam. When conditions became unsafe, the mine would be shut down. Bell pits, whose name is derived from the shape of the mine, were built much like wells. The opening at the surface led into the ground, to a wider opening where the coal would be mined. Bell pits were built very close to each other, and as one would collapse, another would open. Collapses were common, as no kind of propping was used to support the roof. Mines were shut down at the first sign of weakness in the roof.
             The diminishing safety in coal mining came about because of Richard Arkwright and his new spinning-machine. Arkwright had been experimenting with different kinds of machinery, trying to find a way to quicken products produced during the 1800s. "Arkwright also met John Kay, a clockmaker from Warrington, who had b...