Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-08-04
LATEST NEWS.
TERRIBLE cOLLlFRY ENPLoSloN-oNE
HUNDRED AND TEN LIVES LOST.

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HUNDRED AND TEN LIVES LOST
The Ii,erpool Times Of the 18th inst. furnish
es the following particulars ofthe explosion which
occurred on Tuesday. the 10Th inst. III tho col
heres II Messrs. lnsoe x Co. at cymmer Tar
diff which has produced consequences hitherto
unparalleled in the melancholy history OF collie.
~ accidents in South Wales.
II appears that on Tuesday morning il6 or
III men and bayS went down into the tymmcr
pit. little anticipating the horrible catastrophe n
bout 10 occur The Two dromcn whose duty it
was 10 examine the pit 10 ascertain If there WAS
any foul mir or gas in il. asoenael about u o.
clock, rrenouncing tho pit safe. In less than mn
our after--m1eed, before some had stripped of
their clothes to commence work-ihe terrible gus
exploded, aud the affrighted people ran hthrr
and thither for n few moments. Then one fell IN
The dark, and others staggering along stumbled
IN their dead companions, and fell dead also
Here some were struggling amid the fortunes "i
the fire. There tram full Of boys, all dead; and
IN other places. in siding inches III the lasel.
men had sat down To await their fearful doom
aud had died with their elbows resting on their
haees ana their faces buried in their hands
Some had struggled forward no doubt hoping to
reach the airways and possibly escape.
When the report of the explosion was heard
on the surface it was too well unprecedented what
had occurred Rumor says, that for day or two
previous indications had been given of what WAS
about To occur q" Blower" or casual explosions
If gas, had taken place Two door ways had been
blown down only ON the previous day. md there
were 700 many reasons to believe the quantity of
-, icit, With which the air had been charged
that an explosion of a more extensive nature
might tHke place This too fully verified ::
and of the 2b0 golfers who worked in the tynacr
tolliery, more than one half were at moments
notice swept into eternity. NC human beings
went down into the pit of earth TINT morning and
of That host only AK returned alive.
The screams of the wives aud mothers at the
mouth of the rit--those women congregaed there
10 await and recognise the dead-as during the
long interval that ensued between the period
when the first intelligence OF the explosion spread
Tuesday morning till tho list body was
brought out on the morning of Wedne sday. were
frightfu and distressing.
All day long the brave fellows who ventured
down, almost in the face of death t. bring up the
dead. sent up the bodies of the unfortunate men
and boys who had persisted, and when these were
brought to the surface the recognition of nholov
ed husband or darling child awoke narrowing
cries. On "Wednesday morning the llOih body
was brought out, aud it left 10 conjecture
whether any still lay in the pit of death. 1t was
supposed. however, that all who had persisted
were now brought up.
Workmen were Immediately put ON 10 supply
collins for the dend. There they were, working
hastily with the saw aud plal,e 10 construct rude
shells in which I" depusite the unfortunate dcad
III their uniimely graves amid the crowds of ca
ger people still waiting to see the last Of the
dreadful calamity.
An inquest opened an "Wednesday aud al
ourned for fortnight.
Her Mnjesty,s inspector of Galleries. Mr.. Evans
Ia engaged in fully calculating the facts.