The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-11 00:00:00

THE WIGAN COLLIERY ACCIDENT.

The details which we have received respecting the col-
liery accident in South West Lancashire confirm the re-
ports of its serious nature. Three men have died of their
injuries, and two of the four others injured are not
expected to recover. The accident took place at
the No. 7 pit of the Rainford Coal Company,
which is about eight miles from Wigan. The upper
seam of the colliery has been worked out, so that
sinking to a lower shaft has beeitt commenced. On Thurs-
day, about noon, it was found that the shaft pillars
at the oil moulting were on fire, the ventilating
furnace in the up-cast baying ignited the coal.
Preparations were at once commenced for extin-
guishing the fire, and an arrangement was made for con-
veying water down by means of a syphon. Shortly before
midnight the w3rk was nearly completed, and eight men
were sent down to assist. Seven of them seated them-
selves at a sbort distance front the burning coal, while
the eighth bad gone to look after the water in the
downcast. Suddenly the flames wore driven upon the seven
men who were near the furnace, and all were severelyburned.
It is not thought that any explosion occurred, and no
clearly defined cause can bo assigned for the accident,
though it is probable that a fall of roof may have occasioned
the temporary reversion of the ventilation. There was
no disarrangement of the shafts, and in the course of a few
minutes all the injured men were brought to the bank,
and conveyed home. Two of them died early the same
morning, and another in the course of the afternoon.
We are sorry to add that two of them have
left widows and children. Yesterday the mouthings of
both shafts were closed, and it is hoped that by this means
the fire at the mouth of the old seam will be extinguished.

The Paris correspondent of the Independance
Beige has reason to believe that the speech of the Emperor
on the 18th will be favourable to the crowning of the edifice
in France.

The Bishop of Winchester, who is blind, and in
his 94th year, recited to the congregation in the cathedral
the whole of the prayers at the afternoon service on
Christmas Day.

There is likely (says the London correspondent of
a Yorkshire contemporary) to be a very curious ease before
one of the sitting judges at the Guildhall in February, which
will throw some light upon the inner working of some of our
Government departments. The case will assume the form of an
action of libel on the part of an ex-official of good standing
against another official who is closely connected with a late
Secretary of State. One of the most curious features of the
affair is, that the alleged libel was contained in a letter ad-
dressed by the defendant to a relation, which letter was ac-
cidentally seen by a friend of the plaintiff in a Government
office, and copied and forwarded to that gentleman.

THE LONG FIRM PRACTICES AT BIRMINCaIAM.
A distiller in Liverpool lately received extensive orders
for whisky from a branch of the long firm in Birmingham.
On an order for £5O worth arriving, he wrote to say that
his terms were cash in a first transactior. The firm,
nothing daunted, sent their bill for the amount, when the
distiller informed them that he never accepted bills from
strangers. The firm then wrote to have their bill returned,
but the distiller resolved to return it in person. On visit-
ing their office at Birmingham, he found "sample"
rooms, " private " offices, and " packing room," but not a
soul in charge of them.

A singular ease was tried at the Barnsley Court.
house on Friday. It was an action claiming .£5O
damages, by Joseph Poulter, a weaver, of Ardsley,
against four gamekeepers and watchers employed by
Mr. R. Micklethwaite, of Ardsley House, for an as-
sault committed by them upon him last September.
Ho had been walking with a friend in a place called
Quaker's-lane, and left him to enter a field for a law-
ful purpose. There he was set upon by the defendants, and
,o severely beaten that he sustained serious injuries. The
plaintiff and another man were taken before the magistrates
and committed to prison for a month, but it was urged
that he was not armed in any way, and the violence used
against him was excessive, and it was pointed out that the
keepers bad no deputation to arrest any person on the land.
although their master had the power of shooting over it.
The jury gave the plaintiff a verdict with £25 damages. An
application was made for a new trial, and it was reserved fr
consideration.

THE HEAVY FLOODS AT WINDSOR.—The con-
tinued rush of water from the west country of Oxfordshire
and the river Loddon, has caused another rising of the
Thames in the neighbourhood of Windsor of upwards of a
foot, and the" Cobbler," the criterion of watermen for many
years, has at last disappeared altogether. This great in-
crease to the overflow has extended the flood to the
greater portion of the Home Park, under the north terrace
of 'Windsor Castle, and every part on the north side
of the slopes and all the fields in the Thames Valley, ex-
tending for miles above and below 'Windsor Bridge, have
the appearance of one vast sea, and the little village of
Ratchet is fast becoming peninsulated. Romney Island,
opposite to Eton College, the residence of the well-known
" Charley Tull," of the Locks, is almost submerged, the
cellars in the lower part of Windsor and Eton are fast
filling, and if the water continues to rise, as it is expected,
for several days to come, the neighbourhood of Windsor
and the adjacent towns and villages will experience a
flood which has not been witnessed since the death of the
Duke of Wellington, in 1852. The barge traffic of the
Thames 44 been 8tpp.91_8:42242/14PLY math.