The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-01-17 00:00:00

DREADFUI, ACCIDENT AT MIDDLETON
COLLIERY, NEAR LEEDS.

Leeds Intelligeneer Office, Thursday, Three o'llock.
One et the most tremendous explosions treik place at dlidifietort
Collier', near ibis town, the property of C. J. Brandliag, Leg.
M.P. shout seven o'clock hat evening, that has ever been known
to occur in this neighbourhood. The report was se leud as that of
a cannon, and produced such an (fleet upon the various parts of the
pit, seerningl'y to one of the persons who has employed in it at the
time, as thoiigh the whole were falling in with a dreedful crash.
Of coarse, as die whole of the men who were employed in the im-
mediate vicinity where it happened have fallen ,a prey to its vio-
lence, exert the rev who were taken to our loreatary shout two
o'clock this morning (and they were in such a state as not to-give
any preeise account of the einummanee), it cannot be ascertained with
certainty how it was occasioned ; hut we have collected the following
particelers from the spot, Which develop the only rstinsl means that
can be imagined as the csadteed he occurrence. It is customary, after
examinee a part of the pit, ;bout 15 yards in length, to prop the
roof by supporters till they perform the like eephation on a 'Mast
quantity of coal adjoining; thee to remove the props from the first
allotment, searrieg only that pert of. the pit nearest the piss*
where labourers are employed. In the apace left by the excavation
the foul air collects, and it is supposed that this old strata had
fallen in, and driven the combustible element with bush force to-
wards the spot where the men were employed, as to cause it to take
fire and expinilh. Hail this event tahen plate when the LIMPS.
sary precaution of having the safety guards upon the lamps was
in operation, it would have produced no such effect ; but it was
entirely owing to the imprudent conduct of some of the usfote
tunate individuals themselves, in keeping their lamps exposed
to the air, which was known to he the nee yestenlats. The
truth of this remark is confirmed by the fin, that the lenspe
have niece been used in the pit with wire guards, and are Intend
perfeetly. secure. It is said dim there were two shock*, and that
more•imury was sustained by•what is •called the bletk damp, or
%fur damp, then was received from the one which nbeeediately
preceded it. The men by the fcriner were burnt, and be the
latter suffocated. The pit is one of those which is entered
what est-ailed a slay-hole, anti proceeds im.der a hill on • lees! with
the surface of the ground at its e• trance for nearly a mile, where
there is a perpendicular descent of 75 yard., it the bottom of which
the pit branches Off in different directions. In one of these Drench
reeds the accident happened, and some of the man were fohnd laid
in grempe of five or six, one upon another, and in other Oboes
more, at about forty pods from lie pit bottom, or the place where
they would have. to ascend to make their escape ; sonic were 2W
and others 300 yards from this point. There were ten men in more
distant parts of the pit, who, though they felt the dints of the
shock, received co further injury than tbat of being knocked down
by the violence of the &plosion. The number of men who
were killed on the occasion is twenty:retie, end we have endea-
voured to collect their names and ages with as much precision as
the present confused state cf things would permit. The following
are their names, and what other circumstances re could learn re-
specting their families : • •
John Proctor (aged Oh. wife and three children • JammWood
d 3), his wife was brought to bed yesterday a Benjamin Wood/
jun. (13) ; Benjamin Wood, sen. (45), father of the twd limner
wife and three children ; Joshua Lieensedge (43), wife, and ten
ni children ; Samuel Rasden (12); Kro lira Ramien (14)
tJohn
Rameden (20) ; William Redd (18) ; William Wood (365, wife
and child : Joseph Dixon (1)); Sanderson Ilandford—this young
man wou'd have completed his lilth, year to-morrow ; Samuel
'Croriutck (Id); Benjamin Broadhead (40), wife, and one child;
George Wright (27), wife, and three children t Luke Nottnington
(17), wife, and two children ; James Ihury (18) ; Richard toner
(si—this poor little fellow was taken out alive in a mangled state,
and expired at three o'clock this morning; James Heald (14) ;
George Ambler (8) ; Peter Hansel (33) and wife ; James roster
(8)1 Jumpli Ilaigh (40), Wife, and child ; and John Ratteden
(20), are yet in the pit, and supposed to be dead. George Ambler
Oh, both hie thighs broke • John I.iversedee (20), ninth burnt
Samuel Hewitt (15), skull frectured hod George Hewitt (22).
much bruised ; were taken to the infirmary about two o'clock thes
morning, and there are some hopes entertained of their recovery.
The distress that prevails throughout the nethbeurhood Cannot
be cOnceived. In some families two, and in others three, have
fallen in the general wreck ; and while the friends of the deemed
were tutting at the pit's mouth with breathless anxiety, to know'
the fate of their relatives, the heart-rending cries of tidows and
fatherless children presented such eseene is beggars all description ;
sorrow appears depicted in every countenance, and the whole
neighbourhood seems to join in the common grief.
The friends of Haigh and Rameden, who are yet in the pit, are
labouring under the most polgnent feelings of despain sometimes
but slightly relieved by a faintly glimmering ray of hope that
their destiny may possibly not be eternally fixed. The utniost
exertions were used. to rescue them ; and Mr. Tllenkinsop. Mr.
Nicholson, and a number of others connected with the colliery,
were incessantly employed till five o'clock this morning, whet' the
fire reached such a pitch is to render it unsafe to meted any
limber. Since then the pit has been, in a greet degree, in a burn.
in g state, end they ere endeavouring to put a stop to its progress.
which may be efftested in a day or two, or may continue a mucts.
longer t ime.
It is almost impossible to describe the appearance of the nnfore
tunate stliteren ; several of them have broken limbs ; such is were
most affected by the first blast, have all the skin burnt off their
