The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-05-23
a sHoack1Na 4 DisAsTEn.. las.

NO. f24.
a sHOCKANss DISASTER.
Eight Mon KI7fcsi and Tao wounded
5ss9 ,. BY nm Expiosion ~ old Mid
s4se4 lothian C0af-Pits.
CAUSE OF TIE DREADFUL AcCIDENT-FA-
y TAI EFFEcTso OF FOUL AIR AND AN OPEN
LAMP P-ExcITING SCENES AT. THE MOUTH
or THE P1T-THE DEAD MINERS BURNED
AND sCoRcHED PERFECTLY BLAGK-EF-
FORTS 10 SAVE THE UNFoRTUSATEs,
ETC. ETC. 81
About 1:22 Pm. on Saturday terrible
explosion occurred at the Old Midlothian
coaI-pits, In Chesterfield county, now owned
by G. p. Burrows, Of Albion, N. Y, result.
ing in the loss Of eight lives and several
persons injured. at the time of the acci-.
dent-Which was the result OF gas explo-
sion-there were only about thirteen men
at work, the company being about to close
their working operations preparatory to-.
putting in a newsfan.
SEVEN HUNDRED FEET BELOW THE GROUND.
. The men were working at depth Of
about TOO feet, and in tunnel running
horizontally about 500 feet. AT the end OF
this tunnel, which was poorly ventilated,
there had accumulated large quantity OF
foul air and gass From the indications it is
believed that one OF the unfortunate miners.
must have yentured into the region OF this
foul air with an open lamp, which caused
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
The noise made by the explosion, though
so far under the surface or the earth, was
audibly heard considerable distance, at
tracing to the scene every person in the
neighborhood. Soon the mouth Of the pit
was surrounded by men, women, and chill
dren, among whom the greatest excitement
and confusion existed. 1t was easily real
lied by these people that the miners below
must have suffered
ALMOST INSTANT DEATH,
and consequently the screams and cries Of
the. women became heart-rending.
Mr.. Oswald Henrick, the mining engineer
in charge, was so overcome by the excite
ment and the disaster that he was rem
dered almost helpless to do anything !;
and, indeed, the confusion was so
great that nearly everybody lost
their self-possession. Fortunately, at this
iuncture Colonel O'Brien, Of the Black
Heath coal-pits. with William Marshall
and John Kendler, experienced miners, ar
rived ut the scene, and the two latter boldly
and fearlessly descended to the pit. Imme-
diately upon their arrival at the bottom
they found two men who were apparently
dead, but who they brought up and were
restored to consciousness and life after
wards. They then descended with other
miners from other pits and explored the
tunnel, which they found in a fearful condi-
ton. Wrecked timbers and df6ris of every
sort were scattered and piled in every direc-
ton, and the bodies OF the
EIGHT 1LL-FATED MINERS
were found burnt and scorched perfectly
black, five OF them being white and three
colored. Among the killed Mr.. William
Marshall, who rendered such signal and eff
cient service IN exploring the mine, found
the body OF his own son, John Marshall.
The body Of James Corneau, the foreman Of
the gang, was found about forty feet from
where it is supposed the explosion took
place, his watch embedded in his flesh, and
the hands stopped at the fatal hour, 1:22 p.
NJ. AL the bodies were recovered at yari-
Gus times, from tile beginning of the search,
but the work of getting them out was not
completed until O'Clock Sunday morning.
Throughout the neighborhood OF the entire
coal-mining region OF Chesterfield
THE NEWS OF THE DISASTER
created great excitement, and the friends OF
the dead miners are overwhelmed with
grief. The names OF the killed are as fol
lows:
James Corneau, foreman;
Charles Holder (whitel,
John Marshall (whitel,
Thomas Golden (white),
Robert Hall (white),
Joseph Hendley (cooredl,
William Morris (colored),
Philip Elliott (colored).
A meeting was called on Sunday to take
steps to inter the remains Of the killed.
The accident is said, among experienced
miners, to be attributable to carelessness on
the part OF the managers Of the pit.
A SIMILAR ACCIDENT
occurred q short time ago at the same pit,
in Which one man was killed and another
wounded. Bad ventilation and lack OF
proper and experienced workmen is the
cause to which all parties agree in attribu-
ting this accident. There was but one (thc
main) shaft which was practical for air pur.
poses, without any up-cast for returning
air. It was in the effort to improve the ven.
tilation that the workmen lost their lives.
OTHER FACTS.
The unfortunates who were killed were
to have been relieved at 2 o'clock on Satur.
day afternoon had not this direful acciden,
happened. Yesterday afternoon the bodies
of the men who were killed were appropri'
ately inferred.
The excitement in and around Manchcs.
ter was very great when the news reached
that place; but ali concur in the statement
chat the noise was heard but short dis
tance.
It is a singular fact that the news OF the
accident was not known in Richmond earlier
than Sunday.
The bodies of three OF the miners. who
were Odd Fellowship foreman, Holder
and Hall-were taken in charge by mem
bers of the order and inferred with appro
pirate honors.
One Of the many expedients resorted tt
to save the unfortunates was the pouring Of
water down the shaft in order TO restore
fresh air and thus, in measure ut least
give relief to those below.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
1t is said here that two or three Of the