The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-02-28 00:00:00

TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION.

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eloquently
printed
penny
enid.fnun

Chabe,
or neuspepen
the United r
packets

tie—date .
'l4 •
1., 1 who post 0.
the eolonies
station .\I /
es a disregarded
gianeeeesary •
lrikjije it-

Os Friday night an explusisin occurred at the Pentre
colliery, South Wales. the shook of wiLl was felt for
• mile. There were 36 in,u in the workings. The
overman, William llow,r, was on the spot • few
minutes after the explosion occurred, an I attempted to
go down to see what could be done Cr the recovery of
the unfortunate men below; but his son, a young man
21 years of age, prevented him, and went himself, with
five others, namely, Joseph Thomas, David Evans,
the carpenter ; John Edwards, Morgan Morgan,
and John 'John to explore the workings. These
brave men ventured down too soon, for they
had not got far from thog bottom of the shaft be.
fore they encountered suell an overpowering arises
Oen, that they felt them,elves "golug," and attempt°
to retrace their streps ; but it was too late, for tw
of them— the gallant young Romer and Joseph Thomas
—failed to crawl back to tho shalt, which the others
reached only at the last moment, and were raised in-
sensible. Hearing of the fate of his son, the overman
and • oollier named John Ray went into the cage and
descended to attenipt the rescue of him and his own.
pardon; but their efforts were nigh adding to the inten-
sity of the tragic incident. Romer actually resoled his son
and grasped him,but on attempting to draw !kill] }Awards
the shaft failed, the terrible condition of the atinos-
here having so far overtone him that he had to drop
his precious burthen, and fight hard to gain the shaft
with his own life. Ray also had a narrow escape. By
this time the works surgeon, Mr. Phillips, arrived en ,
the scene, and with great heroism went down the pit,
taking restoratives with him, which he administered '
to the asphyxiated explorers at the bottom before
they were sent up. The workmen said that
but for the ',courage :of the surgeon in descending, '
at least two others of the explorers must have
succumbed. Other parties went down with him to
prosecute the exploration, but in oonsequence of the
oondition of the airways it was slow and exceedingly
dangerous work. life was scarcely supportable. After
many hours' search a body was found about 400
yards from the shaft, very badly burnt thus showing
that the fire must have extended far into the work.
hags. After working all night however, only four
bodies were rescued (including youog Rosser) by ten
o'clock next morning, and on Saturday about midday
the air became so bad that the exploration had to be
suspended. One can scarcely conceive the intensity of
the explosion ; but • simple fact will illustrate it in
striking manner : One of the °colliers found carried •
pinchbeek watch in a tin case, his body was frightfully
scorched, and could not ho identified • except by the
watch, when it was found to have been completely
melted.

The Landau Conference haa agreed to open tho Black
Bea to ships of war of all nation.; but Turkey is
understood to diaapprove the arrangement, and ale,
°Neats to any extension of the powers of the Dannbien
the eamotissios.

DOUBLE SUICIDE IN SOIIO.-11. Lingtion, residing
at 27, Great Pauiteney-street. L union, and his wife,
have been found dead. Mr. Slight, the surgeon who
examined the bodies, and the inspector of pollee, gave
It as their opinion that the wife committed suicide by
firing off a pistol into her mouth, and that her hat-
band killed himself by shooting himself through the
heart.tlt is supposed that the wife first killed herself,
for immediately after the report of a pistol, a fall
was noticed la the back room of the first door, and that
was followed by another report and a fall in the front
room. The deceased had resided in the house for about
four years, and in the coat-pocket of the mau was
found a letter written to his mother-is-law, asking
her to take charge of his two children.
DN. VANCE SNITII AND THE 111Silor3.—The fuss in
Convocation about the Unitarian Dr. Vaaoe Smith
continuing one of the revisionists of the New Testa-
meat, bas ended in a way that does not redound to
the credit of Convocation. The 1.-Jurer Home by a
email majority has postpoued its reply to the Bishop of
Winehester's resolution sent down from the Upper
House until the revision committee have made their
report, which seems in fact a parliamentary way of
shelving the resolution sine. dic. r. Vance Smith is not
to be expelled as one of the revisionists of the New
Testament company, and the Bishop of SL David's,
without publicly withdrawing his resign stion, has con-
sented to remain as Praident of the Ohl Tedsiment
company. Tho report that Dr. Smith was in ill-health
was unfounded. -

INSVITICEST PREP ‘llll •r or Nyw,rAl.F.R3. T,.c fol-
lowing notice has been issued by command of Vie Post.
mootwr Gentral, dated Feb. 23rd:—" A large number
of newspapers posted for places abroad are found to bo
prepaid with a halfpenny stamp only, arid are con-
-.saliently not forwarded. It is "dearly stated in the
'-4 notices upon the subject of the use of tbo half.
BlotiM, which have been issued to the
use the rules laid down in the " British Postol
" that • postage of one half penny is audit:dent only
news Dent through the post between places in
1. Kingdom, and for inland book and sample
weighing not more than two minces. A great
nowsP•Per, `ro also posted for foreign
beyond the prescribed limit of eight days rot
of publication. It is very desirable that thaw
newspapers and book and sample packets for
lied or foreign countries Should carefully consult
British Postal Guide," where .11 nsee,sary {obi,
is given so rekal to podt.ge and °tiler matters ;
sarded of th.• rules not only unp.,aes asuch
troubis Depiirtment, but is also
to cause diaappeultoont and ,aaaoyoults to the
Ilromeigns.'r