THE TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSIONS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 50, 1 March 1867, Page 3

THE TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSIONS.

fFrom the Home News, December 26.] THE HAJCLEY EXPLOSION. The second colliery explosion, which took place at Han-ey, althougli not so calamitous as the Barnsley catastrophe, is the most serious that has yet occurred in the North Staffordshire coalfield. The Tsdk-o'-thc-Liill Colliery descended to a depth of 300 yards, and a seam of gas coal had lately been reached, the working of which was known to be dangerous Up to Thursday, December 13, however, the care taken had been successful. At noon on that day, the people on the bank and those living within half a mile of the pit felt the earth disturbed as if by an earthquake, and heard a smothered report. Shortly after flames rushed furiously up one of the shafts of the new pic, and the roofs ot the cottages, the hedgerows, and the roads were covered with a black coating of soot. Large masses of coal and scorched and blackened timber were also hurled up the shaft, and scattered about at various distances. The sound of the explosion and the shaking of the earth caused great numbers of men to rush from the other collieries and ironworks in the neighborhood to give what assistance they could to those who were in danger, and women and children ran from their homes to obtain intormation respecting the relatives tor whom they had reason to dread a most terrible end. With the assistance of the men who had arrived from other works, the manager, Mr. G Johnson, succeeded in clearing a space about the entrance to the shafts, and the cages descended. The people had not to wait long before about 50 men and lads were sent to the surface, and were eageriy welcomed as they steppep from the cages. There was again a tumult, as wives, and mothers, and children rushed forward to greet their escaped relatives, and to ascertain the extent to which they had suffered from fire or from the terrible after-damp. It was found necessary, owing to the suffocating nature of the atmosphere in the pit, to work by frequent relays of men. Thre was no difficulty in obtaining Volunteers. Even those who had escaped from the pit, and whose injuries were only slight, went down again and again, and hazarded the lives which had only just been saved to give succour to those less fortunate than themselves. So dangerous was the work of searching that frequently the men engaged in it were sent up the shaft, either partially or wholly uncon.-cious. Some who rapidly recovered insisted upon continuing the dangerous labour. In the pit the explorers frequently found portions of bodies lying apart, and were obliged to send up the trunk of a man whose head they could not discover. As the bodies were taken from the cages the doctors examined them, and pronounced whether life was extinct or not. The bodies were placed in a cart in pairs, and as ■ they rumbled along women would start out from the rows of watchers and ask anxiously about their husbands or sons. Very frequently no i reply could be made. It is reported that 137 i were killed and 13 injured out of 200. On December 18 a very affecting incident occurred in Talk-o'-the Hill graveyard, Stafford- '' shire. One woman was searching for the grave i in which her husband was buried. She could : not read, so she asked a bystander to tell her > -where her husbandry. A piece of paper, stuck I in a piece of stick and placed at the head of a .: grave, signified that the mortal remains of Edward 1 lay there. Upon the grave, with its still i uacovered coffin, being pointed out to the poor 6be sank down on her knees by its side, i h stud, addressing the coffin as if it contained her '/ living husband, apostrophised it in a manner that < -was too affecting to be described. Scenes of this sort are very common in the village, and show that the deceased liyed happily \ritU their wives.

We (Wellington Evening Post) regret to learn that the slip dispute is no nearer an amicable termination. We shall probably shortly learn the exact state in which it stands, as we are told that Mr. Kennard is having the whole of the correspondence printed for circulation.