The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-03 00:00:00

A COAL-PIT ON FIRE.

Not a little commotion was occasioned in Alloa about
mid-day on Sunday by the report that a coal-pit in the
neighbourhood of Alloa, on the estate of the Earl of
Zetland, and leased by the Clackmannan Coal Company,
was on fire. An engine, kindly despatched from Carse-
bridge Distillery, was promptly on the spot, and did
useful service. The fire began in what is known as No. 12
pit, situated near the eastern extremity of Gartmorn
Lake, from which Alloa is supplied with water, and
is distant from the town about two miles. The pit is
about thirty fathoms in depth, and has two seams—the
lower being splint and the upper cherry coal—and has
communication with another pit, known as No. 13, at a
short distance. Down through the centre of the shaft there
is amid-wall, constructed of wood, and the shaft on either
side is lined with traces. About five fathoms from the
bottom of the ventilating shaft there is a fire cube strongly
badlt of fire-brick, and in this cube a fire is con-
tinuously kept for the purpose of securing the proper ven-
tilation of the pit and for carrying off the foul air. It is in
connection with this fire-cube that the present disaster
is supposed to have originated. Late on the previous
Saturday evening the cube is believed to have been greatly
overcharged with coal, and the heat therefrom arising is
supposed to have ignited the foul coal only a few inches
from the top of the cube. This foul coal once on fire. the
flames must have readily caught the ropes in the centre, the
mid-wall of the shaft, and side-traces. It was not, however,
till about 11 o'clock on Sunday morning that a neighbouring
farmer (Mr. M`Leish, of Gartmorn) perceived the columns
of black smoke ascending from the pit, and gave the
alarm. By the time assistance was obtained the pit-cradling
on the top of the rock was not only completely destroyed,
but the flames had reached the mouth of the pit, had
seized hold of the head-gearing, framework, shear-legs, and
other machinery at the pit-mouth, and no engine having
yet arrived, the mass of coal on the hill was momentarily
threatened by the rapid progress of the fire. A crowd of
workmen soon collected, and an attempt was at once
made to ascertain the extent of the conflagration by
approaching the bottom of the shaft through the commu-
nication leading from pit No. 13. But the density of the
smoke running along the passages rendered this impos-
sible, and the men had to retreat. On the arrival of the
Carsebridge fire-engine the water was directed upon the
machinery, frame-work, and other gearing at the pit-head,
but the conflagration had already been so thorough
that little could be saved. Part of the wreck fell down
the pit shaft, and it was found that pouring down
water by means of the engine hose was of little avail
in checking the fire so long as a continuous current of air
was admitted. The idea of flooding the mine with water
was entertained, but was not carried out. It was at length
resolved to attempt to extinguish the fire by smothering
it. With this view the current of air passing along from
pit No. 13 was effectually checked by covering the
pit-mouth with boards and fire-clay. Blac, or shale,
and other refuse were accordingly for a considerable
time freely thrown down the shaft, the pit-mouth
of No. 12 board up, then closely covered with fire-
clay and masses of turf. Smoke, nevertheless,
still continued to ascend, but it is thought that
the conflagration has been checked, and that the fire
must shortly be quite smothered out. Meanwhile about
100 miners will be thrown out of employment by the
workings in both pits being for the present abandoned.
From noon till about seven o'clock in the evening of
Sunday, when the pit-heads were battened down, a con-
tinuous stream of people visited the scene of an occurrence
so unusual. Though the disaster is one which all lament,
there is a feeling of thankfulness that the discovery was
made during the day, and that it has been attended with
no injury whatever to life or limb ; happily very different
in this respect from a conflagration which broke out in
another mine near Alloa in 1830, when seven lives were
sacrificed, five men and two women.

LAW AND POLICE.

--a--

DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO STAB.-At Marylebone Police-
court, Lawrence Welsh, a labourer, was charged with
attempting to stab a man named Henry Collins. It
seemed that the prosecutor and some friends were in the
Kentish-town-road, when a woman came and threw her-
self on their protection, stating that she had fallen down
in a fit ; and the prisoner, after picking her up,
stated that he wanted some money from her. The
witness told him that he ought to be ashamed of himself,
when the prisoner made a stab at Collins which fortunately
missed. Mr. D'Eyncourt sent the accused to prison for
two months.

