The Express.
London, England, 1858-10-01 00:00:00

DREADFUL CALAMITY NEAR DURHAM.
A OOAIPPIT ON FIRE, WITH FORTY
MEN IN IT.

(From the Darkam Ado/risers of this day.)

It is this week oar painful duty to record oho el
tholes fearful calamities which me of sash paled fresprisay
fe this comity sad Northamberised, by which the Nee et
. .

thousands of hart, from time to time, ben amerelord,
sad sorrow sad unary carried inw hundreds of previcaudy
happy homes.
The eatansupbe which we are about to &rookie took
place at " Pap Hoak,- is. ef tha Byars' Oreen Canaria*,
of which, we believe, a. W. Jackson, Eaq., of West Hartle-
pool, I. the primal* maw. Pap Beak is about four ogles
from We any, sad &boat half-a-tall• beet the village d
gmespek. Tbe etaisry, which h only ben worked
for stoat three pars, la within a abort dilemma of En
riser Weir.

Yesterday morning, about 12 o'clock, toomengers arrived
is the city with the alarming intelligence that an explosioa
bad occurred at Page Beak Colliery, and that the shaft of the
pit moon Ire. Knowing too well the nature of these dread-
ful events, the intelligence spread through the city
like wild-fire. The city tire-engine, as well as the
College engine, wee at once despaichsd, and num-
bers of the inhabitants rapidly hurried to the mot.
0. arriving at the colliery we found the news, although
perhaps not perfectly correct in detail, was sufficiently ap-
palling, and that no Use than between forty and thy
kyle were, If not already sacrificed, hanging by a
thread. A large crowd was assembled round the
mouth of the pit, and up the shaft was Issuing a dense
volume of smoke. Water drawn from the river by the
two Durham engines, and one from Auckland Cantle, wee
being poured down the shaft, and the whole of the peering
and wood work at the mouth of the pit was either base
to cinders or had been exposed to the action of the firs.
From what we could leers from the men employed above
slotted at the colliery, It appears that about nine o'clock
ha the morning they wale skamed at hearing a report like
an explosion, and instantly seeing lames leap out from
the month of the eft, the whole of the woodwork beteg
speedily one mar of fire. So soon as the alarm and
coosternation bad in some degree subsided, the mouth of
the pit was covered over, and tba lams above ground were
moon exhausted or extinguished. This dose, the gnat
question arose how to secure the safety of those below. It
was soon esoertai•ed that not lees thee betimes 40 end SO
men and boys were underground, and the =Mall wee at dime
that so attempt could be made to doomed the shaft; thins
fore the beet, and, in fact, aaly onus that could
be edoptcd was torar water down the theft, and
by this means endeavour to extinguish the lisessei
which were them evidently menet below. The weem
as we have said, was pumped hem the due by
the fire engines se well as by a variety of carts set**
for the purpose, but this furnished by an mans se Urge
a quantity se could lieu been wished. &Wks aloft
was sailed up to the bright of about fifties te Weedy
feet above the sweat of the pit to try to create •
current of air down the shaft. Above two o'clock,
the smoke having in some degree 'abided, a men at-
tempted to demand the shaft, in ceder to Ks if he could
seemed• the locality of the ere; but, sear issemediag
three or bee fathoms, he sou compelled, in soaegaasc• of
the lieelty of the smoke, to return without Wag able to
discover smelting. A eicelsr step was attempted two or
three times in the course of the afternoon, but with like
want of enD3lOll ; and the only coulee left was to await the
abatement of the lire, which was evidently still smoulderieg
in the shaft.

The pit sakes on an avenge, VA gallons of water perl
sninatr, and, as the pumping apparatus has bean destroyed
by the fire, there is thin large quantity of water soisamukting
fa addition t what has been thrown down the shaft for the
wpm sf extinguishing the ern The extent of
s wills is shoo eighty scow, sad for the water
Is • is Wiry sad stop all wination 112,
him alibi will olio about the Ism so teat
ANY is ming is sow lager won tit Ibis without
owiiimo big nobsed. tbsn bra meaty of their
big isousi sat. The amber at on sad boys attate-
Nil Ia bs limb sot kw Om fry, WS bid is soh
Mat liggisi alit an low bit use bus rag 100 postos
would haw boa at metes Ibis "ink Wit"

Tin naphli of tie telethist and Mai of lin Naar-
tsar, ma his in the Ws may ba Imo easily haaintiod
than thaarlbad. In one cottons wlddc we chanced to
masa tinio were law of the fondly--a tothaa end three
aosa—manapt th• haphos sunhat confined In W. mink
Talegranblausoantaa wore net to Wort Ratilayaol, Dar.
dagenn, 'Nekton, rad odor lowan Ardro-anginse daring
the mom of Ina atomics and ow fin= Dorhuitos an.
rival b veil eked four o'clock. Mr. Nicholas Wood, mad
swore Writ ct3sl owners to the north, wars an) talorraplnd
for.

tp to ...t• whoa tau eacoaat Wt, there bad boa
little alteration la the emanate of slake; bsy the make
seceadiag the theft tea viably deteenaher.

