The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-27 00:00:00

THE
LATE COLLIERY CATASTROPHE.

IZECOYEItY OF THE MEN.

dretighte of this each man was from time to
"me supplied.
Onee mere the end, &wended. he Holden and
itephen l'Age were (sand oboe, thirty e,x verdo from the
• inset." in an gal I real. The reit. in their raze. weir net
hronglat into rermisitinn. but the tiro dereliete wer • teken
en t 11,11.4 h icks along the top air heading over fee for.
-lace. and thence to the cage. Both Page end Ridden
mere mach more eehenstee than either of the other
three. who were cinch more Bret* and dispose I to talk
then ennll have been eineeted, or was perhaps good for
t,lem under the circumstenerer. Holden WAS eseecielle
weak: he could con's moan: hot VOW, a glass contitining
the brandy and milk wits put te his lips, he swiped the
contents in with an engernese that WM very refreehing to
see. Page cant! speak well. hitt Inc bit a wearied. levee
appeararre. All of them bad that more one less; the
featurea of all Were thin and pinched; their breath came
thick and twiny; awl their eyes had a wild. liung,: y look
that was very painful. Seine of theme had nee:edema
brief Mr of delirium. Everything that attention end
forethonght couoi stiggest was done fee their comfort-
The hovel win warm, they were well wrapped in blan-
kets, and hot bricks were from time to time emptied to
their feet. In the comae of the day Taylor, Weisman,
and sAnkey %Vete removed to their own Homes. Holden
awl Page were too weak to be r±nfrivail.
m teeording to Taylor's accenot his einneanione were
much disheartened, and he cenli scarcely get them tn
In one, Ile threw stones to find where the water WIA ;.1/11.d
ne noel to creep to and bring the nthers some of tt
in
.anwiter cans to drink. They Iddlnseee the water as
ilosely aa they could, till they got to the fliffeeif where
hey eirere found on Sunday morning. it wan It At ttfal
ant Taylof wito !banter', from their place about three
o'clock, as above stateil. Idirkman and Taylor seem
throntlunit to have exhibited meet bettft, en! to have
b 'en not hopeful; but Tavinee hopefelnees Arrest's Ift
have asnnicet Hiekinan's-. Hickman got Ashmorea
watch hedire the Idoy fellaWdelt them, au! he ,wonnd it
on every night, as he thoright,o,t Prlitey yield
,he. re-
eigned himself to die, anl headed the r 411 pr.
The poor boy enlimitted to hir fate with in
in. courage. He 'dent a great deal, and was most
fortable" of them all. They had no light after tlorteen
is-aura front the time they fantail the water; and dating
the whole of the time they berl nothing whatever to eat.
only water to drink—some of them even drank their awn
urine, the pt water being nauseua to the last degree.
: They my they did not suffer taueb from hanger. They
dosed • good deal. Often they sang h•nine and prayed.
Page is an earnestly religious men. we believe. After he
hid been in the hovel for some time. Mr. F. Smith pet
a few questions too him, In answer to one, he reel, "It
, in wrote in a tolitcco box when the light went rout; buti
he "
added. with a natural pathos, very touching. "the
light was not eon out in heaven. I always told Holiest
I', keen nil his feith in God. Ask him; he will tell you."
x little after, he said, "pilot old Ashntrire tint swan: he
wegil I not stey." They were entirely %Tithed food for
10e hones, nr four ilaye and five nights.
About ten o'clock the dead body of Ashmore was
brogeht out of the pit. The body was found shoot 35
verde from where the other.; were found. At helf-past
tem it was consi land that the water hod stink saficiently
for them to make another attem nt. Accerd in gl gist,. en
men. under the direction of Mr. D. flint, descended.
et this period thonsan 1.. of person, load congregated to.
tether. eager to hear the news, and about four o'clock
shoot' from the bottom were heard of " All alive." which
drew foath a tremendous cheer, which was heard from ti
conehterable distance.
