The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-22 00:00:00

"Sze

Viventi sepulcrum,
Morieotl bospitium,
trdique beneficium."
Thus translated :—" Soreze ! A tomb for the luau
when living ; an asylum for him when expiring ;
benefit in either case."

THE FEARFUL EXPLOSION AT CETHIN
COLLIERY, NEAR MERTHYR.

Mr. William Jbllea, the manager of the Cyfartbfa
Works; Mr. Kirkhame, the colliery manager; and Mr.
Moody, with Mr. Leveret*, colliery manager of Plymouth
Works, descended the pit immediately after the accident,
and worked nobly in order to rescue those who might yet
be alive. But the task was one of great danger. The
insidious choke-damp, or carbonic acid gas, which
is evolved by an explosion, combined with • most offen-
sive stench from the omen of singed bodies and burnt
borer, rendered exploration most difficult, so much so that
two volunteers were dragged from the bottom of the pit
insensible, and nearly all suffered extremely. At length,
by forcing down large quantities of water, which fell at the
bottom and (attired a great draught, the ezplorers were en.
abled to penetrate with safety. When they reached the
four-foot seam the spectacle was harrowing. In every di-
rection bodies were met with, in every conceivable form of
death produced by violence. Some, it is true, looked as
tranquil as if they slept; but the mass were bruised and
battered, and the workings were destroyed to a ruinous
degree. One by one the bodies were found and
placed near the bottom of the shaft, and when the
number of 47 had been collected, and the greater part re-
cognised, preparations were made for taking them up the
shaft. At 7 o'clock, on a dark, dull night, the rain falling,
and the hills narrowing together in appearance and adding
to the solemn gloom,tbe first batch of bodies was brought to
bank. Thousands were &rambled around, and on these,
among whom, here and there, were the sorrowiog bereaved,
the flame of torches glared, making a fearful and most
gloomy picture. Batch by batch, tram-full after tram-fall,
they were brought up, and then conveyed by the Cyfarthfa
Railway to Merthyr. In every corner of Merthyr the sorrows
of crushed homes were revealed that Light, every group in
the street had some new horror to relate,and general mourn.
lag and earnest sympathy abounded.
Mr. B. T. Orawdry, sou of the proprietor of the
colliery, writes to his father, who is in town :
"Cyfarthfa, Feb. 20.
"My dear Father,—l grieve to repeat the axident at
Cethin yesterday is a most awful ons-46 men killed in the
whole and four horses. It is most dreadful, and the whole
place is quite upset by it. AU the men being killed, there is no
means of knowing exactly the cause of it ; but it seems by
all to be thought that it arose from an air-door being left
open. The men were at dinner in different places, and in
some of their mouths bread and cheese were found ; so
these must have died most instantaneously, and no mark
of injury on them ; their feature wen quite placid,
being killed by the • afterdamp e others were burnt sadly,
and some frightfully bruised—their heads split in half. It
was 7 o'clock before they got all the bodies up, as the fells
prevented the men getting to them. It is a most dreadful
oconnemoe, and makes us all feel quite wretched. We are,
of course, doing all we can in every way, and last night
carpenters and sawyers were working all night at coffins
cad new air-door. The mine inspector will be here to-
day, and I will let you know all that takes place. By
all I can hear, I believe it must have bean by leaving an
air-door open, for there was no fear of tire-damp in that
place. The colliers are mostly all oat throughout the
works, and nothing doing underground, so I expect mina
and forges will be idle to-morrow. The poor fellows will
be buried on Saturday.
"ROBERT THOMPSON CT/AVM/A."

Mr. Crawshay, ee•., says :—" For more than fifty years
I have myself, with the best professional assistance in the
different departments which I could procure, 000 ducted
my works at Merthyr Tydvil, and during this period
I cannot remember more than • single death at one
time from accident there. lam quite appalled at this
present awful and calamitous loss of life, and would ere
this have been upon the spot ; but, entering, as I shall
in • few days, my 75th year, and suffering severely from
rheumatism and neuralgia, I do not feel equal to the melan-
choly task. I have, however, directed my son that nothing
be spend for the relief of any poor creatures who may be
living and injured, and I tam sure his own feelings will have
insured this. 1 am also earnestly desirous that the most
searching and public inquiry may be made into the cause of
this lamentable accident—that my pita, engine, air-ways,
and all connected with the colliery, be subjected to the
closest scrutiny of the best professional skill sod knowledge
to be procured upon the subject. Every possible oppor-
toady and facility of inveatigation shall be afforded by my
sou ; and I am as anxious as you or the public cos be to kiwi,.
whether I am deceived or not in the professional talent
which I employ, at greet expense, to conduct, regulate, and
carry oa my works of all kinds, underground and above-
ground, so that every advantage of ventilation and safety
may be afforded to ray workmen ; and I shall hope to find,
after the closest examination of all the facts of this deplo-
rable case, that it has arisen from accident, neglect, or em-
issaries@ of the poor matures themselves, rather than from
want of proper means provided for their safety by their
employer ; and I am, I think, sanctioned in this expectation
by the long-continued freedom from soy very severe acci-
dent at my works."

WEATHER

IRT.-(THIS DAY.)

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