The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-30 00:00:00

THE SUN, LoNDorz, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 30, 1862.

THE DREADFUL COLLIRRY ACCID.UII77
IN ATRIIIUMBERL4ND.

NEWCASTLE, WEDNESDAY MORNING.
An announcement just made, that the Home-office
will send down a special commissioner to attend the
inquest which opens next Monday, has been re-
ceived with general satisfaction. I find there exists
among the mining population considerable discon-
tent with the manner in which colliery accidents
are for the most part investigated. Coroners' juries,
they say, are generally composed of persons directly
or indirectly connected with the coalmasters, and
interested in making things pleasant; and " acci-
dental death" is the stereotyped verdict, whatever
the evidence may be. The presence of the inspector
does not always give them an assurance that the
inquiry will be complete and exhaustive, as it may
frequently happen that he himself is virtually as
much on his trial as the colliery manager ; in fact,
I may say in passing that the men appear to put a
very slight value on the protection they are sup-
posed to get from Government inspection, and coro-
ners take such different views of their duty on these
occasions that it is quite a matter of chance whe-
ther the question—to them the most important of
all—of the general management of the mine is ever
entered upon. At various times they have asked for
special commissioners or special coroners to be ap-
pointed for mining accidents, and for changes in
the law regulating the choice of jurors ;and if there
is to be a revision in the Mines Regulation and In-
spection Act, it may be well to consider whether
some amendment might not be introduced into it
to meet those objections to the present system,which
in many cases—in this district perhaps not so much
as in others—are undoubtedly well.founded. There
is nothing, however,in the present case which makes
it desirable to remove it from the ordinary tribunal.
The points involvedare plain and intelligible enough,
the manner in which public attention has been fixed
on the case is sufficient to prevent any of them being
passed over, and the presence of the commissioner
from the Home-office will probablysatisfy even those
who have endeavoured from the first to fi xthe respon-
sibility on some particular person, inspector or owner,
—and not on the system. It is to be hoped that
before the inquest means will be taken to test the
metal of the broken beam. Its quality is said to be
of the best, and professional men maintain that no
casting of that enormous size could have done its
work better. It was one of the celebrities of the
coal trade in this district, and I believe was calcu-
lated to bear a strain some eight or ten times greater
than that which was being put upon it at the time
of the accident. If this be the case, in addition to
a double-shaft movement a further demand ought
to be made—that for the future beams which work
in that dangerous position should be constructed of
malleable iron. This accident ought to be a final
warning to put no further faith in castings, however
enormous, when exposed to sudden shocks. In con-
firmation of the suspicion I expressed the other day
as to the insecurity of the shaft, I may mention that
at the pitmen's meeting on Saturday one of them
is reported to have said, in reference to the shaft,
that " she" was as rotten as a bunch of matches, and
was certain to break in at the first touch. I am
told this is the case with not a few old pits in this
neighbourhood, and it might not be amiss if Sir G.
Grey called upon the inspectors to add to the re-
turn already asked from them a list of pits in which
the special rule which requires every shaft " to be
securely cased or lined" is not observed. There is no
doubt that at least three-fourths of the time spent
in getting up the men might have been saved if the
sinkers had had to deal only with the broken brat-
tice-work, for the distance they had to penetrate the
work was quite as difficult and infinitely more dan-
gerous than sinking a new shaft. Great and de-
served admiration of the indomitable courage dis-
played by these men has been expressed at all the
public meetings held in the district, and it is sug-
gested that a testimonial of some kind should be
presented to them. The subscription list is rising
rapidly to very respectable dimensions. The
following sums have just come in :—His Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales, £lOO ; Lord Hast-
ings, £4OO ; Lady Hastings, £2OO ; the Dean and
Chapter of Durham, £200; Mr. R. W. Jackson,
West Hartlepool, £lO5 ; the owners of Horton and
Hilda Collieries, £105; Duchess Dowager of
Northumberland, £100; Duke of Cleveland, £100;
the owners of Backworth and West Cramlington
Collieries, £lOO ; the Marchioness of London-
derry, £100; Mr. Wentworth Blackett Beaumont,
M.P. ; Captain John Grant, Hyde Park-street,
£lOO ; Hird, Dawson, and Hardy, Low Moor Iron-
works, £100; Losh, Wilson, and Bell, £100;
Marchioness of Waterford, £5O ; Earl of Tanker-
ville, £5O; Lord Lovaine, £25; Earl Vane, £25;
Sir F. Baring, £2O. More than £6OO has been
collected on the London Coal Exchange, and
Messrs. Dixon and Harris, of the coal trade, have
in addition forwarded £4OO, collected by them in
various quarters. In all the great establishments
along the Tyne side, and in the towns about, com-
mittees have been formed for collecting subscrip-
tions, and there are few individuals in the commu-
nity who will not contribute something to the
fund, however small the mite. It is reckoned that
about £20,000 will be required for the effectual
relief of all those who have been deprived of their
means of support by the accident, and if the Bur-
radon precedent be followed the scale will be
somewhere about 4s. a week for the widows, with
2s. for every child, and an addition for schooling
wherever it may be necessary. The coalowners
have not decided yet what course they will follow,
whether to subscribe singly or as a body. They
are to have a meeting to discuss the matter some
day:this week. If there is to be any opposition on
their part to the compulsory double-shaft sys
tem on the ground of its expense—and if any
weight: is to be given to the remarks of Lord
Adolphus Vane Tempest at a meeting at Sun-
derland yesterday, this is not unlikely—perhaps it
would be as well if they would employ an expe-
rienced actuary to calculate for how much a
ton on the coals raised they could afford to take the
desired precautions. The public are now asked
for £20,000; in 1860 large sums were raised for
the sufferers at the Burradon and Risca explosions ;
the year before that there was the Lundhill cala-
mity, and next year there may be another; in fact,
these large accidents have begun to recur regularly
once a year of late, so that it might not be alto-
gether unwise, even in an economical point of view,
to compound with them for an additional ld. or 2d.
per ton of coal. Besides the subscriptions of money,
presents of clothing have been forwarded from many
quarters. One benevolent lady has offered to sup-
ply all the widows with a widow's cap. The Prince
of Wales accompanied his donation with a very
kind and sympathising note to Messrs. Carr, and
the letter from her Majesty, read on Sunday, has
called forth such expressions of gratitude from the
bereaved, that copies of it have been struck off on
mourning paper, and one furnished to each family.

