The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-02 00:00:00

THE WIGAN COLLIERY EXPLOSION.

Again has the danger attending the working of collieries
been illustrated by a fearful example, and the neighbour-
hood of Wigan is again the scene of the disaster. In the
Park-lane or Highbrooks 'Colliery, belonging to Messrs.
Mercer and Evans, twenty-eight men have lost their lives,
arid more names are likely to be added to the list of

killed ere it is closed. The colliery is already
noted for its danger. A more unfortunate one we
are told does not exist. It is situatedat Ashton, in Macker-

field, about four miles from Wigan, a mile from the high

road from Ashton to Wigan, and at the top of a single
line of railway. It was here that in 1865 over 100 colliers

were imprisoned several days by the breakage of the machi-
nery, and here also in 1866 an explosion occurred by which
thirty persons lost their lives. An adjacent colliery
belonging to the firm was on fire for many months, so that

Messrs. Mercer and Evans have of recent years been very
considerable sufferers. The Highbrooks Colliery consists
of two shafts, an upcast and a downcast, both originally
sunk to work the Orrell five-feet seam, which is found in
the upcast at a distance of 280 yards from the surface. In
the downcast, however, it was found that a fault occurred
which had the effect of throwing the Orrell four-feet, or
Arley Mine, and which should lie 60 yards below the five
feet, to a point 60 yards above it, or at least 120 feet out
of its ordinary position. The winning of this four-feet
seam has been a matter of no ordinary difficulty, for, as
the work has advanced, fault after fault has obstructed
the progress of the work. The seam, too, so notably a
gaseous one, has had to be got with the greatest caution, and
every means has been adopted which could be suggested to
secure the safety of the workmen. All the lamps were locked
and examined by the fireman ; no collier was allowed to
fire a shot unless the fireman had first examined his place
and given him permission, and care was taken to secure
the services Gf the most competent men as underlookers
and their assistants. The pit is divided into three dis-
tricts, in which the ventilation is distinct, and an explosion
occurring in one would be thus localised. The district in
which the explosion on Thursday occurred is the south
district, where there are fourteen working places.
The Manchester Courier, telling the story of the
disaster, says that Thursday was what is known among
the colliers as "making-up day "—the last day of the
fortnight's reckoning—consequently all the hands employed
at the colliery were at work. Nearly 100 men and boys
went down at six o'clock ; the ventilation was then
reported by the fireman, Richard Gorton, as in excellent
condition, and the day's operations commenced. Several
of the miners had drilled shot-holes the previous evening,
and, in compliance with the rules and observances of the
mine, Gorton was consulted respecting the firing of one
of these in a place worked by a collier named Leyland,
situate about 560 yards from the shaft in a downward
direction, and 360 yards on the dip side of the pit. It is
generally believed by the miners who have since made an
examination of the locality, that Gorton, who was seen
going in the direction of this place some time before the
disaster, had fired the shot ; that it had been what is
known as a " fast shot ;" had failed to bring away

the coal, and firing either a sudden emission of
gas, or—as some of the men aver—communicating the
flame to the coal dust circulating in the mine, created a
blast which, passing with deadly effect through the
various workings in that part cf the mine, scorched those
who failed to make their escape. This was about seven in
the morning. The first intimation received at the
bank of the pit of what had occurred below
was the usual sudden and dense blast from the shaft
mouth. Knowing instantly what had taken place, those
at hand at once took steps for the rescue of
such as might be alive in the pit. Happily the ventilation,
although it had become reversed, speedily restored itself,
and an exploring party were descending the shaft in a
very brief space of time after the occurrence. In the
pit itself what had happened was not generally known
at first ; and some men who were working within fifty
yards cf the shaft were unaware of what had happened.
Others, however, were attracted by the noise, and
the news soon spread. At the mouth all was
soon commotion and excitement ; the excitement
common to such occasions, which has been so often de-
scribed, produced by the anxiety of friends and relatives.
It was not long before those who intended to work came
forward, declared their intention, and the exploring party
was soon organised.

The exploring party which first went down was under
the command of Mr. Sharrock, the undcrlooker. The
only difficulty experienced was to have the party suffici-
ently small to utilise the air that was in the pit. It was
found that the stoppings and doors had been blown out,
and much of the roof loosened, but by means of bratticing,
which the party put up as they went along, a current of
air was established. The morning was very far advanced.
The first thing to be done was to get the uninjured work-
men, and those in the other part of the colliery being
apprised of what had happened were soon on the surface.
It was then ascertained that about forty remained in the
dip side of the workings, and, under the direction of Mr.
Mercer, a search was made in this part of the mine. In a
slow and often interrupted passage through the workings,
owing to the fallen stoppings, portions of roof and other
d6bris, the exploring party found many who had been
burned or were suffering from the effects of choke-damp.
As they went on they discovered that a large number of
lives had been lost. Very many dead bodies were found
in the district where the fireman, Gorton, had gone in the
performance of his duty, and upon the dip side of the
workings. Though the effects of the explosion were not
universally felt in the pit, two persons, Peter Lowe, aged
20, a dateler, and John Ashcroft, aged 12, a pony driver,
who belonged to other districts, but happened to be upon
the " jig brow" at the time of the explosion, lost their
lives from choke-damp. Their bodies were brought to
the bank early in the forenoon. The work of exploration
proceeds slowly, as- the bodies (which were all
more or less charred, and some dreadfully disfigured)
had to be carried singly for a distance of about 200 yards
along the workings, which were rough with debris, to a
spot where they could be placed
upon waggons, and so
conveyed to the pit's eye, a further distance of 500 yards.
Gorton's was amongst the first of the bodies recovered.
About six o'clock in the evening, by which time all the
bodies had been collected at the pit's eye, the bringing
of them to the bank was
proceeded with. They were
brought up, except in the case of the boys, singly, and
removed upon stretchers (each body being covered with a
hundreds of persons, chieflwhite cloth) to the adjacent carpenter's shop. Somey
operatives and friends of the
deceased, were congregated around the pit's bank as this
' operation was proceeding- Within an hour the last of
the bodies, which numbered, as already stated, twenty-
L eight, was brought up.

THE JOCKEY CLUB.—The annual general meeting
of the Jockey Club will be held at Newmarket after the
races on Wednesday in the Craven Meeting. The fol-
lowing notice of motion has been given by Admiral Rous :
"That a committee be appointed at the annual meeting
of the Jockey Club each year, consisting of the three
stewards and four other members selected by the club ;
that all proposals for alterations in or additions
to the 'rules concerning horsera,cing in general'
shall be referred to the said committee, who
are to give public notice of such proposals, and
may, if they think fit, appoint a day on which they would
be prepared to hear and consider any objection made to
them by owners of horses not members of the Jockey
Club, or by other persons interested ; that in the Second
October Meeting in each year (duo notice being given) the
committee shall report to the club the proposals made
during the year, the evidence they have taken, and the
opinion of the committee on each proposal, which would
then be submitted separately to the club for adoption or
rejection, and the rules so altered and amended by the
Jockey Club world come into operation from the let of
January of the following Year." •