The first three liven:TM np were George Skidmore
Mies Meglienied John Hanley. alit TllOlllll9 Timmins
(one of the loins). The two latter were qu'ekly in blan-
kets, in which they were borne into the bevel : bat Skid•
more sitell Weary. He cast the blank •t aside.
dropped himself from the nem+ of the bearers, and his
eye (-etching an nemitintenee. he seluteil him with
"if allot, Yorlcshire !" much as if lie had Post come ne
the ph train Ilia °Hillery work. He W.lo agein seize].
however, and err:4 into the hovel. Mattrese he would
hove none. dm:fere-tee ti at tool at the fire vol werm his
leinumne I hands. In a few minutes three others.
Zaeharieh Pearson, Joseph Pearson, and Thomas Hoot
were circlet into the hovel ; leaving one, Benjamin
Hinge. still in the pit. Hanley war pretty well on the
whole hut not at all in the condition of gkiimere. who
a,tonirliee everylioily. whiled to go lOW ; he orah
lived at thin Level. and peremptorily declined it cab, in
which, however, be won eventnally and peremptorily
tweed. The four others were mirli weaker than either
It salty or Skidmore. Mee.air. Walker and Aeluneel
were peisent Bevel iron their treatment ; and there were
of willing honk realy to carry not all Instr..
lions. At thie time there wO5 roan donbt as to the fate
oh hhiggi. His strength failed him, and he Vies enable
low keep rip with the others. The searchiett party whoa
Ito! been d anon w: re unable to return imoneliately in
eons/Ilene° of OM 1,1 rtele of the air. All of them
vi re mach exhanste I. There was consideraidy more
difileilltv in getting theme six than the first five. The
dietanee from the bottom W:l4 meet, greater. and at onti
phtee the water was tow feet and a half deep; at the
sliellowest, at least thee feet. They were floated out on
two raft,
At Imli past twe, after a search of considerable time.
the last men. ilettjamin Biggs, who has a wife ati I nine
ehillren. was foun I at %point keown as Brealt•ltill. being
200 yards from the shaft. It apneers that he hail wan•
dere.l from his companions. Its Was supposed. Sn 11 weak
and dying state. Higgs war at once got out and plAced
in the hovel. in • very woialc state. Every attention was
lemma him, awl this last piece of intelligeuce wee bailed
with ;mat joy.
We mitit not forget to mention that a large body of
police, under the superintendence of Mr. "t 1 ills, were 00
daty the whole of the time, and lied many difficult duties
tor perform amid the cold and rain ; sad they were done
cheerfully, lied with geed temper.
We n.oticed Mr. Archer Clarke, of Stourbridge, busily
eneagiel in phiitoeraphilig the pit RII-I its stirrounolings,
with the varions groups scattered &Loire disens.ing the
chief topic gif Ole il ; and amongst other fatniliar facer
we notieed Mr. James Greenwood,
°' The Woirkhoose
CAS,IIII." who, graphic deserintion of "A Night in a
Workhouse " wilt not eaetly he forgotten.

Illiiiio.- • -.arc level. Daring the mist iminth or
water at the ere.- . s rapid increase of Water. It
or so, there had been .... • -e _
imthe dam, serf wit.
Cards regularly. There were 1,...,
nes,t hat sometimes opened thent. a...,
feo
come altogether ham oft. potet. Some of it se,.
the (impel Hill nit. rind sews Gott( the Old Vomit, p"..
Both are the property of the Feel of ttiofley. Bel:eyes'
that neither pit wee en deep as the Loek'A Lel:e fit. ail&
the eugine at the latter was at the bottom of the teiei
pile. From the Chapel Hill pits the water came slow,' if
lies ling in which there was, dam of brickwork. with •
tap in it to reeulate the quantity. It was a four-inch tap.
and generally kept open, although it ...mid be shut, if
iiceessery,--By a Juror: I should think the dam was,
from coal to coal, ebout five feet.—By the Coroner :
There is a gunner arreneement (rain the Trough pita,
the dawn there being about tow feet wide. Was not aw ire
that either of the dawns had ever bust. Had been down
the pit since the accident, and seen the Trough Pit dam.
