The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-02 00:00:00

Fearful Colliery Accident near Wigan,

One of the most appalling colliery accidents which
we have had of late to record as occurring in the
extensive coal field which surrounds the town of
Wigan took place early yesterday morning, at the
No. 13, Blackley Hurst, pit, worked by Mr. Samuel
Stock, of Billinge, and situated between five and six
miles from Wigan. The pit at which the accident
occurred is about 220 yards deep, and by it is worked
what is termed the Little Dell mine. In connection
with it is another shaft, working the Rushy Park
mine, between which and the Little Deif seam a
communication has been established, as both are on
the same level. The first-n.entioned shaft has been
sunk lower than the seem it works, and the dib
hole at the bottom, to which we shall have again to
make reference, is no less than 18 yards in depth.
The pit is only worked during the day, and at five
o'clock yesterday morning the engineer began to
lower the men into the pit. 12 or 14 cages, each
containing eight men, had conveyed about one-half
the workmen to the bottom, and another party of
eight were descending, when a jerk of the engine
told that there was something wrong in the shaft.
The machinery was at once stopped, the cage left
standing in the pit, and by means of a capstan,
which is kept ready for use, a basket was lowered
to the spot. Instead of the eight persons who had
left the bank only a few minutes previously but two
were new to be found, and these were only able to
tell that their cage had come into collision with
something in the shaft, and that their companions
had all slipped out and fallen to the bottom. The
fortunate pair, who had been saved by holding
firmly to the side of the cage, were soon placed out
of danger, and attention was directed to the foot
of the shaft (reached 4 by means of the second pit),
where,•however, not one of the six bodies was to be
seen, the planks covering the dib hole having
been broken, and the poor fellows precipitated into
the water below. All work in the mine was stopped,
and search for the bodies immeoiately commenced, a
basket being lowered to the surface of the water by
means of the capstan. The pumps were kept at
work so as to reduce the depth of water, but in spite
of every exertion it was not till an hour and a half
after the accident that two bodies were recovered,
and when we visited the spot yesterday afternoon,
the remaining four were still missing, and an anxious
crowd thronged the pit bank waiting for news from
below.

The cause of the accident is unknown, but the
manager of the pit has a conjecture which in all pro-
bability is very near the truth. From the position of
the ascending and descending cages in the shaft after
the catastrophe there is no doubt whatever that a
collision had taken place between the two just in
the centre of the shaft, throwing both out of the
perpendicular, and tilting the one up so much as to
throw the men out. It is believed that this was occa-
sioned by a catch in use in the ascending cage (for-
tunately empty) having been left unfastened by the
men who last went down the pit—this catch having
struck against one of the horse-trees at the side,
and so thrown the cage out of its proper position,
causing a collision with the one containing the men.
The following is a list of the persons who have
lost their lives by the accident—
Edward Clark, of Ashton, aged 30, married, and
three children.

Robert Holten, of Billinge, aged 25, tnarricl
Thomas Noyes, of Billinge, aged 14.
John Simpkin, of Biltinge, aged 15.
Isaac Simpkin, of Billinge, aged 12.
Henry Burrows, of Billinge, aged 15.
The two who escaped are boys, of 14 or 15, and
ire named Henry Layfoot and Burrows.
The bodice of the two Simkins tue these' which
have as yet been recovered. They have been re-
moved borae to await the in guest.