The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-07 00:00:00

ACCIDENTS IN MINES.
NEWCASTLE-UPON•TYNE, SATURDAY.—Yesterday
a meeting of considerable interest and importance,
dneo: othnelysetuorittyhe counties of Northumberland and
Durham, but to the country at large, affecting, ins
and preservation of human life in
very extensive department of the national industry
was held in the theatre of the Literary and Philoso-
phical Society in this town. The object of the meet-
ing
was the public inauguration of an association as-
suming to itself the title of :‘ The North of England
Institute of Mining Engineers " and which proposes
to devote itself to the prevention' of accident in mines,
and the advancement of mining science generally.
The meeting was chiefly composed of
coalowners and
engineer and
.anWd oopdr,optrhieetcohraiirnmaNnc,oiaerfinttybeeuxomt
mining engineers, the latter preponderating.
ig
on
bnt es
beggedbri vel ae
progress
rdtmo,o
cnproi pr-
address
cgereadtuediatetothaeddnrieesms
bethrse mofetehtiengs
0.
they had mule towards its establishment--namely,
the association of upwards of seventy members, the:
appointment of officers, and the subscription of an
amount of funds sufficient for a commencement. The
object of the institution was twofold—first, by a
union or concentration of professional experience to
endeavour, if possible, to devise measures which
might avert or alleviate those dreadful calamities
racr-
which had too often produced such destruction to life
and property, and which left such misery and distress
among the mining population ot. the
.district ; and,
St
iecCuolnadr
yy
applicable
establish
to athleittehrearoyry:nsatrittu,
andbo p
n moreti
practice of
e
mining than the institutions in the locality or within
the reach of the profession there. The claims of such
an institution to the support of the coal owners of the
north were all powerful. Who were so interested as
they in the prevention of accidents in mines ? As,
too, one of its prominent objects was to endeavour to
accomplish the best and most perfect mode of ab-
stracting the coal, the proprietor as well as the
worker of a mine, was no less concerned in its
prosperity. Acting as a body, every plan brough. t
before them would have at least a candid
investigation, and if they found any subject
required practical illustration or experiment, he felt
assured they would be readily met by the employers
in placing their pits at their disposal for such a pur-
pose.—(Dear, hear.) Adverting to the second part of
the object of the institute, that which was more purely
of a scientific, practical, and professional character,
and which might generally be summed up in the
theory and practice of the winning and working of
collieries, the chairman prcceeded to point out in
much detail the importance of collecting in the
archives of their institute detailed plans of the differ-
ent instruments used here and on the Continent in the
boring of coalmines and Artesian wells, the various
modes of sinking pits, records of the various sink-
ings for coal in the district, and descriptions of the
different engines and apparatus employed for raising
water out of the mines and working them generally.
They must not, he added, neglects most important
branch,—the advancement of the science of mining, or
mineralogy, chemistry, the cultivation of those branches of science which more
particularly appertained to their profession. Geology,
pneu-
matics, and mechanic; were all subjects which would
Otheceuipnystit of
outline the
philosophy,
ifoannlol
wot the eetnh individualdee
avouredmteomg.bievres an
had
constitution society, its objects,
and the duties which would be • posed upon it. He_
need scarcely add how importantun
butthey were, not only
to the members of the society interestsHe
comprised within the scope of ts labote the
con-
cluded by invoking the support of noblemenure. d gen-
tlemen, and of all persons interested, feelingsfromand
f
o
humanity, in the prevention of accidents '
in mines, on
t roeoHnntesitoi mechanical
behalf of the society.—(Applause.)
No resolutions were proposed or passed ; but a num-
ber of colliery owners and viewers resident in the
district were enrolled as members.

On the motion of Mr. WALKER, seconded by Mr.
HINDHAUGH, a vote of thanks was accorded to the
chairman by acclamation, and the proceedings ter-
minated.

ACCIDENT ON THE SLIREWSBUR Y AND
CHESTER RAILWAY.
Yesterday (Monday) an inquest was held at the
Woodward public-house, Coton-hill, Shrewsbury,
before Mr. George Gordon, deputy-coroner, on view
of the body of an aged woman, named Mary Lewis,
of Baschurch, who bad been killed by an excursion-
train passing over her on Saturday night last. The
remains of the poor creature presented a sad spec-
tacle ; the head was completely severed, and the
other parts of the body were most dreadfully muti-
lated. Joseph Woodvine, a labourer on the line at
Baschurcb, stated that he saw deceased walking down
the line, towards Perry-bridge, between seven and
eight o'clock on Saturday night. He went up to her
and told her she was on trespass, to which she re-
plied, " I know sll about it." He then asked her
her name, and where she was going ; but
she refused to tell him, and, on his saying that he
would follow her to see where she was going, she re-
torted, "If you follow me, I will knock your brains
out !" Witness then went home. He further stated
that poor people were in the habit of going on the
line to pick up coke. Henry Whittaker said he was
the driver of an excursion train which left Chester for
Shrewsbury at 7 25 P.M., arriving at the latter place
at 9 o'clock. The night was very dark and the rain
came down in torrents. On examining the engine at
the Shrewsbury terminus be found the shawl pro-
duced on the buffer plank. He examined the wheels,
but did not see the least symptoms of blood. An.
oiler train left Chester for Shrewsbury at 8 o'clock
on the same evening. The shawl was here identified
by Woodvine as the one worn by the woman
whom he bad seen walking on the line. Abraham
Carlin, engine-driver, left Chester for Shrews-
bury goods' train early on Tuesday morning,
and whietnh a
within 150 yards of the Perry-bridge he
tgefiinirvvgseeti
given
eatowt
department,oa.
.r. tithe hrre.el
woman,
bodyjhsoepeffo of deceased. The body being on
the up-rails, on which he was running, he could not
see very distinctly what it was; but, thinking it was
either ao df o g
thehoowtr
reararvafie,neons
hys,ru.oh:stna,eehfrtdaereesepututsu,hci
ptirbeiehehenarerdedeeyimdnwhbdthaseweeibnadnisiungdadt
rglhwneseynoedataettibbnneoeorfsamefuott:
nhrto:mpeoathanhieabtnnrhtoadseildeoeosynooetypfon.reamawcrttiTdihhnoaaseo:s.l
Tarhreiv stoker,a
fromduthinsefti°arrnthtuonr
Edward Lewis, brother-in-law to deceased. The
returned
for ilo
averdiotot f"Accidenta.ll killed."
Woodvine was recalled by the
jury
severel y reprimandedfrom off the line. forcibly ejecting deceased

