The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-15 00:00:00

THE RECENT FATAL COLLIERY Ac.

CIDENT AT BEDMINSTER

Yesterday the coroner, J. B. Grendon, Esq., re-
sumed his inquest on the bodies of the five men who
were killed on Saturday last by the breaking of a
rope at the Malago-vale Colliery, Bedminster.
The proceedings seemed to produce great excite-
ment in the parish, especially among the mining po-
pulation, crowds of whom remained assembled in the
vicinity of the inquest-room througout the protracted
examination which took place.
Mr. Bevan watched for the proprietors of the pit;
Mr. Ayre appeared for the friends of the deceased
persons, Webster, Moffatt, Parsons, and Pike ; and
Mr. Sabine attended for the friends of Pring and
Smith.

The CORONER, before the proceedings commenced,
mentioned that he had sent notice of the inquest to
Sir George Grey ; but ess he had had no reply, he
supposed that no inspector would be sent down on
this occasion.

Francis Smith examined—l am a collier residing
in North-street. I have not been employed at all at
the Malago-gale Colliery. My brother, *William
Smith, was employed there, and died in the pit on
Saturday. I attend td an inquest here on that day,
and saw six dead bodies, amongst which were the
bodies of Richard Moffatt, Philip Dring, Thomas
Pike, William Smith (my brother), and of a lad
named William Webster. I knew them all. I saw
Mr. Roberts, the surgeon, also present. Ido not
know how they came by their deaths.
George Cooke, a boy, examined—l am employed
at the Malago pit. Last Friday night I went down
the pit, and got into the cart with the deceased men.
I was let out at the top vein ; the others went to the
bottom vein. I saw the cart descend from the top '
vein. Just after they were gone, when I was in the
vein about thirty yards, and going down the "gug," I
heard the noise of the rope falling. I went to the shaft
again with 15 men, who had heard the noise, with
me; when we got to the shaft the rope had fallen
to the bottom, and we neither saw nor heard
anything then. Before we went down the
pit the engineer, George Parker, said, "Be I
right, or be I wrong; I can't see the ' witness' of the
rope." The " witness" is a piece of string tied round
the rope, for the engineer to see where to stop. Before
we went down, we asked Mr. Pillinger, the foreman
of the works, what was the cause of the rope turning
round. It was turning while we were speaking. We
were not then in the bucket; but while we were
going down, Mr. Pillager told Arthur Britton, a col-
lier, to go and look at the rope, but we did not see
him do so. I never saw the rope twist round that way
before. I was not frightened at it. The rope need
not be taken off the drum to be spliced, but might be
lashed to the sides of the pit. Nothing was said about
the rope as we were going down.
Richard Brookman, of York-buildings, blacksmith
of the pit, deposed that he made the splicing of the
rope, and put it in himself. Witness had frequently
been ordered by Mr. Pillinger to look after the rope
when he went to the pit. He thought this rope was
brought to the pit about twelve months ago, when he
was assisted in fitting it to the drum. The rope was
at first only in one piece, but an old piece of smaller
size was taken off the drum, towards the lower end of
the old rope, and they spliced the new one to the
upper end. The old rope was joined in several places
by iron splices. The part that was broken on Satur-
day morning was in the new rope. It never broke
before, but within the last fortnight 'a piece was cut
out, nearly four feet long, and the rope was spliced in
that place ; the rope broke near the new splice, which
was put in by Mr. Stewart's directions. After it was
put in, the cart was employed in hauling up coal for
tour or five hours before any man was allowed by
Mr. Stewart to enter the cart. All the hands were
then in the pit.
The CORONER asked the witness whether, in his
opinion, the piece, at its ragged end, had been cut or
broken ?

The witness replied, that in his opinion, it must
have been broken ; and, comparing it with the piece
which hae been cut off the drum, he believed that the
parting of the rope had occurred at the splicing.
Arthur Britton deposed that he came up the shaft
just before the deceased went down, and observed no-
thing of s suspicious character in the rope.
James Parker, the engine-driver, said he had never
seen anything wrong about the rope, neither had he
ever heard the workmen complain of it.
Evidence of a similar character having been ad-
duced, the inquiry was adjourned until two o'clock
to-morrow.

