The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-19 00:00:00

THE STAFFORDSHIRE COLLIERY

ACCIDENT,

._ _

The details which have reached us respecting the dig'
estrous, accident at the Lock's Lane pit, Brierley-bill,
confirm the news already received. The pit in question ill
:onsiderecl one of the finest on all Lord Dudley's estate. The
machinery used in it is of the best and most costly kind:
and all the newest appliances for ensuring the safety °`
the men are in operation. It was generally supposeds
therefore, that the risk of accident was very small. livi°
years ago the pit was flooded, but the water was pumped out,
and every precaution taken to prevent the recurrence
of
danger. Whence the water came from on WednesdaYisnA
known, and the facts of the inundation are as ye t imperfect',
understood. On Tuesday night ten men and three MI
descended the pit for the night work, and nothing parts*
eular took place till about two or three o'clock on Wet•
uesday morning, when the engineer in charge of 00
pumping engine noticed a quantity of smoke issuing fr°l32
'he pit. At first it was thought that the pit had take°
are, but steam was mingled with the smokeand it was therefore seen that water had burst into
the workings, extinguishing the fires in the furnacefi'
rhe great pumping•engine, which can throw out 170 t°ll%,
an hour, was set to work, and other means adopted wit"
ill possible promptitude to get rid of the water. ll°
greatest apprehensions were entertained from the °5"
respecting the men and boys in the pit, As
the water had destroyed the ventilation of the workings'
There was, it was said, a slight chance that the Pi*c°,
where they were might be free from choke damp, so Om'
they might keep alive until the water was reduced enougll
to render access to them possible. On Wednesday
afternoon the underground manager, accompanied VI
Iwo others, descended the downcast shaft, 511:
`ound the water was more than twenty feet in dePtl
)r about eight feet above the inset. It was being redact
at the rate of eight inches per hour. The Governor/
:.nspector, Mr. Baker, was soon on the spot, and the Nl° ,
)f the pit was thronged with the friends and relative:
the unfortunate men. Eight of them are relirriwehe
and the anxiety felt in the neighbourhood is intense-
work proceeds but slowly, although every exertion :
made, and it is feared that the water is still flowing in
the pit. There is too much reason to apprehend th;
thirteen lives have been lost by the accident, which
also destroyed six horses and greatly damaged the

Some planters in Georgia, Alabama, and Soutill
Tennessee have ploughed up magnificent fields of °he*

for the purpose of putting the ground in cotton.
R
Thursday was the 21st birthday of ix.' y
Princess Lou's; and it was recognised in the usual
by the Royal family at Windsor. 'Bl7
The Oxford and Cambridge boat race has a lehji
melancholy end this year. Mr. Mellor, the original 14f7fs
of the Cambridge crew, died on Thursday morning' 12
death will cause a deep feeling of sorrow arn°rigb.t
numerous friends.
At the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Yellter:i
day, the home trade committee recommended the coup.
dor
to petition Parliament in favour of the compulsory a
tion of the metric system of weights and measures afterto
certain time to be decided upon by Parliament, Which vr

agreed to.
WOODEN PAPER. —An agent of an American
wooor
paper-mill has been in New Bunswick purchasing "
to be shipped to Philadelphia.r The St. John's Tdegra'of
says the agent has already contracted for 3,00 °rag
got C4itrfor
white birch and spruce wood, which is being
the Bay of Fundy shore, more particularly in Wreiltt
land. Samples of excellent paper made from 1"1:1141 gl-110
„ ,011
be seen at that office. The New Brunswick sr"„a nr•
into the States free of duty, being for manufacturing .3

poses.
among
o a EXTRAORDINARYfortnight
past a remarkable work has been Ping °lg
RELIGIOUS MANIFESTATI
the fishers of Aberdeen. During the last Weeed
,ndnumbers of strong men, young and old, have been prostrat. •
have declared they saw visions—they, inearities'
Lryling out to the Lord to have mercy upon them- some
cried out they see departed relative° hose
ilea've. n, and reply to the beckonings t°, tch if
relatives that they are coming. Their eyes are filEeu',._:eeit
lips quiver, and they lie on the mound, their limbs P°`
qvueritteedrigfiisdhaenrindemnottioonbleesst.he Tuhenisuiinsedwecolialcreodf bY til,., lit:
The revival work still continues. The fisherraetnile;,:ii-sW-1
sheaavethneofitrabt time on Tuesday for a fortnight Past' -
day
eveninegentheeaEtinargloorf sleepingsh with regularity'.
ladritY•nr a
11;01:8
OPENING OF MUSEUMS ON SUNDAY.--CL ~e
g at Exeter Hall, convenediabmeetin A wo- ;
movement for opening museums on Sundays.
riecne was moved by Mr. T. Chambers, m.r., afrouL'‘,„ of
the ssity for a day of rest, and declaring the oPu"— i
meeting to be averse to the views and PrinniPiet ;
the Sunday League. This having been
uryipnreospidpoe
siotivoeu
tn._ tial:
caxried, r:
C. Reed, M.P., moved a resolution recognising the grelb,
success of the Saturday half-holiday and of the 01'1_
closing movement as affording ample opportunities li;
working classes to visit the British Museum and
and 3
institutions on week-days. This also was adopted, ..,.„1e
was agreed that a deputation should wait upon the AO%
Secretary to urge the opening of the national collecti°ll'
on week-day evenings.
The Guardian says at a recent auction of literary,
property there was offered for sale the copyrighf
that
t of 'P
Church News, started by Dr. F. G. Lee, the vines
O '1`.,0 w
paper, as the organ of the Disraelite Ritualists,
._
actual sale of which was stated by the auctioneer .
have been between four thousand and five thous
weekly. This valuable property, with fifty COW of til
titled
back numbers, elicited a -bid of £5. A smart coraPe
then began between, as we understand, Mr. Boswertb AEltto
an agent of the Church Press CompanY, but Ace
eloquence of the auctioneer could not raise the'P'•
offered beyond £3O, at which it WAS knocked de9/11/‘
to the company. The copyright, and blocks of Dr. e9/1
edition of the " Directorium Anglicanuro," together wilt-
of
impression of the book, fetched £47. A great tin' 0.
copies of the Altar Service-books edited by Dr. •E•Aif
Lee were sold at various prices. One set, Pilaus
bound in antique morocco, fetched £4; bui thirty - -
itictionseg
the small-paper edition went for 45., though the S
=grated that by omitting the Preface the or 121/
inaitaltaalithroo7 .1110/LiMllll6
~ ...