At a dinner given in Liverpool on Saturday to
Sir Charles Bright, of the Magnetic Telegraph Company,
Sir Charles, in his speech, made a few very interesting state-
ments referring to the progress of telegraphy in this cont.-
try. Ten years ago, he says, the company's staff did not
exceed a score of people; now it amounted to about 1,600.
At that time there was only one telegraph in the country,
now tho mileage was computed at 15,000. The total amount
receiving for telegraphic messages in this country in a year
amounted to the enormous sum of £350,000. This startling
information will set at rest the question often asked by the
uninitiated as to the payable nature of telegraphic lines.
The Government line between Malta and Alexandria, Sir
Charles says, produces a revenue of £6OO a week.
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way's Pills should be taken at the same time to purify that
fluid,

THE NAVY.

The Iron. Capt. Drunnnond, Junior Lord of the
Admiralty, yesterday paid an official visit to Wool-
wich dockyard, and accompanied by the Commo-
dore Superintendent (Sir F. Nicolson), and Mr.
Thornton, assistant-master shipwright of the yard,
visited the 91 gun ship Caledonia, and other ships
under construction and repair, and issued instruc-
tions for the despatch of the works in hand.

The Defence, 18, Caph-Powell, C-8., is ordered
to ship her powder and shell on Monday next, im-
mediately after which she will leave Folly Point,
Chatham, for Portsmouth. The arrangements
made for the ventilation of the magazines are stated
to answer satisfactorily, a complete current of air
being introduced, which circulates through that
part of the ship, reducing the temperature consid-
erably below what is usually found in vessels of the
same size and tonnage. The alterations required
to be effected in the engines to drive the blast-fans
connected with the cupolas and furnaces for red
hot shot will be completed this week. The quantity
of powder for which space has been provided is 280
cases of Dell's whole, and 36 metal-lined half cases,