Could slot tell, however, Whether the water had broken in
through the bottom or not. 'rho brickwork dot not aUs
pear to be disturbed. On Wednesday morning. about two
o'clock, witness said he saw a rush of vapour in the upca+t
shaft. Had not heard the clapper on the hank after half-
. past nine on the previous evenieg. 'line stem tondo no
noise. Witnees at once called out to his brother, and en.
stained his buoy. At midnight he had examined it, and
frond that there were hie yards of water in the shaft.
I After the mil of steam, the buoy showed that the water
, had suddenly risen twenty yards in the shaft The
pumping sh di was about twenty-two yards deeper than
, the drawieg shaft The vapour spoken of would arise
from the estineeighing of the furnace fire at the bottom,
an occurrence which had never before heppened in his
tgiomnee. a
sTiilii.g,
iwm,a: ter t
ce,..:unitiin. uaendld
fitno.
lrlise aft
er tie b e
athe
eeenoti l
r'anewede
to Orr workings. There was no notice of any danger by
leakage. dump, or other eauee. given by the meu during
the whole of the night. At Imlf-past nine, n boy same to
the bottom to know the time, and witness told him. The
boy anseerel that the men were all right.—By a Juror :
I cannot tell hoer mach water could accumulate at the
back of the dawn. There tan top tap in the dam, but it
i was tot running the last time I saw it.—By the Coroner:
\ There waell lie no Imegeroni at the bottom of the pit._
By Mr. llomfray : My residence is about 200 yards from
• •'w and my brother is also alone by. The engine has
tne e... ' - and nine lend • half strokes per m
e.in-
bees pumping i., . nen, per minute—By the
ute, throwing up 500 or Os. e...._ ~, ft,•,_i...
C ironer. . During the time the water was ... .
'eluding engine threw up 'SO tone per hoar ; the Tronata
engine threw lOU tons per hour ; and a portable eagles
was brought which threw 12 tons per hour.
At this point the whole of the available evidence wee
exhausted, and a short interval took place.
Mr. llownfray said it was not expected that they should
give their scientific evidence that day. He thought if an
adjournment for a fortnight was determined mein, the
state of the pit would be thoroaghly made known, and
the men wonld Imre recovered.
Superintendent Mills /mid that the area would be well
in a week:
The foreman seggeeled (het a hat .o*toili examination
of the holy should be mi,li'.' The hill *Mild like to
know the exact cause of the man's deatil. .
The Coroner sail it was not meteliel whether the mau
died of starvation, by drowning. or by any other uomile,
but, upon seientific grounds, he would order an examina-
tion, if the
.)nry still wished it.
Mr. Homfray wail there was a feeling that had the men
takes ordiaary care of himself lie would probably hLve
been saved.
The Coroner said it was matter of congratulation that
only one man was dead—(iese. hear).
An adj mrument for an hear here took place. At ita
expiration.
George Skidmore, af...is ilughouse, one of hue rescued
men, was examined He looked lo sit appearance welt,
but stated that he wee not so strong as before his cap-
tivity in the mine. lie is a good.looking young man.
with fair features, and a slight moustache. His hair id
mopped el.ise like that of a pugilist, and his phyeique al.
together is that of a strong, healthy, young man in the
full vigour of manhood. lie answered every question
pet to him by the Coroner in monsyllables, and in an in.
deferent mann., 11.. void he was a miner. On Tuesday
week he went down the pit in the evening, and Coal-
tneneed workieg near the Robin Mud pit. He had
worked in the Locke Lane pit nearly twelve months. At
the time he went down Thos. Hunt. Zechariah Peerson,
Ileejamin Digt,. and the two boys Pearson and 'Fontaine
also descended into the pit. The party knew nothing of
the water coming in until the Wednesday Morning, when
they wiAlled to cwinie up. Believed :hat aome time ago
withr e nue into the pit. Had pleuty of air when they
went to the water for it. When they stood up the sir
wen had. Could tell the Vane been:tee there wain watch
in the company. The water did not always fall, but oc-
,,,,iemely utse. C 0.14 'tat say It ov the water came into
'lie pit. ltoiiu'V.'ul'.it.it every cantos. had bees made to
get the implitioned won out of the pit.
