The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-20 00:00:00

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The Colliery Calamity; at liy?isborough. Dale.

WoßspoitorGtx,, Saturday.

After more than a month of-tedious expectation,
the operation of flooding Edmund's Main'Colliery
is at length completed. 'Mb explosion, it will be
recollected, occurred on the Bth of Decembei, and
on the Thursday following the stream of water com-
menced to flow into the Mine.. About a fortnight
ago means were taken to increase the stfeam, and
by deepening the trench -nearly double the fonner:

supply was obtained. At -1t) denoo4,-yesterday
morning the pit was full, the Aster having reached
the roof on both sides, but not being quite up to
the roof of the arch at the bottom of thellown•cast
shafts. Upwards of a month has thus been occu-
pied in flooding this vrst mine.
Yesterday afternoon a consultation of several
eminent engineers took place at the collipry Aloes,
the obj, et being to decide upon the future course of
operations. Mr. Morton, the Government Inspector
of Mines, Mr. J. Mitchell, the matoiging partner,
Mr. Brown, mining engineer, Barm..,4y, and Mr.
Woodhouse, of Derby, were present. A full state-
ment of the condition of the mine, as far as it could
be ascertained, was laid before them, and it was
ultimately resolved to allow the water to flow into
the mine until it had filled no the shaft for some
feet above the arch, and then, after waiting a day
or two, to make assurance doubiy sure, to aommcnce
pumping out the mine. There can ba no doubt
that this operation will occupy several months. It
is estimated that there are 25 acres under water ;
and as the pumps do not extend beyond the top of the
" engine plane," the water in the extensive dip_
boards" will have to be got out by a laborious pro-
cess. The ge .`semen who have charge of the
operations for the recovery of the bodies expect to
find many of the miners at the first "
which is a considerable distance down the engine
plane. Every available moans will be employed to
empty the mine as soon as possible, but the most
sanguine do not anticipate that the bodies will he
recovered in less than two or three months.

We have been requested to publish the results of
the periodical tests made to ascertain the strength
of the ventilation of the mine for several months
before the explosion. We take the following
figures from the register kept by the person ap-
pointed for the purpose. In the first week of June
there were 92,740 cubic feet of air per minute pass-
ing through the workings; in July, 90,830; in
August, 88,980 ; in September, 88,760 ; in October,
86,690 ; in November, 86,595 ; and on the 6th of
December (two days before the explosion), 86,620.
This quantity of air was carefully distributed
through the whole of the workings, and at the dip•
faces—the furthest point from the shaft—the air-
current was always spoken of as being particularly
strong. On referring to the same authority we find
that on the 3d of November there were 9,555 cubic
feet of air passing over the facea; on the 7th there
were 13,650; on the 11th, 12,740; on the 3d of
December, 11,830; on the sth, 10,010; and on the
6th (two days before the explosion), when the
last measurement was made, there were 10,465
cubic feet per minute. The dip-faces were
bet ween 1,200 and 1,300 yards from the shaft,
It appears to us, however, that the efficiency of the
ventilation of the mine was generally admitted. All
the witnesses examined at the inquest admitted that
the air was strong and sweet in nearly every part of
the workings, and some of them said they had a
difficulty in carrying lights about the mine, owing
to the strength of the air current. But the cause
of the explosion was the incautious—to use no
stronger term—use of gunpowder to blast the coal
at the dip-faces; and nothing has vet been adduced
that can justify the conduct of the person—whoever
ho was—that authorised or permitted the use of such
a hazardous means of getting the coal, in places
where there was so much gas that naked lights
were nominally prohibited. We need not recall the
evidence given by so many of the witnesses to prove
this point.

With reference to tho subscription for the relief
of the bereaved we regret to learn that it exhibits
a very small increase since our last report. We
regret also to have occasion again to refer to the con-
duct of the Barnsley Board of Guardians in this
matter. At their meeting three weeks ago the board
resolved to grant temporary relief to some of the
numerous applicants, many of whom were reduced
to a deplorable condition by the sudden removal
the persons upon whom they depended for support,
but the sums granted were apportioned always
with reference to the amount which the applicants
would receive from the relief fund. We now learn
that at their meeting on Tuesday last the
Guardians reduced some of the allowances to a
merely nominal amount, no doubt with the
intention of relieving the poor-rate at the expense
of the fund subscribed by the public. We heard of
several instances in which widows having children
were "relieved" with sums barely sufficient to main-
tain them and their children for one day out of the
seven, and the result has been a very strong feeling
of indignation in the district. The funds raised by
public benevolence are, by resolution of the meeting,
to be applied solely "in addition" to the relief
granted by the Guardians, which the meeting sup-
posed would be on the usual scale of relief to desti-
tute persons; but the Guardians appear determined
to make the fund bear the whole weight of the
charges arising out of the calamity. On the other
hand, the committee who have undertaken to ad-
minister the fund maintain that they have a work
to do which is totally distinct from the plain and
obvious duty of the Guardians to relieve the neces-
sities of the bereaved. They intend to economise
the fund so that it shall be available for the future
benefit of the widows and orphans; and they will
not allow it to be swallowed up in doing that which
is obviously a charge upon the poor-rate.