OUR PARIS LETTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume L, Issue 5456, 17 August 1878, Page 2

OUR PARIS LETTER.

[IEOH OTJB «WN COBBBSPONDKKT.] June 20. The International Literary Congress, under the presidency of Victor Hugo, was a treat as well as a success. The spacious CMtelet Theatre was well filled, especially by ladies, in the most charming toilettes that the season has thus far produced. Bren this business gathering was denounced by the vinegar reactionist Press as republican, which is true, as letters being democratic, the aim of the meeting was to assimilate an author’s productions to those of ordinary industry. Edmund About opened the proceedings, and admitted that intellectual property being new explains why'it has not been protected like material creations. The daily increasing difficulty to lire, accounts for authors seeking to protect their property as efficaciously abroad as at home. The litterateur of to-day is superior in position to the geniuses of the past —to the divine vagabond Homer, who wandered about with a stem and wallet, to Horace and Virgil, the protegee of Maecenas, and to Corneille, farthed by Louis XIV. An author’s dues for a single night’s representation of a popular drama is, at present, superior to six months of the Royal pension accorded to Corneille. Now the Maecenas, the Louis XIV., the patrons of literary men, are the public. Literature, sarcastically remarked Villemain, leads to everything, provided you—quit it. At best it is rather an aid than a subsistence. But Napoleon 1., who knew men, said, had Corneille lived in his da ( y, lie would have made him his Prime Minister. The leaders of nations are frequently great writers—notorious examples are plentiful. In Italy and Spain a political chief is a distinguished publicist. Lamartine was an ephemeral king in 1848. Castelar, the pool-orator, “aspired to descend ’’ from office. Oambetta, after an oratorical triumph, quietly takes his place among his editorial stall, and in shirt sleeves dashes off copy. Jules Simon, Pelletan, Littr/, Henri Martin, are orators as well as writers.

Hugo wai in “ vein," by the elevation of his ideas, the force and beauty of his imagery and the majesty of his diction. His thesis was to make war to war, and to extinguish hatred; he eulogised the greatness of genius over brute force, and showed that while armies disappeared, the Iliad remains. The best speech by the foreign delegates was by Tourguencff, the Russian author. Ho stated Russian literature owed all to England and France, but, ceasing to bo a pupil, and becoming adult, she was so ungrateful as to found on original school of her own. Jules Simon wound up the debates in one of those discourses that ho alone has the secret to deliver; ho captures you despite all your resistance, and makes you feel his speech was addressed, to you alone.

Opinion here deplores the abdication of as revealed in the agreement Sohou-vJoff-Salisbury, of her splendid rdle of leader of European rights, for something like the mess of pottage. Russian diplomatists are still famous for their basilisk power of fascination t but the surprise is general that Lord

