The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-02 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 2,

horse or a vehicle; but tutor had seized the public mind,
and the landlords were unwilling, as they expressed, it,
" to trust either animal or vehicle, for love or money,
among them colliers." The rail bat thing was to get a
guide The proposition was regarded as little less than
madness ; for the road was said to bel not only dark and
difficult, but blocked up with riotous and disorderly people.
In proof of Me at one of the hotels I was taken tea horseman
who had just made the passap—a servant of Lord Balcarras
—who bad been despatched by Mr. Peace with a message
to the authorities of Wigan for military aid. This man
said the road would be dangerous, and it appeared that he
bad received several blows on one leg as he rode to Wigan,
one of which has slightly lamed him. A guide was at
length obtained, however, and we got off, by way of
Millgate, on the right track. We soon learnt that the
military had 20 minutes' start of us, and various reports
were flitting about as to a collision having taken place.
Some said the military had fired upon the people al-
ready, and killed several; others said it was the Welsh
hnobsticks who had been " blazing away" at them. We
began to meet large groups of colliers coming back from
the saw-mills, some of whom, on being:questioned, scowled
angrily, and said there bad been nothing at all. The
road was as black as the night, was very
and the huge bluing fires lighted up on the
coal-pit banks on either side the way cast a
glare which was almost blinding. Now and then
at an angle or curve of the road, the flickering lights would
suddenly half reveal a group of colliers coming hastily
from behind a hedge, having apparently been taking a
short cut across the fields. Most of them had been running
and were out of breath. These were the men who most
strenuously and unciurtcously denied that there had been
any disturbance. Taken unexpectedly with the question
they stammered unintelligibly for a moment, as if an
accusing witness were suddenly confronting them, before
giving a direct denial; and there is probably little doubt
that many of them had been actual rioters. Arriving an
the Springs-bridge, which is at a considerable elevation
above the canal, a singular scene presented itself. The saw
mills are oa the left band side of the road, on the further
bank of the canal. What are called the saw mills are in
fact tile wink! generally of the sawyers, carpenters, and
other artisans employed to prepare timber, waggons,
ironwork, and other materials for the extensive colliery
of the Earl of Ealcarres. Mr. Peace, the manager,
has his offices there, and trimmacts his principal business at
the works. The canal forms the left boundary of the
premises, and substantist buildings of stone enclose it on
the right and further side. As you enter it from the (rani,
' a temporary wooden fence, six or seven feet high, has been
•T=llllMplete the enclosure on that aide, in which is
dear. A pile of warehousing across the centre
d the premises, with a gateway in the middle, divides
Am into two spacious yards, the first about 100, and the
eneend nearly 200 yards in length, varying in width from
a few yards at the entrance to 100 yards along the greater
portion of the place. We could not distinguish these out-
lines in the gloom of night, when we reached Spring's-
bridge ; a huge blazing fire, in the n yard, threw
everything around into deeper shade, and the spectator had
to look steadily down from the battlements of the bridge
for some moments before he could distinguish the line
of the canal underneath. There was no rioting going
on now, but the light of the fire partly revealed to view a
long file of infantry drawn up under arms. A good num-
ber of person!' were leaning on the battlement of the bridge
looking at them, and a sullen voice near us was heard to
mutter to his companion, " It would be easy work to pick
one or two of those devils off from here !" Suddenly the
word of command was given by Captain Wilt, and the
steady tramp of the soldiers in motion wu heard. We
found that th were retracing their steps to Wigan, and
soon afterwards they passed over the bridge, followed now
and then with a cry of disapprobation, but those who
raised the cry hastily slunk into obscurity under the shadow
of buildings or hedges. What was most surprising to a
stranger was, the hardihood with which people who stood
on the bridge, and acknowledged they had been there
during the evening, denied that there bad been any attack
on the premien—that there bad been any shooting—and
that any one had received injury! We learnt, however,
with some difficulty, that there could be no doubt at hut
one man bad been shot, and that he had bees either killed
er so seriously wounded as to be unable to walk, having
been borne away on the shoulders of others. Some ac-
counts were that two men had been so borne away, and
that others were wounded.

