The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-05 00:00:00

On Friday another exploring party, with which
were Mr. Idiom, jun., and the underlooker, were
early in the pit. In the course of the forenoon, the
body of John Holoroft was discovered, badly burned
in the dip worlcinge, and Richard Beesley, another of
the miming, was found near him. Another man,
name unknown, is still reported miming. The fol-
lowing account is given of the particular accident
which overtook the men who were drowned in the " dib
hole." The underlooker, Ellis ltrinnan, states that
when the explosion took place he was close to the pit
eye, and when he heard the report a cage ttf full tube
was just moving to the bank. He sprang upon the
cage, and his movement was imitated by the under. 1
looker, a man named Shannon, but he could not make
good his hold, and he fell back, it wan believed, into
the (lib hole. A pony driver and his pony who were
known to have been in the neighbourhood of the shaft
at the time, were also missing, aid they too were be-
lieved to have been drowned. The examination
proved the correctness of the conjecture, for after a
large quantity of the water had been pumped out of
the hole the bodies were recovered The pony driver
was named Yates. He was only twelve years of
age, and he must have been overpowered by the blast
of the explosion, These bodies were sent to the sur-
face about nine o'clock, and placed with the others in
the smithy. . . . . . .

.....
Among those most seriously injured, but living, are
the following; the first three named have been dan-
gerously burned :--Thotuas Ingram, a boy, Sandy-lane,
Ifindley ; Thomas Sargent, a boy, Hollins; Holcroft,
a boy, Hindley ; John Gerard, Chapel Lane, married;
Jan. ileyes, Colliers' Row Hinilley Green, married,
James Heyes, Staekyfold ; John Tyldesley, boy,
Stackyfold, brother cf the two Tyldesleys kil.ed.
Two boys more have been seriously injured, and are
under medical attendance, but are not supposed to be
in any danger.
- - -
A correspondent writes "In se-mral families great
privations will be causeiL The case of the Tyldesleys
is a very sorrowful one. The head of this family died
six weeks ago, and his widow is in health so bad as to
be hardly able to walk. She had eight children, and
the bread winners of this number were four lads em-
ployed at this colliery, all of whom were at work on
the fatal day. Of those four two are dead, one is so
fearfully injured as to be quite blind, and the fourth
escaped. This last mentioned, on being drawn up the
shaft, ran home with thetidings that the injured brother
was being brought home dead. She went sornming to
meet him, but, missing him on the way, it was some
time before the full extent of her bereavement was
made known to her. The family of the Hightons
experienced a sudden reverse from joy to mourning.
'rhe father was one of the firemen at the pit, and
two Sons were also employed there. One of
these lads was amongst the injured who were
first drawn up, and when he was taken home he
was followed by a clergyman who inquired from
. the mother the whereabouts of her husband. 'rhe reply
was that he wan safe, and that he was linking after
the injured. The son was not then believed to be dan-
gerously hurt, and a short prayer was offered to the
Almighty for the mercy vouchsafed to the family. The
clergyman returned to the pit bank, and in a short time
a corpse was brought to the surface, which proved to be
. that of Highton, the father; and, as stated above, the
son died on Friday night. A man, named William John-
son, who is among the killed, had been away from work
: ill for the last nine weeks, and had only resumed his
eznployment on the morning of the accident. He leaves
a widow and two children. Amongst the dead the
face of the boy Ball, with its pale, intelligent lmk, con-
trasted strongly with these by which it was surrounded.
, On inquiry it IVB9 learned that he had been a factory
I operative, and only four days ago had been induced by
Ithe prospect of higher wages to descend the pit."

The bodies of the poor fellows who were killed by
the explosion were interred on Monday evening at
}Lindley churchyard and Leigh cemetery. By far the
matey number of the dead were taken to Hindley,
and the scene there— a most affecting and indeed
appalling one -could not fail to be imprinted most
deeply in the memories of the great crowd of spectators
who witnessed it. _

The inquest waa not over so early aa had been expected,
and as the jury moved away from the inn at which the
coroner's court had been held, they met crowds
hurrying forward to take part in the processions
lif sorrowing relatives and friends which were thus
forming in so many of the households around. It was
seven o'clock here the last sufferer by the explosion was
interred, and the bell of the church ceased to toll.
Amongst the last bodies was that of William Halsam,
a member of the local volunteer corps. He was
followed to his last resting place by 100 members of
the corps, under the command of Quarter-Master
Sergeant Warburton, and just as the clerk pronounced
the last "Amen," a farewell volley was fired over his
remains.
The Spectator of Saturday observes :

'rho cause of the Arley Colliery explosion Is not known,
but it is remarkable that a scientific writer in the Daily
News has been predicting colliery explosblll3 for some days.
There was on the net and 23rd a sudden fall of an inch and
R quarter in the barometer, and scientific men have noticed
that these explosions always occur in the first few days after
a sudden fall. The preventive is ventilation, and It seems
certain that a little attention to the clear warning given in
the Daily News would have saved all these byes. As 'sir
warning has attracted notice, It is only just to state that or
attention sills drawn to the sudden fall of the barometer,
and its bearings upon the safety of mines, by Messrs.
Negretti inst lambra, to whom, therefore, the credit of the
warning really belongs.