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Leader (1850-1860), 28th February 1857, Edition 1 of 2, Page 197, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      with t he position of the mine , and to state that 5 t was imperative to close the shafts , as there was no probability of saving any more lives , and that it was the only chance to render the pit in a condition fit for working in again . He consulted with the men who bad gone down with them . They were called 5 n separately , and asked if they were of opinion that it was impossible to get any more bodies out of the mine . They concurred with them , and they acted upon their resolution arid their own by covering over the tops of the pits . In a few m inutes

      after they left the mine , the cupola shaft was filled with fire , which Teached fifty yards above the summit , and the sparks from that body of flame ascended one hundred yards higher . " Mr . Morton , the Government Inspector , said that was very strong evidence that they had nearly remained too long . Other gentlemen concurred in the conviction that the mouths of the pit had not been stopped up till every chance was over of the men below being still alive ; and also that the measure was necessary as the only means of staying the progress of the fire .

      The proprietors of the pit have given 50 01 . towards a subscription for the relief of the wives and families of the men who have perished . Other sums from various wealthy persons have also been received . The heat from the pit began to diminish on Friday week , and this continued on successive days . An inquest was commenced on Monday , and adjourned to that day week . The principal witness was John Warhurst , one of the firemen , who gave some additional particulars of the visit of Mr . Webster and the others to the bot torn of the pit after the accident . He said :- — " " We found fifteen or sixteen bodies in all , but only removed about half of them to the bottom of the shaft . We did not remove them all to the bottom , because we were afraid the shafts would fall in . I went to the cupola and found the fire burning about

      twentvfive yards each way , and I went and told the other persons that the . furnace would fall in . Indeed , I saw the arches of the furnace and some masses of burning coal fall from the sides of the drift leading to the furnace . I expected that if we remained we should all be killed , and the other men were of the same opinion . I saw the stables on fire . " We could not get to both ends of the stables , for the gas fired in the lamps about thirty yards up the north board . We went up every board , botli north and south , as far as we could get . We found inflammable gas up every board . The greatest distance we got up any hoard was about forty yards . "—The Coroner : " Can you form any opinion as to the cause of the accident ? " —Witness : " I cannot form any opinion , unless it be that some trapper had left a door open in one of the boards . But this is a mere supposition . "

      It is doubtful when it will be thought safe to reopen the pit . Steam has been forced into the pit , to facilitate the extinction . Of the fire .. The number of bodies still in the pit is one hundred and eighty-two . " Anecdotes of painful interest , " says a communication from the spot in the daily papers , 4 ' keep coming to light in connexion ¦ with the shocking affair . A story is told of a man named Simmonds , who came to the bottom of the pit

      during the period of the explorations on Thursday , but , being delirious from , the gas he had inhaled , broke away from tho men who endeavoured to hold him , and ran into the dangerous part of the pit , where he perished . Among the victims is also a young man , the son of respectable parents residing near Holmfirth , who left home , and , after pursuing a career of recklessness , was driven by want to work at this pit , -where he had just been discovered by his parents . He had promised to return home on Saturday evening . "

      Untitled Article

      ACCIDENTS AND SUDDEN DEATHS . The eight a . m . Dover express train met with an accident last Saturday , which was fortunately unattended with any injury to passengers . The break-van | next the engine left the road about one mile below Headcorn station , and the last six vehicles in the train became soon after detached by the breaking of the coupling . The engine kept on the line . The van and iivc carriages that remained attached to the engine suffered no damage , but the others ivere overturned , and are considerably broken . All the passengers reached London in safety about two hours and a half after t . inm .

      Pnnce Philippe , of Ostend , as she was leaving the Tyne forTrieste . The explosion has done extensive injury to the vessel , and the evidence proved that it was occasioned by the mate , Eugene Kestile , taking a lantern into the forehold , at which the gas exploded . Eugene as fearfully burnt , and Maese and Jacob Holstein , another seaman , were blown over the vessel ' s foreyard into the Tyne . The coals with which the vessel was laden were of a very fiery nature . The hatches Were closed ; ventilation was impeded ; and a light carburetted hydrogen was created , which took fire . The jury returned a veidict that the death of the seaman had been caused by the explosion . Earl Fitzhardinge was thrown from his horse last Monday while following the fox-hounds in Berkeley Vale , Gloucestershire . The inj uries he lias received are sa 3 d to be serious .