Beaconsflold, too, allowed himself to be entrapped. People felt a »ursum corda in England’s chivalry and disinterestedness, but did not expect she would take up the ottitude at the Congress, “ Protect my interests, and arrange all other questions as you please.” There is not so much as the grain of mustard-seed faith in the Congress. Tho enemies of the Republic arc not disarming ; their hate becomes more intense the more the Exhibition succeeds, and Franco resumes her rank at the Congress. Thc.ua t ion laughs at this boating of the air, and this crying in the night. At tho Ministry of War the Republic has not enthusiastic servants; tho vacancies in tho superior commands do generally, when filled up, turn to tho advantage of officers proverbial for their hostility to the existing constitution. If the Cabinet cannot conjure this point noir there will certainly bo trouble later-. Unhappily, nearly all the big wigs arc anti-Rcpublicans. Time, of course, ought to remedy this, provided friends, not enemies, fill up natural vacancies. The jurors have commenced their morning rounds, and by August they expect to complete their work—then will succeed tho weeping and gnashing of teeth period. The Exhibition grounds are now very agreeable; the alloys have become hardened, and weak ankles need dread no sprains ; tho parterres of flowers are like Solomon, arrayed in all their glory; and the grass plots are a relief for the eyes, with their emerald green. Not being yet able to bo “up in a balloon,” whether captive or free, visitors commence to clamour for the completion of tho lifts in the Trocadero turrets. I notice that very few visitors, after walking down the alloy of Nations, think of returning by the parallel fue, behind the Fine Arts galleries, and that Franco intended decorating with specimens of her own order of architecture. The promenade will repay, not only by giving an exact idea of tho French moiety of the Champ de Mars, but introducing to the notice a multitude of objects, interesting and curious. It is in this region that has been inaugurated the pavilion of the Minister of the Interior, where all that concerns the homo administration of the country, in its hospitals, asylums, prisons, schools, public offices, &c., is explained by moans of maps, models, and statistics. In the way of civil administration, Franco has not much to learn other countries; however, prison reformers cannot but admire the now model cell, whore tho tenant, after a vagabond life, will be difficult to please, if not content with the comforts rather than the severities of punishment. Boys from the Blind Asylum exhibit beautiful specimens af their wood turning, and the deaf and dumb have an astonishing collection of sculpture, clock-making, cabinet work, lithography, glass E reductions, printing, and painting bn porccnn. Every administrator ought to examine this section, as also its neighbour, the pavilion of tho city of Paris. The Agricultural Congress has been fruitful; among other subjects it has' forced attention to the little pecuniary aid afforded farmers by ostensibly agricultural banks, so much so, that in the Nifevre, tho leading cultivators, following up an old Prusaian success, have united to form a bank, to aid practical farmers. In tho seance devoted to agricultural education, the report paid the highest praise to the Belgian College at Gembloux, ranking next in point of agronomical education, Germany, and then the United States. The conclusions were to have suitable text books, and teach agriculture in every primary school, having regional establishments, adapted to purses, and a head institution, Tor the propagation of the most advanced scientific and technical agricultural knowledge. On the subject of the cattle plague, M. Bouley declared that the malady was contagious, not spontaneous, and that to prevent its introduction or extension in ,a country, the law should arm veterinary surgeons, as in Belgium, with very summary powers. Though in an out of the way corner of the Trocadero, and behind the showy Chinese kiosque, the special pavilion devoted to anthropology, or the natural history of man, should not be overlooked. The most marked care has been taken to lodge the products of human skill, but for the rise of man a comer suffices. The

Retrospective Gallery, in the right wing of the Trocadero, illustrates the progress of human intelligence from its dawn to its present perfection. The section in question is devoted to the physical progress of man, as shown from a series of skulls, skeletons, sepulchres, pottery, inscriptions, instruments, &c. Poland secures a niche to display her natural collection and flag; the costumes are very rich, and the “ mushroom hut ” is an institution in itself. There is a splendid painting of a scene from the fifteenth century, representing the poet Eochanowski putting his daughter in her coffin. Russia has a large collection of types of peasants, where the Mongolian feature predominate. Austria has a strange display of idols, and a surgical puzzle, a skeleton, where a man’s head is united to the thorax of a woman. There are other skeletons in vast numbers, with skulls varying in shape from a full moon to a loaf of sugar. England sends a few, from Tasmania, of a mo it remarkable kind; these and “ six hams ” are all the exhibits from the Colony of Van Diemen’s Land. The walls have eye-speaking tables of statistics, illustrating the regions of Erance where natural and legitimate children most abound; also vital figures, demonstrating that married men live longer—they merit compensation—than bachelors. There is the skeleton of the tiny foot of a Chinese lady: what fashion would like to distort bones thus P New Caledonia supplies the bones of a woman, as gathered after they had been “picked” by the aboriginals—a jawbone only is missing—and which is significant. The casts of the heads of criminals and executed murderers are hideous. Some bear the mark of the guillotine knife on the chin. One does not require to be a disciple of Gall to discover the bumps of wickedness as here revealed.

On the borders of the quay d’Orsay, there has just been officially opened the display of products—exported and imported from the chief ports of France. Marseilles is the worst fitted up, and Dunkerque the best. Marseilles snows samples of soap, coffee, sugar, silks, cotton, Oriental and African merchandise ; Bordeaux has wines, wool from Spain, mutton and beef from South America ; Dieppe sends hemp, nets, and herrings; Nantes, sardines, coffee, Colonial preserves, sugar, iron, copper, Ac., and a beautiful model of the Loire.