A SHIP-BUILDER ON NAVIGATIa3T-LAW
REPEAL.
i intended to run
The new iron screw-steamer Esg.e, intended
Nymph in connexion with the paddle
steamer
rehed for Mr. be-
tween Da-
r and Newry, wasofjblesers. Thomas Ver-
gan, of Dublin, from the and
d A
successful launch,
Ver-
non and Sons, on Tuesday.
lunch. After Mr. Vernon, sen.,
a select party sat down to
the seventeenth iron
' stated that the Eagle was about
having briefly adverted to the
vessel they had built; and,o as, navigation-laws had in-
fears which the repeal i bad only tended to draw out
spired, but which rers
vg
„ B lishmen, and to their benefit
the latent energy - be then glanced at the revolution
thee
rather than
to ethteed iiiiiiirthseessohfipsphiiepg-bwuieldrlidng.by
awdhaipetba twioans 0171di.inrnogianuerr!e.irernon) iron screw-s team ers being
find (continue
e American trade, in the Cape of Good
employed
I have no hesitation in saying that
. trades, andntb.he Australian trade, and in other im-
pirmant'radei:li
long wherever a foreign trade is carried on by
British
era capital and British enterprise, there must iron
screw-
steamers
be employed, as it will, ere long,
discovered that no othr ofpoclzripotifon
regu-
larity, safety, efficiency,
be
are equal to
h
ships and economy. Now, if this
really be the case, what have we to fear from the
repeal of the navigation-laws, or even from free
trade ? The navigation-laws, as they now stand, will
be neutralised, and not affect us at all, inasmuch as
foreign vessels will have no chance in coping with
British screw-steamers ; and no foreigners can build
iron ships so cheaply and so perfectly as we can. It is
true foreigners may ultimately get in the way of making
steam-engines and iron ships. But merely to learn how
to build an iron ship is not enough ; for there is in that,
as well as in all other trades, a continuous progression
towards perfection ; and we, as a nation, have got the
start, and are, in fact, a long way ahead ; and oar dis-
tinguishing cap: hilities and our national and local ad-
vantages will always facilitate our onward course, and
give us the pre-eminence in this trade over all the nations
of the earth ; so that foreigners who, a short time ago,
we were afraid would bring their ships and perform a
considerable part of the trade of this country, now have
to abandon that idea, and to come to us for ironnsctr.hnews:
steamers to perform their own local trade. _A el
what Was once thought to be a great nationalcalamity
will, I have no doubt, turn out to
beethe servi- great na-
se
tional advantage. (The expression
of
cheers by those
merits was received with
loud
Vernon proposed the
prescnt.) In conclusion,
had been
nteheenEacgolne.,
htneadl!utin(tlite Mr
whose
nGO
sr: n ti. cu ap re..
r, 1 the
n tenMudnaervi.,tanhleea
course of some re-
strottc (1. Mr. Granthtlm, she
eitehcat
:hose by Mr. Vernon, said,
be built for the East India
mai lt3 to the same effect
ttreoas'
iron vessels writ, abou,erne
of these were ordered, and
and other trselo. b
others were contemplated in quarters the most unlikly,
ago. And now, instead of crossing the
a '-b"it time „bipa there, or going to Whitehaven to
Atlantic to ge.,:it
they acre coming to Liverpool and its
br -,- -pt large and substantial iron sailing
have them
ti,-ighboarho ;leuyis
knew the great superiority of the
ships built. 1:
Am, rie,ns over this country, especially in building large
But lately,
latogmentplemmosnti,eo
twohot
ships.
the building of iron ships; and, on the close
it
of his cat btliu rs , he askt d him the results, and he said
ii iii3tqruoi dr tell mhishechouedntrbyeetno
as impossible for him to got over the difficulty of
was
and purchasing iron ships in this country. The
I Americans had had the superiority, but, by means
of iron ships, England would have it back again.Aftw.
After
other toasts had been given and responded to, the nn
pally separated.