The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22 00:00:00

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14.1i7;VaCil, ,e • •
protmet

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

Street, In large numbers, and prooessions of mourners tot-
towel with unconcealed emotion. The spectacle at tn,
BArnsley Cemetery was • touching one. The ground., ow
portion of which le laid out in an ornamental and tewein
Ulenher, and Melded from the other be a sort of st e .eree,,.
were crowd. d by looker, on, ho' • rot ww readily &toms,
for too mou• rte., and the utmost rup.tti,y mitt met if. e. ••
for them as they passed rbeinterniettts, which Week tear'
flirty in number to th atce in sepanue grave., the di
elating clerw men baby the Bishop td Ripen, the Bee. C F.
Cobh and goVerail other c croymen. The at let that was mad
Gated WCI hestorentting lot it one caws the dree...l wee
hot., and were f twsd by their parents and brother, and
alet,ra, in others they were men, and wore followed by their
widows and chilt,ron, and in natty cases by their nettri
Parent.. Two COMM., b true by young Men, contained the
bodies of two hey% heMed WAIM•lry, aid they
Wee f tll tired to the tomb ttv et but their parents
W re at home, the father being bill it through the effecta
Of the tit:400100 which had killed ihe tons, and the matter
bedridden. '

had ln.en sone dhtanee along lb. dip stem that so he teas
Tonal'', hack with Ms hand to his mouth, haviur been
.1 host suffocated, he was •coo t.d 0) one f his eomph!lh.,
ar'o nerioed inc for lab g to and tot o rim ,n $ at
this adnicnn ion we., bow,er, nnh.d. d ; the Elul, lye
-ained tie ttonl a the ant ill I/nit .0 11. craw° up with
hr. I.or c go, ad Ids mote daring ccmrade remirned but
'o perish..

The number of persona who ha's heen taken mit of the
'the alive, and who are still Wider tre•tment, is shop' 1.11.
Fes of theni have all chance of ultinnate recovery. ill dub
'Sep are well and skilfully attended to In C.. 11 ITke theirs,
when reaction Ws In, the pstien, generallt tint r• r.i ly.
ft pm have the best rheum, Of settles ,und who hay- ...ob-
tained no Internal Injury ; but In ma' yet the oases at iii" Pie
Mill and krd ley br,hen sibs have primed the tut us or mine
~ther vital part. and it is highly improbable that they can
laurel.. notch longer.
It la feared months mutt elapse before any of the bodies
now out of reach can be recovered.
A memorial to the mattistrates of Barnsley was numerously
etinuti rtque sting them to call a public meeting to decide
what ateps should be taken for the relief 01 the sufferers
The friendly societies in the town are doing title their power
to meet the claims which will he made upon their funds
the Ancient Order of Foreaters have agreed to pay all claims
Irt lull, whether the bole. are recov• red or not: to allow
the relatives of those who have entered three months, 41,
and those leas than three month., Si.
The Rev 11 Tarrant, of Sheffield, suggests • simultaneous
collecti.os in eve.y place of worablp In that town, on behal
of the widows and orphan., of tile bereaved, and he pro-
poses the first Stmday In the New Year.
The Miner.' Union reports theta are 160 widows and
330 erphans of memhers •ho have heen billet. Red the
usual alowance at death will cause a dram of 3,0001 upon
the a ci,y's iunds Th. Union have res dyed, for sone
time to c to •Ilow each widow be a Week, and la
weekly for each child.

A French ftrm have sent a message to Messrs. Firth,
Birorr, and , the lessees of the colliery, saying that ,h• y
are ready to send over* staff of men r qulppe,l with sah ty
dresses •nd accoutrements, who, however dangerous the
s ate of the mine to ordinary explorers, would venture to
Its incurs; recesses

