The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-01 00:00:00

DREADFUL

ACCIDENT NEAR

HALSHAIV MOOR.—FOUR PERSONS KILLED.
(From the Manchester Times.)
An inquest was held yesterday (Thursday), before W. S.
Rutter, Esq., coroner, at the Unicorn Inn, Kersley, on the
bodies of James Corsill, aged forty, William Cowsill his
son, Peter Harrison, aged thirty-eight, and William John-
son, aged thirty, all bricksetters, whose deaths had been
caused by suffocation whilst at their work is a coal-pit on
Tuesday evening.
The particulars of this melancholy event are as follows :
Thetrustees of the late Mr. Fletcher had engaged the above-
named, with other workmen to sink a new coal-pit at
Spindle Point, in the township of Kersley. The pit had
been excavated to the depth of sixty-one yards, and two
sets of workmen were employed eight hours alternately,
the miners in the day-time, and the bricksetters in the
night. On Tuesday evening the latter workmen descended
the pit, and continued to work till half-past nine
o'clock, when they suspended their employment for
half an hour for refreshment, and resumed their
work about ten. At that hour it was expected that the
miners would renew their work, and they were on their
way to the pit, for that purpose; but in consequence of the
dreadful storm of thunder, lightning, and wind whi4h was
then raging, they were compel:ed to return home. The
bricksetters, therefore, were lowered down into the pit
by William Howarth, the banksman, and nothing occurred
till half-past one o'clock, when Howarth heard a loud rum-
bling noise, like thunder, from the bottom of the pit. home
diately afterwards an immense flame issued from the mouth
of the pit, ascending from six to eight yards above the surface
of the pit-bank. Such was the force of the lame that Ho-
warth, who was standing near the pit's•mouth, waz thrown
three or four yards distant. Immediately afterwards, on re-
covering from his alarm, he heard another noise from the
bottom of the pit, as if from the fall of a heavy substance,
and ran to an adjoining pit for assistance. He instantly
returned, and shouted with all his might to the men in the
pit, but obtained no answer. lie then sent for the over-looker,
John Wallwork, who descended about two o'clock into the pit,
and there discovered the dead bodies of the four men. Wall-
work found all thescaffolding removed except twosidebearers
and a single plank. Ilis brother afterwards went into the
pit ; and on closely examining the dead bodies they were
found to be dreadfully burnt. In his evidence, John Wall-
work stated that he had been in the pit at nine o'clock, when
everything appeared to be safe. He had learnt that last
week, whilst the workmen were boring through the rock,
they discovered a slight fissure, from which a small quantity
of gas escaped. To this circumstance no importance was
attached by the men, who proceeded with their work as
usual, and shortly afterwards reached a bed of metal. Mr.
Wallbrook added, that stormy weather bad always consi-
derable influence on the air in coal-mines ; that the scaf-
folding was so tightly fitted within the pit as to prevent the
free escape of' air ; that, in his opinion, a collection of gas had
formed under it, a slight issue from which had come in con-
tact with a lighted candle used in the pit, and thus caused
the explosion.
Nathan Walker, a sinker, with other workmen, stated that
they had fired two or three aide-shots in the pit between two
and three o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, and at that time did
not apprehend any danger.
A verdict was returned by the jury of " Died from suf-
focation."

FATAL ACCIDENT.—On Monday an inquest was
held at the Punch Bowl, Woodborough, before Mr. C.
Swann, on the body of William Jalland, aged 24, of that
place, joiner. John Burton, framework-knitter, said the
deceased was his son-in-law. On Friday afternoon he came
to witness's house with some hose; he had a gun with bin;
he often had a gun, and witness used to complain, but he took
no notice. In about half an hour after he had gone away
witness heard the report of a gun, and in about two minutes
a neighbour (Mr. Taylor) called to him. and said, "Jalland
has shot himself." Witness immediately went out, and saw
Wm Smith (another son-in-law) running towards deceased,
about forty or fifty yards from his house. He perceived the
deceased lying upon the road, rolling about as if in great pain;
a gun was lying near him ; he was bleeding from his left side,
and he said, "The whole charge ofshot is in me." While being
carried to witness's house blood ran down his trousers. Mr.
