The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-01-03
THE COLLIERY DISASTERS IN
ENGLAND.
Fun Particulars OF ExpIosIOns--Four
Hundred and Fifty Lives Lost
Dreadful Scenes.


Fun Particulars OF ExpIOsIOns--FOur
Hundred and Fifty Lives Lost
Dreadful Scenes.
The English mails, received by the
Australasian, bring full accounts of the
terrible explosions at the Oaks and
Talk-o'-the-Hill collieries in Yorkshire
and Staffordshire. The latter occurred
twenty-five hours after the Yorkshire
disaster. The total number of lives
lost was about four hundred and fifty.
Cable dispatches, few days ago,
gave an outline of these terrible acci-
dents, but the following details, gath
cred from the English papers show
that the worst was not told.
THE OAKS CoLLIERY EXPLOSION.
The Oaks colliery explosion occurred
on Wednesday,, December II, about L
p. NJ. This colliery is about a mile and
half from Barnsley, near Hoyle Mill,
and is the property of Mr.. r. Mickle-
thwaite, who has leased it TO Messrs.
Firth, Barber 81 Co. Its workings were
probably ofgreater extent than those of
any other colliery in the South York
shire district, and the number of hands
employed was little short of four hun
-dred and fifty. The ramifications un-
derground extended over a large area,
and the most distant points of the
colliery were over three miles from
each other. tL-.s. asia-.
So far as could be ascertained, it is
believed that three hundred and TWEEN
ty-four persons went into the pit at
o'clock on Wednesday morning, and
they were subsequently followed by
at least six more; there is strong reason
for believing that the number was over
six, and that in round mum bers nearly
three hundred and fifty men and boys
were in the pit when the accident hap
pened. Nearly all were killed.
THE EXPLOSION.
The first intimation of the disaster
was at twenty minutes past one o'clock
in the afternoon, when the people en-
gagged about the pit mouth observed a
slight tremulous motion of the earth,
followed by dull, heavy explosion,
that could be- heard more than n mile
of. Dense columns OF smoke and dust
shot into the air from each OF fthe shafts,
and in few seconds the pit bank was
wrapped in thick black cloud, that
hung like funeral pail over the ill
fated spot. The shock of the explosion
startled the people living in the neigh
borhood, and rush was made to the
pit bank Frantic women. terrified
children and golfers from adjoining
works, eagerly crowded round the
place, to ascertain the cause and the
results; and the anxiety and depair
depicted by that motley throng was a
scene that no pen can describe. On re-
covering from the first shock of alarm.
the viewers and underviewers, several
of whom had come to the surface few
minutes before the occurrence, inspec-
ted the gear and machinery of the
down-cast shafts, and information of
the accident was simultaneously for
warded to Mr.. T. Dymond, the mana
ginS partner, and Mr.. superintendent
Greenhalgh, of Barnsley, who shortly
arrived with number of policemen.
BEGINNING OF THE SEARCH.
As soon as possible party of men
cautiously descended, and at the bot
tom of the shaft found about eighteen
men ana boys, -much affected by the
afterdamp and many of them seriously
burned. They were at once sent to the
surface. a search was made for others
OF the living, and as it was also impor-
tant TO learn whether the coal had
caught fire, Mr.. Dymond and a party
of viewers and colliery managers from
adjoining works proceeded to make an
examination of the pit. They penetra-
ted about five hundred or seven hum
dred yards to the bottom of the up-cast
shaft. The air was loaded with nox-
ious gas TO such an extent that one of
the party was nearly overpowered byit.
II was found that an immense amount
of damage had been caused to the sides
and roofs of the workings; that the air
ways were literally blown to pieces,
and that not living man was to be
found in the pit. ofdead they counted
many; within a space of ifty yards
there were not fewer than thirty-eight,
and that at every few PAGES the num-
ber was increased; it was also found
that the stables were destroyed and
about eighteen or twenty horses killed.
Some of the party returned TO the sur
face and called for more volunteers to
repair the air-ways and get out the
dead. Plenty of willing hands Joined
heartily in the dangerous task, and in
the course of the evening and night
more than one hundred men were thus
employed.
sEARcHERs KILLED.
One exploring party, when about
seven hundred yards from the shaft,
felt the air sucking, and made every
haste out and saved their lives; but an
other party, consisting of David Stew
art, William Sugden, Christopher Sid
dons, Thomas NRdin, William Stephen
son (workmen), and Mr.. Jefcock,
mining engineer, lost their lives.
RECOND FNPTO OSIoS