TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION IN WALES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 33, 8 February 1881, Page 4

TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION IN WALES.

[ Ci Home News," Decemter I7tb.] Another of these disasters, fraught ■with io much grief (o scores of families, fcas added a fresh chapter to the melancholy colliery annals of the Rhoodda Valley. Pen-y-Graig ia a kind of overgrown village situated between Dmas and Ton-y-Pandy railway stations on the Tell Vale line in South Wales. It is of quite modern growth, having only sprung into existence during the last score of years. The principal industries in the village are the two coal pile belonging to Messrs Rowlands, who aigo trade under the name of the Naval Coal Company. One may be distinguished as the upper pit, and the other us the lower pit. The latter is at the foot of a hill elope, and the Tuff Vale Railway runs nearly alongside. The upper pit is on the bill futnoiit, and the coal is conveyed from there to the Great Western main line via the Ely Valley Railway. The lower pit is the downcast, and the upper pit is the upcast. The men descend from both points into the workings. The coal worked is a 4ft seam. There is a fault between tie two pits, but this has been bored through nod a connection established. The ventilating fan is at the upper pit. The pits are wotked with naked lights, Ninety-three men descended the down oast pit on December 9(b. Matters proceeded all right until about mid* sight. Frcm the position in which the colliers were afterwards found (close together) it is conjectured that at the time indicated the men stopped work to partake of food. Suddenly there was a dull, heavy report, and those at the top of the two pits at once knew that the gaß below had ignited, and that there had been an explosion. Officials hurried to the pit top, and the Bad tidings quickly spreading brought persons whose relatives were below in anxious baste to the spot. Many went to the upper pit, but ibe minority assembled at the lower one. Oblervation seemed to show that the catastrophe had occurred near the upper pit. Rescuing parties were Bt once formed, but, owing to the accumulation of gay, the tremendous falls of rubbish, &c, the work of investigation proved for a while exceedingly difficult and well nigh hopeless. The brattice, too, at the bottom pit had been shaken down, end entry and exit from this direction were partly stopped. jßfut the voices of men calling out urged on the rescoere. By means of a large bucket n descent was presently (fleeted {pibeJowpr pit, Four mv climbed

op fo vhtre fbey heard the rescuers' 'voirep, srid (bfee were forthwith saved frcro dtnth. Tbe frur men brought to the eurfece vsrre Thomes Mom'p, who lires on tbe billpide at P<?r°y-Graig, o&d is married ; David Jenkinp, Dices, single ; Jcbn H. Evans, Llwynpia, stogie j and David Maroney, Dinae, single. All are colliers, and bad been working just at {be bottom of tbe lower pit when tbe explosion happened. They eaid they heard the ominous report, and saw the brattice fall. Tbey guessed at once what had happened, hut did not run away. They perceived that tbey were favorably situated for rescue, and remained where tbey were. Of course they were greßtly alarmed, and hßd wailed anxiously for tidings and a helping hand from the surface. A searching party was then formed, when a deputy inspector of micea, and a cumber of other colliery managers, went through tbe workings, in whicb, by noon, ventilation bad been restored. One of tbe party eaid (hat he bad seen thirty-four dead bodies, and bad, io faot, penetrated through the entire length of both pits. Numbers of tbe bodies were unrecognisable. The explorere bad to scramble over great falls, which it is anticipated will take daye, if not weeks, to clear. There is no possibility of any of tbe eight-seven men who have not been lescued being j still alive. Tbe majority of tbe bodies are underneath tbe falls, and many of the bodies were soon got to the surface. From all parts of the valley men, women, aod children thronged to Pecy«Graig, and many thousands of persons congregated in the neighborhood j of the two shafts. Most of tbe deceased men leave families, several of them very large families. Io some cases men went down the pits to work for the first time last night, never to return nlive. The cause of tbe explosion has sot yet been ascertained. Many of tbe bodies tre dreadfully disfigured, and one old man was found on his knees in the lamp station with his arms entwined around the body of a little boy. The loss of bo many bread-winners has naturally had a very depressing influecce in the village. Steam coal was worked at both pits, and the output wbs very considerable. The depth of the old pit was 450 yards It is one of the melancholy topics of conversation here that only a comparative short lime ogo there was ao almost equally liiesstiouß explosion at the Dinae Colliery, hard by. The very coffins prepared for the men who were never recovered from that accident were brought into use to meet tbe exigencies of tbe present case. The district wbfeb is so widely renowneel for the splendid quality of its steam coal, is very unfortunate. It was near Pen-y-Graig that the Tyoewdd disaster occurred during recent years, fc'o many accidents have hoppeoed io tbe coalmining districts of South Wales, that there is hardly one house the visitor may enter and not hear a sad story oi the loss of some relative in an ex-plo-sion. Id connection with tbe above terrible calamity a curioiw incident occurred on December lltb. About thirty hours after the explosion a searching party io the mine heard a voice speaking to them, although they could not recognise whet was said. This news was immediately communicated to those on tbe surface, and as tbe name of the survivor did not transpire, intense excitement prevailed, and many and fer° vent were the prayers that the voice might prove to be that of a missing relative. Fresh bodies of men then went down, and after a lapse of about balf-nn-bour succeeded in bringing the rescued man to the bank, amidst <he most intense excitement. His i a-ne is John and be is n men apparently of about forty-two years of age, and has a wife and eight children. He was brought up in the cage, and was supported on either side by a fellow workman. He was immediately attended to by a medical man, who had been summoned to the spot, was at once placed in a chair and j conveyed to his home, followed by a crowd numbering some thousands of people, where he now lies in a necessarily feeble but, on the whole, satisfactory state. The poor man had been in the pit exactly thirty-six hours since the explosion took place, and was fou Jd at the croßß right-hand heading, north Ride, branching off the main airway. He was lying under a large heap of rubbish and planking. The spot at which he was found is only about 110 ft from the downcast shaft. The poor fellow was lying for tbe better portion of a day and a-balf beside the mangled remains of another workman. When the crowd carrying Morgan arrived at his house, the scene which took place was pathetic in the extreme. On the doorstep stood his youngest son, a boy of about seven years, and down many cheeks the tears streamed as he clapped his hands, danced about, and cried, " Dadda's coming home again." The poor fellow was then taken into the house and laid on two chairs. The doctors at once proceeded to wash his face. It then appeared that he had a deep cut on the forehead, and was very much burned about the head and arms. When he was carried into his home his wife was walking about in a state of bewilderment, as if she could not understand it, and his children gathered rourjd him with tears of joy pouring down their facee. Eventually, when the wife seemed fully to realise the position of affairs, she stood beside the sufferer and tried to speak to him. The only words she could utter, however, as she touched him gently on the arm, were, " Shon, dear Shon," and then burst into tears. Her husband turned his black and dust-begrimed face towards her, and with an expression of tenderness which created considerable feeling amongst those who witnessed it, passionately replied, " My dear." Under proper care and medical treatment this poor man is likely to recover.