The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-01 00:00:00

THE LAU COLLIERY EXPLOSION&

(Frnat the !Me, Start)

Tiii reeklesi and C 3110114 Waste of hump lii in
coal-pits--the eonsequenee ii slicer t
and shabby stiagait-s, -is iutukTable. b4Cit:daeesell
ground black republics are well-nigh as prelate in
slaughter a rid republic above ground could be.
On a rent S ourday miming there was a coal-
pit explosion At Raw marsh. near Rotherham ; at
beat fifty pollic lost their lives; on the following
Tuesday rort)-one funerals tool: place in the
small %Wage churchyard--holly pits, calculated
to receive several occupants. having been pre-
pared for the occasion. On Monday week there
was an explosion of tire-damp in a colliery near
Wigan; thirteen people were kit ed, more were
injured to an extent that forbids all hope of recovery.
At the inquest held On the bodies of the sufferers at
Rawivarsh, the coroner adverted to a similar accident
which bad occurred at Woodthorpe in the course
of last month; to the lianby mean explosion in
11419, by which ;:r persons lost their lives; to the
Ardaley explosion in INC. by which 70 were hur-
ried into eternity. Year after year the work of de-
struction is all., e eel to go on unchecked. Every
week has its tale of horror. NOW Lancashire is the
scene of the massacre-. now Yoe...shire. In the coal
districts weekly liesatonilis arc offered up to the evil
powers of ignorance. rashness and cupidity.
In every case almost it is clear that the most slo-
venly and culpable carelessness has been the cause of
the fatality. In the civil-pit near Wigan, we are told
that the men socked a ith naked candles; and
that on the strength of there having been " not any
explosion tit any Conbeglit'llCe baste," although it is
admitted that there had been " what the colliers
term ' Hushes,' by which men have been slightly
burnt." It appears from the evidence of the engine
tenter of the colliery at Reamers'', that a 'fire-
trier' was indeed in the habit of going down every
morning to we that the works were all safe ; but
that " it was PO 11611114 to report on the state of the
pit ;" that the engine-tenter a as not cautioned to
prevent others from following the tire-trier till the
state of the work* was reported; that other men
were actually let down along with him. Here
too, as at Wigan, "the men were not furnished with
Dave-lamps, the pit being considered to be safe to
work with the naked caiedk." In the Itawmarsh
case the evidence given on the inquest, printed in our
journals, shows the existowe of st it t gre uter negligence.
'the culpable rashness evinced in thew two caws
must be inconceivable to any Arson not familiar with
the business of excavating coal. When such a per-
son reads the account of the Itawmarsh explosion,
is told how the accident converted the shaft of the
pit into a monster cannon, from the mouth of which
" carves, chair, rope, and coals: weighing from two
to three tons, were propelled like canister or chain
shot,—when lie reflects that the development of in-
flammable gas is, in coal pits. the rule and not the
exception.—be can scarcely, even with the fatal evi-
dence of the truth Mere him, believe that men can
be found fool-hardy enough to work with naked
candks, or employers so callous as to content them-
selves with sending down a " fire trier" as a mere
matter of form.
The explanation is. however, obvious enough : the
men are ignorant and unreasoning; their employers
have no due sow of the responsibility they incur by
exposing such men to danger. It is notorious how
brie I an impunity reconciles men to posts of extreme
peril : how soon caution is relaxed among those who
have to work daily amid the nest powerful elements
of destitution. .1 he driver of a steam locomotive be-
comes in a few days as insensible to the risk of be-
ing blown tie or run away with as if he were be.
striding a Newroundland dog; the operative in a
gunpowder mill exposes himself to be blown up ra-
ther than he at the troub:c of changing his =
to obtain a little more light the collier uses a
candle amid explosive gas constantly geuerating.
The emplovcrs of these men know their obtuseness
and lack oat foresight, but to save themselves trouble,
or to save themselves expense, they leave them to
their Dan heedlessness': even when the law imposes
precautions they are enforced in a lax, inefficient
manner, barely sufficient to save appearances, and
escape a conviction.
It hat e in he done to reform this scandalous state
of affairs? In the virtue of a government superiu-
Widener, we confess we have no faith. We nave
government inspectors of collieries, and what have
we got by them? A few pretty ingenious dilet-
tante essays on the dangers which beset the excava-
tion of coal, on the precautions adopted in other
countries, on the moral duty of being cautious and
careful; essays duly printed every session for the
use of members of pailiament who could not read a
tithe of the blue books with which they are inun-
dated, even though they were to devote all their
waking hours to the task ; essays iuto which no
mortal ever looks except some dozen or two of en-
thusiastic amateurs of such inquirers.
It will be said, multiply your colliery inspectors,
inert-am their powers. But if the men whose line
are put in peril, the owners who arc exposed to lon
by their machinery being destroyed and their pits
rendered for a time unworkable, uniformly boxing
Ca/View and reckless, what motives elle =IMO limp
less, incessant, efficient wetchfuloon OE the port
men who draw regular salaries as long as than
enough to save appearances, are exposed to no per
sonat danger, and have nothing to lose by the
demential* of machinery and the spoiling of cost.
pits ? It is absurd to imagine that grown nee
who have the strongest possible inducement' ell
take cue of themselves, if they neglect to do les On
tie taken care of by men whose motives are 1111111
strong, as children are taken care of by a names&
Without denying that something is to be
by placing at the disposal of government a 101
preventive, or di teetive, or precautionary cnailit
pities, it may be held to be proved that tag
given number of inspectors, armed with any fninP
ginable powers, cannot materially diminish Heir fres
queue, or destructiveness of coal-pit accidents. Ts
accomplish this desirable end we must go to nark
with the owners and their workmen, and teach then
to take care of themselves.
Something may be done in this way by penal
legislution and its vigorous enforcement. Severe
pe nullity, sternly exacted, upon every man con-
victed of having caused or contributed to
an accident by his carelessness, and upon
all owners convicted of having failed to
establish and carry out a strict system of precau-
tionary discipline, cannot be altogether unavailing.
Abstractedly considered, it may appear to be aboard
to imagine that men, utterly regardless of life, limb,
or property, can be influenced by any such additional
punishnwiits as public opinion would allow them to
be subjected to. But, if we look to the history of
our voice courts, we can see how efficacious the ad-
diti in of punishment is to check fools, over wham
considerations of common sena° and common
morality have no control. The house of correction