The Exhibition is the favourite pilgrimage for Parisians and Provincials, and nearly each day has its regularly fixed number of admissions. Now that the gay element is becoming developed, the budding is much more attractive; the grounds would seem to cut out the neighbouring woods for picnic people, and strangers, as well as natives,, arrive with heavily charged baskets. Every one seems happy, and all avow themselves charmed after a day at the palace, and express the wish that the thing of beauty may prove a joy for ever. It is decided that the chief galleries of the Champ de Mars shall not be demolished, but with alterations, be converted into a people’s park.

Lodging-house-keepers at the sea side com* plain that the Exhibition will ruin them this year. Not a bit of it; the class that patronises the bathing villages will duly repair there. JParis never was merrier, which is the more strange, as business is not over brisk. The death of the King of Hanover, has temporarily cheeked fast official life; many persons went to see the old monarch, and his crown resting on a cushion at the back of his head. Republican France gave him something like a Royal funeral. The Shah spends money, and so is a welcome guest j he really appears to be a travelling student, but people can hardly believe he is following in the lines of Peter the Qreat.

The Grand Frix was a disappointment this year; the numbers were not, though still great, equal to former years. The favourite having been beaten, and so victimising thousands, damped joy. The French put their grief in their pocket, but the English cheered their winner, while cursing him for losing their money. At Nimes, a schoolboy committed suicide, because he was punished by confinement, and a Central market porter sent a friend away who came on a visit, remarking that a man could not be allowed to kill himself quietly; he had a rope prepared to hang himself, when interrupted, but he succeeded in his design with charcoal fumes. AtLaon, the lunatic asylum took fire; the authorities after expelling the inmates, employed them to carry buckets of watei’ —a duty that sane people refuse to perform very frequently.

The Marquis a d’Allen has been sentenced to six imprisonment, and fined 500 fr. for illegal practices during the elections in October last, at Vancluse. It appears that a band of 16 men was organised ; twelve were told off to create a disturbance in the polling booth, and, daring the row, the three others, who had previously prepared false bulletins, deposited the necessary number in

the uni, tho then Sab-Prefect authorising the fraud.

Napoleon 111. haying been paid for the month of September, 1870, In advance, and tho Empire having disappeared during tho early dark of that month, the audit office demands that tho sum—two millions of francs—bo deducted from any property ; and tho Empress claims sonio he may have left in Franco, At AJlinenc, one Qeorgelin, applied to the Mayor to be married according to law. The Mayor refused to do so, unless ho promised to bo married afterwards in tho church. Goorgelin took an action against tho functionary, who was commanded to obey the code. He did so, and after tho ceremony the bridegroom presented hi* bill of law expenses, demanded an immediate settlement, which was made, and thus the bridal party was able to enjoy a few extra bottles of champagne. Tho Bishop of Puy has ordered a procession in honour of lit. Jean to invoke his aid to restore life to the dying local laee trade.

At the Exhibition, in the glass section, a toper turned nwny in disgust, on learning the bottles were empty.

TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION. The following report* appeared in the Tbne» of u most, dLii+troo* colliery explosion in the beginning of June;— Warrington, Friday Night, June 7. This morning, about 11 o'clock, a terrible explosion occurred at one of Messrs Evens and Co.’s collieries known as Use Wood Pitgibout five miles from Warrington, By which it is feared 285 lives have been lost. The pit consists of two mines—the Bavenshrad and the Florida. There were 250 men in the pit at the time of the explosion, 10 of whom were in the Ravenshead mine and the remainder in the Florida. The 18 men in the Bavenshead were got out immediately after the explosion, but one of them died on his way home, and the others were much affected by the deadly after-damp. The two mines are connected by a tunnel, and it was in the workings beyond this tunnel that the explosion occurred. The general opinion is that every man there is dead. Gangs of explorers went down at once, and found the dead bodies of horses and men on every side fearfully burnt and mutilated, givings vidence of the dreadful force of the explosion. A great fall of coal occurred, and the explorers have been working all the time trying to get to the place where most of the bodies are; but it is not thought all will be recovered until to-morrow. Great crowds assembled ini the vicinity of the pit, and general grief prevails, nearly every family in the village having suffered. As no powder is used in the mine, no reason can be assigned for the explosion. The manager, Mr Turton, went down the shaft five minutes after the explosion occurred, and finding a number men at the bottom on their faces, turned' them on their backs, opened the ventilating doprs, and saved the lives of I the 18 men -who were in the Ravenshead mine. Up to seven o’clock tonight only 12 bodies had been found, all much disfigured, and it will probably be days before all are recovered. The explorers who went down > suffered greatly and hod to be constantly relieved, a large staff of doctors being in attendance. Crowds of women surrounded the pit, weeping and begging for particulars of those dear to them iu the fatal mine, but on the whole the people were very quiet and orderly. A man named Nathaniel Booth, his five sons, and his brother are all killed. Numerous volunteers are at work as only men can work in such a case, and hundreds offer their services to assist in clearing the mine. The bodies that are recovered will be brought up after midnight, in order to avoid scenes as much as possible. The explosion was confined to the lower mine. The men went to work at 6 in the morning, and the mine was to all appearances safe 10 minutes before the disaster occurred and had been examined. "

