Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1826-05-16
DISTRESSING & FATAL nCClDEt !
[rom ,be Siirlinr Lnnrncl hrnrchO


francis Patterson, an industrious workman Dcvon
Iron Works, had Tuesday the cath ult. been with
tour OF his sons and daughter, engaged in driving
ieVei IN one OF the Company coal pits and about ,
ococh IN the afternoon, the whole assembled at
the bottom of the shaft, waiting for bucket to take
them up The golfers oil having left their work. and
no engine going 20 draw them TO the top they were
ABOUT repairing to another pitt in which there is stair
provided i"r the ascent of the wormen, land ~ which
te are expressly enjOned go and returR from their
'ToF when they heard people in TIC shaft chang
ing ooN IN the pump for drawing water, whom they
HeTed TO fell the engncman at the top 20 draw them up
"pch ,hey neglected TO DO, that when the engine
started was only 70 place usual, the buckets in mid
pit till next day. and consequently one guard was taken
away from the safety of their ascent.
hc'r case was now truy awful and infinitely more
so on account of their being fully alive to their danger
which was evident from the bitter cries of the poor girl
and The agonzing frantic sheks of her little brother
while attempting TO make himself heard BY the engine
man above When they had assembled upwards of one
hundred feet the sound reached the top, and the man at
TIE engine snSpect'ns something wrong immediately
VcTSed the motion, but this only reversed the caas;ro
Phe for, the bucket beginning TO descend the bottom
was caught on the frame work Of the pit and ring
the iron band or lug in which the only hook was xed
doPt, and pTecipitaied the whos 20 the bottom HUI
rnany shuddcrs 10 carry her eve 10 the seGue,-The
poor girl who had just attained her 9th year. was in
moment dashed on the iron plates which cover the bot
tom and dreadully mangled; the elder bow who was
about years OF age, BY the rough passage was
hurried mo eternity; and the THIRD who is DID,
was also taken up for dead while the father and the
other two sons very narrowly escaped being crushed 10
death by the descending bucket and their helpless rea
tWes. Words cannot paint the which presented
itself TO these who descended to this scene Of blood
when amid The silent gloom of everlasting night tiev
discovered by the feeble glimmerDgs of expiring
lamp, one living brother. with dead brother on his
knees-another with dead sister and the distracted
parent supporting the apparently lfeess corpse of the
third member Of his family.
The announcement Of al! IBIS to feeling mother NAV
be more easily conceived than descrbcd but when she
was told that her husband and two were safe era
htude 10 kind Providence seemed greatly TO restrain
The struggling emotions OF her wounded heart: and when
1t was discovered that The spark of life still fingered
IN one OF her boys hope, with her smiles enightenn
tuturty, and with her heavenly accents ustifyng the
ways OF Providence engaged for while on her all
mothers unwearyng and selections attention. and as her
heart ciu2g round the living child, tended in great
measure to dverther thoughts from the more disastrous
portion of her suferngs. We glad 20 announce
that the Youngest boy in fair way of recovery tho
ne met with fractured thigh and arm, and was her
wise much bruised.