Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1867-01-04


uleEnglish co.l-mincS. but the following
particulars. thror@'i tie EnS!i>h press: arc
deeply interesting:
TIE oAKS CoLLiERT ENrLo>lnN.
The Oaks collirrr explosion occurred on
Wednesday, December l2rii. about ! i. VI.
This collicry is a3oui IL mile and :: half from
barns!rv, near HOWE n.ji. and is the pro-
rcrty q Mr.. X. Mick'"tiiwait, vino has leased
It to McSSr<. Firth. Barber < CO. 1t, work
ings were probably ol Greater extent than
those Of aiiy' other cot!yry in tie South
Yorkshire district, and the number Of hand,
cnpluycl was little short u! four hundred
and fifty. The qualifications underground
extended "vrr Il large area. and tie most dis
tant points Of the roliicry wer. over three
miles from each other. In ro,ind numbers
nearly three hundred and fifty men and
bows were in the pit whe'! the accident hap
pcned. Nearly all were killed.
TIE EXPLOSION.
The first uiima;un Of the disaster was q: TWEEN
~ minutes! past one o'clock in the afternoon, when
the people engaged about the pit mouth observed IL
slight trrlnulous motion of The earth, followed By
Gull heavy explosion, hat rou!G u" head more
ian mile off. Dense columns Of srurf;c and dust
shu into the air from each OF The s!ait., and III
few seconds the pit bank was WRAPPED IN thick
black cloud thai hlns like n funeral pail over I'll"
i-tatcd sput he shock ui me explosion startled
Tho people living III the neishborhood, and II rush
was made 10 the PIT bark. Frantic wnncn, terri
tied children and golfers from adjoining works,
eagerly crowded round the place, 10 ascertain the
cause and the results ana thc anxiety ana despair
depicted by that motley throns was scene thal II"
pen can describe. On recovering from the first
shuc!; Of alarm, the viewers and undcr-viewers,
several "f Who'll" hitd fortunately c7ilc 10 the sur
face few minutes before the occurrence inspected
The gear and machinery OF isr down-ens, sn"ns'
. ' ~ " NJ - Dr,"and fl" ,"ns"ing
PARTNER, and to Mr.. Superintendent Grccahalgh, of
Barnslcv, who shortly arrived with q number Of
policemen.
BEGINNING THE SEARCH
as soo, os ,oss;Il, a n,r,v o. mrn cautiously
M go We, ~ -, 49, r.. - ,h, bn., sd
"t,' ~ ' ~, g." ,,'aL .,T,,I H., ,ha
damn md many Of them seriously burned.
They wcr. ut once sen. to the surface a search
MRS made for others OF the living and ~ il
also important to learn whether he coal had eau GILT
fire. Mr.. DvIn"nd and Il party OF ric"c:s AMI col
liery managers from adjoining works proceeded 10
make au examination Of the pit: They penetrs-
rho boiton OF tho up-casf shaft The mir was load
al with noxiulls GAS to such IN extent that one Of
the party was nearly overpowcred by it. II was
found that immense amount Of damage mad been
caused to the sides and roofs vi the workings that
the air-ways were literally blown 10 pieces, and
that not living man Was 70 10 iounu III the ph'
OF dead they counted many; within space Ut NJ
~ wards there were not lower tnah tnir'F-c'SH',
and ut every Few PAGES the hun'oef waS 'nSreascu
II was also iouna tnat Iho S'nUi'S were ucstro!eu
ana about eiGhteeh OF twenty h"rS'S A'i'cn. sum-
"t the party returned 10 'he suti"co anu .'''e" WI
more volunteers 10 repair Tue hnI ec' rt'
the dcaa. Plenty OF willing hands ju!ned heartily
n ht.
evening and night more than one hundred me-
| were thus employed.
SEARcnEES KILLED.
One exploring party, when abcat seven f,nn' J
yards flom the shalt, felt the AIR S,lckil .u
every haste ont ana saTcd ':ieF HEes, - s,,lu !
lmrly, consisting "1 LAVE o'c""t!, Hvi,,n Sir-
christopher oiuuonS, f9!,;:s it'll, ,,,,iugen
phenson, twotkhi.nj tl.u MI . e"c'
glneer, lost Their lives.
