, 1896-02-26

men up and down, were smashed and twisted
by it, and so rendered useless for rescue Dur.
poses, even if the shafts had been unchanged
The neighbouring town was shaken from end
to end by the roar and blast of the infaming
gases, nor would any wives or children Of
the mining population need to be informed
us to what had befallen when that dreadful
NOISE is heard from underground, followed or
accompanied by the earthquake which so
certainly betOkens death and destruction in
in the pit, with brave faithful workers per-
ishing in its darkness, out of reach of the
most gallant and willing succour. The first
question which arises to every lip is, "Who
are down" and it is significant of that tragic
and confused scene which always characteris-
es the first rush of eager helpers to the pits
mouth that no trustworthy accounts are ever
TO hand at the beginning Of intelligence. One
excited correspondent telegraphed the Ger.
tain loss of life at a hundred and sixty.
From ~Pontypridd it was reported that one
hundred and fifty had s%uccumbed to the
awful fre-blast; but from the same place
word came that the number Of dead would
probably not exceed ffty-four, although at
the same hour a Cardiff reporter sent in the
sad figure of eighty miners lost.
The latest information from the scene of
suffering and distress fixes the total of brave
1lhCo IOSU III IIlIS DlUGpr 01SdSJoF at nTCV-nV6,
From later accounts we are glad to hear that
the enel getic steps taken to save life re-
suited in "bringing to bank as many as
thirty-three living miners Eighty-eight is
probably the number of men and boys who
are known to have been down in the pit
when the explosion took piece, and tie
melancholy fact is that after such an occur
renee no miner affects to believe that there
Will be much, or any. hope Of saving even
the temporary survivors Of the catastrophe.
VI course, in a pit known to be "iery'-
that is to say, where the infammable fire.
damp is seen and felt to be sxuding from the
coal velns-eKplosions ought to be, and gene
rally are, extremely rare, because so carefully
guarded against. No "shot' is allowed to
be fired without special leave; no naked lamp
ID allowed in the workings; the hands are
searched narrowly for lucifer matches, which
are as much forbidden as in o gunpowder
magazine; and the dangerous mine will be
safe enough while all obey orders. But some
careless act-a pipe lighted reeklesSly, the
stroke even Of a pick against q stone-may
ignite the gathered Fl re-damp," which IN
stontly hurls a sheet of fierce famo along the
levels and up The shafts, scorching the life
out of every living creature, and by the con-
cussion of the pit-atmosphere, SCATTERING the
framing and machinery Of the pit. The fine
coal-dust, started into the ways by the shock
feeds and intensifes the flying sheet of
fame, which is followed by the deadly after
damp a production of the explosion which
kills by suffocation, not less surely than the
fiery blast itself. If even the pit could be
ventilated Immediately, this is the poisonous
stuff which must first be blown along all the
passages, choking to stuporous death the
half-burned sufferers. Sometimes the poor
fellows below escape, if fresh air can soon be
furnished by the fan-engines, or if they can
reach some ventilated corner or the bottom
of an open shaft. What the cruel explosion
generally does, however, is to cut off all
means Of assistance or of escape, while it
wreaks its horrible work of destruction and
agony in the sealed-up pit, aided by the
following ''choke-damp." In such a manner,
no doubt, these victims of the Tylorstown
ColIiery in Rhondda Valley have met their
melancholy death, martyrs of labour whose
fate must touch all hearts with the profound
est pity. To many a humble homo the over
sight or the disobedience, the mistake, tho
accident, whatever it may prove to be, of
that fatal moment in the Welsh pit, when
something ignited the "fre-damp." has
brought desolation, anguish, and poverty.
Here is a recorded loss at one blow of as
many gallant and useful lives as would have
suficed to render a victory iii the field of war
costly and deplorable. The poor Welsh
miners were soldiers of peace. vet their