The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-15 00:00:00

DREADFUL ACCIDENT IN A LEAD

MINE.

SIXTEEN MINERS DROWNED.

On Tuesday morning the water in the disused
Hendre Mines, near Mold, Flintshire, broke into
the adjoining Bryn Gwing Lead Mines, and
drowned 16 miners, only one of the whole number
in the pit making his escape.

The mines are near the high road connecting
Mold and Denbigh, and four miles from the former
town. The old Hendre Mines, mlich were formerly
very productive, had not been worked for some
years; and, as the country is hilly, and there-are
many streams in the neighbourhood, these mines
have been filled with water for a long time. About
two years ago a new company was formed, called
the Bryn G wing Company, for the purpose of work-
ing the same bed of lead ore higher up the moun-
tains than the Hendre Mines. On Tuesday morn-
ing 17 men descended the mine, and, after working
for some time they penetrated the wall dividing
the new workings from the Hendre levels. The
water rushed through the aperture, and the men
had no chance of escape. Edwin Powell alone got
to the shaft, the water being up to his chin, and
there he seized a rope which was hanging down
from the mouth of the pit. By means of the rope
he reached the top, passing several times through
torrents of water on his way. When nearly at the
tboypbheei
being
became
gguedi tuepe sbhya u
thee t ed
hair., an d wHaes
sotnaltyessaved
that
Ihe fancies he heard some one else climbing up the
rope after him ; he was the only one, however, that
arrived at the top. The water is about 240 feet
deep in the mine, so that it will be some time before
the bodies can be recovered. Of the deceased 13
were married men, and one was a widower with
six children. The sad occurrence has cast a deep
gloom over the people of Mold and its vicinity.

ANOTHER SHOCKING AND FA7AL
COLLIERY ACCIDENT.

MEN BURIED ALI vEr

An accident, attended with fatal consequences,
o
and which although happily much less extensive
than the recent one at Hartley, resembled in 800
of its features that terrible catastrophe, has occurred
at the
d
st u tutmost Kingswood, near
Bristol,
yesterdayl
the excitement an
pre-
vailed throughout the district in which it occurred.
It would seem that at one part of the pit
two men,
named Thomas Iles and Joseph Brain were at work
cutting coal, and were attended by a boy named
Thomas Bright, as filler. The boy
them for the had gone from
purpose of wheeling
away some coal,
and on his attempting afterwards to return to the
men he was horrified •
at finding that a large mass of
earth had fallen in the passage where they were
cutting, that if it had not actnall
y covered
them
it
had at least shut them in what would probably prove
to be a living tomb. The boy gave an alarm, and
workmen from the other part of the pit assembled,
and at once set to work in the den eavour to clear
away the debris. They were encouraged in their
efforts by hearing groans, and also the voice of one
of the poor fellows (believed to be Iles) calling out,
" Oh, Lord, have mercy upon me !" and begging them
to make haste and get him out, Although the men
were believed to be only a few feet in the cutting,
it was a work of great labour to reach them, as the
walls or sides were close upon an old cutting, and as
they cltared what bad already fallen, other portions
kept falling in. After working for many hours they
came to the body of Brain, which they got out. He
was quite dead, and shockingly mutilated. They
continued their search for Iles, and succeeded in
reaching the point where he was believed to be, but
could not succeed in finding him and the impression
is that he must have got higher up. His cries were
not heard after six o'clock in the morning, so that it
is feared he must be dead. The men have continued
working incessantly, but up to three o'clock yester-
day (Friday) afternoon they had not succeeded in
'finding the poor fellow.