The Terpsichore, 18, sailing ship, attached to the
ordinary at Chatham, is to be rigged and brought
forward for service in the Baltic.
The screw corvette Rattlesnake, 21, 400 horse
power, fitting at Chatham, has shipped her spare
fan (Griffiths's), andk with, the exception of a few
minor details, is completed and ready to take her
departure for any fort to which she may be ordered
to proceed.
The Terrible, 22, paddle-wheel steamer, 800-horse
power, Capt. Glasse, C. 8., has nearly completed
dismantling in Sheerness harbour, previous to being
put of commission. She will be paid off as soon as
her books and other documents have been received
from the Admiralty, the date at present fixed being
the 4th of February.

The Britannia naval cadet training ship, Capt.
Robert Harris, was docked yesterday in No. 2 dock
at Portsmouth for examination of her copper, &c.
The cadets are ordered to assemble on board the
ship on the 4th of February, soon after which date
she will proceed to Portland.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamer Scourge,
Commander the IJon. Wm. S. Ward, from the Me-
diterranean station, arrived at Woolwich on Tues-
day morning, and will go into basin to-day to dis-
charge stores and cargo, and be put out of commis-
sion for repairs. Her dates are—Malta, the Bth
inst., and Gibraltar the 16th. She experienced
strong westerly gales during the voyage. She an-
chored in Yarmouth Roads on the 26th. Her cargo
consists of ancient sculpturesfor the British Museum,
excavated from the ruins of Gortyna, in Candia.
w for removal to
_
LThondeyo.
willn be discharged to-morro

The sailing transport Eliza Nelson, at Woolwich
pier, yesterday commenced shipping a cargo of
timber for the construction of soldiers' huts and
stabling at the Cape of Good Hope.
The steam transport Wisbech, at Woolwich, laden
with 900 tons of war stores for Halifax, yesterday
received 70 tons of flour from the Tower, and em-
barked the families of the military store department
clerks, who proceeded in the Calcutta.
The two 100-pounder Armstrong guns which
have been specially prepared at Woolwich to test
the wooden model of Capt. Cowper Coles' cupola,
were yesterday placed on board the Hazard, old
sailing sloop, in the steam basin. at Portsmouth.
These guns differ from the ordinary Armstrong 100-
pounders, inasmuch as the fore-chace of the piece
tapers from the muzzle to the trunnion-bands, ap-
proaching the form of the old carronade. This
form gives each gun about 8 cwt, extra metal in its
fore-chace.

21LE WEST INDIA AND PACIFIC

MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, JAN. 29.

The Royal Mail Company's steamer La Plata,
Copt. Waller, arrived this morning with the above
mails and 75 passengers, including Messrs. Mason
and Slidell, the Confederate Commissioners to Eng-
land and France, and their secretaries, Messrs.
M'Farland and Eustis.

Dates by the arrival of the La Plata are from
Vera Cruz to tho Ist Jan. ; Havannah, 6th ; Santa
Martha, Dec. 7 ; Carthagena, Jan. 2 ; Colon, 7 ;
Jamaica, 9; Porto Rico, 12 ; Jacmel, 11; Demerara,
8; Tobago, 7; Trinidad, 8; Barbadoes, 10; Grenada,
8; St. Vincent, 8; St. Lucia, 10; Martinique, 11;
Guadaloupe, 11; Antigua, 11; St. Kitts, 12; and
St. Thomas, 14.

The total amount of specie brought is 910,909
dols., which amount consists of 400,470 dole. gold
bullion, 263,303 dole. silver bullion, 25,303 dole.
gold coin, 210,483 dole. silver coin, 9,350 dole.
pearls, and 2,000 dole. jewellery. The cargo of the
La Plata comprises 154:serons cochineal, 96 serons
indigo, 19 serous jalap, 105 cases cigars, 542 bales
tobacco, 8 tierces coffee, 27 packages ditto, 63 bales
sarsaparilla, 87 bales bark, 687 bags cocoa, 59 pack-
ages indiarubber, and 236 packages sundries.
Her Majesty's ships Cadmus and Rinaldo, and
the United States sloop Iroquois, were at St.
Thomas; the Ariadne was about leaving Havannah
for Vera Cruz, to join her Majesty's ships- Elope-
rate and Jason.

