The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-09 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 9, 1862.

THE ACCIDENT AT NoNICITZARMOUTH

COLLIERY.

The following additional particulars of thia me-
lancholy accident are from yesterday's Neweastk Chronicle :
" The well-known Pemberton's Pit--as it was ones
called—at Mookwearmouth, Sunderland, is now the some
of another serious calamity, involving, unhappily the uteri-
lice of five lives, and the present loam of employment to
I hundreds of survivors. The colliery, as our readers will
remember, was visited in February last with a tremendous
inundation of water in the A pit, which burst from the
aides of the shaft and rushed down in a great cataract,
completely filling the workings of the Hutton seam, whose
depth is 300 fathoms—three times u deep as the lower
seam of the famous Hartley mine. Above the Hutton is
the Maudlon seam, worked by insane of the B pit, whose
shaft is divided be bratticing into en rimed and downcast,
and communicates into the A pit by means of • drift at the
depth of 180 fathoms. Since the occurrence of the flood
and the consequent stoppage of the A pit, the B pit has
been worked by double ainft, and measures have been ha
progress for the thorough repair of the flooded shaft with •
view to the ultimate freeing of the mine from water. Ac-
cordingly just below the Maudlon seam a strong scaffold
was constructed, being let into the wall of the shaft, and
I forming, as it were, • cork in the neck of the mine, to shut
off all communication with the flooded Hutton, and to re-
ceive the rubbish which might fall during the progress of
the repairs. This scaffold was known to have stood firm up
to last week, because it recently received the dead body of
• poor man who fell down the pit, and on another occasion
the cage alighted upon it through the breaking of the rope.
At the depth of 170 fathoms from the surface a second
scaffold was constructed, so as to shut off communication
between the Maudlon seem and the upper portion of the
A shaft undergoing repairs, and to direct the current of air
into the B pit. This scaffold was constructed after the
completion of the metal tubbing, aed also intended to re-
ceive rubbish or stone which might fall in the course of
subsequent operations. It was formed by strong balks of
timber let into the sides of the shaft, boarded with 3-inch
planks, and covered by something like • thousand tons of
rubbish. making • solid ' cork ' of eleven fathoms in thick-
ness. Thus the sinkers and =sous could proceed with
the minim; of the shaft without interruption, and, es they
fancied, in comparative safety. Them men worked in
shifts, standing upon a " cradle," which is a light round
platform, fitting the circumference of the abaft, and sus-
pended by six chains to the strong rope by which it was
drawn up and lowered down.
" On Friday night there were at work, a hundred fathoms
down, six men,'named C. Wrght, Robert Lamb, David Mason,
James Hall, Robert Dryden, and Joseph Lamb (father
of Robert), who was the man in charge of the shift. Their
time would be up at midnight, and ten minutes before that
hour it was agreed that they should put another stone in.
The elder Lamb asked Wright to go to bank for it, but the
latter declined, telling Lamb to go for it, and he would
%moke a pipe while he was away. He accordingly went to
bank for the stone, and had just placed it in the tub to de-
mand, when he was arrested by the sound of • terrific crash
in the shaft. The immense scaffold, eleven fathoms thick,
had giveu way, and was dashing down the shaft with de-
'tractive force. This was immediately followed by a tre-
mendous rush of the fresh air into the vacuum and down to
the depths of the mine, creating a pneumatic force or suc-
tion so strong that four of the six chains which held the
cradle were snapped asunder, and the cradle, of course,
canting over, the five men were hurled into the abyss be.
neath. The veutilation of the mine was thus deranged,
and the furnaces at the Mandl= were blown out, the fire
scattered along for 100 yards, and the furnace man,
Michael Quinn, and his sou, severely burnt. The noise of
the fall was heard throughout the colliery, and the people
ran out of their homes to the pit mouthto ascertain the mum.
Among them were many drunken pitmen, we regret to say,
who wanted to jump down the shaft, sod perform other
impossible feats, and they so impeded the labours and con-
sultations of the officials, that a force of the borough police
had to be obtained to keep them back. Mr. Button, the
engineer, and the muter sinker, Mr. Wankel', descended
to forty fathoms below where the unfortunate men had been
at work, but could discover nothing of their fate, save the
painfully apparent fact that they had gone to the bottom
of the shaft only to meet with instant death. The mouth
of the shaft was then covered over with planks and tarpau-
lins, to preserve the ventilation until the neighbouring
mining engineers could be called in to advise 111 to the best
means of reaching the bodies. Providing the lower scaf-
fold, at the Maudlon. has stolid firm, the bodies might be
recovered with tolerable facility, but there is too much rea-
ms to fear it would also give way, and therefore they must
be at the bottom of the flooded pit, rendering their reco-
very • matter of considerable doubt. The workmen were
taken out of the B pit immediately on the occurrence of
the accident, and must be " idle" till something definite be
ascertained respecting the situation of the bodies of the lost
singers.

