The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-27 00:00:00

THE PRIMROSE PIT CATASTROPHE.

The adjourned inquest upon the bodies of the
fourteen men who were killed by suffocation in the
Primrose Pit, Swansea Valley, on the 13th inst. (as
duly reported in our columns), was resumed on
Monday last before Alexander Cuthbertson, Esq.,
coroner. There were, however, but few if any ad-
ditional particulars given to those we have already
made public.
The first witness called was David Thomas, the
overman of the colliery, who described the various
courses which the air travelled to ventilate the pit,
and added that two new boilers had recentiy been
placed under ground, and which were to be used for
working the engine. One of the boilers had a fire
under it for about a week, the other had not been
tried at all. There was a small door placed near the
boilers to prevent the smoke from the boiler return-
ing into the workings. That door was always kept
fastened, and was so on the morning of the acci-
dent about an hour or an hour and a half before it
happened. After the accident the door was found
open. The door was fastened with a link and a
staple, and in such a manner that somebody must
have opened it, it could not open itself. He went
into the pit the morning before the accident, and
did not find any smoke come through the
level. Witness then described the spots where the
bodies of the unfortunate men were found, upon
going into the pit after the accident. The colliery
was duly examined the morning before the acci-
dent, and everything was right then. He could
give no reason whatever for the accident, but said
it must have been the sulphur from the engine.
There were several other witnesses examined,
every one of whom stated that the pit was very
well ventilated—that they had never heard any
complaint whatever made. They were all supplied
with rules both in Welsh and English, and the
proprietors of the pit never interfered to prevent
anything being carried out for the safety of the
pit. Each of the men further gave it as their
opinion that this sad catastrophe arose entirely
from the opening of the door near the boilers,
which allowed the smoke from the boilers to return
into the workings.
Great stress was laid upon the fact (by one or
two scientific gentlemen present). that some naked
lamps were found burning where the men were
suffocated.
Mr. Thomas Evans, government inspector for
South Wales, said there could be no doubt that the
accident arose from the door being left open under
the level of the crossing, and which separated the
one air from the other—the air was then reversed,
and instead of going the usual way filled both
levels. It seemed strange that lighted candles
should burn where the men were suffocated •, but
he found from the published reports of the inspec-
tors of mines that two similar cases were recorded
where the return air from the boilers had caused
death. There was no question that the pit was
well ventilated, and the accident undoubtedly
arose from the opening of the door near the boilers.
The Coroner then summed up, and the jury,
without hesitation, returned a verdict of " Acci-
dental death, caused by the opening of the door
upon the level, but by whom this was done there
was no evidence to show."

The jury-room was crowded during the whcl
day.

DEATH OP A PLURALIST.—Died yesterday (Tues-
day) morning, at his residence, High-street, Oxford, the
Rev. V. Thomas, 8.D., late Senior Fellow of Corpus Christi
College, Oxford, in the 84th year of his age. The rev. gen-
tleman at the time of his death, according to Give/ lord's
Clerical Directory, held the following valuable preferments:
Vicarage of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, value £510; popu-
lation, 668; promoted in 1804; patron, Lord Leigh. Vicar-
age of Yarnton, Oxon, value £290 ; population, 317 ; rro-
moted in 1803 ; patron, Sir George Dashwood, Bart. Rec-
tory of Dunkbourne-Rouse, Gloucestershire, value £243 ;
population, 160 ,• promoted in 1810 ; patrons, Corpus
Christi College, Oxford. It will thus be seen that.tho rev.
gentleman, whose demise is here announced, has, during
the period he held the three livings, received the enormous
sum of £55,154, the aggregate of the populati9n being
1,145. Mr. Thomas graduated at Corpus Christi College,
Oxford, in 1796, and rose to be one of the leading men of
the college. He was well known throughout the country
at a clergyman of great ability, though of.toraewhat eccen-
tric haute. Mr. Thom leaves a widow, but no family.