, 1874-05-04

4 m0m1er OF Congress several tlMoBt ma 10
It was to this mcmber that tho lato James
Drooka went 1t tho nIoas Of tho Crsdit Moblier
mnttor and thanked him for tho friendship ho
had shown him during the discussion. and other
as ana 1s &
gratitude thenccforth ho Wonld DO tho friend Of
tho co1ored raoe.
Tls1GHTFUL ACCIDENT.
Los. OF Fifty Lives bv q Colllery Ex-
plpsion In England.
From tks London Albion.
4 tosriblo explosion; cauhing, II ID feared, tho
loss OF nearly fifty lycs, occurred OH Tueaday
at Astsy 1eop pt, pnkiniield. nosr Ashtonl'
Wednesday, ,.ightfs Msnohoster Eusning Nelot
sss s h Is ss deS to 'e gean ~ from eR'c
llabls soutcos the particulars connected With tho
R a Which, hat saS sar
itable work underground: As write, thu pit
mouth 10 surrounded by thousands Of persons,
and tho widest exc'toment prevails In this
bleek country: Tho thoroughfsgoe are crowded,
ga.rded 81 9Sy police. Astley rlt Il ons
1t the doapsst IN England, and
eFy nes.Fs ao S 80 5 aaa ssi ng s9S s s'
coillers-oach hand consisting Of eight men,
dcsconded tho shaft for nfno houra' turn.
They worked a. usual until about s O'Clock. At
engaged with propping up and repairing tho roof
ut q place near tho engine brow, wllere nome
years ago thero. was are. Whlla these mon
we're thus engaged, thcrs Vcro indications Of
Tue ,So giving won , To-
hap. Despite tho efforts Of tho workmon, tho
roof foll ID with crash, but tho mon, bo!ng
forowarned, wero foresrmed, and they got clear
In good time, aud escaped acatholeaa. '1u this
which escaped Is tho parts foll, and tho 1apor
thus generated took fire, and then occurred
o terrific. explosion. The men wore work.
Ing be # understood, With 'nakcd lights,
under ordinary oiroumatsnoss arc doomed aafe,
but Is nothing happens save the unexpoctod,
they we're thd carso OF this terrible disaster.
Tho part Of the Working where tho lights zero
ss ss i S s only shs seq d % y y's , fs Smiths t1o 1S %
reaaon why It way thought that 'nakad Tampa
might be used with impunity. Tic engine brow
ls 100 yards long. aud tue. SHIFT $50 yards dcep
and It desconds 1T gradient Of about nino
inches to tho foot. In thus brow thero vcro be-
tween 50 and GO men working, and BY tho fall Of
tho roof aud tho explosion they wero Imprisoned,
for tho passage to tho mouth Of the pit was
blocked up. AL WAS darkness, and the mon
found themselves IN position Of utter heiploss-
eiarmed At tho explosion, rushed to tho
only meana Of escape that presented itaalf
to tho terror-Rsricken multit,idc-tho ahaft.
They knew tho meaning Of tho report, and they
Ninety-one moh and boys welo safely brought to
tho pit mouth uuscathod, although terribly per-
turbed aud anxious to know what had really oo-
Cured. Doforo midnight two others wore land
cd, and amongst those waa ono poor fellow who
presented shocking spectacle; he was 80
burned aud aoorohed that tho Bkin was utterly
falling from his body; hiH tntonse sufrerings
wero ouded by the friendly baud Of deAth, to
him the "dellveror," although the destroyer. A
minor named Carr WAS also brought to tho sur
fnce In pltthblo condition. He Was removed to
the Ashton lnflrmREy, where every attention was
paid to him. Two others were also snatchod
from tho Jaws Of death ut tho time. Many
remainod below, aud what Was. thoir. fatea
such . night to them, Tho small hours Of tho
| morning passed., and no nowH from below dAy-
] light dawned, and still they waited anxiously
agor, vent down tho deop mine directly after
| tho explosion occurred, and ho was accompanied
| BY band Of brave and fearless volunteers ready
| to riak their liyos III so good q service. There
consisted OF about IN equal numbor Of mon aud
| boys; their way upward waa blocked By tho
root, hut, to add to tho horrors that Ind already
accumulated the stables took fire, aud the peo.
PIC ABOVE 6noutoa tnat tno PIE Naa pufplEE.'
Several men. however, found thoir way to tho
bottom Of the shaft and escaped uninjured.
| Scyera1 horses are supposed to hnvo been Butfo.
| Gated in the Black htine, whore tho explosion
occurred. The ehattng waH not damaged, and
H. tst boay '0od Gssoy r harsshoraa 81 sofaa Sc
engineer, has, 1t is reported. been found. When
Mr. Hilton, tho manager, came up he hal no
words OF hopo, OF solaoo, or coincidence to utter.
and It was evident that tic worst fears Of The
people were realized. Rumor announced that q
boy had boon found burnt to q oinder, and sev-
| erat other 1ads wore quite dead. When this tale
was told many an anxious InothoF cried: Oh my
poor lnd. Il may BE- my dear boy.' Bricks and
| mortar were aent down below to build up tho
roof, aud loose Garth waR brought to the enrface
III tubs. Ton men woro brought up in addition
| to tile four we have already mentioned. Those
sion in a sido working, and thoy osoaped injury
| on Account Of their isolated position. bome
| wore killed when the roof fell. and many ltyea
were saved because the deadly tire damp did not
| get into the working ut the entrauoo; thus the
| yet It aaved many from destruction after the
| accident had, happened Tha boy brought up
| dead was Edwin Oliver.
"The condition of affairs this afternoon may
boys have bean rescued and those to be no.
| counted for number forty-aeven. 1t ia hard to
say that thess poor fellowa have periahad, yoi
| the most sanguipe Of hopeful womeu hardly dare
| think that they are aiiYe-thoy can only wipe
their fearful eyes while the comforter whispers
to them that Gods providence is our iuheri
| tanco.'"
The second edition Of the Manchester Euenirq
Meas, of Thursday, has rho following: "Unti
late hour thousands OF porsons we're on and
near the colliery grounds. Two more bodiez
we're. brought UP botwoen 8 and o'clock.
| Subsequently the Government inspector ot
Mipos finding that the fro Mt the top Of the
englne brow. near the furnace, and about
thirty yards from tho shaft, was unabated,
ordered those who woro recovering tho dead to
deBss from tho work, and gavo instructions that
tue work Of o1tnguishing the Are was then Of
tho first Importance, and must be etfected before
further stepa were taken. The Ashton ~, Borough
night, koepug it from spreading, but scarcely
diminishing It. The Government Inapeotor and
number Of eminent mining engineers from thu
Wiganlcoal-dold we're at tho pit to q late hour
| fThrao hnf1jea thnHa of A man aud two YouthA