The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-11 00:00:00

explosion at Darley Main, The unfortunate woman
has again lost her sole support by this calamity.
Mrs. Hartley died a few months ago, and now the
father and two sons are carried off, leav : g the re-
maining child, a girl, dependent upon c arity.

The engineers who were consuitifiz with Mr.
Morton, the Government Inspector, determined at
9 o'clock list night to "seal up" the three shafts
and turn the water of a neighbouring stream into
the mine, in order to put out the fire. The decision
gave rise to violent dissatisfaction amid the vast
crowd who were anxious to see the bodies removed.
A descent of the shaft was clearly impossible with
any hope of success, yet there were hundreds of men
ready and eager to descend if they had been per-
mitted. Threats were openly made as to what
would be done if the engineers persisted in their in-
tention, and a serious riot was apprehended for

some time.
A deputation of six veteran collierswasa
and askppointed
to wait upon the Government Inspector,
him for permission to descend the
mine. Mr. Mor-
ton firmly refused, alleging that if a descent was
made the probability was that there would be ano-
ther explosion more severe than the others. The
men pleaded that the relatives of the deceased were
in a fearful state of excitement on the subject, but
they themselves admitted that it was impossible
for any of the men in the mine to have lived after
3or 4 o'clock on Monday. In the evening a large
stone was thrown through the office window. It is
feared that if the water is turned into the mine
weeks, or even months (as was the case at Lund-
hill) may elapse before the bodies can be got at.
Two deaths have taken place among the men
brought to the bank after the explosion.

An inquest was opened at the Mason's Arms last
night by Mr. Taylor, and adjourned to Monday
next.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
This terrible calamity continues to engross the
attention of the South Yorkshire mining districts.

Nothing so fearfully disastrous has occurred in
Yorkshire since 1857, when the great explosion at
Lundhill sent a thrill of horror throughout the
whole country. By the investigations and inquiries
made at the scene of the disaster on Tuesday, some
further interesting particulars have come to hand.
The Edmond's Main Colliery is situated about two
miles and a half in a south-westerly direction from
Barnsley. The upper works of the mine are placed

within a short distance of the South Yorkshire coa

,ne to Worsborough and district, which run paralle

with the Dearne and Dove Canal. The workings

extend east and west for about 1,800 yards, and in
the east they were being extended to establish a

connection with the new Swathe shaft, which also

belongs to the colliery company. There are two
downcast shafts and one upcast, which is about 290
yards distant from the others, and is a very large
and well built shaft. The managing partner is Mr.
Joseph Mitchell, who was assisted by his son, and
the general steward of the mine, a man named

Lawton, universally respected for his experience
and skill in mining affairs. The mine has
been in operation about nine years, and
the quantity of coal got from the seam, which
is here nine feet thick, has been very large. Al
branch line runs to the pit mouth from the
South Yorkshire line, and the colliery has been one
of the most productive upon the line. The number
of men and boys employed was slightly over 300,
and some parts of the mine were worked day and
night, in order to supply the demand for the coal.
Having thus recapitulated a few of the most essen-
tial particulars, we proceed to describe more in de-
tail than we were enabled to do yesterday the ter-
rible disaster which has suddenly broken in upon
this busy scene of industry, and plunged into eter-
nity a great number of industrious workmen.
The explosion was caused, as stated in our quo-
tatiom from the Sheffield Independent yesterday, by
a fire in the eastern extremity of the workings,
which were being driven to connect the mine with
the Swathe shaft. It seems that the men who
were engaged in driving the heading determined
to blast the coal with gunpowder, and accord-
ingly a hole was drilled in the seam, and a
charge of powder inserted in the usual manner.
The duty of " f ring the shot," as the miners term
the exploding of the charge, devolved upon men who
were specially selected for the purpose. At a period
which cannot be exactly ascertained, but it is vari-
ously stated at between half-past 7 and 9 in the
morning, the shot was fired by a man named Wal-
ton, and the result was most disastrous. The ex-
plosion ignited the gas, which was issuing very
freely from the newly-cut face of the coal, blew
down several brattices—air courses—and finally set
fire to the seam of coal. According to the state-
ments made by several intelligent miners with whom
we conversed, the condition of this part of the work-
ings was peculiarly dangerous in consequence of the
incessant emission of gas, and it certainly seems un-
accountable why blasting operations were allowed
to be carried on there. The men who were at work
in the board-gate, where the shot was fired, did all in
their power to extinguish the fire and restore the
ventilation. But they were unsuccessful, although at
first the fire spread very slowly, and there were hopes
entertained that it would be extinguished before it
became necessary to alarm the workmen. State-
ments vary upon the question as to whether any
warning at all was given to the men. Some of the
miners, who were working near the scene of the fire,
were made acquainted with the ominous fact by
their " harriers,' and several of them proceeded at
at once to the pit bottom, and were drawn to bank.
But many others, who were working at a great dis-
tance from the fire, complain that they were never
warned of the danger, and that they made their
escape with great difficulty from the spreading of
the deadly gas. About half-past 11 o'clock a mes-
sage was sent from the colliery to Mr. Mitchell,
the managing partner, from Lawton, and the mes-
senger found Mr. Mitchell and his son standing to-
gether at the Swathe shaft. What was the nature
of the message we have not been able to ascertain,
but that it was urgent there can be no doubt, for
Mr. Mitchell and his son went with all speed to the
colliery, descended the shaft, and met Lawton, who
stated it is said the circumstances which had occurred
in connexion with the firing of the shot. Mr.
Mitchell, senior, laid an especial charge upon Law-
ton to be exceedingly careful in what he was doing,
but we are not informed that it occurred to either
of them to have the miners sent out of the pit, and
thereby prevent the danger of a wholesale sacrifice
of human life. Lawton assured Mr, Mitchell that
he had plenty of bricks and lime at hand, and that
"he hoped soon to build up the stoppings and make
all right." Mr. Mitchell, jun., then went to the
cupola pit, and ordered the furnacemen to put
out the fire immediately, which was done ; and the
two returned to the pit bank just before the first
explosion (that at 11 o'clock) took place. One of the
killed, named Thomas Oxterberry, had earned a re-
putation for fearless hardihood. He also formed one
of the band of explorers at tundhill, the Oaks, at
the explosion at Messrs. Twibell's colliery, at the
upper end of the Dale ; and on other occasions his
ever-ready and useful services have been called into
requisition. The fate of Lawton, the steward, and
his eldest son was very melancholy. They had left
the mine after the first explosion, but returned in a
short time and went down the mine to attempt to
rescue the men imprisoned in the distant workings.
They never returned.
About three o'clock it became evident that to con-
tinue the attempts to explore the mine would only
be to court a useh ss sacrifice of valuable lives. At
that time about seventeen injured men had been
brought to the pit bank, and were at once attended
to by the surgeons who had been summoned from
Barnsley, One of the sufferers, named Davy, died
in a abort time after he was brought out; and
another,
George Pickering, whose dreadful injuries
we yesterday described, on Tuesday afternoon, after
stories are told of agony.thkecondi
who had been atrmnakby
enduring imtense
tilo'hneofmsoomste
ohfarthroewminegn
endeavouring to
e °Y wvit atlSt/le3roatwhaeyr
the first blast and were seen
in
the hiesirs.awidaytotohathvee shhaadft.tssoThoef
furnacemen, Pickering,
and one of the men
his sons working
of them, who was mak-
saw him come up with one
ing his way to the shaft; pi,ker.i. . .... . .a ti-
d th' A) . - ng wathell `lll-
- asked
was.
injured, and
The lad replied that he