The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-01-15 00:00:00

•THE OAKS COLLIERY RELIEF FUND.

To rho rditoro.

The time has arrived when the Oaks Colliery
ft-hef Committee can give the puhlio approximate
infeomation reepectlog the extent of the calamity and
the amount of money required to meet the sad
istioS Cities of the QUM

'htf:er the accident the colliery proprietorepaid the
'representatives of the lost miners • full week's wages
with other gratuities. The greet majority of the
demount miners were members of the Miners' Amp-
elation, which, op to the present time, ha• hoo..ur.
ably falfilled its engagements towarda the survivors.
To each widow whom htutband was recovered from
time pit the mum of ES was paid, and to those widows
whom huaboofis are still in the pit the sum of £4;
whilst each widow has received As. per week, and
.each child la. per week from the same name. This
relief has not been limited to three widows whose
hushands were members of the Union. Altogether
the Miners' Association have expended about £l,OOO
anon the sufferers from this calamity. Other
Friendly Societies have distronsed More than £l.OOO
among the bereaved, and Oa committee, eight days
after the 'explosion, voted • sum of £lOO to the
secretary, for the porpoise of meeting such instanom
of pressing urges:icy se might require immediate help ;
so that no ease of diminution was allowed to occur
before the °ossuary funds provided by • deuteron.
public bad been more largely supplied. The ootn•
mittee unanimously believe that the funds entrusted
to it.,, oars by the bead of charity are to be ad.
Ainidared by them, as subsidiary to the relief of -
tamed from the Board of Guardians, and that the
local rates are in DO way to be relieved from their
just burden by the subscriptions of the public. On
Saturday, the 28th ult., the committee commenced
the distribution of systematic relief. As the result
of hie exponent*, oar secretary ha• tarnished us with
the following report :

i•rour TIM 311:71111111 OP 1103777111111111 RZLIITZD.
C Mee• Woes. Chl.d. Tot
---

.
17 Widows and Children . 156 334 420
2. Parents who were supported} 4 12 1 17
their sons ..
3. Orphans . ••• •• 4 4
4. Parents who were partially 1 4.7 4 "
supporta(' by their son• f
5. Single Women and Children 5 3 8
8. Families of Wen burnt, ko. 4 4 12 18
7. Other Persons . 0 2 4 6

Totals ... 60 296 363 668

This return of 658 soals dependent upon the
Relief Fund for support shows • calamity of far
greater extent than was at Ana anticipseed. To this
number must be eddied the posthumous children who
will become chargeable anon the fund daring the
nest three queries* of • year. These will require
relief during the ensuing twelve years.
The male of relief fixed for the correct month is
at the rate of sa, per week for each widow, and
le. 64. for each child. We are sensible that this is
• low rate, but with the funds at our disposal we dare
not excised it, and unless those funds are largely
augmented, we shall, after a short time, be node, the
painful necessity of reducing it. Tbe experience of
the Lund Hill Colliery Relief Fund, established in
1857. for the support of 92 widows, 3 orphans, and
217 fatherless ohildree (10 of whom were born after
the accident), gives colour to oar forebodings. Oti
that occasion the funds subscribed were so inadequate
that the allowance of ss. per week to each widow
could only be continued for sin months, it was then
reduced to 45., and so remained for five years, when
it was further reduced to Is., at which it now is.
mains. Twenty widows, 26 boys, mid 26 girls still
continue on the list se recipients of relief, and the
Wane* in the hank to the credit of this fund is now
reduced to £1,643 2s. 44. To avoid soots • melon-
°hely result in the present calamity • very large fund
must be rowed. It is the desire of the Committee to
adopt • more liberal mole of relief.
Rot to do this we should require no lama sum than
£75,000.
Tnwards this our local fond has raised, in cosh,
£7,927 Ile. ki.; in promisee, ft 265 4s. Bd.;
mai rag • total up to this data of £10,292 16e. 24.
The unfortunate ooinoidence of the Staffordshire
calamity will divert • portion of the litaneion Home
and other funds eontnbuted by • lieuevoleet putdie.
Heoca we fear that unless great Aorta are made by
every community, and by every human* grans, we
shall fall far short of realising an Meggido food for
the relief of the overwhelming distress occasioned by
the greatest colliery accident ever known.
We trust that this is the last appeal for aid from
the charitable which will issue from this locality oo
the more of accidents in collieries, bowies efforts are
being made, and an oirgesisatioa is being framed. for
the purpose of forming a persimmon Collor, itacideat
Fond for South Yorkshire, to be supported by gibe
colliery owners and miners of the district, and to he
supplemented by the addition of oar portion of the
Hartley Colliery earplug. or of any other surplus
which may legitimately be transferred to it. The
bereavement/ occasioned by small accidents will then
be alleviated, as well se those caused by such an
appalling calamity as that for which we are now
pleading.
The subscribers to tb• present Oaks Colliery Relief
Fund may rest assured that their &miaow will be
rigidly limited to the sufferers linen the recent
calamity, sod no disposal will bee wade of any surOue
(should one unexpectedly remain) until the lima
claimant on the fund has been satisfied.
Wll. H. PEACOCK,
non. Secnotsry.
Ilarnaley, Jeseery 7th, 1867.

