The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-24 00:00:00

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

At three minutes past twelve those in the neigh-.
bcurhood of the pit was startled by a loud report and
the discharge of large volumes of dust and smoke
from the downcast shalt. To those accustomed to
mining the noise was only a too certain indication that
an explosion had occurred, or, as the colliers term it,
the pit had "fired.' The report was heard from two
to three miles away from the colliery, and the resi-
dents in the neighbourhood, many of whom had
husbands, sons, or other relatives working in the
mine, at once rushed to the pit-bank to learn the
nature and extent of the disaster.

It was found that about 220 souls were down in the
mine, and that communication with them from the
surface was utterly impossible in consequence of the
damage done to the shaft; 150 of these were employed
in the Arley, and about 70 in the Orrell Mine.
Intense anxiety was therefore felt by all as to the
fate of those below, and although hopes were
expressed that the disaster would prove by no means
so terrible as was feared, there was still a dreadful
feeling of suspense over the whole of the district,
which is thickly studded with cottages occupied by
the miners employed at this tnd neighbouring
collieries.

At the time of the explosion Mr. Thomas Taylor,
the certificated manager, had only just stepped out
of the cage on to the pit-bank on his return from an
examination of the whole of the workings—an exa-
mination which showed everything to be all right.
There was not the slightest suspicion that so serious a
calamity was about to happen.

Mr. Taylor was immediately joined by Mr. John
Higson, of Manchester, consulting engineer for
Messrs. Diggle, whose collieries are only a few fields
distant, and where Mr. Higson was making his
customary visit; Mr. W. Johnson, son of Mr. W. 11.
Johnson, one of the principal partners, who had only
just arrived by train, ran to the pit, and steps
were immediately taken to learn what had hap-
pened.
On the surface it was found that .the force of the
blast hal smashed the glass in the weighing and lamp
rooms on the bank of the downcast; and that one
cage, which was then at the Arley mouthing, was
jammed so tightly in the shaft that it could not be
moved. At the upcast shaft little damage had been
done, and the large fan, 46ft. in diameter, by which
the seams are ventilated, was not in the slightest
degree disarranged. It was noticed that after the
blast hadipassed the current of air immediately re-
turned to its ordinary course, so that the interruption
to the ventilation was only momentary. To this fact
must be attributed the recovery of so many of the
men working in the seams at the time. Had the pas-
sage of the current of iresh air into the seams been
stopped by the accident for any considerable period
there can be no doubt that the greater portion of those
below ground would have been lost.

Arrangements were made for lowering the other
cage, but it was some time before this could be accom-
plished, and it was not until three o'clock that an
exploring party, consisting of Mr. Taylor and two of
the men, were able to descend to the Orrell Mine.
They were shortly afterwards followed by Mr. Hall,
who had meanwhile reached the collieries, Mr.
Higson, Mr. W. Johnson, Mr. T. Southworth, of the
Hindley Green Collieries, Mr. John Smith (Ackers,
Whitley, and Co.), and-Mr. W. Melling, of the Plank.
lane Collieries. It was found that the scaffolding at
the mouthing of the Orrel Mine had been smashed,
and that it completely blocked their further descent.
Those working in this seam near the mouthing had
been both burnt by the flame and injured by the force
of the blast. They were quickly sent to the surface,
where they were attended to by a staff of medical gentle-
men, consisting of Drs. Brayton and T. Brayton, of
Hindley, Perrin, Evans, Paradise, and Doyle, of
Leigh.
It was discovered that the Orrell Mine had been the
seat of the explosion, and the coal was seen to be on
fire at a fall within 30 yards of the shrift. A second
fire was also seen burning in another portion of the
workings. The existence of these fires made the work
of exploration one of no small difficulty, for the possi-
bility of gas having collected behind some of the
numerous falls was not a remote one, and the sudden
issue of such a body of gas might probably have re-
sulted in a second explosion. However, the workers
pushed on as fast as they could, and succeeded in re-
covering many of those injured. For the most part
these had been struck by the blast, burnt by the flame,
and rendered unconscious by the afterdamr. One who
has recovered said,—" I was knocked on my back
and fell asleep. I afterwards awoke and managed
to creep over a fall and make my way to the ex-
plorers."

For the extinguishing of the fire in the mine several
extincteurs were borrowed from surrounding collieries,
and they were sent down the pit and found very
useful. Many mining engineers arrived and rendered
what assistance they could. The Rev. H. Linton,
vicar of Abram, and the Rev. Father Doyle, of
Hindley, were also present.

