The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-11 00:00:00

BOROUGH DAM!.

This terrible calamity continues to engross the
attention of the Booth Yorkshire mining districts. No-
thing so fearfully disastrous has occurred in Yorkshire
sines 1857, when the great explosion at Luodhill sent a
thrill of horror throughout the whole country.
The preemies of an immerse crowd of persons from
Barnsley and the surrounding villages, on Tuesday, testified
to the interest which this great calamity hell excited. The
road from Barnsley was thronged throughout the day
with crowds of pedestrians, many of whom were on their
way to the colliery to ascertain the fate of relative. or
friends. Many of the men who are dead formerly re-
sided is Barreile ; and here and there on the road were
earn groups ooilected round women, whew pale arid
pief.uncken features too surely bore witeres to the
outset of their distress. Around the pit mouth there
wee a vast crowd, amongst which were a large number
of the wives and female relatives of the deceased. Some
CI them carried young babies in their arms, sad the
greater part presented • very squalid and arty
stricken appearance. Their grief was painful to
the more pueful that it did not find vent in noisy descen-
d/laicise, but was expremed by the pale, rigid features,
and the fixed and tearless pie with which they regarded
the fatal shaft—the grave of their hopes.
Very soon after the uourreece of the last and bunt
fearful explosion, the proprietor' of the mine summoned to
their aid several local gentlemen of eminence as nixing
engineers. Mr. Brown, of the firm of Blown and Jaffa/elm,
of sheffleld arid Barnsley ; Mr. Maddixon, of the Worebtro'
Park Pita, sad Mr. Mitchell, the managing partner, held
a eonanitatisa with the view et deciding on ;same
tarns of extulpiehing the fire is the wise, and re-
covering the bodies. As one result of their deli-
berations, a large body of workmen were set to die • trench
from the main shaft to a small stream stir the Deane, and
Dove Canal, the inteutioe being to flood the worksheet that
source. The men worked to strong relays dune( the whole
of the night, and on needs, townie( were still Asrwaly
at work. The difference iq *levels of the pit hill sad Vie
bed of the stream was so gre“ that the trench was ulna
to be cut to • depth of 14 fedl bash through the hill
any fall could be obtained by *Web the water would run
into the mine. The cutting was, partly through the rock,
and the work entailed immerse labour, and was not con-
cluded when we left the colliery is the evening. The
prepa-
rations
to flood the mine were viewed with marited
favour bye large number of the younger colliers, many of
whom were saxious that another attempt should he made
to recover the bodies before the water was turned in upon
them. This feeling was very naturally shared by
the wives and female relatives of the entombed
miners' and as the day wore on and Do attempt
was made to go down the mine, the crowd indulged
in some strong expressions of opinion. The front
of the office, wherein the consultations were being held, of
Mr. Morton, the government inspector for the district,
and the gentlemen above-named, was thronged with
women, whose overpowering anxiety to get the
bodies of their friends out of the mine was repeatedly ex-
premed. About 3 o'clock, Mr. Morton and Mr. Bar-
tholomew passed through the crowd, and imme-
diately afterward' • cry was raised for "volunteer
to go down the shaft." lostantly the number men-
tioned—six—was supplied thrice over by the brave but en-
rollee/dog misers ; but after a long interval of anxious sta.
pease, it wee decided that there should be no attempt made
to penetrate into the mine until it was ascertained whether
the fire was out or not. The decision was received with
great dissatisfaction, and eventually a deputation, consist-
ing of eight veteran colliers, was selected to wait upon the
managers. The men composing the deputation were John
Shelton, James Stork, John Rigby, Edward Thorley,
Richard Wilson, Wm. Stanton, John Wrote, and Robert
Retoliffe. They were admitted to an interview, after which
they stated that they had come to the conclusion that
nobody living was left in the pit on Tuesday at four o'clock,
but that the crowd wished to see the bodice out. Mr. Mor-
too replied that as government inspector be could notassect
to the application. Ile could not allow any one to act in a
manner which would probably put more lives in peril by
causing another explosion, more severe than the others. The
blind and ignorant ram, atienoe which the crowd exhibited
against Mr. Morton became more serious, and a large crowd
aseenabled in front of his quarters in the evening, and one of
the men was seen to throw a stone through one of the office
windows. A riot is anticipated if the intention to flood the
mine is carried out. It was expected that the water would
be turned in about eight yesterday morning.
In reference to the ventilation of the mine, the general
statement is that the 'amply of air warvery . good. In
a statement proreding from the proprietors, we
found a passage : 'The miss was worked with safety-
lampe— fitepheneoe's." In testing the various rumours
by personal inquiry emseed the men, we were assured
must positively that no lamps had been used until last
Saturday, and then only by the men engaged in working
near where the explosion took place. The other informants
added that the gas had " tired " repeatedly in that district
during the past week, and that on one occasion a fire burned
for three hours before the steward and his men succeeded in
extinguishing it. The truth of these statements will of course
be tested bye jury.
The calamity has deprived 29 women of their husbands,
and made 77 children orphaos. There were 15 single men and
one widower amongst the killed, and eight boys. Some
of the saes arc peculiarly &stemming. The widow of one man
(Charles Frobisher) had, when she married him, a family
of three children by her first husband, who was killed
at the great explosion at Daley Main. The unfortunate
woman has again lost her sole support by this calamity. In
one family (earned Hartley) death hes been busy. Mrs.
Hartley died a few mouths ago, and now the father and
two sons are carried off at one stroke, leaving the remaining
child, a girl, dependent upon charity for a livelihood.
Many of the households in Worsborough bale and the
Common, so lately happy and thriving have been suddenly
deprived of the bmedwinsire, and reduced to despondency
and poverty. Mr. Smith, sumeon, of Barnsley, who a
assiduously attending to the sufferers, states that several of
them are in a critical position. Every attention is being
paid to the unfortunate men, and there are hopes enter-
tained that the bulk of them rill be able to go about again
in a short time. _ _ _

Mr. Taylor, coroner, opened an inquest on Tusedsy night
oa the body of the man named Davy, then lying at the
Masons' Arms. Formal evidence of identity was given,
and the inquest adjourned. George Pickering died whilst
the inquiry was proceeding.
At nine o'cl.ak on Tuesday night the engineers of the
inspector determined to " seal-up " all the piss, and turn
the water in, with* view of putting out the fire. Threats
were freely uttered as to what would be done if the engi-
neers persisted in their intention.

Now ready, Woe ed.,
SOMEBODY'S LUGGAGE,
Forming the
EXTRA DOUBLE NUMBER for CHRISTMAS