This morning more reliable information is at hand. It
appears that yesterday (Monday) morning a note was re-
ceived at the sawmills that two meetings of operative col-
lien were to take place—one at Wigan, the other at Aspuil,
and after this one party were to attack the knobsticks at
the sawmills and the other were to find work for the autho-
rities and military at Wigan. Inspector Oallott, with six
men of the Bolton division of the county police, was sent
for from Aspen to augment the small defensive force of
workmen at the sawmills, and stationed them in the outer
yard. About six o'clock in the evening a noise wes
heard of a greater number of men coming from the direc-
tion of Wigan, and it was soon found that they were armed
with heavy sticks and stones. The mob was about 350 in
number. On reaching the front gates of the saw-mills,
it appeared evident that they had expected to meet a large
reinforcement of colliers from Agouti and Blackrod. One
of the leaden said their promised allies were " soft —,"
and dared not join them. They passed on towards Asian!'
• short distance, bat finding no reinforcement, they held a
short consultation, wheeled about, end attacked the saw-
mills by trying to force the gates of the outer yard. They
struck the gate with stones and pieces of wood, and threw
stones at the police inside. Unable to force it, the word
was given to scale the boarding ; but immediately the
placed their hands on the top of this fence, the police struck
them and beat them off. Mr. Peace was there with four
of his men, and they and the ten police fought resolutely.
The beelegers seemed equally determined, and several had
to he struck heavily on the head, lacerating the scalp, before
they could be dropped. After maintaining this point
of defence for about a quarter of an hour,
however, numbers prevailed. Many of the rioters got to •
part of the wooden fence commanding the position of the
defenders at the gate in flank and rear; and one of their
huge missiles (which were bricks and stones) knocked a
policeman down, and rendered him fora few moments
senseless. A party of the assailants were heard working
steadily also to open • passage through the fence by tearing
off some of the boards, sad this they effected. The police
sergeant steadily refused Mme dreams, but said hie men
should stand at the piss is keg as they could bold them.
Mr. Peen seeing their danger—for the mob were mad-
dened by resistance, and yelled and uttered dreadful
threats, hitting the party inside frequently with atones—
now advised that they should withdraw to the inner
yard, where they would be pble to keep their
assailants at bay more effectually until the assist-
ance of the soldiery was at hand, which had already
been sent for. Immediately upon this retreat the mob
hunt into the yard in great numbers, and it was taken
possession of by between 200 and 900 men, mostly active
young colliers. A large fire was burning in the centre, and
this they overturned, and commenced kicking and knock-
ing about to the serious danger of the surrounding pro-
perty. The police force held the door-way between the
two yards, and Mr. Peace aad his men took up a posi-
tion in the warehouses, of which these gates form the
centre, and the windows of which commanded the spot
where the rioters were now assembled. One of the men
in the warehouse now tired his gun at them through
the window—having first broken the glass with its
muzzle; and this struck them with a momentary
panic, in which they retreated to near the outer
gate. Some of the leaders here called out to
their companions that they wen " soft if they were
frightened at that, and they were rallied, and again ad-
vanced about 70 yards towards the inner yard. Here four
more guns were discharged at them from the warehouse.
which evidently took effect, and led to a precipitate and
general retreat. The mob immediately evacuated the
premises, and Sergeant Gillott with his men now left by a
back entrance, and by a short circuit gained the main road,'.
where he found the rioters dispersing towards Wigan. Mr.
Superintendent Scott soon afterwards arrived with cutlasses
for the police, and now took charge of them himself. In
about half an hour afterwards the military arrived from
Wigan, consisting of 150 nos, under Captain Wilt, with
whom were Mr. Jos. Acton, magistrate; and the Hon. Col.
Lindsay and the Hon. Colin Lindsay, sons of Lord Balcarrta,
wind from Haigh Hall. They remained some time on the
premises, and .ultimately a body of 50 soldiers wets
left to protect the place, under Dent. Brown Weathead.
The police force also still remain in charge. The police
sergeant states that he subsequently learnt that several of
the rioters were wounded, one man being shot in the leg,
another through the arm and hand, and one in the face ;
but nothing more has been heard respecting them. They
were heard to say, in going away, that the man shot is the
hand was the one who overturned the fire.
. _

But from a better source of information than this we are
able to state the exact effect of the shots fired. A collier,
who there is reason to believe was present, says that the
tint shot fired wounded two, striking one in the arm and
the other in the breast. The next discharge of tout (but
as he supposed only three) guns, also took signal effect. He
says either do or seven were shot, one in the thigh (shat-
tering the bone it was feared, for this man could not
walk afterwards and bad to be carried away), and others in
various parts of the body. In the whole there were eight
or nine shot. This man states (giving the facts very
reluctantly for fear of criminating himself-on the one hand
with the authorities, and from a desire not to disclose say-
thing to injure others) that they parted with their band of
music at &holes, en the way from Wigan ; that in fact
they drove them away, not choosing that the musicians
should know what was farther intended to be done.

There was no further disturbance during the night, nor
up to our report keying ; but there is great doubt if ano-
ther attempt will not be made in some quarter. About a
quarter-past 2 this morning the military were reinforced by
• troop of the let Royal Dragoon, under Captain Ainslie,
from Manchester, who have taken up their quarters at the
Royal Hotel, having left Manchester at half-put 10 on
Monday night.

DANGER OF USING LEAD, COPPER, OR ZINC
Picas.—The Minister of Commerce, Agriculture, and Pub-
lic Works in France has just issued a circular to all pre-
fects, calling upon them to put a stop to the use of lead,
copper, or zinc pipes in breweries. The minister in his
circular states that " Experience proves that beer, by sim-
ple contact with lead, takes up an appreciable quantity of
the metal, and thus acquires poisonous properties." Leaden
pipes are not only need in breweries, but a custom has
arisen in taverns, and in houses where wine is sold, of
using a small pump, which communicates with the barrels
in the cellar by means of a leaden pipe. The ue of the
pipe in this instance is peculiarly objectionable, inasmuch
as the action of the pump is at intervals only. A whole
family' was poisoned by using for some time a pump of this
kind for drawing up their ordinary consumption of win..—
.karma °JOG socift, of Arts.