, 1911-01-21

ND was by the "in-take" shaft, seventy or
eighty Yard away. There the cage, though
temporarily unshipped by the back-drau8ht
Of the explosion, was got to work alter some
adjustments.
The number of men~in the pit at the time
of the explosion was over 700. OF these
341 were working in the Yard 'mlne," the
level in which the explosion took place, All
the others felt tho effects, for the different
levels are Joined by u tunnel, but the after
damp POISONOUS 8as) made ITS way INTO the
other workings slowly enough to give a
chance of escape. They hurried to the Ar
ley shaft, and when the cage was repaired,
the work of an hour or more, they were
drawn up.
Tragedy of a Father.
The first rescue party got to work as soon
as the Arley shaft was cleared, and brave
attempts were made to descend TO the Yard
"mine.' Men, with no protection whatever
against fumes, mustered round the p~it-head,
only too eager to risk their Ives for those
below.
One middle-aged man named Turton came
up gasping, but in spite OF his breathlessness
he was gong from man to man asking Il
they had seen his son come up. NO one
had seen the lad, and the father was heard
to mutter, "Well, well, | rather it had been
myself"
A rescue party was forming, and Turton
insisted on joining it i'll spite OF many at
tempts to dissuQde him. ''Phee stop and
take a breath of fresh air." they told him,
sand come down later" Turton insisted on
going. 1t cost him his life. One OF the
rescue party told later what befell him He
said ave got to the bottom, and every
thing was all over the place it was the
slowest Job getting along. Turton had no life
helmet, no anything, but he was IN front all
the way. He got ever so far III front OF us,
and then suddenly our lights began to lin.
That meant gas. We walked a bit farther,
and first one lamp went out, then another.
Get back, lads, get back said someone;
and we needed no telling that it was q job
for helmets. But Turton had gone on IN
front, though how far no one could say.
We had to go back without him, Tor the
place began to get sitting, and someone
said Turton was not in front but behind.
We got back, hut they said Iurton had not
come up the shaft.
One of the helmet parties later. i'll the
afternoon found him. He had pressed ON
and on along the passage III front OF his
workmatos, needing neither gas nor wreck
age. He had stumbled over q broken coal
tub, had fallen, ana tn6fe, as ne la} on tio
ground, the gas had done its work and left
him lifeless-a father who had failed to find
his son.
Many daring attempts were made during
the morning and early afternoon to reach
the Yard "mine' by means Of the Arley
.'mine" tunnel, but the gas had found its
way into every level, and the rescners had
to retire beaten time after time. Cageload8
of men, some carrying tiutterin8 little cana
ries in cages, descended the shaft-always
the same tale. A hundred or more yards
from the shaft the birds would droop on
their perches, then fail, and lie still on the
floors of then cages, having succumbed for
the time being to the gas.
Canarios are the minors gas tost, for their
tiny lungs are more sensitive to its effects
than those OF human beings. The miner
will walk on till he falls unconscious without
any warning. His bird falls earlier, giving
HIM timely warning Of his danger. The
little things recover quickly IL fresh air
Daily Mail, Dec, En-