The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1884-05-30 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

SCOTCH COLLIERY ON FMB. On Saturday morning men descending to work to No. 7 Pit, Niddrie, near PortobllleAllielllC that the shaft, at a considera & hle staree from top, was on fire. Returning intrfaosioteipe were taken to collect as many akposslike in render assistance in extinguishing the 'flames and in rescuing the woritmeesupposed to be betdees thirty and fort 3 were in tbeplt, At en o'clock a messenger nad reaithed Edinbur ith is request for thglielKof tke City and to inform the county police oYWTiat wale going on. Six firemen were despatched with a manual engine, and reached Niddrie by efght o'clock. Soon after Superintendent Harding (EdnaItirgb), withVidlinf genstabulary, arrived and kept order. Before theiriirival the workmen at the mouth of the pit had TOin- down, as far as they could, the shad and -woodwork surrounding th.. month of the shaft, and bad then opened the main pumping pipe, thus allowing th• Tesler rhioh, wee being taken from the 'id to Sow:into it agate. Meanwhile the smoke issuing from the pit Increased in volume. till it aesumed the proportion of . a dense cloud rising high into the air and vieible for many milie 'around. Eventually the tsetse ' reached the gearing' at the pit mouth, and reduced it to a mere wreck. It was from the beginning impossible to save any of the men who were bolo* by No. 7 shaft, but fortunately pits No. 8, 10, and 12 connect , with. No. 7, !. and, most of the men escaped by them. About midday the water of a streern which flows past the colliery was diverted into the pit, and thereafter the working of the fire-engine was stopped. Subsequently the fire seemed to hare broken out afresh, the smoke, which had died away to a great extent, again assuming an extraordinary density. During the day several attempts were mafile by rescuing parties to reach the imprisoned men by means of the shift of No. 12 pit, but on each occasion their report was that no men were /to be seen in the workings which were accessible. It was, however, impossible to face the tremendous npeast ourreni, laden as it was with a most dense and deadly send* About six o'clock the density of the smoke decreased greatly, and a rescue party was enabled t,o descend Ni. 12 pit, and they rescued nine of the imprisoned men. Their names are James Kerr and son, Robert John Ferguson, a boy; Patrick Shavelin, William Hamilton, a boy; John Fleming, Archibald McCartney, late of the Black Witch; Patrick Corrigan, Alexander Ferguson. The other seven who bad been unable to reach the crossing where the rescued men were, had been suffocated. Their names are —John Kidd Seton, George William, boy: Neil Paton, David Kerr, Michael Scanlan, a boy; David Smith, late of the 79th Highlanders; and William Hamilton. After the pit had been cleared the fire seemed to increase in ' violence.  ~ who  to the men  EXECLTION OF A WOMAN AT LINCOLN Mary Lefffey was hanged at Lincoln, at yin* o'clock on Monday moniing, for the murder of her husband by poison, at Wrangle, near Boston, on the 9th of February. Berry, of Bradford, was the exemationer. Reporters were not admitted. The culprit was in a very desponding condition. She screamed with terror whilst being pinioned, and her lamentations are described as having been heartrending as she was being led to her doom. She had to be assisted on to the scaffold, and on the white cap bang placed over her face, and just . as the bolt was withdrawn, he gave a long 01,spairing cry. She asserted her innocence to the Wesleyan minister who attended her, and to the last hoped a reprieve would bb forthooming. drop of nine feet was given.