ten o'clock
Much astonished at this singular occurrence , the group of mining engineers walked back to breakfast at Stokebridge , where the population were greatly excited at the news that the pit was flooded . To the miners it was a subject of the greatest surprise , while the friends of those in the pit received the news as the death-blow of their last hopes . It was now impossible that any one could be alive in the pit . At ten o'clock the mining authorities went again to discuss the curious phenomenon . All agreed that it was out of the question that so large a quantity of water had accumulated in any old workings , for the plan of the pit had been repeatedly inspected by them all . Some inclined to the belief that there must have been some immense natural cavern above the workings , and that when the fire in the pit burned away the pillars left to support the roof , this must have fallen in , and let the water in the cavern into the mine ; others pointed out that there was no example whatever of a cavern of such dimensions as this must have been , being found in the coal formation , and pointed to the worked-out Logan pit , which was known to be full of water , as the probable source of supply . During the previous four days the plan had been discussed of cutting through from the Logan , which was known to have been worked nearly up to the Vaughan boundary .