Osborne, of Epperstone, surgeon, was sent for, but Jalland
died at about seven o'clock in the evening. He told witness
that he had shot himself. William Taylor, of Woodborough,
farmer, said on Friday afternoon about half-past four o'clock,
while in his house, he heard the deceased calling, and he
went to the door, when he heard him crying out that he was
shot; he was then running up the road towards his father's
house. Witness went to Burton, and told him that Jallaud said
he had shot himself, and then went back and saw him with
the gun in his left hand; he suddenly fell on his face, and
lay till his father and sons went to him; he thought he had
run about 150 yards from the spot where he was shot to
where he Smith corroborated the above evi-
denee. Upon bearing that Jalland was shot, he had run to
the road, and seeing deceased lying on the ground, had gone
to him, and said, "Whatever have you been doing?" and he
replied, "I'm shot! I'm shot, lad; I shall be dead in a few
minutes." He saw a smoke coming out of deceased's clothes,
and asked him whence it came? but he made no answer.
He turned his coat aside, and said, " Bill, you are in flames ;"
and he said, "Am 1? put it out." He turned his trousers'
waistband aside, and saw his shirt was bloody. A gun, which
appeared to have been recently discharged, was lying near
him.—John Henry Osborne, of Epperstone, surgeon, said,
about five o'clock on Friday afternooon, he saw the deceased
at Burton's house; he found a considerable hemorrhage
oozing from a wound in his left side; it had the appearance
of a gun-shot wound, and was five or six inches deep ; the
shot had entered in a lump, and then spread into his body;
he could distinctly feel the shot and wadding in different
parts of the abdomen ; they had penetrated as far as the right
side. Deceased told him, that in getting over a hedge,
coming towards home, he had the muzzle of the gun in his
left hand, and was dragging it after him, it being on full cock
at the time, when a twig caught the trigger, and caused the
gun to be discharged into his side.—Verdict accordingly.--
Notts Journal.
A VETERAN MARINER.—On Monday, the 25th
inst., the mortal remains of Captain Levi Preston, aged 96,
were interred in the church 3 and of Grantham, in which town
he had resided during the last forty years, being the oldest
inhabitant of that place. He was born at Whitby, in York-
' shire, and in early life had the reputation of a skilful, enter •
prising, and intrepid sailor. When commanding an armed
transport, the Admiral Barrington, in 1782, she was the first
ship that arrived to the relief of the starving garrison of Gib
raltar at that memorable siege. On several subsequent oc-
casions he performed essential service by conveying secret
dispatches in cases where nauticall skill, promptitude, and
confidence were essential to success, receiving high rewards
and public thanks from the authorities. He finished his
career as a master mariner by making an unprecedented
voyage from the Downs to St. Petersburgh and back to I
Southampton in 1793, when his ship, the Acorn, was taken
into the transport service, and he retired to enjoy the just
reward of his persevering exertions.
ACCIDENT AT SEA.—We have the painful duty to
record a most melancholy catastrophe, which occurred on
board the new ship Lady Valiant (of London), on the 28th
of November last, whilst taking her departure from the
Land's-end of England for the Mauritius, as advised by Cap-
tain Hay, of the said ship, to Messrs. Blyth and Green (of
London),_the owners, per their ship John Hullett, just ar •
rived in the West India Docks :—" On the 28th of November
the Lizard bearing N.E., about 40 miles distant, at 6h. 15m.
a.m. while in the act of setting a foretopmast studding-sail,
the Chief mate got entangled with the sail, and was taken
overboard. The people called me immediately, and I put
the helm down, and brought everything aback, lowered the
boat and five men in her, tut, after pulling about for two
hours, they came back without seeing anything of him."
Mr. Richard Isemonger, jun., of Littlehampton, Sussex,
was the chief officer above alluded to. He was universally
respected, an excellent navigator, assistant-astronomer,
&,.., of her Majesty's late Antarctic expedition, on board
the Pagoda.
QUEEN ANNE'S BOUNTY. -- There was yesterday
issued, by order of the House of Commons, an account of all
moneys recieved and disbursed by the Governors of Queen
Anne's Bounty during the year ending 31st of December,
1845. It appears that the receipts in that year amounted to
210,385/. 13s 5d., and the disbursements to 204,912/. 2s. 6d.
