The Express.
London, England, 1866-11-01 00:00:00

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TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION.

TWENTY-FIVE LIVES LOST.
Yesterday morning a fearful explosion of fire-
damp, causing the loss of twenty-five lives, occurred at
the Felton Colliery, a pit-working about nine miles south-
west of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and five miles from Durham.
The Pelimn Colliery is not a very extensive working, and
is owned by Messrs. Hutchinson and Co., who have ever
been known by the card they take in looking after the
proper ventilation of their pit. Latterly, a new seam,
called the Button Bank seam, has been opened, and an
additional number of workmen engaged therein. Between
2 and 3 o'clock on Wednesday morning, thirty men and
boys went down the shaft to work the night shift in the
new seam, and they pursued their vocation for about two
hours, when an unusual smell of gas was noticed. This, how-
ever. created no aerie••• apprehensions among the colliers
at the thee. Shortly ait...r 5 o'clock in the morning a terrible
explosion was beard, not only in the pit, but throughout
the whole neighbourhood above ground. Immediately
dense volumes of smoke and dirt were vomited forth from
the mouth of the pit, end the whole district became panic-
stricken. Crowds of people, many of whom had relatives
in the pit, rushed to the bank to learn what had occurred,
and as soon as the nature of the appalling catastrophe
became known, the scene was heartrending. A number
of volunteers quickly set to work with a will, to render
aid to those down below. The viewer and under-viewer
took the direction of the volunteers, and in the
course of an hour or two a score of men had
descended the bloat. At first the stithe was too
overpowering to allow of the men doing much, but
when this had been partially cleared away, the volun-
teers were enabled to reach the scene of the explosion. It
was then discovered that not fewer than twenty-five poor
fellows had met their death, either by the explosion itself,
or the equally deadly after-damp. Their bodies, some
shockingly burnt, others in a quiet, calm, and placid sleep
to all appearance, were scattered all over the seam. and
the sight was almost too appalling for the volunteers who
had descended the shaft. The search was then proceeded
with to discover the living, and up to a late hour yesterday
three persons had been found alive. Then the work of
sending up the bodies began, and as the relations
of each identified a father, a brother, or kinsman,
they were carried to their homes in the village
close by. Owing to such a large crowd having
assembled on and about the mouth of the pit, the ser-
vices of .1 body of constables had been called in to keep
clear a space for the workers. Messrs. Hutchinson are
doing all they can to alleviate the sufferings of the widows
and orphans of those whose lives have been thus momen-
tarily snatched away. There is yet one more of the bodies
to be found, As up to 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon twenty-
four had been sent up the shaft. Every inquiry will be
made as to the muse of the explosion, and the government
impeder of mines is already busied about the workings.
Such a fearful explosion has not been known in the county
for sonic years. What makes the explosion more strange
is the fact that the owners of the colliery not long since
erected a ventilating apparatus on a gigantic scale, which
. has hitherto been found to work very well.
ho.,

.
engage,' at stable duty until 7 o'clock, has had but a short
hour to spend nut of the barracks. The stable hour has rEitiorii FIRES.—(Tads Ds Y.)—A fire broke out
lately been altered. and, with the extension of time last night in the large range of premises known as Price's
%flowed by the gun firing an hour later, one of the corn- . Candle Comp.anv (Limited), situate in the York-rood,
Plaints of the Battersea. Inalst some of the workmen were engaged in i
cavalry soldier has been done away with. ' filtering sonic petroleum the vapour escaped and came in i
THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND.—The contact with a lamp ; the consequence was that two tons
rot Mr. Hpidinan, solicitor to those graduates of the ignited, and an iron building A feet long and 15 feet wide
Queen's University of Ireland who contest the validity of presented a sheet of flame. The iron work quickly gave
e supplemental charter, intimates formally to the aeon:- way, and people hail to rush to escape. One unfortunate
tarp of the university, 31r. G. Johnstone Stoney, that as man named. George Whittle was surrounded by the flames,
won as the requisite cause petition can be prepared it will and when dragged out was so seriously burned that he was
be pot on the file of the Court of Chancery, to restrain the obliged to be removed to the hospital The flames having
Senate from taking any steps under the charter. This in- burst through the iron building next ignited three more
y,
timation is given (Mr. Hpidman says) in order that the tons of petroleum in the open yard. The building, with
Senate ma
if so dispred, defer any farther action until two tons of petroleum, were destroyed, and three tone in
the legal validity of Cie charter and the extent of their the open yard seriously damaged, and an adjoining
polders under it shall have been determined by a competent building and contents slightly damaged by fire and water.
tribunal, and that persona not members of the university This morning the premises of Mr. Thomas Hall, No. 108,
may be sewed the expense and inconvenience of going Driffield-read, Old Ford, were entirely destroyed b a
throogh a form of matriculation which cannot (as the pro- fire, and the costly furniture, (to., consumed. Another
testing gra.luates are advised) legally confer any rights or fire took place in the premises belonging to Mr. Wittell,
prbileges in connexion with the Queen's University. Mr, a cabinet-maker, No. 4, Bacon-street, Bethel-green. The
Stoney} relies that he has submitted this letter to the flames commenced in a factory 45 feet long, comprising
nice-Chancellor, Mr. Maziere Brady, and willtake his in. two floors filled with veneers and other valuable property.
!tractions as to the way in which the other members of The factory and the dwelling-house were, with the excep-
t°e Senate shall be apprised of its contents. It is ander. Hon of one room. entirely destroyed. No. 5, belonging to
tad that a special meeting of the Senate has been sum- Mr. Holding, chair-maker, has the side windows of the
shorn for an early day next week, to consider what stets workshops burnt out and the roof damaged. No. 3, let
1.1 be taken iu the new position of affairs. The au b-
committee of the Senate have meanwhile been engaged in out in tenements, has also ths back windows burned out,
and the furniture of the humble occupants severely
Ilsre?ng new rules and regulations under the supplemental damaged- ~.„
nntr, without the co-oration of the presidents of the LONDON IiENERIL OMNIBUS COMPANY (LIMPTED).
college,, who retired freinpe this oommittee as soon as they —Traffic receipts for the week ending Oct. 28, 10,8651.
'gem appointed. 6s. 2d.