While the work of exploration was going on the
voices of the men in the Arley Mine were distinctly
heard, and they communicated the joyful intelligence
that all of them were safe. This news naturally
calmed the feelings of the thousands of people who
congregated round the pit's mouth. In each case from
the Orrell Mine two or three injured were sent to the
surface, and their arrival strengthened the hopes of
those around that there might still be hope for the
remainder.

Meanwhile, men were engaged repairing the damage
in the shaft in order to allow of a descent to the bottom
mine. By five o'clock they were able to do this. The
cage waz lowered eently and afterwards brought to
bank with a few of the imprisoned men, who confirmed
the previous news that no one was killed there and
only two or three were injure 4 through having been
struck by the tubs which were blown about by the
explosion. These persons were at once sent to the
sui face, and many were the congratulations of the
women as their long waited. for relatives appeared.
One of those who had Leen in the Arley Mine said
they felt the "suck" and knew what had happened,
but that no flame was seen in that seam. They all
rushed to the pit's mouth, where Green, the under.
looker, assured them that they were safe. They re-
turned for their clothes, which had been left in their
working places, and, by the advice of Gieen, congre-
gated near the mouth, in order to keep themeelvei
warm, the air there being very strong. While there
they were very quiet and felt sure that everything
would be done to insure their speedy release. In one
or two cases the injured were so much affected by the
after damp that artificial respiration had to be re-
sorted to.
MIDNIGHT.

The original estimate as to the number killed will,
in all probability, prove correct, though there are
hopes that forty may be, if anything, rather more than
the total of lives lost. Mr. Healey, the Government
Inspector arrived during the evening, and joined
the explorers, who are pushing forward as rapidly as
possible, but the many falls prevent the recovery of
those remaining in the mine. Twelve of the dead have
been brought to Lank, and these have been removed
to the wagon shed, a c4paAous building adjoining the
handsome' offices, which has been arranged for their
reception. All are shockingly burned, showing the
terrible severity of the explosion, which was no doubt
largely increased in force by the limited extent of the
working:,
A most lamentable feature in connection with the
disaster is to be found in the death of the under
looker, Mr. R. J. Cronshaw. He was a gold medallist
at the Wigan Mining and Mechanical School, and was
one of the most promising men in the district. He
was the eldest son of the Rev. James Cronshaw, vicar
of St. Thomas's, Wigan, and the suffering of the
parents, who visited the colliery this evening, was
intense. Mr. Cronshaw, during the whole of his
engineering life, had been connected with the firm,
and the highest confidence was placed in his ability

and in the peculiar knowledge he had with regard to
these workings.
It is believed that about 60 persons were employed
in the Orrell mine, but the list of their names was in
Mr. Cronshaw's possession, and the book has not yet
been recovered. His clothes were so dreadfully burnt,
that probably the list has been destroyed, and in that
event the total number in the mine will not be ascer-
tained until all the workings have been examined.
Four more injured have been brought out of the
Orrell mine ; two of these are seriously burnt. They
are not expected to recover.
-

As to the cause of the explosion, only two theories
have yet been put forward. Gunpowder, to which
many of these accidents have had to be attributed, has
not been used in this mine, blasting being strictly pro-
hibited. Davy lamps were used, and, as stated before,
everything possible had been done to guard against
such disasters. The supposition is that either by a
fall of the roof a quantity of gas was liberated which
came in contact with a lamp broken by the falling
debris, and thus caused the explosion, or that the gas
driven by the velocity of the current through the gauze
of a Davy lamp ignited the gas outside.
One of the sufferers, named Richard Speakman,
said he was working with a man named Eckereley,
when, just after twelve o'clock, they felt the floor
cra,king and heaving, and two terrible reports fol-
lowed in rapid succession. Feeling certain of what
had occurred, the men, together with another, named
David Aldred, ran in the direction of the "eye " of
the pit. They then found that the pit was on fire,
and Eckersley and Aldred, being unable to dash
through the flames, turned back and are, in all pro-
bability, dead. Speakman, however, broke through
the fire and, on reaching the bottom of the shaft,
found the other miners arriving from the Arley mine,
all of them being uninjured.

WIGAN, Tuesday Morning.

Up to the present 28 dead bodies have been re-
covered and 36 cases of serious injury have been
atzended by the doctors, who remained at the pit's
mouth all night, giving immediate attention to each
sufferer as he was brought up the shaft. No correct
estimate can be given of the number of bodies still un-
recovered, as the only record of the numbers in the pit
was kept by an underman at the bottom of the shaft,
who has been killed and whose books were burned
amongst the debris at the bottom of the mine. Seventy,
however, is the full complement of miners to this pit,
and 36 having been brought out alive, the number
killed may be estimated at 34. Several cases now
under treatment are not likely to recover. The pit is
stated to be in a terrible state of wreck, enormous
falls of coal extending in some cases for upwards of
200 yards. Great difficulty has consequently been
experienced in getting out the dead, and in some cases
it has taken hours. Most of the corpses show
conclusively that death resulted from the explosion
itself rather than from the effects of the afterdamp.

