The Express.
London, England, 1860-12-06 00:00:00

THE EXPE44.13..

THE COLLIERY EXPLOSION IN MONMOurH.

SBll4

(nom ova owx worm)
RIBCA, WEDNESDAY.
_

There has been no change in the state of things
at the mine with regard to the reoovery of the 55 men who
still remain below except that all hope is extinct of any aie
of them being alive. The loss of life therefore may safely
1* estimated at ISI. "Shifts" of men succeed each other
every six hours, but their progress is impeded by the gum.
thy of fire damp with which the mine is still surcharged.
Mr. bough, the government inspector, descended yesterday,
as has been already stated, and came up at 30'clock this morn-
ing, He was altogether 21 hours underground. His accountof
the mine is that it still remains in a very bad state. Great
quantities of coil bad been falling from the roof and the
working parties were obliged to use the utmost precaution.
Its known when the men stall =recovered had been
working, and it is in that direction that the operations of
the misers hays been carried on for the last two days. The
inspector thought that he had diverted the foul air into •
channel which world enable the men to work more securely,
and he =eke with confidence of being able to recover some
of the bodies this evening. Indeed be intimated that the
'Mavis arising from their delomposing gave strong and un-
mistakable evidence of their being net far distant. There
were the canoes of about 14 hones also in the mine.
Mr. though reports highly of the spaces of the galleries,
dads, and pumps of the mine, and of the careful superin-
tendenes of the company's Mama and especially of that of
Harrison, the principal viewer, on whom the chief respoori-
batty of coin= would rest if the calamity occurred from
any neglect ea the part of the anon.
The Black Vein Mine, as already stated, has had • very
bad reputation, and it appears that its natural appellation,
which is enhdant/y essinona has been converted into a still
won* ono, for It has also got the name of the " Slaughter
Pit' anceset no man This mien however, from a comes
which is penile ie the nine of the coal. It is aeoepted
gennally as a fed nth the Ann coal, which is the mo-
dest of the Sleek Vela, is mann more apt to generate fire.
dims then ether denerignens, and in a damp state of the
weather, wins the beaveseke Meads low, more than usual
caution is required. The almenhere for some time past
has bees very desep, snd is the circumstance has been
►ttributed the het that an hamar than eight explosions have
occurred in the Boon Wales nines within the last month.
In most min the veal/Min is principally obtained by
mean of finnan which convey the foul air through up
shafts. This is the mainstay of the miner's safety. It ap-
pears, however, that in the Black Vein the ventilation is
secured by means of a pumping machinery. Toe law tn.
quires that there should be what is considered stifileilat
ventilation in every mine, but it leaves the proprietors to
employ such means as they may deem best calculated to
secure this end. A machine, however, is au instrument
which can only effect • given amount of power. There is a
maximum of result beyond which it cannot go. A venti-
lating machine, therefore, which would be ample to secure
ventilation under ordinary conditions might be inadequate
to do so when, from any cane, there was greater tendon,
than wool to generate anions per, and that them was
such a tendency immediately previous to this dreadful
explosion is admitted on all aides. In the present
state of affairs it would, of cense, be unfair to tlx
upon the real cane of the disaster'; but those who
are in the beet position to hoard a conjecture
incline to the belief that this will be foetid the real source
of the calamity. There is no reason, at present, for sup-
peeing that it originated in any want of precaution on the
part of the mw. _