faces. and the bodies of others are perfealyfilatk. One young
man appears to have been fighting spinet, the flames upon his
body, ae, at the time he was found, his hand was full of flesh.
&Toff. foe etiterthe the narretlout of this mehmeholy event, 1,11
venture to suggest the propriety of some of our more opulent fel-
low townsmen immediatelio seling on foot a subscription for the
seller of the bereaved wl we and fatherless children ; of whom
there are ten of the fortrini apd twenty-five of the latter.
(From the Irulvicld Journal.)
At Middleton Colliery, the property of J. C. Brandling, Esq.
about 7 o'clock on Wednesday evening, one of the most shocking
accidents' occurred which it has ever fallen to our lot to record.—
From the excessive alano and consternation *itch this onforturate
event naturally excited, it becomes almost inienssible to give an ex-
set account or the origin of the fatal explosion ; but, from the best
information we could procure noon the spot; it seems almost cer-
tain that the imprudence of one of the misers, who, with the rest,
was just leaving off his work, has brought this destruction and
misery upon himself end his unfiertunate fellow-workmen. 'With
that carelessness so common amongst those familiarised with danger,
he took off the top of his safhty-lamp, and an almost instant explo-
sion was the consequence. which killed no lees than twenty-three
of the poor workmen at the spot. Hendee these, four others re=
eeired very severe injury, and were taken as soon as pcssible to
Leeds Infirmary, where some hopes are entertained of their ree
corny. The bodies of all those who hare been killed have been
found except two ; some of them are in a shockingly mangled stem, ;
others appear to have perished more by suffocation than freers the
Injury sustained, as their bodies ethibit no marks of violence.
Search was continued through the night, far the two remaining bo-
ttles, but witheut eff•ct ; and the fallowing mowing it was toned
impossible to continue the search any longer. as the burning of the
coal, which had been ignited by the esplotedn. had begun to gain
such a head. that it became necessery to choke up every avenue to
the outward air, in order to smother out the fire.
The name* of the suffers are; Peter Hammes, John Broadhead,.
William Wood, James Wood. John Proctor, Joshua Liverside,
Richard Foster, Benjamin Wood, George Wright, Luke Norman-
ton, James Drury, William Heald, John Ramsden. *en. Joseph
Dixon. lialita Hamden, James Heald, Benjamin Wood, John
Ambler. Samuel Cromack, James Foster, Sanderson Hasdforth,
John Ramvden, jun. and Joseph Haigh.
The two last are the men *Kim bodies have not been found.
The ten first-mentioned and Jesepli Haigh have all belt widows.
sad families to deplore their loss. It is impossible to convey aim
adequate idea of the distress that bas thus been unfortunate'',
caused by the momentary imprudence of, we understand, one man.
Front the Leeds Mercury of Saturday./
This melancholy catastrophe ought to impress on the minds or
all colliers the necessity of Keeping their safely-haloes shut, at all
times, and withoUt a moment's intermission. It is very possible,
ray probable, that many of the sufferers on this occasion had been
eyeful and vigilant for year', yet a single innunce of cereleenisee
has rendered all their previous vigilance uttayaiting. It is possible
that a safety-lamp might often be opened in a mine. without any
explosion occurring; but as the es pimiento, whets they do enure
ere eo tremendously fatal, and as there is no mean! of discovering,
the presence of the inflammable gas when the lamps are open) till
it is actually lighted, every man employed in a pit should remitter
even a moment's removal of the wire.gaute as an act that may
plunge himself and all his companions into eternity. If men cats
be Instructed by experience, this awful calamity will surely be
effee•ual for that purpose.
Since writing the above, we have heard that Mr. Illenkineep iM
determined to adopt an excellent regunition, which has been en.
forced in some of the pits in Northumberland, to prevent a tepee.
Lion of these cmoalties„ without tearing any thing to the vigilance
of workmen. He has det mined to alBx locks to the safety.lamps,
so that the men cannot open than if they should be inclined. This
is such a simple, sure. and important precaution, that we hope it
will be adopted in all the pits throughout the kingdom'.
Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held bylslr. Robert Rest,
on Richard Foster, one of the enfferers by the explonon, who died
on 'Thursday morning, at Hunslet, which is within this borough.
The witnesses examined were persons find were in the pit vehin Whir
explosion took place; they described it as being sodden and alto-
gether unexpected ; a report like that of a cannon occurrul, and
every one then attempted to snake his sway to the pit shaft, in which
the witnesses examined on the inquest succeeded, after penire
over tame of their less fortunate fellow.workmen, wtro, by the
violence of the shock, were dashed to the ground. The Muieserb
stated, that the occurrence took place about a quarter before seven
o'clock, and that the persons in the pit expected to have finiehel
their labours for the night between ten and eleven ; that all the
persons had Davy's Patent Safety Lamps, which they cos cTire to
be fully adequate to protect the colliers against the tire dun p.
that they had always been enjoined by the stewards never to tilt
the guards from these lamps. The caase of the ex plosiun was one
known, but no doubt it was to be attributed to the inflammable gas
curving in contact with the flame in one or more of Ms lamps>
which had been Incautiously exposed by taking off the top. Undete
these circumstances the Jury found s verdict of--•• Accidental
Death, in consequence of the explosion of the tiro-damp by means
unknown."

Coax Lsvra.—A report has been widely spread, and
from high authority, that the Government has it in cow.
temptation entirely to withdraw the pr...ent Corn Laws.
and that the measure will be brought forward early in this
nett Session. It has created a great sensation in the City
and in the Corn Market.—Erwin; Paver.