BRIDPORT.
BRIDPORT COUNTY COURT, WwitesDAT.
Bacon E. ETRZITT. Eq.. Jodi..
_ _

Them war* more than 100 an..., but moat of them
were mottled out of mart, and to. only an. of a.oy in.
trraet wee the following :
Mr. N. Ropar and Mr. W. Denning, executors of the
late Hr. John Roper, a. S. koeket.—Claint for net, tn.
riyonoods, of Derebo.tor, for plaintiffs sod Hr.
Day for defendant.—Hr. John Farwell Roper, me of
tie late Hr. Roir, of !Cropland, said lb. defandant in
1965 oceapitd a lid of 71 mores for growing flan on hi,
fati,ar'a (urn. Witmer' father died in October, 1965
About a wok alter his &nth wastrels 'probe to delmodat 6
shout lb. land, aod waked him if be did met take it at
18 per Dere, nod he said .0, 14 wag V. He agreed to pay
witnme part of the rent at (Airistroaa, lb. reataindse at
bola Dar, or as soon am ha mold after. In April la 6
def. admit said the n.e might to have In se Fad
W.., and promised to pay half to. Rao wean. He
*AA if 'rimer bad say shoes lan pound to 1•6

Witness mid be had set —Cross ezaatioed : A man
Rained Hallett took lea ground with the der %plant of
witness' father for several years previous to 1865, but
not la that your, se be had noparate ground that year.
--Re •tanithed Defendant sowed the mop and
harvested it, and had all the beliedt of it. LAfendant
did nit.., anytbine to cite.. about Hallett rearms
the land with hien. —loain lia servant to the lots
Mr. Roper. aaid she knew Simnel R trket,,, she sow him
at Mr. Roper's house shortly eater her maoter's
Tirane Mr. Roper was with him. 81we heard the eon-
vegetation that mowed between them, and she tor.
roborated the ores or part of Mr Riper'. evidence re.
•pecting it.— Mr. Day, 'ermine addroosed his lionime,
coiled 'he il.fend•nt, win sold he mute I the load of the
i'erierewd, and had p‘.l him for it in different sum. from
11,110 to time. Ile never promised young Mt. it 'per at
any time t pay him any money, having already ...id it
by instalmenta in advenee.—CroeePezewei .ed : The deo
ceased used to come frequently to his hon., and hoes
rinnle there. Always made him welcome, Wm in
partnership with Hallett !a the Sas ground up to 1665.
Wit,..., hid made no memorandum of the nuns be
',aid Mr. hop r. Neither he nor his +ire could read or
write. Witness paid Mr. Roper the £6l is varions earns
from Cli to IEIO. In the come, natio, with orsung Mr.
Roper, shortly after the late Mr. Rano?e reweave, did
not emend., to pay Lien may money, and 'led not tell hi,,
the money was pow!. Mr. P. Cox wrote to him, and
vitae'su called at hie orlon, at Semoinster, and told hien
the atnount cloimed nee eorroet, but that he had poll
it already in iestalmento, end that he had • receipt it
home. Wein,. aftesward• ("end he had no receipt.
the one he had was • wrong one. The Viill.lli hod nit I
the receipt here, nor the receipt whieh his wife took to I
Mr. con. Witn. el hiod no receipt for 1865, but had one
for Bal.— Ellen itteskett, wife of defendant, saw the late
Mr. Ruler at hi r hott-e in July. 1865. when her