At • public meeting held on Monday at Barnsley
nearly 2,000/. wae subscribed. Lord Fitawilltam gave
500/. and the Lundhill Colliery Company, 5001. (half
to go to the family of Mr. John Smith, their mining
engineer, who was one of the volunteers killed on
.rhureday morning.) Lord Wharriciiffe gives 100/., as
also do Lord Halifax, Mr. Foljambe, Mr. Wentworth,
and Mr. Woodhouse, engineer., and Messrs. Taylor.
Captain Clarke contributes 2001., Major Wombwell
and Mr. Day 150/ each, Lord Londenhorough, Lord
Milton. M. P., Mr. Peantuout, M.P., and several
others 50/. each. The polioe have collected 101. 6s. 114.1.
from visitors to the colliery. The list 1., headed by
the Queen-. name for 2001. The meeting of engineers
has presented to it a report netting forth that since
Friday, when they first deliberated together, there
had been nine explottions.
A rettolution was unanimously passed approving the
steps which hail been taken since the last meeting,
and directing that the furnace or cupola shaft and
another be forihwith stopped up at the bottom, so as
to prevent the admissio., through them of air into the
workings. One shaft is to be left open, awl the pumps
are to be started, so as to draw out all the water in the
pump shaft.
The meeting was adjourned for a week, and • sub-
committ. e appointed to E, that the decision come to
I. carried out. It is feared that the ironmasters of
Leeds and Sheffield will be put to much inconvenience
by the withdrawal of so large a supply of famous
Barnsley coal as was obtained from the Oaks Colliery.

_BARNSLEY, Tuesday.

The Archbishop of York and Er Fits+ illtsm (whole Lord.
Lieutenant of the West li•ding o Y 016 'Wed the colliery
sesterdsy morning, and they were all deed to inspect as
mow] of the upper works as It was prudent and eafe for them
to ante,. . _

Atowlia mettinn to organize a fund for tho relief of
Pie bereaved ',mi11..., waa held yesterday afternoon at the
with Ewl the Lord Lieutenant in
the chair

The prneeadings • ore opened with prayer, after which
the chairman briefly addressed the meeting, expression his
assurance that the appesi to he made that day won Id not be
mode In 0,1,. Through the benevolence of the Queen the
wdtk of charity had already begun, and he Volleyed the
mos. meat would he rapidly followed up Ile referred with
gratitude to the Loodon ounacriotion, and said it would he
moo that all parts of Engle.' would respond worthq to
the cull which the late Catastrophe made upon all classes.
Applause.) . . .

Toe Archhishop rf York moved in an eloquent speech,
Dial this meeting has heard with heartfelt regret of the
Main ful calamity that hat occtirre lat the Uk.
by winch upwards of 340 live. have been sacrificed, aid
rs'ords its deepest mmpatby with the widows sad orphahs
and sufferers."
_ . . . .

Several re•oluttons were adoptal, and a autweriptlon
op, eel, to which, as stated by telegram, nearly 2,00ul was
iniM crib, d.
rue excitement has cossilderably abated now that It Is
known that some time must elapse faults any further
sea, bean be male for the 260 or 270 I cotes still in the
mita. Arlito umlautes for getting arrow once more to the
hit ere now In operation, In accordance with the advice of
the minks enclure,
Samuel Brown, th, miner who deacended for the purpose
of neatening for the dead, and whose remarkable escape has
been record-d. la now nearly grow well. fie was seater my
visited ly man} pence. who wished to hear from his own
lips the narrative of his ercspe.

BARNSLEY, Tuesday Evening

The men engaged in filling up the pit have made consider-
able progress with the work to-day. Endo. on. Continue, to
o.llr it the mine Terre explosions to It place in the pit
thls tom-atria One was te-onc, and even the other two
were violent. Tie more seri, us one to which allusion ha.
jos be. n 0.10 1.1%-j,t8,1 from the shaft. Urge quantities of
wood, alit other material. All the exolosious were
heard for • comiderable distance SJllle of the w 1,101•• of
the men whose hi Ules re still in the mine continue to
e. me daily to the pit, so abalone are they to obtain
any infor mwion that may relieve ti etc minds.
Two or three false alarms to-day were made which caused
mu-h painful excitement as to other collieries in the beigh-
b .urhooti At one time it was reported that an exploeton
boa occurred at the Lot dhill pit, and many persons h-it ened
to that cold, ry Heppil), the retort proved to be false, as
diii anther of an exoloOon at Dodworth Bottom Co liery.
In roe of these Instanc-N if not it, both, there had b en such
in appearano• of foul air that the m-tinter had ordered the
out of the pit. Sure -I the odder, lathe nlstrie, ate
oil Y Pori aly at w 'k. alter the greet
expo son a, oth. pi-, but Ut. exp-cted they sill be at
lull work to-Morrow

