The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-12-16 00:00:00

THE CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.

IeAtAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT NEAR BABNALEY.—
Another colliery explosion, resulting in a terrible loss
of life, lies occurred in the Yorkshire coal fields. The
it in which the accident occurred is the Edmunds
Main Colliery, and is about 'lBO yards deep. On Mon-
day morning the men were at work in the pit as usual,
and about 7 o'clock, the men working a straight
heading in the direetioraof a now shaft which bad been
sunk, found it necesaaty to blast the coal, and a charge
of powder was accordingly fired. The "hot" ignited
• " blower" of gas which exploded, net fire to the toe!,
end blew down a portion of the air course. At this
time 200 men and boys were in the mine. Those who
were in charge of the works, ought undoubtedly to have
given them notice of their danger, but instead of Ode
being done, a party of Men were set to building
up solid brickwork "stopping" to restoie the yenta..
tion. The work was carried on vigorously, and an
attempt was made to put out the fire. Both were
however uesuccessful. The foul air accumulated in
the mine, until half-past 11 o'clock, when a fearful
explosion took place, the gas having fired where the
coal WWI burning. The effect was most disastrous,
many of the air coursor being blown do en, and the
miners began to flock to the bottom of the main shaft.
Many of them received their first warning of their
danger by the presence of the deadly after-damp in
their workings. The details of what then occurred
are heart-rending. WI en the alarm became general,
attempts were made to rescue the men, and hopes were
entertained that all would be brought up before any
serious calamity took place. But the exploring parties
found that communication between souse parts of the
mine and the shaft bad been cut off by the second
explosion, and that gas and 'choke dump were every
momeht rapidly accumulating. A number of men and
boys, variously estimated at from 50 to 70, were still in
the mine. The hope of rescue appeared every moment
to be growing fainter. A number of noble fellows
volunteered to go down into tbe mine in order to search
for those who had been cut off from succour by the
progress of the suffocating vapour. They hail been
for some time in the mine, and a number of the
injured men—some of them in such a condition that
death would have been welcomed as a release from
intolerable agony—had been sent to the pit bank, when
suddenly a third explosion took place, about I. o'clock,
and sealed the fate of all who were then in the mine.
The effect of the repeated explosions had been, of course,
almost wholly to destroy the means of ventilatiug the
mine. When the third explosion took place, a consul-
tation web held at the pit-bank, and as the shaft gear
wee not injured, several persons volunteered to go down
and rescue the poor fellows who remained in the mine.
The attempt to penetrate the workings was, however,
entirely fruitless. The tneh found they could peas with
comparative ease along the main road between the upcast
and downcast shafts for n short time after the
third blast, in consequence of the current of
air which was travelling over the fete'; but
In a short time this path became impassable
by the advance of the fire sad after-daum, and at about
4 o'clock orders were Pawed to allow no more men to
descend the shaft, When the last party returned they
reported that the place was so full of foul vapour that
they found it impossible to proceed more than 10 or 12
yards from the bottom of the shaft. Most of the men
got out after the explosions were uninjured; others
were nearly suffocated with the after-damp, but a few
minutes in the fresh air revived them; others, again,
were burnt or bruised more or less seriously, One poor
fellow, Win. Davy, of Worsborough Common, WAS so
burnt that he only survived a few minutes, and was
removed by the police to the nearest public-house.
Some mumpes were remarkable. An old man, &member
of the Wealeyan body, together with his two sons, were
employed at the pit. Before going to work, the father
said he felt a presentiment of danger, and they there-
fore engaged in prayer. The alarmed and anxious feel-
ing continuing, prayer was again offered, the old man
remarking "Let us ask the Lord to protect us."
Having concluded their devotions, they wee: to the pit,
working near to each other. After some time, one of
the boys observed smoke coming along the passages, and
rushing to illB father informed him that he saw "wall
of smoke coping up." The old man, seeing the danger,
ran to a come which was just being sent up, leaving his
clothes below except the trousers he was Wearing, was
joined by his eons, and the three were dnorn tip to
bank before the explosion. George Pickering, the fire-
man, was most seriously injured, Ile had gone down
the pit in the forenoon, after hearing of the accident
and the firing of the eoal, and when the last explosion
took place was in one of the headings. The blast passed
over him, licking up with its tongue of flame his clothes
arid hair and leaving him almost dead. By some means
he mansged to crawl to the pit bottom, and was brought
out and removed to his house in Vi'orsborough, about
half a mile distant from the colliery. There he lay on
a temporary bed in the house-p Lace in an agony of palm
carefully tended by his wife and darighterts who were
administering each remedies as ttreq were able. Around
the bed stood a group of rimy colliers, some of whom
had been in the pit When the accident happened, and
others who had come to assist their afflicted neighbour.
As the poor fellow groaned and moved uneasily on his
conch a ready hand was near him to assist and give a
cheerful word of encouragement. "I can't lie, I can't
sit, I can't stand ; what shall I dot" exclaimed the
sufferer, "Pray God to help you through," said his
daughter. " Thou'll weather it yet. George," said one
of his fellow-workmen ; Mit the moaning of Pickering
mingled with the sighs and tears of the women es he
feebly urged his friends, if they wished to see hitt, to
come at once. This is only • faint picture of what
meat have happened In many a house that night.
Towards four o'clock the state of the mine wits suth
that no further chance remained to get men out. Ex-
ploring parties who went down were unable to
, penetrate more than a few yards from the foot of the
shaft, the hot air and after-damp compelling them to
retreat. Reluctant as they were to come to this con-
elusion, it was evident to all that further efforts to save
would only result in a great sacrifice and orders were
given that no wore men should be allowed to descend.
The revelations of the last body of explorers Who
descended the mine convinced the managers of the
colliery of the hopelessness of further efforts, and they
immediately turned their attendee to other means of
extinguishing the lire, which Was still raging below. It
was also known that the destruction of the ventilation
of the pit permitted the aecuniulation of gas, and if
this should reach the flames another explosion, more
fearful in violence than any of the others, would result,
' The last discharge had effectually cleared every
' obstruction in the mine, and another would relate
unchecked through the workings, and in all probability
destroy the gearing shaft. The oceurrente of such an
explosion was hourly dreaded, bet Meanwhile bands of
men had been set to work to chit a trench from the
canal, which runs within nbortt a hundred yards of the
colliery, to the nearest shaft,. When thie was com-
pleted a large stream of water could be thrown into the
pit, and the Are by that means extinguished. No leas
than 87 men and boys are reported dead and missing,