When an area of a mine has been sealed off from the remainder of the workings by barriers or stoppings inserted at suitable points, it is important to prevent the circulation of air within the sealed area. This means that external air pressures must be equalized on all the seals. The object of equalizing the atmospheric pressures on the seals is attained by inserting or removing doors or brattice cloths at appropriate places. It is possible to make all the seals contiguous with a common airway by this means, so that, if they are not widely separated, they will be subjected to the same external atmospheric pressure.