The coroner and jury again amembled at Rises this morn-
ing, and proceeded in their task of visiting the deed bodies.
Yesterday they viewed no less than 42, which, considering
the state of the weather and the advanced hour at obi*
they hem this work, shows that they have bets very ac-
tive in the performers. of their painful duty. They expect
to complete this portion of their duties today, or at
f•rtbeat early on Thursday ; but they will not hays
ceseluded even then, for it is certain that by
that time some of the bodies now undelgrousd will he
brought up. From the positive manner in which this in-
formation has been afforded on. is disposed to conclude
that the bodies, or some of ties, hays already been found,
and that a nature] arm of respect for the feelings et the
relatives and of the people generall,y prevents their beim
brought out till the evening. Three wee the largest now
bet of bodies which the jury as yet saw la any one bowie.
In one cane it was • father and two sons ; in another, two
brothire and a cousin. A considerable number of the deed
were interred to-day. Runes were brought from
Newport for the conveyance of the bodice; but
the supply being unfortunately inadequate to the
demand, the coffins were conveyed in msay fastames
oa bearing-poke. One met with the evidences of death La
all directions, and the day being remarkably gm there one
• large number of visitors from Newport and other places
besides the friends of the deceased. Some, who were into-
bitante of the plaice, were of course buried in the graveyard
of the pariah, but its dimensions were totally inadequate to
meet the glut of dead which this digester occasioned. Men
wore, therefore, employed all the morning in the field given
by Lead Tredepr ta digging graves, of which on lam than
My have bees made. It appears that a great many of the
mimes are strangers to the locality. Some fee yore ago
time was • strike assept the sees, and others were brought
from Olamorpaddre sad elsewhere to supply their places.
The exposes of the es sad the other ex penes* a ttenclmt
on the burials will be borate by the eresony. A silent and
settled sadism continues to charaeleries the expression of
the people morally. The ealanaity la, of course, the topic
of conversation, but still there NUM ► dislike to dwell upon
it, sad a wish to put It aids, as somethiag too serious for
talk. One might at thud attribute this to apathy of feeling,
but it is rather the effect of that stony of mind which takes
place when people am overtakes by • great calamity, when
they have to submit to • stern fatalism against which no
exertions can avail.

Until the mead*" of the jury on the 18th, for the pur-
pose of taking 'videos. to ascertain the cause, if passible,
of the explabow, miebieg of much importance can tramplre ;
but in the recovery of the dead bodies still undergromd the
people of Meta Vale will have ninny °coulees to num
their sorrow and el* tars.

THE PAPAL GUNPOWDER EIPLOSION AT
NORWION.

NORWICH, Doc. 5.
The alarming gunpowder explosion in the shop
of Mr. Marries., Orford-piece, Norwich, be. berm &deeded
with even mare serious trooaequeoces than wan at fret anti-
cipated, Mrs Dady, one of the injured persons, having died
yesterday in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. It *prime
that this poor woman meet have fallen from a room above
into Marriersis shop immediately after the second floor of
the house was blown away, as the was picked up on the
burning ground dour in quite an insensible condition. The
poor creature's husband committed suicide a few weeks since.
It appears that the name of the boy whose dead body
wee picked up out of the burning shop was not Harrison, ea
originally 'toted, but Charles Hill ; be is a son-in-law of
Mr. Harrison, and hence the cord 02/0111. A suspicion is eo-
tertained in some quarters that the poor lad had been ex-
perimentiog with the powder, Mr. Marriaon having repri-
manded him some time since for having fireworks is his
pocket. A few days sines, it has also been ascertained, he
let of a little powder in the forge-room at the back of the
premises, a circumstance which appears to indicate that the
boy had the dangerous propensity common to youths of him
age of trifling with gunpowder. There seems also to have
been a rumour of a smell proceeding from an escape of pia,
in Mr. Marrison's shop ; and another hypothesis which has
been put forward is that the boy was searching for the
leak with a candle, and that a double explosion of gas and
gunpowder followed.
Yesterday, Mr. Wilde. coroner for Norwich, held an in-
quest on the body of the boy Hill, which presented a shock-
ing spectacle.
The Coroner, in commencing the proceedings, said the
12th Geo. 111., cap. 61, enabled a dealer in gunpowder to
keep 2 cwt. by him at any time without any license. A
fresh act bad been recently passed by which a dealer was
not prevented from keeping 2 cwt., bat a clause in the act,
which did not come intooperation WI August next, required
that a lionise should be ted for the purpose.
After hearing the evidnaa and a brief deliberation, the
Ina returned a verdict of " Amidental death."
This morning =other inquest was held on the body al
Mrs. Lady with a similar remelt.