has been found an eminent counter-agent even to the
insane propensity to seirmit suicide.
Something, however, is wanted in addition to
penalties. The efficacy of coercion and punishment
to restrain delinquencies is limited. Among tolerably
intelligent and moral communities, comparatively
few punishments are required to keep men in order :
among ignorant and depraved communities, coercion
and puntshtuent create a momentary terror, but, at
the same time, a permanent rebellious and com-
bative spirit of resistance and evasion.
Now, then, is the morale and the intelligence of
the coal-working and the coal-owning community to
be improved That is a problem .that can only be
solved by some person intimately conversant with
the condition and habits of that portion of the popu-
lation. We du not pretend to such a knowledge of
all ear coal districts ; and we know that the social
mini economical condition of different districts differs
But we have been much with and among
iial`OW110:1111 and colliers in mote than one district
and there is one feature of the social circumstances
hall with which we are acquainted, to which it may
not be unprofitable to direct attention.
In all the districts to which we refer there has been
a material change for the course in the character both
of the employers and the employed the last
fifty years. The former have more remiss
in their duty of enforcing nstemetic audios sad en-
orderly habits aog the man • the latter
have become mere rude, km intelligent, less honest,
more reckless. To this disastrous change two things
have chiefly contributed. The first was the sudden
and enormous extension of the coal trade ; the second,
the foolish and grasping spirit of the men. ilte
first began the evil; the second augmented it ; and
then the first came again into play to complete the
mischief.

Up to the beginning of the present century the
occupation of coal mining was, in a manner, a here-
ditary business. Both among employers and cm-
ploj cel it was transmitted from hither to son. The
demand had nut become so great as to overtook those
already engaged in it, or to attract new speculators.
The masters were in easy circumstances, and could
afford to be liberal; the men might be illiterate, but
they had a rude art and science of their own—a pro-
fesoonal skill in which they prided themselves; and
this partial development of their faculties, and
their habit of regarding themselves as supe-
rior to common wurtmen, made them pru-
dent and forecasting. The increased demand for
coals consequent upon the growth of manufacturing
industry brought new capital and new employers
into the business. Greater demand for labour raised
wages, but at the same time employment became
subject to the same intermissions as in the manufac-
tures to which coal had been rendered subservient.
As in other trades, the wen combined to exact regu-
lar high remuneration from their musters. The
nature of their employment rendered combination
and coercion on their part comparatively easy. They
insisted upon prescribing what quantity of coals
each man should be allowed to turn out in • day,
and what men should be exclusively allowed to
work. For • time the masters yielded; but the
laws which regulate labour and the application of
capital could not be controlled. To escape bank-
ruptcy they were obliged to call in a new class of
hands; the new speculators had little scruple in
doing so. The new workmen, collected from all
quarters, were morally and intellectually inferior to
the old. The old hands soon found themselves obliged
to evade their own regulations; the quantity of
coals a man could turn out in a day was limited, but
he took one or two of his children down the pit with
him and claimed to turn out an additional quantity
in their name. The rising generation thus prema-
turely tasked became in all respects more obtuse and
reckless than their hithers; the old and new colliers
sank to a common level. l'ileanwhile new coalpits
were opened by capitalists who had other occupa-
tious, and left the charge to overseers, less interested
in the maintenance of discipline, less able to enforce
it. The result has been that ignorance, these habits
of irregularity among the workmen, and that lax
superintendence and control which, as we have seen,
have occasioned such fatal accidents as those at Haw-
marsh and Wigan.
We repeat, these observations apply only to a few
coal districts. How it may stand iu ethers we know
not ; but it is obvious that owing to the causes we
have enumerated or others, the increasiug ignorance
of the men, and the culpable indifference ut inaaters,
are all but universal. 'flare can be no safety in coal-
pits till a great reform iu these respect* has taken
place. Aud to the musters, whose education and
social position render them most capable of origi-
nating the reform,—and whose culpability is in conse-
quence greatest if they shrink from originating it,
—society is entitled to look for the beginning of the
good work.