THE EXTENSIVE FORGERY OF RUSSIAN NOTES.—At the
Thames Police-court, Oscar Runam, Samuel Frankel,
Barnard Harris, Elias Solowyczki, and Moses Cohen,
were charged with having in their possession, offering, and
-uttering 1,512 forged five-rouble notes, four 25-rouble
notes, and one 100-rouble note, representing the current
notes of Russia. Ychel Zwaski, a Russian Jew, who came
over to England for the purpose of making inquiries with
regard to the forgeries, was the principal witness. Many
letters that had been sent from Frankel to him,
and vice verse, were put in, and it was proved that frequent
meetings had taken place in Liverpool and other places on
the subject of forged notes, and, finally, that a sleeting was
held at the lodging of Zwaski in London, when, according
to a prior arrangement, Inspector Thomson, of the
detective force, surprised the prisoners, and a
bundle of forged notes, brought by Frankel
from Liverpool, was found on him ; and the papers seized
belonging to the same person shewed that he was deeply
implicated with some of the other prisoners. Solowyczki
was first seen in Manchester by Zwaski,and subsequently at
Newcastle, and he told the witness that he could make
" water marks" on as many notes as he liked. This was
the only evidence against the last-named prisoner, and
he was discharged. The other prisoners, after a five hours'
examination, were remanded.
GAROTTE ROBBERY.—At Greenwich, Thomas Figg, a
man well-known to the police, and Maurice Herne,
were charged with attacking Edgar T. Steed, and
stealing from him a purse containing Is. 3d., and
other articles. ;Soon after midnight the prosecutor
was returning 'tome through Mill-lane, Deptford,
when he was suddenly assaulted by three men who seized
him by the throat. He cried for the police, when one of
his assailants tried to strangle him, whilst another pushed
a handkerchief into his mouth to stifle his cries. Figg was
sworn to by a boy who was near the scene of the outrage ;
but the evidence against his co-prisoner was by no
means conclusive. Figg was comwitted for trial, and
Herne was discharged.
IMPORTANT JUDGMENT WITH REGARD TO MARRIAGE
SETTLEMENTS.—In the full court of Probate and Divorce
the case of Corrance v. Corrance and Lowe (Moore inter-
vening), which raised an important question with regard to
marriage settlements, was decided. The point at issue
was whether the court had power to interfere with settle-
ments where there was no child or children surviving.
The Judge-Ordinary decided that the court had not the
power, and in this opinion Mr. Justice Smith coincided.
The intention of the Legislature, without doubt, was to
make a provision for children, and he did not
think that the words of the statute gave any
other power to the court. Baron Pigott did not agree with
this decision, as he believed that the Divorce Acts gave
power to deal with settlements where there had been chil-
dren. The appeal was, therefore, dismissed without
costs.

A CATHOLIC PRIEST CHARGED WITH . SHOOTING A
MAN.--At the Stalybridge Borough Court, the Rev. Mr.
Daley, of the Roman Catholic Chapel, Stalybridge, sur-
rendered to a charge of having shot a young man named
Beeley, during one of the late riots. Mr. Daley was
brought up at the time before the Stalybridge magistrates,
and the charge was dismissed ; but a true bill was recently
found against the defendant at the Knutsford quarter
sessions. The rev. gentleman was committed for trial at
the next Knutsford sessions. Bail was accepted.

A GUARD CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER.—At the
Edinburgh High Court of Justiciary, James Bone, lately
a guard on the No: th British Railway, was placed at the
bar, charged with culpable homicide. He had permitted
a mineral train, of which he was in charge, to leave Pala-
hill-station for Edinburgh fifty minutes before the
appointed time, and bad failed to place a fog-signal on
the line. In consequence of this neglect of duty, the New-
castle train came violently into collision with the one
under his charge at Arniston, whereby three men—an
engine-driver, a stoker, and an under-guard—were killed
on the spot. The accused pleaded not guilty, and after
hearing the evidence such was the verdict of the majority
of the jury.

THE CRUELTIE3 ON BOARD THE LYDIA. This
long and painful investigation, which has occupied the
stipendiary magistrate of Liverpool for several days, was
brought to a close on Tuesday. A number of witnesses
were examined, whose evidence clearly substantiated that
given at the former hearings as to the horrid bar-
barities and revolting cruelty exercised towards the
black men on board the vessel. The second mate cross-
examined the witnesses at some length, and elicited that
the white men of the crew were in the habit of thrashing
and ill-treating the coloured men. Mr. Bradley, senior
house-surgeon at the Northern Hospital, who had examined
the complainants, spoke to their having upon their heads
and bodies many marks of recent wounds. Upon the feet
and ankles of Williams were several ulcers, which would
be accounted for by his being hung up by the heels in the
rigging, as described by the witnesses. The prisoners
weze all committed for trial at the assizes for inflicting

grievous bodily harm.