doting the day sod by ten o'cl,ck in the Seeping, nineteen
booing Collie eel at the bottom of the shaft, eent to the mit.
'ace as cop dl lustily i.e vowel, nod conmy.d to the same
pi ice title othe I. By two o'clock on Sa u-der moroinv,
when the mem who were tench toll ,net.l left -heir work
Mr a time six h alls• Wes! aPialaht no m ktog .1,-
ge.her 83. Two youths who were resotel attire have since
rind m Chet the to,,' '0,5 of life as fit ...gained 'a 85
Re scene se the belles cro a444g11, up was 1., of a rem
pslothl cingraCter. A need silence prevailed amongst the
oroard that still remains i on the pit hanks as melt Marl wee
lifted Mr of the Give; n silence roken ohm every now and
then as some collier wonkt I. coma+. a COTISSO a. 'hat
"tonic Dick, "1,01. r a.rk." The sea rhem heve xamined
the wince of the pit hot what is called he " enmd,"—tnat
portion where all the wider that TII. throueh the 110,klags
IS SION.. ted It is known that there are several baoles
the "sump." but how many no one can say. it!. supposed
. hat the unfortunate men were carried there by the violent
blast of venni ceased by the explosion, and that they were
drowned. As it has not yet been precleely ascertained how
homy men went to work in the pit on Thar.day it Is nun..-
.ode for any estimate to he made of those still missing Mr.
Winne, the government inspector of mines for the district,
'blobs that the workings will be quite clear by Monday
morning, and that those bodlee still In the pit will by that
tine have been rec mere&

[he ganeral *the I. that the accident happened
through • light being .truck by one of the men. The colliery
rules enact that all the lamps should he locked by the
" dogey. of the pit before the men commenced working,
and that he should take poliession of the keys ; but It Is
staled on the best authority that bunches of keys fr un-
locking the D ivy safety Tulips have been found In the pit
since ttie accident, and that luclfer matches were found in the
pockets of several of the deceased 8 ime hair-breadth
arntpeS are recorded. One man, who was working In the
north workings, states that when he heard the explosion lie
knew that an accident had happened, mot immediately
began to run In the direction of the shaft, some five
hundred yards away. Ile had not proCaeded ninny
steps, however, before he WM knocked down by a furious
gust of wind. Winch carried with it large gu Witten of
slack and even lumps of coals. The gas at this time had
penetrated to the north workings, and the man felt very
much inclined to sleep. In his own words, he "felt as nice
soil he had been drinking." But, knowing that such • sleep
wodti be that of ilea,h, he resisted the Inclination, end
tying his neckarchlef round his mouth and nostril., crawled
on his hand. 06111 i knees towards the shaft. Once his hand, as
he crawled onward, pressed on the Woof • boy Who was lying
scro, the path, lie felt the region of the lan'. heart, but it
had ceased beating, and the man pushed on. Soon he again
Owns aCros. a &ad body, and then had to crawl over the
carcass id • horse. The alter damp we. rapidly overpoweriog
him but he contrived to resist its Influence until he arrived
at the bottom of the shaft, when he becerne insensible, sad
was afterwards recovered by • searching Party.

The scene on Saturday at the place where the deed bodies
were laid out was most affecting Brawny men were he
tears, and SOMB of the women who were identifying the
bodies that had been recovered that morn ng were weeping
loudly One or two of them, indeed, as they gazed on the
dead body of their husband or son, as the case sight be,
seemed suddenly to be bereft of their sense., and acted in a
manner which was very painful to behold The mejsrity of
the deed bodies were terribly disllgured, but othen showed
that life had gradually departed from the effecta of the gas.
Several of the deceased who had thus met their death ap-
peared to be only asleep.

