The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-04 00:00:00

1111POR7ANT 70 ALL.

A sad accident that bas lately happened at
IVindlesham serves to illustrate how much ig-
norance prevails with regard to the danger
of descending into wells, and with regard also
to the means by which that danger may
be discovered and obviated. It seems that
a poor man who was engaged in sink-
ing a well, went to his work in the morn•
ing, was lowered down by the wife and another la-
bourer, and on reaching a certain depth became un-
conscious, and fell into the water below. A Mr.
Charles Mason, a nurseryman, heard the screams of
the wife, and instantly descended in the hope of
being able to rescue the labourer, but in reality, of
course, only to share his fate. A second Mr.
Mason, a brother of the first, then descended, but
first had a rope made fast to him. He also be-
came unconscious, but was hauled up by the rope
and recovered. The earlier victims were raised
after a time; but in both of them life was extinct.
Now it cannot be too widely known that such
calamities as these, which cannot be called acci-
dents, are caused by the presence of carbonic acid
gas, the choke damp of the miner, which has passed
into the well from some rift in the strata cut through,
and which sinks by reason of its weight. No one
should ever descend into a well without first
lowering a lighted candle. On reaching the car-
bonic acid gas the candle goes out ; and, where
this happens, human life will also be extinguished.
No descent must be attempted until the gas has
been pumped up ; which is usually done by pushing
down a bundle of straw, or a bag stuffed with straw,
and hauling it up again, until the air is changed,
and the candle will burn. The necessity for this
precaution is so generally understood by well
sinkers, that it is difficult to conjecture how it came
to be neglected in the present instance. It is still
more remarkable that Mr. Charles Mason should
not have known that where a man had just
fallen he could not himself exist; and that he
was going to certain death, without the slightest
prospect of being able -to render any
assistance. The hauling up again of his
brother probably served in some degree to change
the air, and to facilitate the subsequent proceed-
ings. It is pitiable, in these days of general know-
ledge, to read of the lives of brave and worthy wen
being uselessly sacrificed for want of information
that should be within the reach of every national
school boy. —Lancet.

At this time, when the principles and practice of co-
operative societies engross so large a share of attention, it may
be well that Messrs. Perkins and Gotto should remind the no•
bility and gentry that they have for the last twenty years adopted
the pract.ce of buying the best goods in large quantities direct
from the manufacturers, marking every article in plain figures,
and retailing them at the smallest possible profit for ready
money; and where, front distance or other causes, cash pay-
ments have been impossible, they have never increased the price
of the articles delivered. They respectfully solicit an inspection
of their stock, consisting of portrait albums, writing-cases, dres-
sing-cases, dressing-bags, despatch boxes,l envelope-cases and
blotting-books, inkstands, desks, stationery cabinets, ornamental
goods, purses, pocket books, cigar-cases, reticules, opera-glasses,
,scent-cases, smelling-bottles, electro-gilt and elegantly-mounted
articles—in fact, an endless variety of articles to suit every taste
purpose, and pocket.--Parkins and Gotto, 24 and 25, (Word-
street, W.