The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-10-08 00:00:00

FEARFUL STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.
Two Ilsx Daownia).

On the right hand side of Broom Lane, leading from
Denton to Hyde, in Cheshire, and within about 200
yards of the toll bar, there is an old disused clay pit,
shout 40 yards long, and twenty to twenty-five yards in
breadth, and from ten to twelve feet deep. It seems
the children residing in the neighbourhood are in the
habit of playing about this pit, and about six o'clock
on Wednesday evening a child, named Samuel Dutton,
unfortunately got into the water, and haviag been seen
by a neighbouring woman, an alarm vu given, and a
large number of persona soon aseembled round the pit,
being workpeople from three or four factories, which
had just closed, The scene was most exciting, and
Joseph Jackson and Mark Tatton, without pulling off
any of their clothes, immediately sprang into the water
to the rescue of the poor child. These brave fellows,
however, it was soon perceived, were unable to swim,
and it was observed that they were drowning. The ex-
citement was intense' and live men sprang into the pit
simultaneously. Tlie names of the men are Henry
Bradbury, William Thornhill. Council, Joseph
laylor, and John Fogg. As is nearly always the con-
sequence in such cases, those unable to swim seized
thoo who could, and a death struggle took place
amongst the men before the face of hundreds of per-
sons, it being soon apparent that the whole of the men
would ho drowned unless soine effective means were pro-
vided for their rescue. Of course all this took place in
less time than it takes to find w irds to tell it, and Mr.
Horatio Howartii,hat manufactorer,with great presence
of mind, throw a small rope into the pit. Fortunately,
John Fozr was enabled to seize it, and two ;of the men
having seized Fogg, the three were dragged out of the
pit, much exhausted. Afterwards, the grapnel iruss•
were brought, and the other men were taken out by
Edward Millington, Samuel Taylor, and James Brom-
ley, after much exertion, for which they have received
great praise. The men were so exhausted, that there
were, at first, little hopes of any of them being saved.
Dr. Rowell and his assistant, Mr. O'Grady, were In at-
tendance as soon !IS possible, and by the administration
of stimulants, and other usual remedies, two of them
were brought round, but all exertions failed in resusci-
tating the unfortunate men Joseph Jackson and Mark
Tstton, who first jumped in the pit to the ramie of the
child. Jackson was aged 37, and was a small hat
manufacturer and beerseller. He leaves a wife and
seven small children, and his wife, still more unfottu-
nide, is enceinte. Talton was a hatter, unmarried, aged
21. Strange to say the niild was sewed, it having
Bated, and having ban pushed by Council to the side
of the pit, and pulled out by a geutleman named Irwin.
Our correspondent is told by persons who saw the death
struggle, surrounded as the pit was by some hundreds
of persons, that the excitement was onset a deseription •
beyond words to express,as the drowning MCP were sur-
rounded by male and female friends and neighbours, all
, calling for help, but powerless for seine time to give
seq.—Manchester Exaneiner.

DRRADTCG 00CIIRWCIE —Foos PERSONS Burro-
CATID.—The town of Harwich and the adjoining
villave of Dovercourt were thrown into a state great
excitement on Thursday morning in consequence of a
rumour that an accident had occurred in Dovercourt,
resulting in the death, by suffocation, of four persons—
two women, one man, and one child, and the almost
miraculous escape of • fifth. Those who have passed
by railway to Harwich cannot have failed to notice an
extensive cement manufactory near the village of
Dovercourt, which belongs to Mr. J. Pattrick, • manu-
facturer of cement, residing at Harwich, and immedi-
ately contiguous to those works are some wretched
dwellings, or, inure properly speaking, hovel', occupied
by the families of men in Mr. Pattrick's employ, and
which were the scene of this shocking occurrence.
Thom buildings, which are in a most dilapidated state,
are so situated that they become completelyimpnimated
with the fumes of sulphur. from the works, and it is
stated that parties have been previously compelled to
leave them, in consequence of their habitation being
dangerous to human life, and in one historic° that a
person was removed from one of them in a state of ,
insensibility. Neverthelees, they have continued to
ho occupied, and the result has now been the sacrifice
of four human lives. It appears that on Wednesday
evening five of the hiniatea of one of the oottages
retired after the ordinary hours of labour. These con-
sisted of two families, a husband and wife in one, and
the same members, with the addition of • child, in the
other. One of the men shortly afterwards left home
and proceeded to Harwich, whore ho stayed a few hours,
and on his return about eleven o'clock ho was startled
on entering his dwelling to see his wife and child
insensible in one part of the house, and his comrade and
wife apparently dead In another, the house being so
completely filled with the fumes of sulphur as almost to
suffocate him. Ile vainly endeavoured to arouse them,
and having rushed out to secure the assistance of •
neighbour, he was overcome by the poisonous atmos-
phere, and fell down against the house door, whore he
was discovered more dead than alive, and unable to
render any account of this shocking transaction. When
the place was entered the wife and child of
this unfortunate man were found quite dead, and the
other man and his wife were also found lifeku
In another pare of the home. The bodies
presented • most shocking spectacle, the festered being
distorted, and all of them bearing evidence of the
poisonous nature of the air impregnating the dwelling,
and to which they had fallen victims. As soon as the
discovery was made, large numbers of persons from
Harwich proceeded to the spot, and but one feeling
of astonishment was expressed that any human beings
should ever occupy so wretched a hovel, and that
human life had not been previously sacrified. An
inquest was held the same evening on the bodies
of the unfortunate victims, before W. Codd, Esq., one
of the coroners of Emu, when a verdict of Accidental
Death was returned, imonnipanied by • request to Mr.
Patrick, that three of the buildings should be imme-
diately polled down—a request with which ho will
doubtless unhesitatingly comply.

SPORSING.—The great single wicket cricket match
between Hayward and Carpenter and three players of
Stockton•on-Tees, which ::as excited a great &Al of
interest au,,,, the patrons of this noble game, was
E,lfited at Slleineld on Monday. The two great batsmen
at their opponents by fiftrfive runs. Tuning from
cncket to pedestrlituism, it appears that Decrfout, the
Seneca Indian, has WWI another match in Dublin. Ho
beat John Lovett, the ex.chainpion. who gave np the
contest, while the Indian ran the ten miles in fifty-two
minutes and a few seoonds—certainly a prodigious
bat!
FOX-HUNTING EXTRAORDINART.—On the 26th nit.
Lb. Hon. G. W. Fitsvnlliain's hounds were out. They
fonnd qet !dockland., and reyuerd took across Castor
Field, to Mr. White's residence, at Castor. Hero he
gut over a high wall into that gentleman's shruhlwries,
wlich, by his kind permission, were at onoe drawn,
but without effect, and George Carter, the hunt•inan,
seeing Mr. White's kitchen door open, wait in, and,
having borrowed a candle found a flue cub "earthed"
behind a quant:ty of bottles in the cellar. George at
once called his hounds, and down mshed • number of
young dogs and rather unceremoniously knocked George
(who had bold of the fox with one hand, and the candle-
stick in the other) completely ocer, putting out the
candle and leaving them all in the dark. To complete
the confusion, the girl, hearing • great noise and be-
coming frightened, locked the door, anti shut the hantr
man with -his hounds in full cry after the fox down
in the dark cellar without any means of exit. After
some persuasion the girl was induced to open the door,
and up Caine George, the bounds, anti the for, the two
termer Bone the worse for their Onglgar ran. ball Poor
reptezd quits ea lwasib--la tais, agettiltt