The Court rose at a quarter to six o'clock.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.
EASTERN COUNTIES AND NORFOLK RAILWAY.-I'l'loc
return for the week ending Aug. 10 :
Passengers, parcels, &c. —.211,880 1 0
Merchandise, cattle, and cartage 4,851 13 4

Total £16,731 14 4
Corresponding week of 1850 16,014 13 5
BRISTOL AND EXETER RAlLWAY.—Traffic for the week
ending Aug. 3:—
Passengers
Goods
Parcels
Mails

• £3,987 19 10
.. 1,081 15 0
... 144 11 0
• 223 4 2

Total £5,437 10 0
LONDON AND BLACKWALL RAILWAY.—Amount of revenue
or the week ending Aug. 10:—
Passengers
Goods

£1,C23 8 1
... 37 0 0

Total „.. £1,660 8 1
Corresponding week last year ... 1,293 12 11

MANCHESTER, BUXTON, MATLACK, AND MIDLA_NDS JUNC-
TION RAILWAY.—Return of traffic for the week ending
Aug. 10 :

Passengers, &c.
Merchandise ...

£l7l 3 1
... 46 16 9

Total ••• £217 19 10
Corresponding week last year ... 279 4 6
SHREWSBURY AND BIRMINGHAM RAnwAr..—Traffic re-
ceipts for the week ending Aug. 10 :
Passengers ... £3BS 11 5
Carriages, horses, and parcels ... 10 5 6
Live stock ••• ••• ••• •d 10 10
Merchandise and minerals ... 228 13 8

Total £63o 1 5
Corresponding period last year.. 744 6 4
CALEDONIAN RAILWAY.-(160 miles opened.)—Return of
traffic for the week ending Aug. 3 :
Passengers, &c.
Goods, &c.

... £3,846 15 9
3,577 11 8

Total'
••• ...£7,424 7 5
Corresponding week last year ... 7,803 12 8i
' Including Wishaw and Coltness, now in charge of a
factor.

TERRIFIC THUNDER STORM AT SHEFFIELD.—
SHEFFIELD, AUG. 13.—This afternoon this town was visited
by a tremendous thunder-storm, accompanied with heavy
rain and hail. Loud claps of thunder followed each other in
close succession, and, from the rapidity with which the re-
ports followed the flashes, it was evident that some destruc-
tion of property, if not of life, must resnit. The storm com-
menced about five o'clock, and continued about an hour and
a quarter. One of the moot vivid flashes carried the de-
structive element into the Crookes Moor Workhouse, which
is at present occupied by Mr. Jonathan Dearden and his son,
the latter of whom is rate-collector for the township of
Nether Hallam, in the borough of Sheffield. in which the
workhouse is situate. Since the formation of Eccleshall
union, the building has not been used for paupers. The
electric fluid struck the upper pars of the house, and made
its way downwards to the kitchen, demolishing the walls
and furniture in its course, overturning a clock which stood
in the kitchen, in which Mr. and Mrs. Dearden were sitting
at the time; it tore off the ceiling and plaister from the
walls, aed destroyed part of the furniture. !'ha workhouse
is shaken to its foundation, but, fortunately, the inmates, who
had taken the precaution at the outbreak of the storm, to
open the windows, were not injared. The rain poured down
in torrents, and the streets were flooded almost immediately. I
With the exception of the case above quoted, we have not
heard of any serious damage in Sheffield.
The chief physici,in at theorlßerodyaayl last i' 13\vsere)ikt asl,, ltd
Vienna, Dr. Reyer, was conversing,
his colleague as to the least painful
atf° form of
of death, appa-
rently in good health and spirits
ni time; yet that
evening he was found in his 1*(1° baielirP-'n! having put an
end to his existence by fastening a Lrfilled with chloro-
form round his month and nostrils by means of a band of
diachylon plaster.
DIE POTATO DIsEAsE.--We never saw the potato
haulm and blossom so luxuriant as in this locality, but we
are sorry to hear that in other neighbourhoods the disease
has shown itself to sore extent. We trust the reports
o may
prove unfounded, yet it would be Well f
who now are
thankfully acknowledging the Divine blessingra in the healthy
appearance of this useful vegetable, to watch carefully the
approach of blight or tendency to destroy that which at
present looks so hopeful. The dry season is felt to be a great
preventive of disease.-llcrVord Journal.