husband paid bine nine money, ft to gold and el in
silver, her husband then toll Mr. Roper the San groend
was scttl.d for, •nd he add it em, and Clot defendant
owed Lint nothing. and U anything happened to him he
wit II not have to pey any more. th• fish his family
would claim POMO money if they could. Mr. Raper
was vry ill the time, end nit'''eo eviohed iho mist,
to be rattled up in cousequeeee. Witnem went to Mr.
P. COI terioe about the rent is consequence of the
reeeept of a letter from him. the an 4 ton • mho told him
she had • remiet home mot the second time she took
tie receipt to hies, bat he said that would not do, he
also maid the date of the year on the rem et looked to
him to ham been altered. She did not keow whether
lee took a Dopy of the receipt or not. She carried the
receipt home, and put it in ber drawer. she had not
looked for it since, and had not brought it to the Court.
—.ophia Toogood, defendant', sister said she wail at
di fendane's house in July, 1865, ..a sow Mr. Roper
there. Tier brother was there. There was money on
the table, which Mr. Riper. id waa for the Son ground.
after he had settled the bill which wa• on she table, te
said that there would be nothing owing by defendant
that Gould be chimed after he (Mr. Roper) woe dead
and gone.—Croseexamieed Mr. Roper settled the
Ithe saw him writing. —llia Hoene carefully
seinnawl up the evidence, and said he thought a crew-pt
most have been givee, wed money paid in July. 1866,
but that it was for the year 1861. It was • sue of wino
trailictory evidence. He was not at all satisfied with
defendant's manner in giving his evidence, and thought
the balance of teotim was in pleietirs favour. He
therefore gave • verdict for plaintiff for the fall amount
and matn.in two Instalments.

Gillingham e. of ES ler two wheels
for the mail eart —Mr. F. W. Clundry for the defendont.
endeevoored to show that the wheel. were not secordine
to order, awl tpelelot tv the pn-rume required, but hie
Honor gave Judgment for plaintiff forthwith.
BAIMOVIITOT.—Parid Vienne, of Beer.hot. baker
and pm mopter. This woe the meeting for loot stamina-
lion and diet:harem —Mr. ilsinkr eumovted and Kr.
Weston, of Dortdauter, nppooed for Meters. Trenehaed
and herrid.s.—tdr. Weetoti took three ohjectiona. two
of which however were °vomited. TM luitoil.ties were
on 11.. 51, end the saute mid into court 1.12 On. firl.
After ensue discoosion his Honor adjourned the eau to
nest C 'art for the amendment of benkrupt's statement
of accounts. end. r nor. 141 and renewed his protection.
John Aekermon, Woe of the Volunteer Inn, Firidport,
slim urn* op for his last elomination and dischorge.
Mr. Manley, who appeared for blot, applied for an
adjournment, u he had not had time to comnlet• the
assumes. The assists in court were sit mt CID, sad.
use .11 amount mnr• was *spoofed for the license. The
nobilities were £l7l Is. 7d.—Flie Honor adjourned
the eau moordingly to the next Court, as there was so
opposition, sod protection was renewed.