The English squadron under the command of
Commodore Dunlop, on its way to Vera Cruz, con-
sisted of the Challenger, Mersey, St. George, Bar-
racouta, Sanspareil, and one or two others. Ad-
miral Milne, with the remainder of the fleet, was at
Bermuda.

The French line-of-battle ship Dugay Trouin
was at Callao. Her Majesty's ship Tartar and
United States frigate Lancaster were at Panama.
The St. Manua Tidente, quoting from the St.
Croix Avis, states that his Majesty the King of
Denmark has been pleased to confer the Order of
I)annebrog on J. B. Cameron, Esq., general super-
intendent of the Royal Mail Packet Company of
St. Thomas. St. Thomas being the head-quarters
of the Royal Mail Company in the West Indies,
there are at times centered at that port as many as
ten large steamers, with at least 1,000 men and
officers, besides a large number of coal vessels. The
station is therefore of much importance, and much
intercourse takes place with the Danish authori-
ties. In case of a war with America, St. Thomas
would be a place of great importance to the British
Government. At such a time as this, it is satisfac-
tory to observe the good understanding which
exists between the Danish Government and the
Royal Mail Company, as evidenced by the confer-
ring upon the superintendent a knightship of Den-
mark, an order very seldom conferred by Denmark
on a foreigner.
The intelligence of the death of the Prince Con-
sort had produced quite a gloom throughout the
British West Indies, and everywhere were heard
expressions of loyal sympathy with our bereaved
sovereign.

The Barbadoes Legislature met on the 31st ult.;
the business done was unimportant.
Governor Hincks took his departure for British
Guiana in the steamer Trent.

Tames Walker, Esq., C. 8., the new Governor of
Barbadoes, arrived there on the 9th.
Trade continued dull. Breadstuff's and provi-
sions had declined in price. The cane crop pro-
mised to be an average one.
Exchange on London-30 days, 490 dole.; 60
days, 4871 doll.; 90 days, 485 dole. Private bills,
90 days, 480 dole. Bank bills on New York, at
10 days, 4 per cent. prem. American gold, 3 per
cent. prem.
At Demerara the weather had been wet, and un-
favourable for the young canes. Trade continued
dull, and prices nominal. The price of American
provisions had advanced, caused by the probability
of war. Produce was plentiful. Tonnage scarce,
and freights advancing. The exports of colonial
produce for the fortnight had been—Sugar,
2,265 hhds. 861 tierces 557 barrels and 579 bags ;
rum, 728 puns. 97 hhds. and 18 barrels ; molasses,

121 casks; timber, 11,260 feet; charcoal, 400 bar-
rels ; cocoa-nuts, 14,0 J 0 ; shingles, 408,000. Ex-
change on London per £lOO drawing at 90 days,
480 dols. ; 60 days, 483 dole. ; 30 days, 486 dole. ;
3 days, 489 dole.; sight, 500 dole.; purchasing, 90
days, 472 dole.

At Jamaica there had been a marked revival in
business, and with the continuance of peace a year
of great prosperity was expected. On most planta-
tions the sugar crop was being taken off. The
yield was excellent, both in quality and quantity,
and the prospects of the planters for the
next year cheering. Three arrivals of immigrants
during the fortnight had reached Jamaica, the
Gertrude, with 309 coolies from Calcutta ; the
Patterson, with 390 Africans from Sierra Leone;
and the Clarendon from St. Helena, with 219 Afri-
cans. In the market butter had sold, French, ls.;
Cork, ls. 13d. Coffee, 48s. paid; demand increas-
ing ; none to be purchased for immediate delivery.
Codfish, 16s. in tierces ; boxes wanted. Hams,
American, 83-a. Logwood much inquired for.
Lard sales, Bd. Pimento, 2d. being paid ; very
little offering. Rum, 2s. 6d. for proof 18 in bond.
Sugar, little at market, 15s. to 16s. dark ; 18s. to
20s. for fair. Exchange on London, 90 days, 1 per
cent. prem. ; 60 days, 1 per cent. prem.; 30 days,
11 per cent. prem.