SECOND EXrLosIc'
. sccond cvnlos;o, teak ,)urcJn Thursday morr-
is~ wbiir the pur1ics IN elm, ewr." III the act OF
drawing cut the d,ud rons,4ncnt i!i'"n The pre-
yious explosion Ii:c rcpozw.$ Hc that O' rali-
nm The n.ws Of this slond disaster spread Ike
I;rL.n;nr and hundred .,ni tho friends ara rsia-
,;Sos of ,hn moor rrrnrcs in the pit wer" quickly
nm tho suo,. The scfLe Of H5dTeSiny wss again
renewed The pGu,wuinCn could he met On the
road To the collie1J fai"ti;.g with excessive grief,
white others wee seen fr;i:iE; their 1sr, a!'lH-
r.niiy will VIII excitement. he sctue i'll he
nriclborhood Of the culiirry was raiy h"ari-rend-
;r"t
THIRD EXPLOSION
:.,aI,: ,:-,:,,. NJ a..
Al = :" wi, Va. i ,t ;,, g. ~, :d IT'..i
roluni" rs WI" STte ~.
h:I','s W., .. ~, ,br ~
that hh"nt zen minus ~ h'''. a. nc = '"
-, I",ino.' ocn.,I nF cownrI;r, hv jhc mr;,
"a - ''.y! :,;ro ,n dcsra,L ,r1 H., latter NJ
WV 49, - -, .,,,,;,un mo .,r,h Tb,v lad
o'.o "t": ~" - ,,nr.cs yt,rn !, fi-rj m,
NV - - 80 ~ i.;, t,:n,, l;.,i,c,i, hoard al ,
. .,,",'. ,a,ri,. , vii. distant.
l'">"H -'''''' '''''
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION.
IT, ,,o,ohosto- f;,,c,;;,,, saws. "As 10 tn.
oo,,' ,In cynjosion little is known practically
~ =; W ,n,rn s,,rTps, Tho nj, Was in The hands ii
III ,roIr.,n,v, who wer. certainly not ar,iruo-
fleh p ,br ,nsna,,n,sni The m;na made lnrsc
,on,;,;os nf ,,os which was collected in various
WITS nf the nit and conducted il, plies To the
l;o ,Io-o which was thus urtilicjally lighted -
n tbe workings the men used safety !amIs Il is (
Ia tho, whom ,h. accident hapucncd Il number Of |
- lii ,.ra dr;,ir.,n becdway towards some
tHg Teat.a 1911 ,,,h fouI o- and SUGGESTION
ou h. h;n, ton,,cd this mir /, rushed to tho
te."''s i""' 5 ,Thrp ax,,Iodcd ;ns, "a in thn
"nr'' NV onn:Lcrt a. Dut;ni.ll Ano.hcr
Ease VI wi ,ra, ,n m,;no nav. bn" Ier fired Ly th
,,.o If ,hn safety LAMPS or the lighting
ii = ,',, > - - '-'
I'll ~ '''i'o,. u,..,,,,, bowcvcr s,vs. srhc man,
,,,ni, no nj, wos worked was fruitful sub |
icct for discussion among the crowd, and 1t was !
stated b. several well acquainted win inc cn!iier!
that although the only lights Used IN inc ~orSnss
were the saiety-iamps: inc engine pace anu Tue
main thoronSh'aFes OF the i's!e WIRE "sn.Iu y! !
s:s. This was natural gas hcG'i''tinter ~ '.I, t
by placing pipes to the principal issHrcS from wiiicn
gas oozcd, and conducting II ihio sasoIhe'er,
whence it was drawn as required IN me ust.i way;
Some of the men VINO mao WORKED IN lne m'ne ma
considered 1t saie were inclined 10 attribute the OK
p'"sion 70 some accael1 trsu's III an o
accumulated gas. ltapp"ars' also, thnt powder was