      While a man of weak intellect named William Smith was willowing cotton , and wool together , in the teazer , or willow room , of a mill at Kivkheaton , the friction of the machinery ignited the cotton . Smith drew the burning cotton out of the machine and threw it upon a mass of wool and cotton lying by , which was thus ignited . The flames spread with great rapidity , and , before th ey could be extinguished , damage to the extent of about 2000 Z . was done . The charred and burnt body of Smith was found crouched behind some oil-casks . Miss Maitland , daughter of Captain Maitland , the commander of the gunnery ship Excellent at Portsmouth , has been thrown from her horse , and received sc-me severe fractures of the arm . She is going ; on favourablv .

      About half-past ten o ' clock on Thursday morning , the whole of the extreme eastern portion of the metropolis w as startled by a terrific explosion at the fog-signal factory of the Eastern Counties Railway , adjacent to the works at Stratford . Only two of the workmen weie in the building when the catastrophe took place ; these were a labourer and a lad . They were engaged in the process , it is supposed , of packing the signals , when the latter exploded . The roof and walls of the building , which was of substantial brick , were blown into fragments .

      Several of the company ' s workpeople were immediately on the spot , and search was made for the persons who were known to have been in the factory . The remains of the lad were found sadly mutilated . The body of the man was also much disfigured . Both , were , no doubt , instantly killed . The corpse of anotlior sufferer was also found . It was that of a blacksmith , living at Stratford . He was in the act of crossing a field on the opposite side of the line when the explosion occurred , and he was struck on the head by a piece of brick ; and killed on the spot . Some other persons were injured .

      A shocking railway accident happened at Southampton on Monday . Just ns a London goods train was slowly starting , a brcakMnnn signalled the train to return for more waggons . In getting on tho lino to couple the additional waggons to the train , his foot got between the rails where a shunting commenced , and ho could not extricate it before the train came upon him , knocked him down , and nearly cut him in two . A man employed at the liow Alum and Tar Works , Stepney , fell from a plank placed over a copper of boiling tar , which ho was crossing , and became immersed in the scalding liquid . Ho was extricated and conveyed to the London Hospital , where few hopes arc entertained of his rccovp . rv .

      Mr . Favell , coroner , concluded on Monday a long inquiry at South Shields into tho cuuse of tho death of Fruncifl Macao , who was killed , and three other . seamen badly injured , by on explosion of gas coal on bourd tho

      Untitled Article

      IRELAND . A . Difficult and Courageous Akrest . —The police have just effected an arrest under very extraordinary circumstances , which remind us of some of the exploits of freebooters in former times on the Scotch border . The details are thus given by the Kilkenny Moderator : — " ¦ A warrant has been out since last September against . Tohn Fitzpatrick , of the Slate-quarries , in this county , for a felonious assault on a deaf and dumb girl ; and he has ever since baffled the police , although frequently hunted through the counties of Waterford , Clare , Tipperary , and Kilkenny . However , constable Crowe , of tlie Slate-quarry Constabulary station , acting on private information as to the delinquent being at work in his father ' s quarry , a distance of about two miles from the

      The Iuish Viceroyalty . —A rumour prevailed during part of last v « ek that it was the intention of Government to abolish the Ticeroyalty ; but the report was denied by the Lord-Lieutenant himself at a banquet given by the Lord Mayor of Dublin .

      barracks , laid an admirable plan for his capture , and subsequently carried it out with success . The . quarry is on an eminence , from which all approaches are visible for a considerable distance , so that no policeman could come near the spot unobserved by one on the look-out . 'The constable sent two men in plain clothes by a circuitous route to place themselves at a given point on tho Tipperary side of the quarry , and two more , similarly attired , by another devious path , to place themselves also at a specified place ; at the Kilkenny si < lc of the quarry ; while he himself with two men in uniform , fully urincd , proceeded from the barracks direct . The moment the latter party came in view , an alarm was given by a woman , posted for tho purpose , on which . Fitzpatric-k started off towards the county of Tipperary , pursued by the police from the three points , those at the Tipperarynidcbcingclo . se to him ; but he booh left all

      behind except nub-constable Uurkc , between whom and the outlaw tho race entirely liiy , both taking their fence a in Bporting style , for a run of about two miles across n ' stiff country . ' After a time , Jiurkc was closing on his man , who , like a jaded fox , made one desperate eflort to escape by leaping into ; i river , with a view to cross it ; however , Iturko also . sprang in , and . secured hi * object , until the constable and his party came up , handcuffed , and brought off the prisoner . On the march to barracks , a formidable mob of quarry men collected and gave evident signs of an inclination to rescue , when Crowe ordered bin men to load and fix bayonets , and told the mob to disper . se , as tho ( slightest approach to an attempt to rescue would be instantly followed by a deadly discharge of musketry . This had tho desired ed ' ect ; and on Saturday Mr . linnuu , K . M ., committed Fitzpatri-ck to the county gaol for trial at tho next Assizes . "

