The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-28 00:00:00

THE TERRIFIC COAL PIT EXPLOSION

AT WIGAN.

ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
(Front the Manchester Guardian of Saturday.)
On inquiry, on Thursday afternoon, we learned from
Mr. Thomas Hewitt, surgeon, Wigan, that he was at
the colliery from a quarter before two to a quarter before
six p.m. Wednesday ; and that he was attending the
young man William Critchley of Haligate, Wigan, who,
he said, was very much cut about the head, and bleeding
when brought up. He was conveyed home in a cart,
and was doing well. He was also attending a boy
(name unknown), who had a fractured leg, and was
much " blown "by the gas. He was also attending -two
others in Wigan, both "blown," but doing well.
Mr. Fisher, surgeon, Wigan, informed us that he
went to the colliery, and descended into the pit. He
found the survivors there, about 30 in number, com-
plaining very much of cold ; of these eight were injured
by the concussion caused by the explosion, and were not
seriously burned or blown. He remained down a short
time, administering restoratives to those who seemed
xhansted, and then attended with two sufferers, a boy
and a man, and subsequently attended to the other in-
jured men, as they were brought up. The most serious
case, he thought was that of Robert Ainscough, -who
on Thursday afternoon remained in a very pre-
carious state—suffering from congestion of the brain,
and suspended animation, the result of the suffocating
effects of choke damp. He still continued, nsensible.
Aaron Jelly, had received a fracture of the skull and
another of the right leg ; and was lying at his home,
Schofield Lane, Wigan, in a precarious state. Thomas
Martindale had his left atm fractured, and several slight
contusions about the head. Another man, named
Mason, had received a slight injury about the back ; but
was doing well. Indeed, all -the eight sufferers were
reported as going on favourably, with the exception of
Jelly and Ainscough.
Mr. Daglish was from home when our reporter called ;
but we believe the above to comprise the principle cases
of personal injury to survivors.

On Thursday afternoon, the county police, haying
learned that the explosion was supposed to have resulted
from the furnace not having been sufficiently kept up,
apprehended Thomas Jones, the overlooker, and he has
since then remained in custody.

The search for the bodies which remained in the pit
was continued during Thursday night, and the whole of
yesterday. On Thursday, six bodies were removed, and
yesterday ten more were taken out of the pit, making
the whole number of bodies recovered forty. The
whole of the mine has now been searched, with the
exception of a portion of the north district, in which
the force of the explosion was greatest, and where the
stoppings have been thrown down, and a portion of the
roof has been in. This • has obstructed the search in
that portion of the mine, and it is very probable that
there are many bodies still buried beneath portions of
the roof and. stoppings. The search is, however, still
being continued. All the bodies which were reco-
vered were removed to the Navigation Inn, where they
were washed and dressed in white ready for interment.
Some of them exhibited no marks either of burning
or bruising ; and in these cases death appeared to have
resulted from suffocation. The greater number of them,
however, were much burned, particularly about the
hands and face, and some of them had also sustained
severe bruises and fractures. The leg and thigh of one
man had been entirely separated from his body, and
three others were so much burned and crushed as to
render it impossible that their limbs should be com-
posed in the usual manner, and to make it improbable
that their friends would be able to recognise them.

It now remains to present the sad catalogue of the
killed and hurt, which, so far as we were able to collect
up to last evening, is as follows :

KILLED.

John Marsden, 33, Wigan, hooker-on, married, two

children.
John Stanley, 24, Wigan, hooker-on, unmarried.
Joseph Hunt, 37, Ince, fireman, married, six children.
Edward Hunt, 15, sen of Joseph Hunt, Inee, drawer.
Michael Connelly, 21, Wigan, jigger, unmarried.
James Green, 11, Wigan, drawer.
Richard Bannister, 30, Chorley, collier, married, five

children. •
William Taberner, 20, Ince, labourer, unmarried.
Joseph Taberner, 18, brother of William, Ince, jigger,

unmarried.
Joseph Blacklidge, a boy, Chorley, drawer.
George Tlargreayes, 24 or 25, Wigan, drawer, married,

two children. V
William M'Knight, 25, Wigan, jigger, married, one or
two children.
Thomas Baxendale, 38, Wigan, labourer, married, two
children.
William Gent, 19, Wigan, drawer, unmarried
Samuel Gent, 20, Wigan, brother of William. Gent,
drawer, unmarried
Eli Jelly, 33 or 34, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
Thomas Wright, 3 Wigan, collier, married, five children.
William Byrom, 2j
Matthew Rigby, 23 Wigan, collier, unmarried.
Wigan, drawer, unmarried.
John iluyton, about 52, Wigan, labourer, married, six
or seven childten.
John Mellin, 20, Wigan,
jigger unmarried.
James Jones, 18, inZ;e, drawer, unmarried.
John M'Allister, 20, Wigan, drawe
James WAllister, 14, -Wigan, drawr'
Joseph WAllister, 16, Wigan,e r.
Henry Isherwood, 27, Wigan, drawer.
Edward Marsden, 18, Wigan, drawre; married, one child.
Jos. Wlntosh, 29, Wigan, collier •
married, two chil-
dren.
Peter lli‘Naught, 15, Wigan, drawer.
Robert M‘Naught, 13, Wigan, drawer.
Edward Hanley, 12, Wigan, drawer.
John Cavanagh, 22, Wigan, drawer ; married, one child.
MISSING.
Michael Cunliffe, 22 ar 23, Wigan, jigger.
Matthew Byrnes, 21, Wigan, drawer, unmarried
Robert Jones, 26, Wigan, collier, married, three children,
Thonias Ellison, 20, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
Robert Lewis, 22, Wigan, collier, married, no children.
James Harrison, 45, Wigan, horse tenter and furnace-
man, married, six children.
Ralph Valentine, 25, Wigan, labourer, married, one

child.
Cutus Morgan, 18, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
Thomas Owen, 30, Wigan, collier, m*rried, two children.
James Hardman 13, Ince, door tenter.
Joseph Gaskell, :2,0, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
William Griffiths, 32, Ince, collier, unmarried.
Charles O'Neill, 28, Ince, collier, unmarried.
Arthur O'Neill, 21, Ince, brother of Charles O'Neilli

collier, unmarried.
John O'Neill, 18, Ince, brother of the two former O'Neills,
drawer, unmarried.
Thomas Glaive, 22, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
John Davis, young man, Ince, drawer, unmarried.
Thomas Jones.
David Jones.

HURT.
Robert Ainscough, 23, Wigan, collier, dangerously.
William
William Ainscough, 13, Wigan, jig-tenter, do. slightly.
Critchley, young man, Wigan, seriously.
"blown."
a boy, Wigan, fractured leg, and much
Aaron Jelly, Wigan, fractured skull and leg.
Thorna Martindale, arm fractured, &c.
Mason, hurt in the back, &c.