EXPLOSION AT CHARLESTON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 68, 22 March 1898, Page 5

EXPLOSION AT CHARLESTON.

FOURTEEN MINERS ENTOMBED.

REMOTE CHANCE OF RESCUE

SYDNEY, March 21

JN'ews has just been received at Newcastle from Charleston that an Explosion occurred in the Dudley Colliery. Fourteen men were imprisoned in the mine. The explosion wrecked the main, shaft, and nothing can be done in the way of rescue work until this has been repaired. LATER. The chance is very remote of rescu-^ ing the men. . . So great was the force of the explosion that all the machinery at the pit's mouth was destroyed. It will be some hours before the collapsed shaft can be sufficiently secured to permit of assistance being sent below. Hundreds of men, women and children flocked to the pit's mouth, and many piteous scenes were witnessed.

Those imprisoned are: —Hindmarsh, Young, Cook, Humphreys and Haddon. (all married.men), and Jones, Rudge, Hetherington, Green, Menson, Dorrity, Price,' Durham and Mowbray (single men).

The Dudley pit is situated near Redhead, on the coast south of Newcastle. Although credited with being one of the most gaseous, it was also one of the best ventilated mines in tho district, The shaft is GSO feet deep.

Fully 300 men are usually employed but owing- to slackness of trade many of the miners were just taking- a couple of days' holiday, otherwise a great number of lives would have been lost.

The first exploring party which managed to get below found a scene of de-

vastation. The ventilation* was, however, good, and they explored for about 50 yards, but found no bodies.