Many people watched at the pit mouth all night,
hoping against hope that their missing relatives
might yet be recovered alive. About two o'clock this
morning a most affecting scene was witnessed at the
pit-head when James Johnson and John Jackson, who
had been given up for dead, were brought to the sur-
face without having received any appreciable injury,
and were enabled to proceed unattended to their homes,
where mourning for their loss had already com-
menced.

WIGAN, Tuesday night.

The total number of lives lost by the explosion may now
be put down with some certainty at forty-six. The names
of those who descended the pit yesterday morning for
the Yard Mine were contained in the book kept by
Mr. Cronshaw, underlooker, whose sad death was alluded
to yesterday. When his body was recovered last
night, and no book found, it was feared that the list might
have been.destroyed by flames, but a search in the offices
to-day resulted in the discovery of the missing book.
This contains the names of 74 persons working in that
seam yesterday, Mr. Cronshaw bringing up the number
to 75. The bodies of 30 of those killed in this seam
have been brought up, and 32 were recovered alive;
three of these have died to-day, two in the cabins of
the pit bank, whence the doctors did not consider it
advisable to remove them, and the third in the Wigan
Infirmary, where he was taken late last night. The
total number dead is thus 33, and there are 13 persons still
to be accounted for. Possibly one or two may have as-
cend. d the pit before the explosion occurred, but should
this prove not to have been the case—and there is a con-
siderable doubt about it—the total number of lives lost will
have to be put down at the figures stated.

One of the men who were rescued thirteen hours after the
explosion has furnished the following narrative :
"I was working about four or five hundred yards from the
shaft at twelve o clock. Young Mr. Crenshaw told me the
time. It was then twelve o'clock, and it was, as near as I can
recollect, about ten minutes afterwards that I heard the
terrible sound of the explosion. I did not see any fire, but
almost immediately saw and felt the sulphur corning
down upon us. At this time there were live of us
together. I took up my bottle of tea, put on, my coat,
threw my flannel shirt over my arm, and made towards
the air-hole, taking occasional sips out of the bottle as I pro-
ceeded. We had not gone far when the sulphur got us down,
and we got separated from each other. Whilst I was lying
down, completely overcome by the afterdamp, a man passed
me and shook me, saying, ' You dead?' I replied 'No ; but
I am almost dead, and can't go any further.' IThe man
then went away towards this shaft, hut I have not heard of
nor seen him since, and I ern afraid be was killed. I felt
that I was choking. Each breath that I took seemed as
though I had put another layer of tar on the inside
of my throat, and I c.suld feel my breath getting weaker
and weaker. I then commenced to vomit most vio-
lently, however, and after that I went to sleep.. I woke
up, feeling very cad ; it was lucky that [ever woke up again,
however. I then heard a man coughing, and thinkino. I
recognised the voice I shouted, 'ls that thee. Jack
replied, ' Aye ;' and I again shouted, Then I'll come to
thee.' I then scrambled along on my hands and knees in
the direction of his voice, and before reaching him I had
to drag myself over the body of a man who was
dead. When I reached my mate we huddled up together
as much as possible, in order to keep each other warm.
We remained in this position for nearly seven hours, and
then we determined to make an effort to get out. We fol-
lowed the air current as much as possible, but each attempt
to get out proved fruitless, and we were always driven back
to the spot from which we started. Our difficulty was
made all the worse by the fact that we were in total dark-
ness, our lamp having gone out when the rush of sulphur
came. Eventually however, we got to the bottom of the
upcast shaft, where we obtained plenty of very good air,
and there we sat down and waited. Presently we heard
the men, and shouted to them; they heard us and
fetched us out The pit is terribly knocked about, the
falls being enormous. We had to -limb over some enormous
falls in order to get out of the pit. In getting out
we scrambled over the body of the fireman, who was
dead. The fireman started with me, but was over-
come at last by the after-damp. It got him down, and
he could not get up again. I believe that it was the
tea in my bottle, which I was able to sip at, that saved
me from suffocating. It was about two o'clock when I
reached the surface, having been in the pit best part of
thirteen hours since the accident occurred. When we got
to the top they gave us brandy and tea to restore us, and I
feel well enougn now. My elder brother was killed in the
accident. This is the second explosion I have been in. I
would never go down a pit again if I could get anything else
Willa, but it is hard to get it to do.