The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-09-18 00:00:00

him if there was anybody else buried among this wood and
rubbish, and he replied that there was not. After we
had made him as comfortable as we °cella, we made
our Way back to No. $ shaft, but we found that it was
completely blocked up with woo' and other rubbiah. We
found here four other molt who had escaped from the work-
ings, and these returned with us to No. 1 shaft, where we
all sat down beside Laverick to wait with what patience we
could for some signs of a rescue. How the time passed I
cannot tell you, but I had almost given up all idea of
seeing daylight again, when I thought I heard slight sounds
from the direction of the shaft. It was about a quarter-
past six o'clock by this time, and we had been nearly four
hours imprisoned in the mine. The noise gradually became
more distinct, aud you may be sure that we lost no time in
shouting and `jowling 'in reply. At length the knocking
signals answered ours, and we knew that our prospects of
deliverance were brightening every minute. Still it seemed
to he a cruel time between the first hearing of the signals
and the time of our release. We heard the knocking first,
as I mentioned, shortly after six o'clock, aid we continued to
hear shouts and signals at intervals until ten o'clock, but it
was not until a quarter-past six o'clock at night that I
grasped the hand of the first of the delivering party. The
leader of the band of rescuers that reached us was Mr.
Stratton, who shook me warmly by the hand, and whose
face expressed the pleasure he felt at seeing us alive again.
Mr. Stratton was closely followed by Mr. Tia les, of Murton
and with them were Mr. Liahman, Mr. Tate, and Mr. Hall,
of liaswell, to all of whom we are under the deepest of
obligations for the exertions they made for our deliverance.
No less are we also obliged to Mr. Dunn, engineer, of
South Hetton, to whose energetic prosecution of the plans
formed to get at us I believe we owe the real earliness of
our rescue. It is true that the time seemed long to us, but
when we knew what were the difficulties that the rescuing
parties had had to contend with, we were only too thankful
to find ourselves at bank at all. When Mr. Stratton
scrambled across the heavy fall against which we were
sitting and grasped my hand, he asked if there was any one
among us injured. I told him that the on-setter, poor
Laverick, was very much burnt, and that it would be well
to get him out as soon as possible. We had to creep over
the falls in the narrow travelling-way to get at Laverick
again, and he was to be carried back over the same route, to
the No. 8 shaft, up which he was drawn. The poor man
was blind with the burdlng his face had received, and the
difficulty of carrying him gently and carefully over such a
route as we had to go can scarcely be imagined. He had to
be lifted and pulled over the falls, and we thought we were
never going to get him over. We had nothing to eat from
the time of our setting out from the Harvey until Mr.
Stratton and Mr. Bailes came, but they brought us re-
freshments, and when I got up the shaft at seven o'clock at
night 4. did not feel so very far amiss; in fact, I feel the
consequences of breathing so much foul air more since I
got up the pit than I did while I was below.

The body of Corporal Hindson, the Queen's Prize
winner at Shoeburyne.ss, was found on Monday morn-
ing in the waggon way of the Maudlin Seam. The
head was severed from the body. One leg was lying
two yards off, and the other had been thrown against
the roof of the waggon way. The explorers had
passed the body about twenty times but it was taken
for a piece of sacking until the decomposition had
compelled the passers by to examine it. The Marquis
of Londonderry, the Colonel of the Seaham Artillery
Corps, was to have presented Hindson with tke prize
cup on the flower show day, on the morning of which
he lost his life. The remains were collected and put
into a coffin and conveyed to Hindson's house. at
Seaham Harbour. Hindson leaves a widow and three
daughters and two eons. One of the daughters was
to have been married this week to a poor fellow who
also lost his life by the explosion.

The funeral of Corporal Hudson took place on Tuesday.
The deceased resided at Seaham Harbour, hence the burial
took place at St. John's Church, in that town. The funeral
procession left the house of the deceased at five o'clock, the
con being carried on the shoulders of four of his comrades,
members of the Seaham Volunteer Artillery Corps. Al-
though not strictly a military funeral, a number of Volun-
teers, both non-commissioned officers and gunners, were
th ere, as also were Lieut.-Colonel Lord Castlereagh, Major
Emison, Captain Warham (to whose battery deceased
belonged), Lieuts. Parkinson, R. Mann, R. Candlish,
Thorman, and Surgeon Gibbon. On the lid of the coffin was
laid a wreath and cross of flowers made and given to the
widow by Mrs. Warham, wife of Captain Warham. There
were other wreaths given by friends of the deceased. The
gold cup, which deceased won at Shoeburyness was placed
on the coffin likewise. The funeral procession was of great
length, members of the Oddfellows Lodge, which Hindson
was connected with, following as well as numerous trades-
people and inhabitants of Seaham Harbour. The service at
the church was conducted by the Rev. James Collins, who
made special allusion to the sad event by which the de-
ceased lost his life. The streets through which the funeral
cortege passed were lined with spectators. '
The explosion has dealt a sad blow to the Second Durham
(Seaham) Artillery Volunteers. More than a score of its
best members have been lost. Out of the number killed
nine men had formed part of the batteries which had
attended Shoeburyness under Major McKenzie. Included
amongst the killed were several bandsmen.

Fourteen of the killed were Roman Catholics, and special
prayers are said for them daily in the Catholic Chapel. The
Lord Bishoa of the Diocese has sent a letter of sympathy to
the congregation at Seaham Harbour, assuring them of his
prayers and sympathy.
The following subscriptions have been received towards
the Public Relief Fund : the Marquis of Londonderry,
£200; the Marchioness of Londonderry, £5O; Lord Castle-
reagh, £25.

The Home Secretary (Sir William Harcourt) has written to
Lord Castlereagh, expressing his sympathy with those who
are suffering through the disastrous explosion, and adding
that he is satisfied with the state of the mine and the
efficiency of the staff engaged at it.