, 1869-04-19
ANOTHER COLLIERY EXPLOSION
IN ENGLAND,


lWEuxYSn1A8
From The London Star, Apr112.
Once more have re to record the occurrence OF
!. dreadful catastrophe IN thu Southwest lanes
shire co11 1ed-anothel explosion IN the derJ Atle5
mne-and the LIST Of the Victims It ts feared, wifi
] increased. At 1t ocloeE ~ ycsteiday mornins mo Tie
1ssug indications on the pit bank showed thnt the
HlGhbrouks Collle15, belonging to MessIA Mercer
Aackerneld, 8 short distance from tie boundary
II The borough Of Tlgan, had "1red, and the
news spread With Startling rapidlty even fer COL
lrry explosion Throughout the district that tile
pit bank w9s quickly crowded With the relatives
and friends Of the men who were employed at the
pit Seventy men worked At the place. OF these
about one-hai were brought to hank unin|ured :;
kUue fifteen Others were recovered fearlullr burnt
OF suffering from the ehtc.s OF the choEe-lanp
and the remaining twenty, nt the time Of writing,
art l'1nured In the workings, Hhere the slowly ad-
tanctnE exploring party are discovering their
4 more unfortunate co1lscr5 than the ulghbrooks
doeh not @ exst IN The 6asg 6nstgheo.hqod stands
Nigan, at the top Of single line Of railway that
rnns from tho central o11ces. 1t WIS here that ia
1861 over one hundred coliic,s were imprisoned
several days BY the break01e Of the machinery
here also, in 1864, an explosion occurred by which
thirty persons lost theruyes An adjacent col!ery,
belonging TO the firm, Eas On dIc, for many
t.f rcce1t years been very considerable sufferers.
The HtshbrooEs Col!lery consists Of t#o shafts
an uJcast and 3 doTncast- originally sunk to
yar1ls from the surface In the downcast, how
ever, It was found that fault occurred which had
the effect Of throwing the oren fouz-feet Arle5
mine, and which should lie sixty yaris below tho
frefeet, to point sixty yards above It. at lcast
100 feet out OF Its orlnafJ position. The winning
of ia:s fousies, sea9 an. has s., eeen matter Of no
fault after fault has obstrucsel It's pFogresR The
heam too, 50 notably gaseous one, has Lad 10 be
have been adoptci which culll be
suggested to secure the safety Of the workmen
Al! the lamps were locked and examined by the
tlremen No collier vas allowed to nre shot cx-
cert the fireman had first examined his place and
given hllu permission, anu care MAS taken to &C.
cure the services Of the must competent men as
unde1lookers aid thetr assistants II, with oil
these precautions, an explosion has occurred. 81
it Is believed at the firing Of shot under proper
supeHutcudcuce, the fact will 60 Tar to prove The
desirahtlity Of the entire abolition Of blasting
The fireman, Richard Gortley, on "Wednesday
morning made his customary examination Of the
four-fect seam, commencing hts examination 1t
lock the lampa Of tho coIlers when They descended
the shaft to their work Several Shots It Is stated,
ns se
nttlop Of these as soon as possible. He went to
consult With another fireman On the pit bank, and,
ceeded to the southcriy part Of the workings foz
the purpose Of examining the places, In order to
give the necessary sanction to the firing. 1mme-
nac sa be topor the Wnoe of ~
men and boya engaeed In the district INTO which
GoItiey went, ns well rs tho fireman himself. att
numbered among the tlead- The force Of the blast
tsnes not appear to have been felt At any great dis
tance, but In the immediate neighborhood Of thc
southerly workings the openings have been bloWI
down and much OF the roof has been looscned.
The explorers, who descended as soon a. possible
utter the occurrence, first came upon number O.
men Who Ind been burnt severely, and shortly Ut
teFwaIds theT found two dead bodies and one mar
| almost exhausted, who WIS Immediately sent Il
bank and Is now recovering. They are now pro
ceedInH with their ar1uous labors, but there arr
not the slightest hopes that any Of the sixteen O.
eighteen Etili IN the pit can be alive still latc
account says that the whole OF the workings hava
been explored and twenty-sl1 bodies have beer
| fountl These, With the two brought up th1
mnrning make the total twcntF-ctght- The las
| brought up were couple Of lads who had fnllet
over pony In the attempt to escape The bodice
were carried to oE adjacent shed through lines
| spectators Few have Is ycl ,cen Identified, bu
| several families have suffered terribly. In ont
ease q father, three Rona and a brother arc al
dead. 1t Is believed that the accident has oc
CURED at a hlown-out shot, az WIS the case a
Haydock; There has been, It ts said. little nre
damp. One Of the men burned Is reported to u
dead. -Four others ara fcArf1lly burned. Th
Government Inspector has been down this after
noon.