New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-23
TERRIBLE COAL-PIT EXPLOSION
yro~ N RiA~c.d D..paieA, Of Weas1day.


no hopes are entertained Of their recovery. Up TO
the very moment Of the accident the supernteudents
and employer in the pits felt perfectly satisfied that
there was not particle Of foul air aost around hem,
and Mr.. John Atkins, the agent, looked upon me ps
az being entirely free from danger, that he declared
10 us that be would not have hesi'ated 10 take III.
family into them 10 remain Even nov, the csn'e oil
the explosion is entirely hid in mystery and 'a1st
ever continue 80 though Mr. Atkins lnclnes 70 the
opinion that in making blast an old shait-sins we
accidentally preached from which poured forth VOL
ume Of gas that became ignted, and swept az a be-
.om Of destruction tr ,ugh the various avenues deal
III death with an unspNi,g hand, on all tina! came
within lite course.
TIE explosion, when ii took place, caused the earth
for miles around TIE pitt, to wave and rock "a twIg
in the wind. One gentleman, who was crossing the
railroad about mile from the pits at the time, SAID
be felt the rails reel under him. and another, who vas
passing n road on horseback declared that his beat
staggered and trembled, az If suddenly shocked by
Tremendous gslvenic battery. The center lards
around the shafts were blown of, ss il they mad been
paper ard at the western shaft two large cha'ns were
broken in two az easily a. they had been oe''ens'
At the time OF the explosion there were three carpen-
tiers at work the top Of the eastern ehsft SPOUT
thirtY.fve feet above the ground. One OF them WAS
20 badly frightened that he leaped TO the GROUND Win
out mourning any injury, but "old Squire ana tle
other held 70 the beams until the shock was over,
and then came down.
The Midlothian Pits have always been looked upon
as free from danger, consequently the Company iouna
no difficulty in employing Is many STEADY "hle
miners AZ they desired and If the explosion had taken
place betwee Ell the hours of and IL clock, va nave
10 BE- station in saying that the oes d lie "on'd nave
been trebled and the number OF widows end orpuahS
thereby created five tuee as great 40 mat iosed ny
the accident at the English Pi's 10 May last but; iJr
tunsteIy the men were not allowed 20 make over
work the supply Of coal realized being greaer than
the demand consequently most OF the wdte mon hai
left the pits Of l2 o'clock, and thereby saved their
lives.
meu a,oy q ground from the Midlothian and Englis1
pits basteDed 10 the scene, and prepared TO descend
Ibe Wesern shaft to rescne those VINO might san DC
alive Mr. Job Atkins, the agent for the Eaglsn pts,
in company with a number OF noble Dearted voun-
teers descended the eastern SHAFT as soon as tney
couo DO So aud the two parties immediately SET ABOUT
in search OF such of the miners as they might Hnd
alive They succeeded in resculng sixteen persons,
uore or less burned four whltes aud twelve blacks,
and took them 10 their houses and tle hospitals where
they were Immediately placed under medicA Tea'-
ment. They then discovered about thirty deao msh,
some Of whom they removed sud DINERS ,nsy were
preparing 10 remove when we lett the pls a. %
| O'Clock Yesterday afternoon. Mr.. Atkins describes
the scene 81 Lesrren0iDg IN the extreme some OF
the dead men, the tiesh CharTed on Their bones hen
their sboves ia fbeir bGDcs others were ho1iug U
their picks and drills and Samuel Hunt, smau BOY
who had been deprived of reason tor the time, ~
the conclusion was calling loudly to the mule ne nal
been driving TO 20 along. those VINO we're not cedd'
as soon as they heard the voices OF their 'Ti'has,
ly for few drops OF cold water TO quenca Their bTh-
ing Thirst.
In ore Of the avenues several tuns Of stone aud
dirt had been thrown down, beneath ~hirh we've dis-
covered the bodies OF two OF Mr.. "oolprus1 ser'
y8Dts. ~
We visited the hospitals and Of all the borrid spec
tacles our eyes beheld the one there presented
TO our view was the worst. Some seven or eignt MS
gro men lay there the skin burned from their faces,
ewes hands arms and bodies, as if they had been
roasted and the groans that escaped from those who
were conscious Of their suffering could not f4i to
pierce tho hardest heart
Out of fifty persons in the pits at the time O. the
accident but three escaped serious injury, and these
were colored persons, though there can be very little
donb. that sOnIe of them were suilOc 1ted by the
&c after damp, rather than killed by the explosion.
Five valuable mules employed in the pits, which
are 40 feet deep, were killed by the explosion.
From The Richmond Post We gather the following
particulars:
The scene in the vicinity Of the pit most heart
rending. Long rows Of collins were strewed along
the ground, and the carpenters hammer was builly
engaged in closing them up for intermcut. The cries
of the families of The unfortunate men ~ho lost t5er
lives, filed the ar, and struck the most prot and
grief TO the heart Of every beholder. The hands of
the pit were busy employed huLting tor the dead,
and as each BASKET would arrive az the top oil the
shaft containing mutlated body, the acIdalntances
who recognized it would give vent TO their gief IN
loud Ian entstion. More horrible mutlation of the
human BODY we never saw. Some OF the cortses
were Drawn up without rag of clothing, apj the
skin literally fiayed off. One body was taken out
with the legs burned Off close TO the body which had
occurred from the deceased having been bio IN into
pile Of burning timber.
The cause OF the explosion, "a We learn IRON MAJOR
| Woodbridge, the President of the Midlothian Com
! paDy, was accident which 10 skill could have
! averted, and caution prevented. The Company
had worked a shaft and from the rising Of the water
in it, had been forced to discontinue operations there
The shaft being abandoned the foul air accuuDl tied
there, and needed only the application OF tire 10 e1-
plode. The workmen in another pit belonging TO the
same company had worked back TO the old PIT with
out being sware of II, and upon setting of blast,
the wall between the two pits was blown through the
gas from the old rushing into where the workmen
were employed, and exploding The fatal effects OF
the explosion were as sudden as caused by Light
ming and the floor OF the pit instantly sreweS with
the dead and the dying The sccident occurred al
81 clock Monday afternoon, and directly the smoke
bad cleared away sufficiently from the mouths OF the
shafts TO allow those outside 10 render aid to the VIC
Tins; it done. During the entire night the buck
cts at work ana the larger portion OF the bodies
were lifted out.
The scene at the Companys Hospital was sppsll-
ing. The rooms were crowded with stalwart r1en,
burned that their most intimate acquaintanees could
not have recognized them. The negroes were so
hsyed that but for their hair they could not have
been distinguished from white men. In many in
stances the hair entirely burned from Their ne
As fast e. the patients would die they removed
| from the building and cofiined.
The care of Joseph Howe, Of the white N aer s
killed, presented an inctsnce of pOurnful fatality. Up
to the day of the explosion, he had been in the habit
Of working at night In the mines and on the day the
accident occurred, had commenced working III the
prs in the daytime.
1EscRIrrIos OF THE EXPLOSION ISsIDE.-From 40
old negro miner, named John Gray, We gathered an
account of the explosion it inside OF tue
pits Grsy and his pastner were working what is
called the North Level of the mine, when two rnon
came 10 them and borrowed their implem ants for
blasting, saying that they were about to et off blast.
The Implements were loaned and shortly sfterward
the cried out TO then to be On the look out IS
they about setting eff blast The explosion OF
the blast followed, and was succeeded by rushing
GRAY q adj "a sba u