TER Uzi. or YAILBOIOOO/I'll YACIIT.—The Earl
of Teriereesh ended is We Royal Dark, Odeehy, es
Teasley in la bio beandtal paid the " Z 9." Ills
ship tea We teats led priewedod direct fee Deeddseby.
To wee a wiry teem pi of vied at Web Is de m* of
goodwill ea Wednesday week whilst the Zoe wed at es oboe
la the lay. tainreeeldew was eawauninwei from tb *here
that M weld be dangeraes tar her to masks la Wed polities
aey Yom. NA they heteessaly weighed swelter wed gee ea
hp sok whilst the weriateg weed, • leheeser, Wag weals
le he ak the sew wen only mewed by the Mtn ameNces
41 the stew et the tie boot.

A CASA, Tintecon rot nil Coact —A nor-
nereadise el the Ifeethetter Guardian makes the following
rOw the essionetim of • cheap teliwoope for oh-
a sweet :—" Present term au optician • 36-fath
Owe (MY ie. • carrel pleas which produran • forme
et the sac's the dimenee of 38 Inches), 1111,i •
1-Ilse ie, a anew" glare producing a form at
leleeb). a tisplete worker to make two tin
Ink* sae I 0 %Oboe Lou, sal about 11-inch diameter; the
saw le le “ imbia kw and its dlatoeirr such that it will
jug Ads esswilertahly bride the larger. The inside of there
Udine 'Mehl bet be pieted ur itemise lined with • dull
blast At the lad tithe target labs en iegeolons wort-
ma will have se dillealty he nearby the object glass, so
that sot more the. an lash illemear et it .hall be ex-
posed, end at the end of Oa mean the eyeglass most
he Seed. When the open fad et eft tube I. beerled
Into the open end of the other, so that the tow ewe
shall be about 37 inches &pan, • telemeas will he precast
which will magnify the diesels e 1 ehjeale 36
time ; or, in (cast wade, will make lesetweely ealsea
appear 36 tielft 11,18/1/1.. With seek a teiteamme the
wanes, of Jupiter. the crescent at Venue, awl the in-
'geishas, of the darken of the mom may be dletingulebed.
Galilee* telescope, with which ha made the deer dieseeeries
in lie heavens, did not nisreify more. I sued etweeely
Mat with this instrument ell objects will appear laweetea;
hat. with 'regard to celestial objects, Aisle of wataparimen"
la the Otierthee of Monday the cortsipondent
bit lamer Letter by saying:—" The telescope 7=
mob about 4.. ; but for &NINA that mm • very mink
=brnee may be constructed by obtaining • sad
ebJeet ilea, of 40 inches to 48 niche. focal distaaesy
thus. of whi, his 3.. 6d., retaining the .y.'
awl hawing the tubs male to sail the additional peedire
Ms& of boas and diameter of object glass The piesseles
cans& a hiesoope, ems after the mutt has
eil ready to the pleasure and inetruction"rthst
whelatieeny teats foe the sublime and wonderfal facts of
11111•1•1117." _ _

SLAVS:BUNTING IN NEW YORK. —One day lest
wet. a fugitive stive, who had arrived is thu city on his
way to Canada. fell into the Made of DMA swap sass tbe
sieem-boat leading, who, hoping doubtless to earn a
reward thereby, took bleu before Marshal Rynders, thiskiag
Yea abet ftwietioaary had authority to detain him moll the
MOW mid be found sad indoced to wed oa the neessesary
Fto errors the return of hi. stray chattel to bondage.
Rysdere, however, knew very well that he had DO
aathority, and he is said to have declared that ha would
set laierfere with a slave on!~ compelled to do so by the
awe of a lewd warrant. The fugitive wee kept over sight

somewhere-h. amid not tell 5z....0t1y where. bra ft woo pro-
bably et ate of the polio, sta.ims —whist his captors ma-
chivied to dimples him. Th.y are liable, of coarse, to ea
*Mina for false irepsisoarn.at. The fasiiirri is mumseed to
be made ta Ceases stow.—Now York Anti-Slavery Bteniard,
VN.
GARIes OT CRTNOLINT. AT CHURCH.—.Oa

thersday warder teat (says the Plymouth Journal) thence.
ahlppers at St. Audones cbur,h ewe not a li,tle marrlsed
sad amused at a reumkabla mettetstanos that occurred there
to a lady utin Ira. Alresed with a superabundance of Iles
passant fitabtaeable azreadar. For the advantage of the
eliendeste the renrottwardroa bare had placed sheet Ilte
fir, in coneenhnt tomer., .tae to , las &a•+/+
faith embodies la wet weather. Oa Sonday
melba d is tom& whil• polutug one of atm
ili ammo. to seise or at tits Won
ifrigaim sad as sli• Pampa aim( it haat as tin giMaill
toeli Ile row lOW et •••• at • deg tits( is tallier& The
..,amoodoil onsnoodoo. many of isagtaxi
ad amiliarks left hit paw to astattola tits
iire2 • ado OD MONA bat be wan Pseadoi iff Oa
mew. lib bed lookaod to A* lady'. asilotima al re.
mod Ilto omoylir ~.sots. Ws &sal riot OM the
am* d 41•1• If• asolami• agi OD Mall Mid to Ow
Mamie 'lke imam dot mei&