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

THE TERRIFIC COAL PIT " EXPLOSION

AT W.IGAN.

ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS:
(.172:0i1t- the Mane/lister Guai•diom, of &turetity.)'
On inqiiiry,.on Thursday afternoon, we learned from
Mr. Thomas Hawitt, surgeon, Wigan, that' he was at
the_ collierfroM a quaker. before two to a quarter before
six p.m. , Wednesday ; and that he was attending the
young Critchley of Hallgate, 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
xhausted, 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 -Thiirsday afternoon remained in a very pre-
carious state:—siiffering from 'congestion of the brain,
and suspended animation, the result of "the suffocating
effects of choke da.ipp.. He' still continued insensible.
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. - ThoneaS
Martindale had ids left arm fractured, and several slight
contusions about the head. Another man, named
Mason, had received a slight injury Ain't 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 -Alen our reporter called ;
but we believe the above to comprise the principle cases
of personal injury to survivors.
The search for the bodies Which remained in the pit
Was continued during Thursday night, and the whole of
yesterday. On Thursday, six bodies *ere 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 explpsion was greatest, and where the
stoppir.gs have been thrown down, and arpdrtion 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 portionp of:
the' roof and Stappings. The search is, however, still;
being continued: • All the bodies Which were reco-
vered were removed to the. Navigation. Inn, Whefe they
were wailed and dressed in white ready Tor 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 brnise,s 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 recOgniie them.
On Thursday afternoon, the county Police, having
learned that the exploSion Was supposed to 'have resnited
from the furnace -not having been sufficiently kept up,
apprehended Thomas Jones,' the tiverlooker, and he has
since then remained in custody.
It now remains to present the sad catalogue of the
killed and hurt, which,, so Ear as we were able• to collect
np to last evening, is as follows :--
. KILLED.
Jelin Marsde,n,, 33, Wigan, hookevon, . married, two
children. . .
John Stanley,. 24, Wigan, hooker-on, unmarried.
Joseph Hunt, 37, Ince, fireman, married, six children.
Edward Mint, 15, son of Joseph Hunt, Ince, drawer.
Michael Connelly, 21, Wigan, jigger,' unmarried.
James Green, 11, Wigan, didwer.
Richard Bannister, 30, Chorley, collier, married, five
children.
William Taberner, 20, Ince, labourer, unmarried.
Joseph Ta,berner, 18, brother of William, Ince, jigger,
unmarried.
Joseph Blacklidge, a boy, Chorley, drawer.'
George Hargreaves, 24 or 25, Wigan, drawer, married,
two children.
William 111`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, 35, Wigan, collier, married, five children.
William Byrom, 2¢, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
Matthew Rigby, 23, Wigan, drawer, unmarried.
JAZ]. iluilton, about 52, Wigan, labporer,.married, siz
of'Seven children.
John Main, 20, Wigan, drayer; Umnarried.
James :Tones, 1.3,' Ince, jigger, unmarried.
John MeAllister,' 20, Wigan, draWer. - • '
Jamee 14,Migan, draiver.
Joseph M'Allister,.lo,rWigan, drawer. s
Henry IsheywQod, 27, Wigan, drawer; married, one chilC
Edward ,14arsdep, 18, :Wigan, drawer. f
Joi..lll`lntosh, 29, Wigan, ; married, two chi;
4ebPeterrM'iNati'ght,' 15, Wiga,n,,draw er.
Robert M`Naught, 13, Wigan, drawer.
Edward _Hanley, 12, Wigan, drawer.•
John Cavanaeli 22, Alrio•banf drawer married, one child

' MISSING.
Michael Cunliffe, 22 ar 23, Wigan jigger.
Matthetv Byined; '2l, Wigan drawer, unmarried
Robert Jones, 26, Wigan, collier, Married, three Children.
Thonias Elligon;'2o, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
Robert. Lewis, 22, Wigan; collier, Married, no children.
Janies Harrison, 45,'Wigan, horse tenter and furnace-
man, married, six ,children. - •
Ralph Valentine, , 25, Wigan, labourer, married, one
child.; . ,
.. , , •: ;,, ~: . - :
Cetus Morgan, ,I 8, Wigan, collier, unmarried.
Thomas
Owen, 30, Wigan, collier, married, two children.
James Hardman, 13, Ince,doOr tenter. .
4oseph Gaskell; 20, Wigan, collier, Unmarried..
.William Griffiths, 32, Ince, collier, unmarried. '''
Quarles O'Neill, 28, Ince; collier, unmarried.
tthur O'Neill,- '2l, Ince,' brother of Charles O'Neill,
collier, unmarried. - • ' . -
ohs O'Neill, 18; InCei, brother of the two former O'Neills
drawer, unmarried. '-'-f , :.; t - .' • .
itomas-Glaive, 22, Wigan, collier, unmarried. '
hn Davis, young man, _lnce, drawer, unmarried. '
homas Jones.
avid Jones.

RURT,,
Robert Ainscough, 23, Wigan, collier, dangerously.
James Naylor, 26, Wigan., collier, injured by afterdamp.
William Ainscough,, 1,3,. Wigan, jig-tenter, do. slightly._
William Critch:ley, yong man' Wigan, seriously.
a boy„,Wigan, fractured leg; and much
"-blown." • •
Alarozi Jelly, Wigan fractured skull and leg.
Thomas-Martindale, arras fractured, &c. •
Mason =hurt in the back &c -
, .

1 1 -' ' .:THE INQJJ.EST,
ljpen the 40 bodies which had been_ got out of the pit
was opened-at-2 o'cloak yesterday at the Navigation Inn,
where the bodies Were lying before Mr. C. E. Driffield,
coroner for the hundred. Mr: Dickinson, the Government
lii pector of coal mines for this district, who had visited
t pit during the'. morning, . was presents - Thomas
J nes, the fireman was present in custody; and Mr.
iton, solicitor, VVigan, appeared on his behalf.' After
the jury ,had viewed the bodies evidence was taken, and
witnesses; were, called, who- identified the- bodies of all
the persons mentioned ,in our list of "killed.; " and,
after their examination, the inquest was (shOrtly before
eight o'clock); adjourned to. eleven, o'clock on Thursday
next. ' '