The Sun. — 1859-01-08 (London, England)

THE FATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT AT PENDLEBU.RY.  The inquest on the bodies of the seven persons killed by the accident at the Agecroft Colliery, near Manchester, was held on Thursday afternoon by Mr. W. S. Rutter, at the Packhorse Inn, Irlams-o th'-Height. Mr. Dickenson, the inspector of mines for the district, was present ; and Mr. Taylor, of Bolton, appeared for Messrs. A. Knowles and Sons, the owners of the colliery. • Dan. Parkinson, the banksman at the colliery, said the three men and four boys who were killed descended the pit on Tuesday morning before witness arrived there. At half-past nine, however, he was on the bank, about five yards from the pit's mouth, when he saw the cage come above its usual place, dash against the pulley, and the rods of the cage snapping, it dropped down the pit. All was done in a couple of seconds. There was a regular bell'signal to indicate when the cage was 60 yards from the mouth of the shaft, but witness did not hear it, and thought he should if it had sounded. The men went to work that morning at half-past seven. About 14 cages of coal had been wound up. Men had come up,three or four times before the deceased, and on all these occasions the bell sounded. Witness saw the engineer, perfectly sober, a few minutes before he began winding. The engine could , not be stopped instantly when going at great speed. The cage was one of Owen 's safety cages. The engineer said he had not heard the bell.  I. Jolly, the manager, said that after the accident he Went .to the drum above the engine-house to see where the strap which worked the bell weight had broken. He saw that the end was drawn out of the slit, where it had been fastened into the axle by a wooden wedge. One wedge was placed in three years and a half since, and never taken out till last Tuesday. The end of the strap was hanging about eight inches over the axle. This was the cause of the bell not ringing. The time that the strap must have been drawn out was when the cage had arrived half way up the pit, and when• the axle round which it worked was empty. Nothing of the kind had occurred before in the collieries. By Mr. Dickenson—.-Booth (the. engineer) told witness that he altered the bell weight on TueSday to correspond with a recent alteration in the drumsso as to make the bell sound at 60 .yards as usual. He'only told witness this morning he had done so. The engineer had a pycket right to have these alterations made.  T. Rowe, the joiner, said he altered the drums on. Monday to make the cage come up faster. On Tuesday morning the engineer called on him to alter the strap which worked the bell weight. He fastened it as it had been before, driving a new wedge in with it, and stayed to see it work. By Mr. Dickenson—lt was a new and seasoned wedge, and it fitted tight.  The subsequent evidence proved the finding of the bodies, that the engineer was quite sober, and that the new wedge could not be found. The Coroner, in summing up, said if any person was blamesblt, it app.Trc.i. tfl sve*2-,,! srTrilf,(l Nil Ti iii v, I, 11 t!lt, in  coiE-uit,,ticit, the jury .I...tui.iiett verdict of accideiltal death.  t.l'  The Coroner censured Rowe (the joiner) for not being more careful ; and Mr. Dickenson said so many accidents had occurred at Messrs. Knowles's collieries that they ought to get sonic very ccmpe. tent superintendent. The inquiry occupied four hours and a half.  I?_VECUTIOX _IT 7;417..V1'011'.  Yesterday morning William Burgess was hung in front of the county gaol of Somerset for the murder of his infant daughter in Exmoor Foreq. Subsequently to his, conviction, Burgess, who was deplorably ignorant, received unremitting attention from the Rev. F. House; the chaplain, and he was also visited at his own request once by the Rev. Thornton, clergyman of the parish in which he, lived, and several times by the Rev. W. R. Clarke, curate of St. Mary Magdalene, Taunton. He freely acknowledged his guilt to these rev, gentlemen, but seemed perverselv to believe that he should atone for his crime by self-destruction. To prevent him from committing suicide he was constantly watched, but the idea seemed to have been entertained by him almost to the liist moment of his life.  At various times he had interviews with his brother and with two of his daughters, which were necessarily deeply distressing to the relatives, and which seemed to have a depressing effect on the mind of the wretched man himself.  On retiring to rest on the evening before his execution, Burgess declined to take off his clothes. The turnkeys who had charge of him report that he slept butlittle, and that he got up between two and three o'clock and engaged in prayer. l lie subsequently took off the prison dress which lie had worn since his conviction' and put on the clothes in which he was attired when apprehended. 'A breakfast of the ordinary gaol ~dietary was proVided for hith, which he ate, ,and was shortly afterwards visited by'lthe governor and chaplain. At eight .o'clock the convict and the other prisoners were taken to .the Rhapel of the gaol, where divine service was performid, but the EttCharist was: not administered to Ad 611 demiled criminal.. Calcraft received the prisoner at the ter. mination of the service, and having pinioned his arms, to which operation he submitted with a fortitude that had not been 'anticipated, the procession proceeded to the scaffold. _ _ _  A deep silence pervaded the multitude as the toiling .of the chapel bell gave signal that the funeral procession of the yet living culprit had started, and the boldest of their numbers held their breath as the gaol warder, followed by the chaplain, the . criminal, and the executioner mounted the scaffold. Burgess walked firmly up, and was placed under the fatal beam. The chaplain concluded the reading of the burial service, Calcraft performed his functions as the hangman, and the preparations for carrying the sentence of the law into effect having been completed, the officials descended, leaving the culprit alone. The bolt was almost immediately withdrawn, and, after a few throes of mortal agony, Burgess yielded up his life. In an hour afterwards the body was cut down and buried within thete pre d of uetsthe gaol. The crowd dispersed almost as soon as h criminal was no more.  M. Emile de Girardin has accepted, without salary, the post of manager of the unfortunate Napoleon Docks, which he hopes to resuscitate. He proposes to buy the old shares of 125 f., which have lately been fetching only 40f. in the market, at 65f. for money, or to give shares in the newly-organised company at the rate of 85f.