The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-03-29
From the Ricut,ond pi.Da,ch Of wedne sday.

From the Richi1ond Dispatch, of "Wednesday.
TERRIBLE COAL PIT EXPLOSION.
Thirty-FOur Persons Killed, and re
Others Badly Burned that bas fcW
Of them can Recover.
A terrific explosion occurred at the Midlo-
THAN Coal Pits, in Chesterfield county, about
thirteen miles south Of this city, on Monday
evening last et5 o'clock, by which thirty.
four persons were instantly killed, and num-
Der of others SO badly burned that little or no
hopes are entertained Of their recovery. Up
to the very moment Of the accident the SUI
perintendents and employees in the pits felt
perfectly satisfied that there was not par
ticle of foul air afoat around them, and Mr.
John Atkins, the agent. looked upon the pits
as being so entirely free from danger, that
he declared to US that he would not have
hesitated to take his family into them to
remain. Even now the cause of the exPlo-
sion is entirely hid in mystery, and must ever
continue so--though Mr.. Atkins inclines to
the opinion that in making blast, an old
shaft sink was accidentally preached, from
which poured forth a volume Of gas, that be-
came ignited, and swept as a bosom Of des-
truction through the various avenues, deal.
ing death with an unsparing hand, on all
that came within its course.
The explosion, when it took place, caused
the earth, for miles around the pits, to wave
and rock as twig in the wind. One gentle
man, who was crossing the railroad about a
mile from the pits, at the time, said he felt
the rails reel under him; and another, who
was passing the road on horseback, declared
that his beast staggered and trembled, as if
suddenly shocked by tremendous galvanic
battery. The center boards around the
| shafts were blown off, as if they had been
paper, and at the western shaft two large
chains were broken in two as easily as if
they had been pipe stems. At the time Of
the explosion there were three carpenters at
work on the top of the eastern shalt, about
thirty-f1ve feet above the ground. One OF
them was SO badly frightened that he leaped
to the ground without mourning any injury;
sold Squire" and the other one held on to
the beams until the shock was over and then
came down.
The Midlothian Pits have always been
looked upon as free from danger, consequent
ly the company found no difficulty in employ
ing as many steady white miners as they
desired; and il the explosion had taken place
between the hours of 6 and IL o'clock, we
have no hesitation in saying that the loss of
life would have been trebled, and the num-
Der of widows and orphans thereby created
five times as great that caused by the acct
dent at the English pits in May last; but for.
tunately, the men were not allowed to make
lover work, the supply Of coal realized being
greater than the demand, consequently most
of the white men had left the pits at IL
O'Clock, and thereby saved their lives.
| AS soon as the explosion was heard, all
the workmen above ground from the Midlo-
THAN and English pits, fastened to the scene
aud prepared to descend the western shaft,
to rescue those who might still be alive.
Mr.. Job Atkins, the agent of the English
pits, in company with q number Of noble
hearted volunteers, descended the eastern
shaft as soon as they could do SO, and the two
parties Immediately set about in search of
such Of the miners as they might find alive.
They succeeded in rescuing sixteen persons,
more or less burned, four whites and twelve
blacks, and took them to their houses and the
hospitals, where they were Immediately
placed under medical treatment. They then
discovered about thirty dead men, some of
whom they removed, and others they were
preparing to remove when we left the pits,
ct 81 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Mr.. At.
kins describes the scene as heart-rending in
the extreme. Some of the dead men, the
flesh charred on their bones, held their
shovels in their hands; others were holding to
their picks and drills, and Samuel Hunt. q
small boy, who had been deprived Of reason
for the time by the conclusion, was calling
loudly to the mule he had been driving, TO
90 along. Those who were not dead, as
soon as they heard the voices Of their friends
begged earnestly not to be left, and then
prayed loudly for few drops of cold water to
quench their burning thirst.
| In one of the avenues, several tons of
stones and dirt had been thrown down, be.
meath which were discovered the bodies of
two of Mr.. Woolbride's servants.
| We visited the Hospitals, and Of all the
horrid spectacles our eyes ever beheld, the
one there presented 10 our view was the
worst. Some seven or eight negro men lay
there, the skin burned from their faces, eyes,
hands, arms and bodies, as if they had been
roasted, and the groans that escaped from
those who were conscious of their sufferings
could not fail to pierce the hardest heart.
i Out of fifty persons in the pits at the time
of the accident, but three escaped serious in
Jury, and these were colored persons, though
there can be very little doubt that many of
them were su9ocated by the "after Damp
rather than killed by the explosion.
Five valuable mules employed in the pits,
which are ITO feet deep, were killed by the
explosion.
From the Richmond Post We gather the
!; following particulars:
The scene in the vicinity of the pit was
most rending. Long rows of collins were
strewed along the ground, and the carpen-
ter's hammer was busily engaged in closing
them up for interment. The cries of the
families OF the unfortunate men who lost
their lives, filled the air nd struck the mos,
J profound grief to the heart of every behoidcr.