The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-11-14 00:00:00

COLLIERY EXPLOSION NEAR CHESTERFIELD.

REPORTED LOSi OF £0 LIVE.

Oo Tuesday mutant, a serious colliery explosion
coentred at tee peckhosou Pit, owned by the Caucus.
Company, about five na los Dour Cent treeld, resulting, it
Is believed, in the deeth of about 30 potion.. Four ol the
manager's sous are rep trted to be amongst the killed. The
pat employs a large number of men, but fortunately all
the pit hands were not doe., at the time, otherwise the
loss oh hfe would have been far greater. A'though it was
an off day, about 100 men descended to work, intending to
labour on shack in the !sods. At ten o'cleck about 40
man came up the shalt, and imondiseely • terrific
explonon, which was heard for miles round, took place in
Lb. Parkbouse working. The beading of the •heft was
blown blab above the pit-pank, ant the mouth of the pit
woo wrecked. Mr. Coo due, certidcsted manager, and
Mr. George Duos, underground manager, were at once
Informed of the explosion. Finding it impesible to get
into the pit by the Parkbouse shaft, they at one. hurried
to No. 8 shaft, which it about a wile dietut An explore
lag party wu boon organised, and the manager end
several other, went down the shalt. News of the explosion
having spread, an excit d crowd of men, women, and
children assembled on the bank. One or two men, found
near the bottom of No. 8 sheik wen brought up, and
taken to the hospital, hot their Injuries are not very
sovere. In the Lot-pit, however, it is nand the loge of life
has been very great About 15 hours before tht dissolla
the subj Aced colliery warning eel isitted :—" Following
a long period Of Vary 111/Datlied weather no increase of
atmospheric pressure may now be locked for, necessitating
great cauton on the port of miners In dealing with gee
escapes and accuroulatiunc"
Several men have been recovered who were injured, but
not seriously, by the explosion. and • great number of
men who had sought refuge In some old workings, about
two miles away, had been rescued.
Ordinarily MO men awl nue ate mployol in the pit,
but Tuesday being. pl.), day only 90 ileuended the pit at
seven o'clock. The night deputies, William Whitworth
and William Holland, who had bee. in the pit since nine
o'clock Use previous evening, came up before the men
went dowit, and reported the pit all right. At 10 a.m.
about 40 had been drown up out of the shaft, and • few
minute. leter • tremendous explosion occurred, and the
cage was thrown up int, the air. „lames Stephenson, the
bulunnan, was burl.ed • dietetics of eeverel yards into a
gullet, and wits co teri bully Injured that be la ins critical
condition. John Barker, carper:ter, who was engaged on
the bank at the tint., was thro•n assinst the well, and
had both his arms Itr.ken. The shaft wat 175 yards deep.
The brick and w o eork ill the pit mouth wee
dislodged, and the a!net in the neighbouring odious and
buildings alasiteto I by the explosion, which could be
heard revere' nodes away. Exploring hands were
immediately orgtoised, nod. r the leadership of Mr.
Coodeon, the eert'fic vet maitager, and other.. and Dra
Peeler and Gbawnee dose -tidal with them. Dr. D'Arey
remained on the to.. Li •wa.t the coming of the sufferers
The explor rsocagoin and again beaten back by the
alter-damp. and I ad to be brought up, but others took
their platys. Ind l.ysalllnt efforts resehed and twined
several of the culierere. Mr. George Done, the uodet•
ground manager, hal been c tanned tolde hod, but got up,
and, running to the pi', firmed • member of the first
e..xceploript
ong.obr‘an.d. who .11intadlabftlie to act as his father's ur eno ledow, young lads
sub-
stitute. A collier who vets re-cued stated that au he
groped in the dark pa • t • cabin he heard one of the
bays crying for help. htt was unable to reach him.
Later in the &Deno tn news was breight op that two of
the lads, Robert ad William, had been discovered, and
were being t tided bottom
Ity their sick father at the of
the shaft. They wen to we tit to be broueht up until
alter two hour.' punting, and they were then found to be
dreadfully burnt W Item .body wu wrapped inn blanket
and concealed front yew. Other explorers brought in the
dead bodies of men whom they knew, but the other
brothers Dunn and their or de were not rescued when
the explorers left tho pit thtt °venom. &vend colliers
were undoubtediV eared by the heroism of their coo,
unions, who, hearing their crow stopped t saaj.t them
In struggling up th • inclined plane towards No. 8 shaft,
by which the min... wrre c to" repel t
ltalloa," replied,
he top. A collier
oeinhiethdi. it.. Irk; hy°.-rui"ag-11r.iii0h1tc"resTIte0lre came hack the
answer, feebly w tend, " We an ail right, waiting lot
help, but we h tee o halos. This petty of to tr were
%ICI the see. pilots of Stephenson
and Barker, who are both to Clayoroes Hospital, ani
the three brother. Donn. who are seriously burnt, the
majoriti Of thou, rebelled see...offering from after-damp,
but • • to go hAli. with assistance. Thirty miners
remained in the pit when the explorers came op for the
night, and it is few rd they have all perished.
There is little doutot that over 60 lives have been
sacrinced, and the catastrophe is, beyond doubt, the moat
serious that has ev .r occurred in Derbyshire. The relief
party,
-- consisting of ab-ut 80 volunteers, was very
il), a, the pit bottom, but many were overcome by
iESalterdamp, thaugh they were well furnished with
cotton wool to prLvent the goa entering their nostrils.
One men pent t-ate-1 the workings of the Pukbouse pit,
and was follow. el be other, at imminent risk to them-
melees. They ftrst leant! le, cons of the manager, Mr.
Dunn, In • cabin dreadfully burnt but alive. They wore
taken to the top, and there is every hope of their
recovery. Another •en of Mr. Dunn was found dud In
the engineroom. Ho was married, and had a lama
family. On further search ten bodies were found, inclu-
ding that of a brother of Ur. Dunn. Abaut *eaten o'clock
It wu decided to ditc ntioue the imp' quad, It being see.
Uttered certain that no more men could be alive in the
pit, NO Cause can be sorignikl for the sittkedue hut GM
rot then bee bees no time toe • oomnsto bnairy.

A LUNATIC ASYLUM DESTROYED BY
FIBS IN AMERICA.

31 PATIF.XIII DUI= TO DEATH.
HALIFAX. Twooday. —An whim for poor In this tows
has been deatroyad by are. 31 patleasts In this hospital
muds are burnt to death.