The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-04-09


ment The British are in possession of by far the
larger part Of the disputed territory, and are per
mitted remain, until the question IL settled,
which will not be 10 the end of lime, unless more
rapid p ogress is made than has been for the last
ten years, by Van Buren, and Jackson.-.N. III.
Statesman
nFSThe following is more full account OF
the explosion o the coal mines in Virginia, than
we published last week. tits from the Rich
inond Compiler.
| THE BLACK HEATH COAL MINES.
The Black Heath Coal Mines, worked by the
"Bhck Heath Coal Company" is one Of The
richest and most extensive IN this country 1t
is IL mile from Richmond Virginia, in nearly y
western direction, and is situated in the ni,lst
ofa luminous coal field of unknown extent
The shaft from which the explosion took place,
has not been long sunk, and believe is the
deepest in the Union-being more ilan 700 feet
to its bottom. Upwards of 100000 bushels of
coal had been explored in the pt renched 10y it;
and none can conjecture how much more n
| further exploration would discover.
| The Steam Engines and apparatus for hoist
ing coal from The shaft were exec llent, and the
system and facility with which the hosting pro.
cess was conduc'ed produc ed an average of a.
bonI $500 bushels of coal per day. 1t is to be
regretted ihat those operations have beeu inter-
| rupted-throwing so mnch weight in the scales
of our productions, and aiding essentially to in
crease orr capital and commercial strength ms
they did-and this regret is added TO 10y the af.
| f1icting avent which has caused The interrupIon
However the intelligent & active men who are
experimenting the Mine, say that it will he re.
| claimed in n short time.
The explosion one of most violent ma
ture-How it happened there is no telling. But
that it occurred om negecl disregartiiof pos.
tive, orers AMI regulations of the pin, is beyond
all doubt. The drifts and "air COASTS" (passages
Tor the air from chamber to chanber) were so
updn ill,tin 4,
is the general opinion that one of The doors of
the "air coast must have been closed, and that
thus the "iuf1amable gas" accumulated on Sun
day TO such an extent as 10 produce the eXHo.
sion utter the luhorers entered the PIT, on
Mouday morning. Sir Humphrey DAVIS safe
ty lamp regularly used in the Mine, and no
doubt is entertained, but that it used on
Monday morning. II was commonly carried
forward TO test the presence ofthe gas. ii may
have been out OF order; If n slight rent should
have been in lis wire cause covering it would
readily ignite the gas Other lamps were used
and one Of these may have been taken into n
chamber drift where the safety lamp had no,
been presented. Either of these causes would
have involved careessness.-1he density and
inflammabilily of the gas might have caused The
wire to have become oxi,lned, and fall TO pie
ces; but that could not have occurred till after
indication by fame inside the gailZp, OF danger,
in the face of which it would have been madness
in the aborers to remain. Whatever may have
been The Immediate cause, the arrangements and
rules Of the pit, drawn from The lights Of science
and experience in mining, were such as to have
ensured safety, il properly attended 10. But
would it nol he well, in order TO diminish the
chances of danger from even ca eless1ess it
self, 10 use Davy's lamp Exclusively, in all puts
where there has been any exhibition OF carburet-
ted hydrogen or "nt1amabe gas
One of the superntenents Of the operations
in The pit was below when the explosion tooh
place was mansof great skill in his profession
having been u1ay years engaged in ii in some |
OF the most famous OF the English Mines. He |
was Scotchman, named john Rynard II is |
hard to account for how he should have permit
ted the cause of the occurrence, but even in the
midst of an effort to correct the omission or neg |
lect of Saturday night, the explosion may have
taken place.
The luhorers were all colored men. The su |
perintendents above the shaft say that about for
~ were below. They cannot speak with Ger
tainty. Muny had gone TO see their wives to
distant plantaions-nnd it was not known how
many had returned.-TloSe who had not, do not /
yet appear from terror at the news oil the eXplo-
sion, but forty is the maximum.
The explosion powerful as to blow
pieces Of timber out of the shaft to distance OF
a hundred yards from it. Three men were
blown up il in coal hamper, to a height OF
some thirty or forty feet above its top--two of
them fell out of the hamper in different di-
recons, and were Immediately killed--the
hifh remained I'D t,anu 'e'l WIN u, escaping
most miraculonsly with his lie, having both
EGGS broken. He is now doing very well. Much
Dose coal was blown from the drifts to the bot
oin of the shaft, and four of the bodies, as we
nave already stated, were taken from between II
arge bulk there in mutilaied state. Four
we're taken ont shortly after the explosion on
Of them died. The others are in
fair way to recover.
Every exerton las been made which could
" made consistently with safety, to rescue the
Unfortunate beings. 1t appeared upon gong
Town the shaft, thar much carbonic acid gas (tle
'roduct of comhustion) was present This is
allied at the mines black damp and though not
is destructive to human life This ,
hen had first TO be dispersed The partitionstoo, )
n the shaft necessary for the ingress an1 cgress
f air in the pit, were much torn TO pieces by :
he explosion, and had to be repaired us the shaft
vas defending, or death would have resulted 10
nose who went down.