George Skidmore, a mine agent and charter-master,
who had been iheen the pit that morning, was examined,
hut his evidence was not material. He did not espect to
he called so. witness, so he took no particular notice.—
Sy Me. Baker: Believed from wird lie saw that the water
sterile miter the do, near the Trough pits.
William Millarship stated that he kept the levell:ng in
the pit in repair. 114:eyed the water came Iron the
Chepel 1101 pits and the Trough pits, and further believed
I that the dam et the Trough but gone at the bottom.
Witness put down a rod at the bottom of the dam, and
founds hole shout eared wide in it. The two "panda"
..f water were not out a level. The br.wken darn WAS built
twelve months ago. It was sin feet thiek and well put
together, witness helping to make it. There was, trip at
the bottom mid a tap at the top for fear that the lower rime
might be cheked. Wel Leser seen the water ruuniug
1 from the top tsp. litalered that the shun was strong
I enough to resist anythiug. Knew of no extra weight
, againwt the dani. There 111.1 been no pumping of water
into the Trough pits to his knewledge. lichee...it that
there bad been a seeldeu rush ..t. weter from eolnextiere.
Never saw so stroog a dens fur its sizo—By Mr. Bilker :
We put no solid Inasitury four feet into the fouwid•ii. n,
.iaid on either side. The job took a month, and the water
never interfered aith its. It run away through the top.
Was not aware why the dam was put there at all.—hy
Mr. 11 out fray : The water was not i mining any faster
thruegli tile tap than usual. The Treagli engiue has not
bees at Work lataly, for the Lock'e Lane engine WAS tutu d
hi the work.
Edward tireenway, the ground bailiff of the pit, sad
he laud bad clotrge of the pit for thre wer four years. It
vies altogether under liii coutrol. lie had to direct the
water frown the pits to a cei taint spot where it could be
drawn off. Tee iit snore the oceurrence took place to
ia the "deep." seven "gr.:. below the others. Had the
dams built tope. vent witty great rush .if water, mid it was
thought when they ware put up they were strong euoueta
to resist any pressure that could moue upon LLCM. 0,0
of the darns was pat up to data water, not to resiet it.
No one restricted him es to the Sire. The dam does r'it
Appear to be iejaret, though the water had percolnted
terough the strata betow the fowl 'talon of the dant
tut was, between the &Atom of the thick coal and the
!legato n coal- There mart has., seen a graduwal ...Awn-
iug of the material under the lain. II the Trongli pits
were fuli of water there would have been greater pr s-
sure on Cie dem. $ rele three OT feur moutha ag . some
water Wl3 let ia to lb.: Trough pits to extinguish lire an. r
to the shaft, hut the' e was our leak ago Or alspearanee of
danger. Went 4.10.1 mei exemined the dam during that
tape. At the preeeut mu-intent b ith taps in the wieder-
mined dams were all right. Had tee men discovered the
water the moment it mime in. t'.ere woul I have been
plenty of time for them to have escaped. bireauee there
were so many plaeee to be filled up before it came to the
bottom of the shaft.
..

the Jury deslinA ti exadtine this witaess.
By Mr. Molar: To fill the Troegli pits up to the top
of the dam there would be four yards in Um Lock's Lane
pit. There would probably be an acre of waters yard
deep. Three or hair months rigs the Trough pits wele
dry, and the men et is t,e inset to do repairr.
There had been persons watching the dam, and a batty
had seen it a abort time before; the night before the ac-
cident. The great engine could empty the pit at the
rate of ti; strokss per minute. Could only secouut for
the great (inanity of water from the recent heavy rains
settling dowh into the '4 swags " and open workings neer
the pit, probably toaards Merry Bill.
Mr. Baker here intimsted that his inspection was not
complets, and should like an examination. The whole
of the parties interested agreed to this course.
Mr • Walker, surgeon, deposed that be had made a
root morPeni examination of the body, k'ottud the brain
well formed, but congested. The lungs ware black. and
the left side dl the heart wee frill of congested
The Monied' Was empty, with the excel/non of salad
coal, which had been chewed. The deeemed hied from
breatlii•g foul air.
The inquiry was then adjourned until the Rh April,
at 10 o'ixtek in tie morning.