Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1849-05-23 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

THE SWANSEA AND GLAMORGAN HERALD, WEDNESDAY, MAY :23, 1819.  charge the men going in -on Monday, to try their stalls with the safety lamp before they went to work. I consider the present mode of ventilating quite sufficient to carry off any gas which might accumulate. lan certain there was no danger in the pit, Chit for the carelessness of the col hers on that mAraing, There was a slight explosion last Tuesday week; that was occasioned by smile of the men going into an old working, cootrary to the agent's orders. I consider the present flue quite enough to ventilate the colliery. John Lewis, collier, sworn : I was at work in the Wyrfa colliery last Monday morning between seven and eight o'clock. I saw the deceased men, William Jones and David Clement, in the pit, near John Gwillym's parting. Idi I not try my stall with a safety lauip. I knew :here was no gas there. My youngest son David tried Ids, and found all right. Ile then gave it to my son Philip, whom you have seen in bed SO severely burnt, to try his; and as soon as I got into Inv stall to commence work I heard the explosion. I got a kick from the horse at the moment in the knee. From the t ffeets of the shuck and the kick front the horse, I was knocked down. I then saw my son and David (lenient coming towards me. My son was crying, and said, " For God's sake, make haste out, or we shall be smothered." Cle.nent complained that he was kicked by the horse in the groin or thigh. He was able to walk home. I have not seen him since. I heard that he was dead. As far as I understand, the pit is properly ventilated. The agent generally cautions the men going into the pit to use the safety lamps. I have no idea from whose candle the explosion took piece, or how it happened. I have been a collier eighteen months. My son, who is burnt, has been a collier about six years. lie is eighteen years of age. The jury went to see the last witness's son ; but his condition was so lamentably pitiable that the deputy coroner did not fatigue him by swearing him. However, he made a brief statement to the effect that he was going to the heading to work,—that three or four others followed him with their candles,—and that caused the explosion. The lamp which he carried was found about six or sew it yards from the. face of the heading. . . .  At each of' tilt deceased's houses, Mr. Nix'on behaved very liberally. We lutist also do him the justice to state that he evincvd the greate.t desire to have a full and searching investigation. The jury returned the following verdict,—" That the dec?.ast,d, Wm. Jones and David Clement, came by their deaths by accident, in censequence of an explosion of fire damp in the Wyrfa colliery; and the jury beg to recommend that the proprietor of the above colliery should keep, in future, a fireman to 'try the state of the wot ks before the men enter."  been produced, the cma,ner summed up. and the jury returned a verdict of" WMt murder against John Whirlane (alias MTetter) and Andrew Daly," fur whcse committal on the capi'al charge a wsrrant was at once issued. An inspector of police has been despatched in the hope of overtaking them before they leave laiglat.d.