The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 21, 1862.

THE DREADFUL COLLIRRY A CCIDENT
•IN NORTHUMBERLAND. - •

NEWCASTLE, SATURDAY NIGHT.
Another act in this sad tragedy has been accom-
plished. Daring last night the men employed in
clearing the shaft made progress in restoring the
ventilation, and early this morning they had carried
the brattice work so far as to enable them to get at
the bodies without danger. A few of them were
found lying among the ashes of the furnace, but the
greater part were lying in the yard seam, within a
short distance from the shaft. The first man was
found sitting on a coal seat, his head resting on his
arm in a posture of calm repose, and immediately
behind him was a whole row of corpses seated on
the ground with their backs against the wall of
coal. Further on were three or four rows of dead
men lying pele mele, with legs interlaced, some
with their heads lying on others' breasts, some
locked in each other's arms. It was almost impos-
sible to get any description of the terrible scene be-
low from those who were engaged in the duty of
removing the corpses, so much were they affected
by what they had seen ; but from the general ap-
pearance of the men there can be no doubt that all
of them died from the effects of the gas, and died
quietly and calmly. There is every reason to be-
lieve—and it is a merciful supposition—that in
most instances their agonies would not be pro-
longed beyond Saturday. Signals, it is said, were
and perhaps a few of the
strongest heard u p tomight Sunday,
have
struggled against the deadly
vapour longer than the rest.
Though there might have been a considerable
body of pure air shut up in the workings when the
fall took place, yet the 205 men and boys and the 30
horses would soon consume this; and as the yard
seam, in which they took refuge, generates carbonic
acid gas in large quantities, the atmosphere of
their living prison would very soon be fatal.
It is the single consolatory thought in the whole
of this terrible calamity that they
were spared the
prolonged agonies of starvation, and their passage
from life to death was early and painless.
This all the appearances warrant us in believing,
and it is the opinion of all the experienced
persons whom I have questioned on the point.
When the workings were effectually cleared of the
gas to allow the men to remain in them for any time
preparations were immediately made at the pit's
mouth for the reception of the bodies. During the
whole of the day and night previous special engines
had been arriving at the colliery with a load of
coffins. `ljiese were moved up to a convenient posi-
tion, and at last it was proposed that they should
be lowered down into the pit and the bodies placed
in them there. When it was found, however, that
the process of decomposition had not gone too far,
it was determined to bring the bodies to bank and
identify them there. It was about half-past 10
when the first was brought up, and from then till
the time I write the process has been going on
without interruption. The tidings of the rapid
progress of the sinkers had been spread abroad far
and wide, and from earliest dawn the crowd round
the pit head had been increasing. From every
quarter they tramped in, and by 10 o'clock there
must have been close upon 5,000 people present.
During the past week it has been very difficult to
restrain the impatience of the men at the length-
ened delay which has taken place in reaching the
bodies, and it was expected at this painful moment
there would have been an outburst. Within the
last two or three days, however, growing more
reasonable, they have expressed themselves satisfied
with the operations, slow and wearisome though
they have been; and throughout the whole of the
last sad stage their demeanour was admirable. Oc-
casionally a stifled groan or hysteric cry would be
heard from the crowd as some well-known face
slowly rose out of the dark chasm, but for the most
part a reverent silence was kept throughout. With
the shaft in its present condition it was found im-
possible to lower a cage of the usual character, and
the bodies were brought up in slings passed under
the armpits. As each came to earth it was unslung,
wrapped in a winding sheet, and placed in the coffin
which stood by on a truck. As each was identified
his name was chalked on the coffin, and it was
wheeled away from the platform and delivered over
to the friends who stood waiting outside the bar-
rier. The bodies of those men who lived in the
village hard by were carried there at once, and for
others, who came from a distance, there were hearses
and carts in waiting. Still, this process was slow,
and in leaving the colliery to get to the railway
station your path lay through long lines of piled-up
coffins, some of which had already received their
ghastly burden, and others were standing ready for
it. They were made in a pecaliar fashion, the head
part opening out on a hinge, so that it might readily
be turned back for the relatives to cast a last look
on the features of the dead. Some of the bodies
were more decomposed than others, but on none had
the gas had such an effect as to make their features
unrecognizable. There were none of those horrible
sights seen after explosions of firedamp, when
all semblance of humanity is destroyed by the fiery
blast. Most of the bodies brought up yesterday
wore the appearance of men who had gone off in a
calm sleep ; some few were discoloured, but on
none of the features were there any other signs.
Before I turn gladly from these sickening details
I may mention, in confirmation of what I said
above as to the early advent of death, that out of
the pockets of some of the men as they were taken
from the slings fell corn and other provender which
they had taken from the stables below, thus show-
ing that they were released before there was time
for them to suffer from hunger. About ten bodies
an hour are brought to bank, and by to-morrow
morning all the bodies of those who made their
escape into the middle seam will have been re-
covered. I am sorry to say that there is reason
to fear that some of the men who were
at the bottom of the shaft waiting to be
taken up were surprised by the fall there, and
would have their retreat to the middle seam cut off.
If that would be the case they would perish mise-
rably by drowning, as the water rose slowly on
the stoppage of the pumps, and their bodies will
not be recovered until the shaft is perfectly cleared.
A meeting of the colliers and other workmen was
held to-day at Newcastle. They expressed them-
selves entirely satisfied with the arrangements
made at the meeting for the relief of the widows
and orphans, and a resolution was adopted calling
on the working men throughout the district to
raise subscriptiors in aid of the fund. some of the
speakers strongly condemned the single shaft sys-
tem, and it was resolved to present a petition to
Parliament praying for a select committee to in

quire into the general question, with a view to spe-
cial legislation for the prevention of similar acci-
dents. Mr. Dunn, the Government Inspector, was
present. It would seem that the attention of the
Government has already been directed to the sub-

ject, and that they contemplate legislation, as a
letter from Sir G. Grey to the inspector—appa-

rently a circular letter intended for all the inspec-
tors—was read, directing him to make a return to
.....

the Home office of all the pits in his district which

are worked by a single shaft, with their depth and
means of ventilation, and asking for his opinion as
to the expediency of an enactment that all pits shall

be worked by two shafts.
The subscription list amounts now to between
£4,000 and £5,000, including the following sums:—
Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, £2OO ; his
Grace the Duke of Northumberland, £300; the
Right Hon. Earl of Durham, £200; collected in the

London Stock Exchange, £5OO ; the Common ,Coun-
cil of the City of London, per the Lord Mayor, £105;
the Elswick Ordnance Company, £105; the owners
of Bebside, Choppington, and Walker Collieries,
£105; Mr. Hugh L. Pattinson, £105; Messrs. Bell

Brothers, £lO5 ; Messrs. John Bowes and Partners,
£lO5 ; Messrs. Walker, Parker, and Co, £lO5
Messrs. R. and W. Hawthorn and Co., £lO5 ; Sir M.
_ _ _

W. Ridley, M.P., £100; the Birtley Iron Company
and° wn ers of 0 ulston Colliery, £lOO ; Messrs. James
Joicey and Co., £lOO ; the Cowpen and North Seaton
Coal Company, £100; Messrs. Woods and Co.,

£100; Mr. George Crawshay, London, £100; Messrs.
Hawke, Crawshay, and Sons, £100; Messrs. Lamb-
ton and Co., £100; Sir W. G, Armstrong and Co.,
£52 10s ; Mr. R. 0. Lamb, £52 lOs ; Capt. Lamb,
£52 10s; the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Dur-
ham, £5O; Mr. Joseph Laycock, £5O; Messrs.