TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1390, 14 January 1873, Page 3

TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION.

A shocking catastrophe occurred on ihe 7th October, at Morley, a place, half village half town, situated midway between Dewsbury and Leeds, and containing a large population of colliers. The largest among the colliery works is that of Messrs W. Ackroyd and Brothers, who employ nearly 400 men and boys. On Monday afternoon, between half-past three and four o'clock, au explosion occurred in one of their three mains called the Deep Fit, and in which about 150 men and boys were employed, in a part of the working which extends in a northerly direction beneath the town, and in this portion of the colliery there were about 45 persons at work. When the news became known people thronged in thousands to the scene, and among them were many hundreds who had friends and relatives below ground. Their agony -"-Vas painful to witness. No time was lost in organising a body of volunteers to descend and explore the mine, but the operation of these brave fellows was retarded very much by the presence of the fatal after-damp. The excitement at the mouth of the pit was intense when, the party of explorers having descended, the cage was sent up with the first man, George Barrowclough, who was only slightly burnt After a short interval, George Preston, of Gildersorae, reached the bank in a very critical state. Just as he was removed, the cage brought up the dead body of a boy, Thomas Broadbent, of Morley, who, besides having his skull smashed, was terribly burnt and cut, it is supposed by being dashed against the coal through the force of the explosion. When the exploring party came up for relief at six o'clock, they gave a fearful account of the sight which had met their gaze underground. The work of recovering the dead had subsequently to be carried on very slowly, owing to the presence of firedamp in the pit, and the fact that a great deal of material had also to be sent down for the purpose of erecting temporary means of securing ventilation. As rapidly as possible, however, the work progressed, one of the explorers stating that at one spot he stepped over no less than thirteen dead bodies. Several of the men who were brought up were in a state of partial insensibility from the choke-damp, but after restoratives had been applied vere able to communicate particulars of the accident. One of them, named Levy Hargreaves, states that in his drift nineteen men were employed, six or seven of whom were dead. As the bodies were recovered they were removed to a large room in the Royal Hotel. The explosion had been more disastrous than was at first anticipated. It seems that thirtyfour deaths have already resulted from the accident.