The Press.
London, England, 1857-04-18 00:00:00

Xaii nCIaI.

NUMEROUS COLLIERY ACCIDENTS have occurred
recently. On Thursday week, at Greenlawalls new
colliery, near Puddo, about ten miles west of
Berwick, an accident by which the pit was filled
with water resulted in the death by drowning of five
men then at work. On Saturday an explosion took
place at the Bredbury New Pit, near Stockport, when
one man and two boys were killed, and five men
severely wounded. There is very little doubt that
the lamentable accident was caused by the culpable
negligence of one of the men in working with his
naked candle. The same night an explosion at
the Gorse Colliery, Swansea, resulted in the death
of three persons, and several others severely in-
jured. The men who were to take the night turn
proceeded to their work ss usual, at six o'clock, and
a)thing extraordinary happened until about eleven
o'clock, when one of the men engaged in the pit
proceeded to a part of the work where it was neces-
sary that safety lamps should be used. He carried
a safety lamp himself, but for some reason he bad
taken the cap off, so that the light was exposed.
Some of his fellow-workmen, it is said, remonstrated

38 2

with him upon his conduct, and requested him to
replace the cap, but he paid no attention to their
injunctions, and the consequence of course was that
an explosion took place.
THE CORONER'S INQUIRY into the circumstances
of the Lundhill explosion, by which no less than 189
persons hive lost their lives, was resumed on the
9th instant, when Mr. Joseph Coe, the viewer and
underground manager of the colliery, was examined.
Mr. Morton, the Government inspector of mines, the
proprietors, and other gentlemen were present, as at
previous sittings. The inquiry has now occupied
seven days, during which forty seven witnesses have
been examined. The evidence of Mr. Joseph Coe,
the viewer, lasted upwards of five hours. This gen •
tleman, who had the entire control and supervision
of the underground workings, was in the pit on the
day preceding the explosion, and made a minute
examination of the whole of the north side, which he
found to be well ventilated, quite free from gas, and
in the best working order. With one or two excep-
tions, this favourable condition of the pit was deposed
to by all the witnesses. On being asked whether he
could form any opinion as to the cause of the explo-
sion, the witness said he was utterly at a loss to
account for it, but that he had formed a notion
(which was, however, merely hypothetical) that it
was possible, after the lower roof had fallen, that the
stronger roof above might have given way, and thus
liberated large quantities of gases, which would ex-
plode on contact with the nearest naked light. He
did not think the ventilation by trap-doors an effi-
cient mode, and considered double doors safer than
single ones. He also thought that all mines in the
Barnsley district ought to be worked exclusively with
safety lamps, and expressed his opinion that the
mode of getting coal throughout the district was the
most wretched and dangerous within his knowledge.
At the conclusion of Mr. Coe's evidence, the inquest
was adjourned to the 30th instant. One of the bodies
has been recovered ; it was found between eleven and
twelve o'clock on Friday night, the 10th instant. The
f %Mures were frightfully distorted, the legs and arms
broken, the feet cut, and the head and other parts
• • crushed as to render the appearance of it one
Oiapeless mass of flesh, and entirely irrecolmisable.
Tice body was buried with secrecy on Monday even-
ig, although not viewed by the coroner. The chair
which was left at the bottom of the shaft has been
recovered and hoisted up.
A SHOCKING ♦ND FATAL ACCIDENT occurred in a
Manchester warehouse on Monday. A hoist used
for the purpose of lifting goods from one floor to
another had been fitted by Messrs. J. Pender and
Co., with Mr. Hugh Baines's patent self-acting safety
apparatus, a contrivance for preventing accidents in
cue of any of the ropes failing in the ascent of
goods or servants from one storey to the other; and
o I Tuesday evening a trial was being made of it
with six persons in the cage. On the cage arriving
at the upper storey the rope was disconnected (which
would be the same as if it was broken), and the
patent apparatus for checking the thscent of the
hoist should have come into play. The apparatus,
however, did not act, and the consequence was that
the cage descended with frightful velocity to the
basement floor, a depth of fifty feet. Two of the
gentlemen in the cage, Mr. Peacock, head ware-
houseman, and his brother, had stepped out upon
the upper floor just as the rope was disconnected,
and were saved from injury, but the other four sus-
tained serious injuries, and were carried to the in-
firmary, where one of them, named Shaw, died the
same night. Mr. Baines is one of the sufferers,
sustaining severe laceration of one foot.
MR. J. G. DODSON, M.P., met with a slight acci-
dent last week after the declaration of the poll.
Driving home in his gig, with a spirited mare in the
shafts, they came up with a body of electors cart ying
flags, which being suddenly unfurled, as Mr. Dodson
was recognised, so alarmed the mare that she ran
up on the raised bank by the roadside, and, being
pulled back too sharply by Mr. Dodson, fell over and
capsized the gig. Mr. Dodson was extricated with.
oat serious injury.
THE SOUTHAMPTON BANQUET to the Lord Chief
Justice, is fixed for Saturday the 25th.
THE THUNDERSTORM which broke over the
country on Friday week was very destructive in the
West Riding. The house of Mr. T. P. Ramsden,
of Pontefract, was struck by the electric fluid, which,
passing down the chimney, struck Mr. Rams-
den, who was standing near the fire, and also his
daughter, who was seated a short distance from him.
Mr. Ramsden was not mach injured, but his daugh•
tar was prostrated with great violence, rendered
blind and insensible, and has lost the use of her
lower extremities. The storm took a south-
easterly direction, and burst with considerable vio-
lence in the evening, at Boston, where the lightning
struck the residence of Mr. Mowbray, farmer, of
Hill-dike Bar, and completely demolished the gabls
of the house, penetrated iato the interior, and
injured three of the servants. One of the girls
was paralysed by the shock, and remained
for some tame in an alarming state of prostration.

THE PRESS.

Numerous accident% of a minor character are re-
ported in the Midland districts, but there was no loss
of life.

gatal a glilitarg anttilignut.

STAFF EDUCATION.

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE,
General Commanding in-Chief, has issued the
following General Order (No. 685 ), regulating from
the Ist of January 1858, the educational qualifications
of staff officers. This regulation is not intended to
affect officers now on the staff :