The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-10-28
An EnsIlsh COIIIery onyFIrs.

a - 14-HNa~"-
The catastrophe which we are shout to
chronicle took place at "Page Bank" one
of tie Byers' Green collieries. Page Bank
is about four miles from West Hsrtlepool.
II seems that the "nieht shift'' had gone
in at two o'clock on THURSDAY, numbering
from forty to seventy men and boys. With
them was an overman named John Mould
This mans duties ceased at 8 A. M al
which time he had completed thorough h.
spectiOn Of the wo' kings, and had arrived al
the bottom OF the shaft ready to be relieved
by his successor. The second overm n
named Thomas Kellet. arrived at tie piu
mouth shout the same time, end was lower
ed. On his way down he smclt or saw & e
in the wood work, and reported the fact Il
Mould. Accordingly, they sent Information
round the works, requesting the men to as
semble at the bottom Of the shat. and, in
the mean time, began themselves to ascend
for the purpose Of inspection. Mould rode
inside the cage or box which holds the smal
coal wagon in its ascent and descent, and
Kellet sat on the outside. They had. il
would appear, been drawn up a considers ble
uIStuhCG-tOu VI u1ObC-WHCH SOube
portion Of the bratiice, which had been sci
free by the fire, fell, and knocked poor Kel
let from his seat, thus precipitating HIM Il
the bottom, and In al probability killing him
Mould was drawn to the top, and immediate.
ly gave an alarm, but the fire suddenly gol
such hold that It was impossible to rend1r
any assistance to the men below, although
their cries for help could be distinctly heard
The fire very soon got hold OF the spears Of
wooden arms and piston Of the pumping en-.
gine, and thus this was brought to a stand
still. The flames rushed up the pit and
burnt a considerable portion Of the WOOD
work over its mouth, and, even when this
had been extinguished, the dense smoke is
suing from tie pit gave terrible indication
of the fire that still ragged below.
, The engines arrived in short space oI
time, and pumped great body OF water from
the river Wear, which was directed t. the
burning timber, and also to the drift, the
coal in which was found to have ignited. II
was probably when the fire reached this
dr;ft that the explosion spoken Of took place
Had the fire originated from an explosion in
the works, il is difficult to see how Moult
could be ignorant Of it, or how he could have
escaped, the brattces being certainly ON tira
when Kellett was going down, and therefort
before Mould began to ascend.
The incidents of this day were of an un
varying description, and 50 also OF the night
Dense volumes of smoke continued to be
emitted, go dense that the repeated attempts
of men 10 get any distance down the pi
were quite frutless. Brattice cloth was put
over the pit mouth, with u view to creating
an artificial current, but there was little hope
iha, this would be Of any avail, the iniroduc
ton Of fresh uir only making the fire burr
more fercely, without re lieving the poor ieI.
lows below.
The idea Of the engineers was that they
will be a5le to cut off the fire in th: drift
from that in the shaft, and that the laitel
will then exhaust itseif There is, howev'
er, the possibility that the coal in lhs work.
ings will take fire, if it has not d1ne 81 nj
ready; and still further there is the certaint,
that in FIVE days at the most the whole col.
iiery witt be full Of water, thu qlanii'v ordi'
nariIy punped out being nearly 10000 gal
Ions per hour, aud the pumping en- giEes be
iry totally disabled.
AS to the chances Of escape for the poo'
fellows in the pit opinions vary. the view.
ers rest upon the fact th4t the workings 'ov.
er eighty acres, and that these WORKING, ar
sufficient magazine Of air u sustniJ Ii.
for several d7ys. But This urea will, b.. -v
ry hour diminished BY W ter, and other ex.
perienced N. II are OF the opioioE, that tn
descent o. caibliis acid gas viii be 80 Z n
siderable as speedily to destroy IL e, whilst
the p'tmen say the air in the working, is il
sell little betr ,h4n choke dsmp.
The fire must, us it appears, have origina'
ted from the furnace. II is suggested en,t Il
spark hud been carried up the sl,tt anu rest.
ed upon the timber, but brhtcins is o tou
massive character to take fire from spark,
unless rendered highly conbustioe by in-
tense and long continued heat.