The Sun.
London, England, 1825-01-15 00:00:00

DREADFUL ACCIDENT.

The Leeds Intelligencer, dated Thursday, gives
the follow lug account of a dreadful accident
which happened at Middleton Colliery, near
Leeds :

SECOND E, DTIhTuIrOs
dNa
Three o'Clock.
One of theinnitoelsitigtreenneleernrusceexplosions took place at 'diddle-
ton Colliery, near this town, the property of C. J. Brandling,
Esq. M.P., about seven o'clock last evening, that has ever been
known to occur in this neighbourhood. The report was as
loud as that of a cannon, and produced such an eflixt upon
the various parts of the pit, seemingly to one of the persons
who was employed in it at the time, as though the whole was
falling in with a dreadful crash. Of course, as the whole of
the men who were employed in the immediate vicinity where
it happened have fallen a prey to its violence, except the few
who were taken to our infirmary about two o'clock this morn-
ing (and they were in such a state as not to give any precise ac-
count of the circumstance), it cannot be ascertained, with any
degree of absolute certainty, how it was occasioned ; but we
have collected the tbllowing particulars from the spot, which
develope the only rational means that can be imagined
as the cause of its occurrence. It is customary, after ex-
cavating a part of the pit, about fifteen yr.rds In length,
to prop the roof by supporters till they perfoiut the like opera-
tion on a similar quantity of coal adjoining ; then to rearre
the props from the first allotment, securing only that part of
the pit nearest the place where labourers are employed. In
the space left by the excavation the foul air collects, and it is
supposed that this old strata has fallen in and driven the com-
bustible element with such force towards the spot where the
men were employed, as to cause it to take tire and explode.
Had this event taken place when the necessary precaution of
having the safety guards upon the lamps was in operation, it
would have produced no such effect; but it was entirely
owing to the imprudent conduct of some of the unfortunate
individuals themselves, in keeping their lamps exposed
to the air, which was known to be the case yesterday. The
truth of this remark is confirmed by the fact that the lamps
have since been used in the pit with the wire-guards, and are
found perfectly secure. It is said that there were two shocks,
and that more injury was sustained from what is called the
black damp or after-damp, than was received from the ore
which immediately preceded it. The men by the former were
burnt, and by the latter suffocated. The pit is one of those
which is entered by what is called a day-hole, and proceeds
under a hill on a level with the surface of the ground at its
entrance for nearly a mile, where there is a perpendicular
descent of seventy-five pods, at the bottom of which the pit
branches off in ditnrent directions. In one of these branch-
roads the accident happened, and some of the Well were found
laid in groups of five or six one upon another, and in other
places more, at about 40 yards from the pit bottom, or the
place where they would have to ascend to make their escape ;
some were two hundred and others three hundred yards
from this point. There were ten men in more distant
parts of the pit, who, though they felt the effects of the shock,
received no further injury than that of being knocked down by
the violence of the explosion. The number of men who were
killed on the occasion is twenty-four, and we have endeavoured
to collect their names and ages with as much precision as the
present confused state of things would permit. The following
are their names, and what other circumstances we could learn
respecting their families :
John Procktor, (aged 60); wife and three childen ; James
Wood, (23) ; his wife was brought to bed yesterday; Benja-
min Wood, jun. (13) ; Benjamin Wood, sen. (45), father of tho
two former ; wife and three children ; Joshua Liversedge;
(45) ; wife and 10 children ; Samuel Rannalen, (12) ; Calita
Ramsdell; (14) ; John Hamsden, (20); William Heald, (18) ;
Win. Wood (36), wife and child ; Joseph Dixon (8); San-
derson Handford ; this young man would have completed his
18th year to-morrow ; Samuel Cromack (10); Benjamin Broad-
head (40), wife and one child ; George Wright (27), wife and
three children ; Luke Norminton (27), wife and two children ;
James Drury (18) ; Richard Foster (5) ; this poor little fellow
was taken out alive in a mangled state, and expired tit three
o'clock this morning; James Heald (14) ; George Ambler (8) ;
P. Hamel (33), wife; .1. Foster (8) ; J. Haigh (40), wife and
child, anti .1. Ramsden (20), are yet in the pit, and supposed to be
dead; 0. Ambler (8), both his thighs broke; John Liversedge
(20), much burnt; Samuel Hewitt (15), skull fractured ;
George Hewitt (22), much bruised ; were taken to the Infir-
mary about two o'clock this morning, and there are some hoped
entertained of their recovery.
The distress that prevails throughout the neighbourhood
cannot be conceived. In sonic families two, and in others three
have fallen in the general wreck ; and while the friends of the
deceased were waiting at the pit's mouth with breathless anxie:y,
to krow the fate of their relatives, the heart-rending cries of
wid( wi and fatherless children presented such a scene as beg..
gars all description Nor has the appearance of things much
changed fur the better ; sorrow appears depict in every ceura-
tenance, and the whole neighbourhood seems tojoin in the coal.
mon grief. _

The friends of Haigh and Ramsdell, who are yet in the pit,
are labouring under the most poignant feelings of despair,
sometimes but slightly relieved by a faintly glimmering ray of
hope that their destiny may possibly not be eternally fixed.
The utmost exertions were used to rescue them ; and ),Ir.
Blenkinop, .Alr. Nicholson, and a number of others connected
with the colliery, were incessantly employed till five o'clock this
morning, when the fire reached such a pitch as to render it un-
safe to proceed any further. Since then the pit has been, in a
great degree, in a burning state, and they are adopting mea-
sures to put a stop to its progress, which may be effected in a
day or two, or may continue a much longer time.
It is almost impossible to describe the appearance of the un-
fortunate sufferers ; several of them have broken limbs ; such
as were most affected by the first blast, have all the skin burnt
off their faces, and the bodies of others are perfectly black. One
young man appears to have been fighting against the flames
upon his body, as, at the time he was found, his hand was full
of flesh.

Before we dismiss the narration of this melancholy event, we.
venture to ►uggest the propriety of some of oar more opulent
fellow-townsmen, immediately setting on foot a subscription tzr
the relief of the bereaved widows and fatherless children ; of
whom there are ten of the former, and twenty-five of the later.