      Untitled Article

      AUSTRALIA . The official opening of the new Parliament at Melbourne took place on the 25 th of November , with a great deal of state and ceremony . The day was observed as a general holiday , and the streets were hung with flags . Dr . Palmer , the former Speaker of the Legislative Council , has been re-elected to that position , and Dr . F . Murphy has been elected Speaker of the Assembly . His Excellency the Governor delivered a-. kind of royal speech to the Houses , in the course of which " he pointed out that it would be their constant duty to watch the operation , and to amend the defects , of the fundamental law from which they derived their existence and powers . The circumstances under -which the charter was prepared and granted rendered it likely that many changes would be necessary ; but lie should only call upon them to adopt those winch actual experience demonstrated were

      necessary . While he would not recommend a recasting of the electoral division of the country until the results of tho census , proposed to be taken during the summer , were ascertained , their attention would be drawn to the patent imperfection and inequality of ' the electoral franchise , and they would be asked to extend the basis of the suffrage , and to amend the law regulating the registration of electors . He shoukl submit to them a measure founded on the same principle as that adopted by the Home Government , for the reorganization of the civil service , by which the admission to the junior grade of the ordinary civil service would be determined by competitive examination . " His Excellency afterwards touched upon various topics of social interest , and then retired . An address , coinciding with the proposals and recommendations of the Governor , was afterwards carried mianimouslv .

      " Melville , the man concerned with other convicts in the attempt to escape from the convict guard , in the course of which two in en were murdered , " says the Times , "has been condemned to death . His fellowprisoners were acquitted . Melville , after being sentenced , delivered a long harangue on tlie horrors and cruelties which the convicts had to ' suffer daily . His address has gained him many sympathizers , though the evidence showed him to be an atrocious villain of superior ability . " Tiie supply of gold from the diggings continues to be excellent , and a great trade is expected to spring up in a mineral called " black sand , " which appears to contain a large proportion of platinum and tin . Trade is reported as being in a healthy condition .

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      THE ORIENT . CHINA . Tnrc steamer America , from Alexandria , which arrived at Trieste on Wednesday , has lirought a few items of news from the far East . No change had taken place in the position of affairs in China . The Chinese had made an unsuccessful attempt to retake Tea To turn Fort . The Europeans on board the steamer Thistle , in all eleven persons , had been treacherously murdered by assassins in disguise among the native passengers . Tlie steamer was carried off , and abandoned after being dismantled . The Government of Hong-Kong had increased the police force , and were taking precautionary measures against incendiarism . Prices of tea had advanced , and freights were depressed .

      The Mandarin , Syh , Governor of Shanghai , has died suddenly . Tho lower classes of the population attributed his death to the Europeans , ami serious disturbances were apprehended ; but the presence of tho English and French ships , and tho energy of the commandant of the Tartar troops , who co-operated with them , hud the effect of maintaining tranquillity .

      l'KKHIA , & <; . Tho intelligence ) from Munlairc ia to the 17 th of January . The troops were still unmolested by the enemy . An attack had been iniulc by a detachment of cavalry and horse artillery on a depot of Persian stores and ammunition twenty-two miles from the camp . The object was attained without Io . sh . The despatch of reinforcements hud been commenced , and the Government had opened a new Five per Cent . Loan for three crorea . Tho Hank of Uengal Iiad raised its discount to eleven per cent , on private Inllu .

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      AMERICA . Conoiuchs has rejected the Dallas-Clarendon Treaty , by recommitting it to the Committee on Foreign Kelations . Various statements nrn given aa to the extent of the majority . The Washington correspondent , of the New York Journal of Commerce say . H that tho opposition was mainly directed to o « cs point— " tho large boundaricH which Great lirituiii , or ratliur Lord Paliner . ston has heretofore claimed for tlie Mosquito kingdom , and which may be claimed again under tho present treaty , aa tho senators undcrBtund it . " Anotlier uuthority states that

      Untitled Article

      Eebrtjaut 28 , 1857 . ] THE LEADER . 197

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 28, 1857, page 197, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2182/page/5/