Of the latter, the following are several of the chief items:—
Loans on mortgage, to build, &c , glebe houses, 58,947/. ; cost
of stock purchased for general purposes, 49,132/. ; to the
clergy, being interest and dividend of money and stock ap-
propriated to their livings, 53,013/. ; erection of residence
houses out of appropriated money, 15,243/., &c. The total
amount of first fruits and tenths received in the year was
13,7581. 135., and there was a sum of 411. in arrear of first
fruits due, and of yearly tenths, 82/. The number of prefer-
ments charged with tenths was 4.946 ; the number of
prefer-
ments received from, 4,915; and the number of preferments
in arrear, 31. The report is dated from the Bounty-office,
the 30th of November, 1846.
LATEST VERSION or ALI BABA. -- On Mnday'
the following audacious attempt was made at a
small este-
minet, near the Boulevard :—ln the course of the day two
men in blouses entered with an enormous case, on which was
inscribed in large characters "Vin de Champagne," "Fragile."
Having each taken a cup of coffee, they requested the mis-
tress of the house to permit them to leave their case, as they
had a long way to go before they delivered it. She gave
her consent, and they took their departure. Midnight came,
but the men did not return. The commander of the patrol
coming in to enforce the regulations for closing the house for
the night, and being made acquainted with the history of the
case, conceived suspicions that all was not right, and insisted
upon having the case opened. The lid was taken off, and
instead of being filled• with bottles of champagne, a man
armed with a poignard was brought forth. Finding resist-
ance or evasion hopeless, he at once confessed that in the
middle of the night he was to come out and open the door
to his comrades, and then rob the house of the 6,000 f. or
7,000 f. it was believed to contain. Reinforcements were sent
for from the post at the Chateau d'Eau, and measures were so
well taken that four men were at last secured, three of them
being well-known old convicts.—Paris paper.
DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT REMAINS AT BRANDON.—
On Tuesday last Mr. Baldwin, tenant to Mr. Bliss, began to
level a hill in a field called the Third Close, adjoining the
meadows belonging to the Chequers Inn, and within five
minutes' walk of the church paths, and upon raising the earth
about the depth of a spade, they discovered the bones of a
human being. Since then, the work being continued, seve-
ral hundreds of skeletons have been found about a foot from
the surface, and there is no doubt that, as the removal of the
ground proceeds, many others will be brought to light. To
all appearance the bones are those of young men of athletic
frames, and most probably, from the imperfect and shattered
condition of some of the skull bones, the discovery of a mus-
ket ball, a piece of a helmet, and a spear, at one time belong-
ing to some gallant fellows who there fell, reaping the har-
vest of a dreadful glory. Around the hill where these
remains were found, there is a moat or ditch, which it is sup-
posed formerly environed Brandon Castle, at which William
the Conqueror held a council of war when he was
baffled in gaining possession of the Isle of Ely, and hence
was compelled with his troops, to retire to Ely a secon
time. This was in the year 1,070. Some curious antiqua-
ries have alreadybeen attracted to the spot, and have struck
upon the foundation of a wall, in the neighbourhood of
which they make no doubt of hitting upon some rare relics.
The bones were re-intfrred in pits dug for the purpose by order
of Mr. Baldwin. A fork also has been found with tines about
as long as a man's finger, but very short and thick. e have
little doubt that the spot where these remains of past times
have been discovered was the scene of one of those conflicts
that fed the earth with slain during the contest of the Par-
liament and the Roundheads, or may be of an earlier fray.
The neighbourhood of Brandon, we believe, especially to-
wards Thetford, has furnished "a clear stage" for many a
hot encounter, in which not a
only the Briton has been en-
gaged, but the Roman, the Norman, the Saxon, and the
Dane. The discovery t
of the bullet will hardly fix the date
of such an event.—Bury and Sn folk Herald.
CAUTION TO JEWELLRS.—On Saturday infor-
mation was received by theE police that Mr. Lascelles, of
Berwick-street, Sobo, a private jeweller, bad been plundered
of a valuable gold chain by a lady who called at his residence
in a brougham,and
mentioning the name of a customer, re-
quested to look at some gold chains, eventually departing
without making any purchase ;a.nd shortly afterwards a
chain worth 15/. was missed. During the week a gold pillar
chain was stolen under similar circumstances from Mr.
Greenwood, of Hanway-yard, Oxford-street ; and a gold
mivial chain from ajeweller's near the elansion-house. The
supposed thief is about forty years of age, dressed in black
satin mantilla, trimmed with fur, and velvet helmet.