The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-09-25 00:00:00

THE FEARFUL MINING CALAMITY
IN AMERICA.

The Ae.erie,e ',Albers to halal this week contain flit
otlhe trail iii owl mine cathetro,.he is, l'••111,51
valve, et wo.ich accomir. have alrea.ly beets
T..e to-low:ug particulars give. a very ward idea of
te B.vue of the calamity and the dreadful tense
quences
• 1..* settle of this eattotrophe is on the Larltawrinna ano
Itaucail, tat io)-te o miles from Seraiithit
what sit from Wilkesnatre,.hd abouttile IVO a half inehis;
the toms t Pl)“...ii.h, itie shaft is au k ill Ike stile of a
steep tie utstioa, is 237 fret deep *O.l +0 feet bets tt*,
10. ; has a Monet upei.ing info *hid, in ihs thisollVti 1110
moulitains. The newt gaits* /1)• 1.1 the milin• isle Vest ly i.ast
ainl sing iront the shaft the my. beim( abut 1, .me fret in
ktrrtt, and the later about se etol lts.t the nn-
chief are opaarlt, •101 ills • angwilyn about iell tea in
the Ma. Elie shles of the shaft are lumbered with w mden
fixtures. The great !Aerie]. Iftrlttioa, in which *as the level,
g was 1111414.11 felt upou the at oith, nifsl all 1,1
this islianintsble materiel Was 11.5 yus tinder If osp k• .f
tbe haeheo sly ot li. a 0.41 any...l,re. even tusslel the
11 west 11111 it 55 114,1 r 4,1 e. awl its confutes is
est,* to the 10h-sins of the shaf, anti um* ahnos4 certain.
Ti' these fees 'oust he added that the .• toe 1t...1 11111 air 11014
disti Cl fuel the shaft. The niitters, WOlki”g f.r &own in. the
b 4t if tile „rot, had hilt that 011. .I.ollllrl' b. While'l to
'scare egress to tine itirfaos tit It COL off lii Will desale de.
Its sell if of human life which has ein.tlineo was Sure to