" The whole of the unfortunate men were married, end,
with one exception, had children. Robert lamb was a
yonogman of 21, and married only two or three weeks
since. David Mason, 30 years of age, leaves a widow and
one child ; James Hall, 44 years, widow sod five children ;
Robert Dryden, 35 years, widow and three children ;
Charles Wright, 37 years, widow and seven children. The
latter would seem to have been attended by a singular
fatality, for it was not his turn on the shift ; but ss the
right man, Scott, was out of the way when the shift was
summoned, Wright was induced to go in his room. Then
again, as we have previously stated, be was requested to go
to hank just before the accident. but preferred to remain
behind to smoke a pipe, and met with • terrible doom,
which seemed to hang over him with all the dread fatality
of predestination. It was also the last shift that James
Hall had to work, and he was to have proceeded to Thorn-
ley, his wife corning over to Sunderland on Saturday morn-
ing to meet him. The wife and family of poor Wright are
left unprovided for, as it seems be had neglected to connect
himself with any box or benefit fund.
"On Saturday, at noon, the cover:nig was removed from
the pit month, and workmen descended to get up the
cradle ; and when this had been accomplished new chains
were attached, and it was once more got into order for a
descent Mr. Dunn, the government inspector, with
Meseta Armstrong and Easton, visited the pit during the
forenoon, to consult with the resident viewers and en-
gineers ; but they did not descend. It was deemed advis-
able to put in planking on the sides of the shaft, where
falls of earth or stone had taken plaoe, and during yester-
day (Sunday) this work was making rapid progress. It will
have to be continued, and the shaft sides thoroughly
secured, before any one can with safety descend to attempt
a recovery of the bodies. There have been two or three
additional falls of stone since the accident occurred. The
operations which have been in progress for sinking the B
pit shaft down to the depth of the Hutton seam will be re-
sumed to-day ; hat the misers cannot yet get to work, so
that those who have not been bereaved will have to suffer
hardship through the loss of their employment
"Similar repairs to those required in the Monkwearroonth
Pit have recently been completed in a most satisfactory
manner at Gosforth, by Mr. Coulson, of Durham, the emi-
nent sinker."

FATAL ACCIDIIIT IN TEI 8111• ND.— Yesterday
afternoon an inquiry was held by Mr. St. Clair Bedford, the
Westminster comma, respecting thedeath of Wm. Bromine,
a cabman, who wu killed in the Strand on Wednesday last,
under the following circumstances:--Charles Endes, 7,
Bridges-street, Strand, said that on the evening in question
he observed the deceased driving la Hansom cab at a steady
pace along the Strand, and as be turned into &Weigh-street
the horse slipped and fell heavily on his side. The noxious.
aims caused the deceased to be precipitated headlong from
has box on to the pavement, hie bead striking the kerb with
frightful force. A number of gentlemen mil and picked him
up, and be was conveyed to the hospital quite insensible. He
died almost immediately from an extensive fracture of the
skull. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death."

- - -
FRIGHTFUL DEATH.—Yesterday morning an in-
quiry was held at the Poplar Hospital. by Mr. IL R. Wal-
thew, deputy coroner for East Middlesex, respecting the
death of Joseph Sargent, aged lii, who was killed on Thurs-
day last. Mr. William Moffatt, 3, Eagle-terrace, Victoria.
road, said that on the day in question the deceased and six
other men were moving a ship's mast, more than 60 feet in
length, down the road towards the docks. At the moment
of the accident the steam from the heavy steam hammer
of the Thames Iron Works escaped with a loud noble, and
frightened a horse, which dashed along the road, and the
wheel of the cart he was drawing caught the mast, and ran
along it taking off a long shaving until the deceased was
COMO to, when he was crushed against the timber and the
truck on which it rested. His chest was completely flat-
tened in by the force of the collision, the ribs being
broken and driven into the lungs. He was oonveyed to the
hospital, where death soon terminated his sufferings. The
jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death."
Susormaa ATTACIL—An attack of a peculiar
nature occurred near Carmarthen on Saturday afternoon.
A young woman named Gwerillian Williams was proceed-
ing across the fields homewirds from market, when she was
fiercely attacked by a rook. The bird flew at her face, flap-
ping its wings and cawing in the most violent manner. The
girl was frightened and took to her heels. The enraged bird,
however, still kept up the chase, and was only induced to
forego the attack still further by a countryman who, happen-
ing to pass at the time, drove it away. On examination of
the face of the young woman, who had fallen to the ground
in a fainting state, it was found that her left eye had been
pecked completely away. She was conveyed home, and
proper surgical attendance procured. Her face was also
scarred and marked to a considerable extett, part of her
lip being pecked away.

BEZZLEMENT By • TRAVELLER. —At the Bir-
mingham Polioecoart, yesterday, James Clegg was brought
up on remand charged with embezzling several sums of
money, the property of his employer, Mr. Storer, dried fruit
merchant, Liverpool. In addition to the previous cease
which had been brought forward, Mr. A. W. Suck-
ling, who appeared for the prosecution, brought for-
ward two other cameo. In the one case the
,do
prisoner
bad rece
paid over, 9O/, from
and the Mr.ot W which
her from Mr. Neville.
Mr. Allenby, who appeared for the prisoner, con-
tended that, as the prisoner bad tendered an account of his
defalcation., it was only a matter of accounts- The bench,
however, committed the prisoner to the sessions. On the
application of Mr. Allenby, the bench agreed to accept bail
in two sureties of 2001. each, and the prisoner in 4001.,
twenty-four boars' DOOM to be given to Mr. Suckling.

ROYAL FLUB ittoernAL, laltAY'l3-INN-ROAD.—Tbe
number of patients relieved M this hospital duriog the week
ending Sept. 6 wee 2,942, of which 881 were new CANS.