The remains nf 22 of the bodies were interred on Sunday.
In the churchyard of Talke—a small hut neatly arranged and
plci masque around, in keephig with the pretty little church
close by. The churchyard gates were beeleited by • crowd
which choked up the thoroughfare, awl • email spot of rising
gronni On the other side of the burial yard wag covered
with spectators Smote was depPted on nearly every face
In the vast crowd, and in the teeth of a cold wind and oC-
c.lon.l rain they stood patiently and Went), watching the
committal of one body after another to the silent tomb.
The graves were spread over the cent al pdrtion of the yard,
some in rows hod others in pair., with one or two
single and alone. The burials were fixed for three
o'clock, and soon after the cotlii,• began to arrive
at the church, Intl which they were brons ht
and placed in front of the altar, at! In the side
alai°. The first instalment—about half the ntimber—WAl
met at the churchyard gates by the Rev. W. 51.1111GelliD, who
read the first portion of the burial service, sa they passed in,
an i Mn, flatilow, the organist, pia, e I the 1) ad March. in
•. haul.' When the whole of tee first portion of the coffins
had been laid in the church, the Rev. W. 51 HU,Chhl pro-
ceeded with the service, add preceded the pro essidn to the
graves, where he comp'. ted tee service. The second batch
wee received by the Rev. Darby, curree of Audits', who
• fti dated alio in the church and at the graves. The Rev.
W. utchin ministered at the interments of the rest of the
b die., which was not cornieleted bet me dark The enrolee
were enclosed in plain ti. k coffins with black breastplate s
They were foll..wed I y r. lames and friends in large numbers,
retpect•till dressed in d.ep mournoig

e •
li, the setural neiabbourina churchyards Interments of
others of the deceased were going on at the same time. The
awful event, ol which these were part of the closing metes,
was alluded to In the church of Talke by the Rev. C A.
Barker, curate of Chesterton, who preached.

K rpsovol.E, MOOdaY.

A meeting called by the inenmbenr, the Re, w. 51 lint-
chin, hse been held at Talk to-nay to counter the subject
of raising a fund for the widows and orphans of the
victims. Mr Smith C:iild. of Stallingtondud, presided, end
tire muting Was attended hy a number of influential gentle-
men of the oiatrict Mr. IFllutchin read a list of he sub-
scrip,tons sires iy promised to th, fund, amounting to
nary Soot , xnd including s"Ot from Mr Smite Child who
had lure ed nis contribtuton from 1001. to that avibunt,;
lOnt from Mr. Ileathcote. Apedalehall ; bul from Mir K M.
Buller ; 6bl from Mrs Marsh, Colder.% Maley Wood; 251
from the R v. C. A. Baser, Chesterton; 211. from Messrs.
Ilaywood. lkownhills; 101. from the workmen of Botteelow
and Brookhouse f'4,lltery : 101. from Mr. Westcoo,h. Exeter,
.itc A committee was formed to collect further enhsceint one,
and t he meetly, g was of opinion that the own ey loeallyooll.,rd
ahould be applied to the suff erns ii, this local., alio die same
with the local fund. rel.eo for the herniae, aufferen, and that
the amount subscribed by the country generally through the
Lord Mayor, should be- divided between the two places. it
waa stated that a hon.-to-house Mehra:al would ne made
in several of the villages in the neighbourhood for contrihu-
%nubs, and at most of the churches and chapels in the district
there is likely to he congregational collections for the same
object A collection wee made In Trentham Church on
Sunday, and al If., 2d was contributed. The North
Striforeshlre Coal and Iron Company (the owners of the col-
lief} ) Will meet to-day to consider the asaistance they shall
give, arid the North ritaffdritshire"eat and Irommuters'
Auocirtion will have a meeting to-day for the same purpou.
Mrs. Smith Child and a number of Muer ladies are supplying
the bet eas.d families vi h mourning. A list of the widows
and orphans, to far ILA they had been ascertuiaad, was read
to the meeting jesterdm, an I gave Line preaeti't 1111111.*111 as
42 widows aid Mi orphans, but it sr. believed that the
number of orphans wou•d eventualy ba found to reach lUD
or more. The C'T rier'• inquest has neen again adjourutt:
until the clearing of the pit has been . ff.cted.