Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-03-19
LATEST NEWS.
Further Particulars Of the Appalling Collier,
Explosion Enxinnd.

| the appalling colliery explosion in the village OF
| Hemmiug. field. Yorkshire. England. Further
particulars go 10 show thai it was the most dis
astreus calamity Of the kind that has ever occur.
red
On the morning of the l9lh of February about
two hundred nndtwentv men and lads went down
thepit 10 commence the days work the under
locker having proceeded them 10 ascertain if the
pit was SAFE. At noon n number of the men came
out O. the pit In dinner some state twenty, some
thrtv-and at that time they had not observed
the slightest indication of danger
While the men and the inhabitants of the dis
trict were pariaking of the mid day meal, about
l25 o'clock, rumhing noise was heard. accom-
paii d with sensible vibration of the earth, and
at the same time a loud report, which was heard
AT liolyland, Wentworth,nud other villages some
miles distant from the pit. Immediately after
the explosion, vast numbers of persons rushed 10
the mouth OF the pt,many Of whom had relatives
among those below; and some idea e the excite
ment which prevailed, may be gathered from the
fact, that after the explosion, the mine was fired
and the flames spread with such rapidity aud We
hemenc" that they assembled up tho air. shaft
which Is about POO yards deep.and lowered about
the top OF the cupola for some twenty yards. il
Eliminating the country Tor distance around
All Efforts Ia eNtlnguish the fire with engines
were found To he truless and it was then at.
tempted 10 rescue some OF the unfortunate people
within. Three daring fellows ventnred down.
and succeeded IN saving nineteen men, more or
less injured by the explosion. After this, it was
determined to hoza,d an attempt at exploring the
workings of the pit. Among those who went
down was Mr.. Webster, who gives the following
account OF the state in which he found the mine
during his perllous exploration:
lie sad that ON getting 10 the bottom Of the
shaft they found that the lower portion of the
slides and board gates were entirely blown up
aud destroyed, aud 90 proceeding further they
found the coal around the furnace was in u com
plete state of ignition. The coal aud woodwork
i'll the shaft had taken fire aud the flames were
raging furiously, He could compare il to moth
ing but river ct molten metal being poured
down the shaft. They proceeded about 300 or
2oo yards along the south level, and found tho
whole of the furnaces down aud the coal on fire.
They proceeded up the level, aud boardgates as
tat as they dared 10 venture until they came in
contact with the intlummabIe gas and were oblig
ed to retreat. They returned to the shaft, aud
then made an examination of the north levels. a.
long which they proceeded for d stance of
I00O yards. up to the first boardgatc. Daring
the lnse- tignton hey found many dead bodies,
and the men who accompanied them brought the
remain. IT, the shaft. One n,nn was found dead
close to the bottom Of the shaft; further on they
found ten bodies iii II nlass. Not far from the
furnaee 1t WAS supposed that II large number OF
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