NEW POSTAL ARRANGEMENTB.—After the sth of
this month the whole of the letter receivers in rural dis-
tricts wi.l be denominated subisostmasters, and the name
of receiver will be limited to those who keep letter eerie-
ing boxes in towns. After the above dete also the machinery
fur accounting to the pulthe revetsue for the unpaid puer
ou letter. originating and dklivend in the some official d teis-
trict will be simplified. This can now be door, it appears,
in consequence of the compulsory prepayment of postage
by stamps in the provinces. Already this new regulation
, or' compulsory stamp prepayment has reduced the sums
.tecteil by cosuitry picitunuiters fur postage on letters sent
ay cress-road mails to oue-eighth of whit it amounted to
peviria to the introduction of the new regulation, and it
has also reduced the pottage collected by country post-
masters is ceensperdeace peening through London upwards
04•30 pet amt. Fee the year ending in Janaary, 1831, pro
wiserl pastaseders solicited upwards of 400,000/. in money
postage, sail upwards of 800,0001. for postage stamps. Foe
the future the amount of postage in money will be im-
mensely reduced, and the amount foe postage stamps will
be proportionately increased.
APPOINTME-VTS TO OFFICES.—This day (Thursday)
the set of parliament to simplify the forms of appointments
to certain offices and the menace of passing grants under
the great seal (14 and 15 Victoria, cap. 82) tomes into
force, repealing the statute 27 Heavy Vlll., C. 11, by which
all writings to be pared under the great seal were passed
through the offices of the Signet and Privy Seal by warrants.
In every ere where any gift or great is required to be
pared, her Majesty may, by her warrant to the Lord
Chancellor, cause letters patent to be peened, which warrant
shall be a sufficient warrant for passing letter& palest, and
no Queen's bill, Signet bill, or Privy Seal bill shall be Dere-
eery to the paring of such lettere patine. The offiees of
clerks of the Signet and Privy Seal are by this set abol-
ished, sod nom ton is to be gives to the perms luddi
the °Mese The duties of the Signet-take (act aaprrseded
by this act) are to be performed in the 'Ma of the Secre-
tary of State. The treasury isle regulate the Privy Seal
offices, and to fie whines. Rehm are to be made for paring
letters patent. The act is not to affect letters patent, &e.,
not pass,d through the Signet and Privy Seal Maces. The
act is to take effect from the 31st of December, MI.

EXTINCTION OF A COAL-MINX 171112.—The fire in
Lord Bradford's coal mine at Great Lever, near Bolton,
which originated from an explosion of Are damp, a few
week; ago, has been extinguished by Mr. Gurneys system
of filling the ease with choke damp. The level where the
Are existed is still very hot, but there is so appearance of
the existence of Are. Search has been made for the bodies
of the two unfortunate men who lost their lives by the ex-
plosion, hot hitherto without seems. A portion of their
clothing, w►ieh they take of before commencing work, was
found near the place where they were employed, bat the
bodies were not there, so that it as probable they may have
perished in some of the old working, whilst endeavouring
to make their escape. Or, it may M that the bodies are
covered, the roof of the mine having fallen in various places.
—Mgercheater Guardian.

THERM WILL BE. Five 61:NDATS IN FERRtART
NEXT. A similar event will occur after 28 years, viz.. in
1880. Afterwards there will be no similar occurrence for
forty years, ma, 1920 ; because the year 1900 will not be
leap year, owing to the dropping of a day on the comple-
tion of each century.

ELF.CTRIC TELEGRAVII IN I'ltt7SSlA.—The directors
of the Royal Prussian Telegraph have just directed tenders
to be taken in the English market fur • considerable supply
of wire for their telegraphs. It may wit be generally
known that the Prussian system of telegraphs has been
what may be called " subhumoui," or underground. This
system, owing to the want of the wires, as in this country,
being properly protected by pipet or gotta perch', has been
found not to answer, and the directors of the Royal Prus-
sian Telegraph now propos; in order to place the wires
beyond the reach of the rats and mice that have hitherto
deetroyed them, to Rs, them, as in this country, upon posts
as the route.