IMPPrth
e the fire broke out on September 6, in the flue in the
bottom et the eteulwit Shaft, oe tied by the D 'aware, Lanka.
watts, and Western Railroad Cornea: y, in this place, and in
sleet time the whole breaker alid out-0111141hp were in
flumes, and the hoistieg apparatus, the only means of escape
for the nettle, destroyed. All eft,. te toting tile flames were
Is vain, and the whole structure fell, partly tilling the shaft.
Over two hundred men were in the shaft. 'they had no
cot...Medi. with the surface, aid no C'illtlee for ale, all
lie wey for supply air was thrmige the main opereug.
that was Toted . ith the temente titneer, stet the eetirin.
lt steins that the tire hurtled sit rapioly that the engineer,
Mr. Alez.. Cr Weir, was driven from the ertgitie soon
after, having had Vote merely to blow the whi tie and fix
things secure, so that there would he no danger of en explo-
sion. As the nee pasted up the shaft and inte the breaker, It
lashed into the engine-room as stated, the engineer net
bating time even to secure his het In an elm°d incredibly
short space of time the eetire eldtks were one mass of flame,
esteretii g up the breaker, which is situated on the side hill
to or 60 feet higher than the B tromdiurg retiree.' track, and
rusting Moen the c,acker mid picker rooms mid chutes ti, the
track. The tire when thus in fell ph germs was era) d reined
deeemtion I 111.ille a peen° ef lire emu& gup It-e feet at
ae engle of thirty•three orgrees, and then almost perpeteli.
cilleriy into the tor another lee feet, ahlle dense clouds of
int he etrtelirtr.ll all gummed:llg °eject., and a faint idea
will be had of this magnificeut spectacle While this eas
the scene above groutel, :02 humatr belege, miners and other
labourers were in the bowel- of the ear In beneath this umu
of the, to all intents and purpose, buried alive, mid with the
faintest el all profiteers to ever getting lilt Cone. Surround-
big the tire ob every side were belittle,lt of melt, wonten, and
chtldren, the female portion of whom were meltilig the
air reseund with their frantic cries of distress. During th 3
early provress of the fire great fears were eutertaitied that
all the melee s ht.., which were situated on the side hill
hell ways tom the tire, weuld, be cerieumed. The Peat was
wee,. 'ti) providentially tire vs Intl b.,. up the hill directly
In the line of the tire, burtht. g tmly the feet tie., which
blazed ae ay like wean...hog Ii is .
A• soot, as the Me ea. tringuishe I—a work of vast
labour annul ,longer—* deg. enieloSed lo a In x with a slat toa,
was tei ii air C e shaft, together with a bighted lamp, hie the
purpree of escertateing if it eal sate tor a niau to go dove
the shaft It the kill 4 came tip alive, it would lie preol that
the air was not too hot trite too foul for 'Teething. lie
was let doen as far ant the box would go for the °bathe-
tietrs at the pit. When the box was hauled up the
Art was fouod alive, and the first sentheent of relief
was experienced since the fire comineuced Weilw the deg
was down the that q..tet was requeated, anti a numb,
ef turn who were at the mouth f the tunnel hallooed .1..11
the shaft, in the hope that an a...weenie shout would lie
beard front the imprisenu d men. Melo, tit the tunnel and
shove gt..utmil theueht they heard the arewer "All nicht,"
ane immediately cheer after cheer went up from the aasentliled
so tiled°. Preparations were at the same time making to
tend a matt down to reconnoitre. A voluoteer was
called for. All honour to Mr. Charles Tartu°, of the
Grand 'Darnel Colliery, who initnetliately eitinitird hut
leie.eten of making the attempt to teach his, perhaps
dyieg and may hap dead, fellow-miners. This noble
hearted man, alei is abut thirty-five years of as., taking his
his In les hand, hooked ott hi• lamp and stepped forth ti
the sacrelee, if such hie tieecent, should Pr. ye A leicket wan
rigged and he stepped tut° it, provided with a leaden], a
bieket of cm-flee, a wet toe el, and a signal rope try
whith to give notice whett he wished to ascend At
half-pot six pun. the descent w. commenced. After
gett g 11..11 a few feet it eas found bectelittry to chat..c
the progneeme a little Ile was hauled try again.
tied les Ironton fastened to the glottal rope. Rail it
was then let .I.IWII 11111.1t.P11111,1y with elr. Vel the's
teCell I attempt, whieh was commenced at t trty-four
medees pest six, aril salmi his re. h. At feet) ohe
mu tiles pad six e'cloek p , a aimed came from Vartrie tin
be drawn up. In three widower he reached the top the
shaft. Mr. Venue repo. ted that alemt half way down the
shaft he heed olettectioe.• Wit h pievented Ilia further
descent. A pump was Inrlged there, uooll alli,dt rested
Mick of timber awl other obstructi and although there
was an eperdeg large enoligh to go the ugh he feeted to go
emelt, alippoeinor that if he did the tie iris w, Wit fall upon
Itim. lire rat tier week around the shift was red niece
burned lie reported the air perfec!ly peat 1111.1 not hunch
heated, lmitt that two men weed have to go down, as they
Could work togeth, to good a ea•ttege.
"It was theught hest to send dime some fresh men, unit
ace. teltegly Char les Joli Vis, of Plymouth, told Steyr.. Joe.,
of Nettieghato theft, volunteer ed. At ft t,-thiee minetes
past lel p.m., the two Mall wete provided with a hmdc a
hatchet, and some other ColitriVannere, and started deem
They goon signals to stop two or three the., and acre ap-
parretly engaged itt de Mpg away °flatlet:milts. ACT 2p m
came u signal to slack off, nun they were then seen froui shove
to near the bottom cinrlt,m get out front the ten k,t A seetein
of suspense followed. At 7.8 p.m. a smottieteil gelled was
heard as of heavy priunde g sortie chstrome from the
bottom of the shatt. and it was suppesed arrive thet tt
was upon It same well, built to close up the gangway
by the buried men, anal thus preverit the eetrattee If
bre and eteeke. AL 7.12 pm a sienal to come M. wea
pivot. ALT .5 by ne the men tenanted thee tee ne.uth .1 the
shaft As soon as Job. told Weans got !wrath they rem rted
that they wee; seventy or eighty yenta ultt, a g mesa), fri
big three dent Wiles as !hey p ogreseed. tirsy neatly cattle
te a closed door, ut cm which they tunneled, Wattling breath-
lessly for an atiswerteg sound front the uulortunate men ;
hut alas! 1141 801111.1 came They eta not attempt co bre.tk
doe,l, the door, feariog that the sulphur ereitid ...recover
them them in their parttilly exhansted coed ti ion They !ha-
m-over"' another gangWel priming in a diffeient Oirecten
WO which the in, sh air appeared tribe reoldnit. leers de-
sired ti CII, r this, but Evoisite used, aunt the Mutter thouelii
lt better hot to explore it aletie.
"At het -put seven tel, ck John Price, Er-an Morris
Will. m Thins., arid Jilt Themes went lIIIWII for the
put poee of arranging ti, hogs Tory were doe n teen t.
lIT Ile Tata, and Ryan .11 T Tents weis brought 11141111•PP,P1/.1., f thing
befere lie ice Ind the carrtave 'I he secotel !tip le! .veil
more thee hee,nuhd stand. Ile was resmicitateri te a oh-re
tim- Tre ithe. Were all rieht. They eucceetted iu getting
the hwe ready no haul up.
"T.e to Iller) hee lento rlinailltg less than two years The
emcee, 111141 "'her 'meld tete were fleiseed in the Crso
y erre blint linder Inc sup., vision of Mr. S. D
blid cat 150 0.0 •11.,14 Tee Dickeiet elneutec•or i'mt Pane
put iti the machinery. The loss it tenni Av.' at SO 000.41.
T Wolhe wenn: ranked melee g tile lArge£ll WO hest ill the
Wy y, At the time -I the lire sheut 450 toes
coal were da ly Metted front the shaft, a thiugh chit was liy
no meats its full capacity. During su.peesten times tin se
veil" were idle, and had mai; re-commenced work tel the
2nd lust."