The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-21 00:00:00

DREADFUL COLLIERY EXPLOSION

NEAR BAi!'SLEY.

ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MEN STIFLED OR
BURNED TO DEATH.

LATEST EARTICrLARS.

LUND HILL, FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
Later inquiries confirm and amplify the horrible details
already given. In some instances the whole of the male
members of a family have been swept away—father aid two
or three sons. There is scarcely a household in the neigh-
bourhood which has not been made desolate.
The brave men who risked their lives to rescue those who
had escaped death in the pit, were Mr. Coe (underground
steward in the pit), John Warhurst (foreman), William
Bevors, Mr. Webster (manager of the Hoyland and Elsecar
Colliery), Mr. Maddison, John Hoyland (foreman of Raw.
marsh Colliery), Benjamin Hoyland (foreman of I)arley Main
Colliery), John and James Ellis,--.Wilcock, William Duck.
worth (of Wombwell), James Cookson (of Hoyland Col-
liery), and James Warris. Although the explosion occurred
soon after noon the descent was not possible till four. The
gearing used for the descent had been destroyed by the explo-
sion ; and though the,most strenuous exertions were made to
put it right, they did. not succeed till the time mentioned,
when Mr. Coe, Warhurst, and Bevors, got into a " corf," and
proceeded on their perilous journey into the pit. Before
they had gone far they heard the noise of a slight explosion
in the pit ; bet they proceeded till they found that the lining
of the shaft had been so discomposed bx the explosion that
further progress was impossible. They returned to the mouth
of the pit, and the efforts of all were now directed to getting
the lining in order. In about 20 minutes everything was
ready to descend, and they went down again, and arrived in
safety at the bottom, followed by the other men. These
brave fellows spent nearly an hour in exploring the pit; and
they did not quit their task till they saw indications of immi-
nent danger. They explored the pit to within about forty
yards of the extremity of the northern level—a distance of
about 400 yards. They also traversed about 20 or 30 yards
of the southern level; but at this point they were stopped
by the fire which had broken out as one of the results of the
explosion. • They went far enough, however, to ascertain
that a bed of coal, comprising an area of fifty or sixty yards,
was in flames.

They discovered, however, that nineteen human beings
were still alive, all near the working shaft. These were
immediately taken to the mouth of the pit, and conveyed to
their homes. It is believed that none of them are fatally
injured, _ _ _

The explorers found ten corpses on the northern side of
the pit. These were blackened by the explosion, and fear-
fully mutilated, evidently having been driven with great
violeaco against the displaced masses of coal. Seven of these
bodies were brought to the bottom of the working shaft,
but the explorers had not time to remove any of the others
before they found it necessary to quit the pit.
The decision that was come to by the proprietors to stop
up the pit while so many persons remained in it was not ar-
rived at without the most anxious and prolonged delibera-
tion. Had it been delayed longer, there was danger of the
fire spreading and bllrului; with such intensity as to cause
the fall of the bed of coal and superincumbent earth, and the
consequent falling in of the shafts. Had this been allowed,
probably none of the bodies would ever have been recovered,
but as it is, the fire having been checked in time, a large
number of the bodies will be got out unburnt. It is hardly..
necessary to add that there was not the slightest Possibility
of any of those in the pit being alive when the stopping up
was decided on.
In the meantime the fire is still raging
in
the pit. The stopping it up and preventing . the access of
the interior of
air will of course check, and probably time extinguish,
mines,
unanimous held
the conflagration. For the present nothing can be done but
to wait the result of the experiment.
thiAs t
ma
omr
ne n ,
t ng
tohf
spar a cptrei est mt e ne
zepornens
seec
dte dt
hvreitrh
opinion that the stopping up of the pit last night was the
most judicious course under the circumstances.

Sporting Intelligence.

BETTING AT MANCHESTER-FRIDAY

LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE.
Bto 1 aget Minos (taken)
10 to 1 agst Emigrant (taken)
12 to 1 agst Omer Pasha (taken freely)
12 to 1 agst Hopeless Star (taken)
100 to 7 apt Teddesley (taken)
100 to 4 agst Weathercock (taken)
20 to 1 agst Any of Henderson's lot (offered)
LIVERPOOL SPRING CUP.
7to 1 agst Bashi Bazouk (take 100 to 15
Bto 1 agst Sima (offered) )
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STAKES.
7to 1 agst Skirmisher (taken)
8 to 1 agst A.damas (taken)
100 to 8 agst Any other.
CHESTER CUP;
11 to 1 agst Leamington (offered)
50 to 1 agst Early Bird (offered to take)
Two THOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES.
11 to 2 Offered on the Field.
Dun;
500 to 30 aget Blink Bonny (offered)

SPETE V. PORTER. • '1 CA
Sir F. Thesiger, Mr. Lush and Mr. Lefe Er ;re aPtrenre
for the plaintiff ; Mr. M. Chambers, Q,C., Mr. Hill,
Q.C., and Mr. Milward for the defendant.
The plaintiff in this action, Richard Sprye, was
a person skilled in tracing pedigrees, and he sued the
defendant—Thomas Porter—to recover a sum of up-
wards of 10,0001., under an agreement by which
the defendant (T. Porter) promised that if the plain.
tiff would furnish the defendant with oertain docu-
ments and evidence then in the plaintiff's hands, and
the defendant should succeed by their means in estab-
lishing his right to certain property, the defendant
would pay the plaintiff one-fifth of the property so ac.
quired. The defendant pleaded a great many pleas, one
of which alleged that the agreement had been rescinded,
and the other that the right of action, if any, was vested
in the assignees of the plaintiff, who had been insolvent.
After a conference with the counsel, a verdict was
taken for the plaintiff.