The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-11-15


giOn.
from the London Telegraph
The little colliely village Of High
Blantyre, near Hamilton, recently was
the scene of o most terrible colliery dis.
aster. BY this catastrophe, unparal-
leled in the history of Scotch mining, il
is reckoned that fally 200 lives have
been lost, though the number that per
ished can only be approximately deter
mined. This morning, about o'clock,
the men employed at Messrs. Dixon's
colieries, High Blant}re, departed TO
their usual work, 1876 men descending
the shaft OF the pit known as No. 2,
while 107 entered pit No. 3. Statutory
communication exists between these
pits, and it seems that before the disas-
ter occurred q number of men were en-
gagged removing stoops in the splint OF
the lower seam Of No. 2 pit. This OPP
GRAFTON is always regarded as hazardous,
and it appears that, with culpable and
almost inexplicable recklessness, the
hands employed made use OF
naked lamps. While the men were en-
gagged in blasting in the splint Of No. 2
pit, about 8 o'clock, an appalling explo-
sion of fire damp occurred. which spent
itself in the shaft of No. 8 pit. The ex-
plosion was attended by sound
resembling the loudest thunder, flames
burst forth at the head Of shaft No. 3,
and dense volumes Of smoke rolled up
from the entrance to pit No. 2. Frag-
ments of coal and timber and clouds OF
dust were then scattered around the
heads OF the chats, large quantities of
debris being shot for a great height into
the air.
The daafening sound Of the explosion
Immediately attracted large crowd to
the scene of the calamity, and with ali
possible celebrity relief gangs were or
ganized and every effort was made to re-
store ventilation to themines. An hour,
however, elapsed before air could again
be admitted to the pits, and all efforts to
descend the shaft OF No. 3 was found to
be impraoticable. Four men then strove
to enter No. 2 pit, but were unable to
proceed along the sphnt seam from the
damp, and, after persevering at the i'm
minent risk of their lives, were brought
up in 8 f8inting condition to the surface,
one of them, named Thomas Laidlaw,
being, it is feared, very seriously in
jured. Notwithstanding this, however,
another relief gang was Immediately
formed, and the new party of volun-
teers, after advancing short way from
the foot Of the shaft, found the bodies Of
six men, dreadfully charred and disdg-
ured, which were at once drawn up to
the bunk. Although q constant stream
OF water was poured down tho.shaft that
the reserve party might be in q measure
relieved from the noxious effects of the
damp the new relief gang were finally
forced to desist from their perilous mis-
sion, and so seriously were several of
them affected by the deadly atmosphere
which they had been inhaling that they
had, on returning TO the surface, to be
covered with earth to free them from The
influence of the chOke-damp. Fresh
bands OF volunteers at once took up the
task Of exploring the workings, and sew
eral other bodies, mostly mutilated be-
yOnd recognition, were recovered. The
black cloud of smoke which at first
foated over the scene Of the catastrophe
cleared away, and as the news Of the
disaster spread like wildfre through the
surrounding districts vast concourso
gathered round the pit-hoads, the wives
and children OF the men who were in the
pits exhibiting heartrending emotion
Very faint hopes are entertained that any
of the men in the pits have. escaped, and
the chOke-damp was at first SO strong
that it is feared that all Of the 233 men
who descended the shafts in the morning
must have persisted.
Theterror and agony exhibited among
the wives and children of the imprisoned
miners were of the most heartrending
character. Efforts were made to restore
communications with those below, and
ct length these were so far successful
that one man was brought up alive to
the surface. This survivor, who es-
capped from No. 2 pit, stated that he was
working at tho lace when he heard an
explosion. Not, however, suspecting
anything unusual he made his way leis-
urely to the bottom, when the sight Of
dead bodies all around opened his eyes
to the appalling extent Of the catas-
trOphe. Every effort was made to re
store the ventilation which the explosion
had stagnated, but more than an hour
elapsed before current of air would
flow as it should do from No. 3 pit to
No. 2.
Six several times the reserves returned
at great risk to themselves, and on each
occasion they managed 10 bring up a
dead body, each Of which was dreadfully
burned and mutilated. The choke damp
eventually became SO bad that they were
forced to desist.
The most heartrending scenes were
witnessed in the neighborhood of both
pits and along the row of houses situated
100 yards from No pit, for it was near
these buildings that the dead bodies re-
covered from the pit were conveyed.
There were women with children in their
arms, and with swollen eyes, hurrying
frantically about, asking the latest news
from the exploring parties AS one
hCdvr oftop another was taken RI tho