Wigan, Friday Night.

The most appalling disaster that has occurred in the history of British coal mining, with the solitary exception of that which happened at the Oaks Colliery, Barnsley, in 1866, occurred this morning at the collieries of Messrs Bichard Brans and Co., Haydock, about seven miles from Wigan. The firm employ several thousands of hands, and their chief offices are in the centre of a thicklypopulated village, situated a short distance from Earlatown Junction, on the Manchester and Liverpool section of the London and railway. Scattered over the village are probably a dozen pits which form the Haydock collieries, and it was at one of those, called the Wood Pit, that the dreadful disaster of to-day occurred. The Wood Pits are, considering their purpose and the grimy work with which they are connected, exceedingly pleasant to look upon. The village, which, although very neat and clean for a colliery village, still possesses many of the dusky characteristics of its class, is about a quarter of a mile distant, and, in extending their operations to the Wood Pits, the colliery proprietors have mined a piece of wooded country, and the head gearing is on one or two sides hid from view by the trees among which it is situated. The principal charge of these extensive collieries is in the hands of Mr Chadwick, a gentleman of very large experience in mining, who bad among his staff several certificated managers, and who has had for many years the reputation of being one of the most accomplished mining engineers of the district. Previous to 1868 the collieries were remarkably free from accident, but in that and the following year they, along with many others which had been celebrated for the exellence of their management, suffered a terrible visitation. The fearful series of colliery accidents in West Lancashire, which commenced with that at Hindley-green in 1868, and did not close until that at the Moss Pits in 1871, will never be forgotten in the district, and it will be remembered that two of these disasters were at the works of Messrs Evans. Both occurred in the Queen Pits, the first in the month of December, d 863, when 21 lives were lost, and the second in July, 1869, when 57 lives were lost. Since that period of disaster and up to the time of the Pemberton accident m December last the coalfield which centres on the borough of Wigan was free from any great catastrophe in mining; but it appears that the district has been only spared for a few short years, and the disasters which have happened within the past six months will revive the evil reputation which our coalfields possessed seven years ago. The Wood Pits are situate a very short distance from the Queen Pits, at which the disasters of 1868-9 occurred. The engine-houses aril head gear are plainly visible one from the other, and to-day many eyes have been turned from tho scene of the present disaster to the r place where eight years ago a similar disaster occurred. The pits are under the charge of Mr John Turton, certificated manager, but under the superintendence of Mr Chadwick. Shortly after 11 o’clock Mr Turton came up the shaft, after inspecting the workings, and was walking away from the pit brow, when he was startled by dust coming up both the downcast and upcast shafts. Fearing that some disaster had occurred, he immediately despatched messengers for help, and, without delay, himself gave the signal to the engineman and was lowered into the pit. He at once set to work to put the ventilating doors at the bottom in order, and proceeded as far as he could into the workings. He helped what few men there were into tne fresh air, and some who were lying on their faces ho turned on their backs in order to enable them to breathe thepuro atmosphere. Without douot some of those who escaped owe their lives to the bravery and courage of Mr Turton in descending the mine so Jiromptly. In a short time Ur Turton was oinea by MrC. Pilkington,oneof tho assistant surveyors, and other officials. Mr Chadwick shortly afterwards arrived on the scene, and ho immediately descended the shaft and took charge of the underground operations, which were carried on by a- large staff of willing hands. This work was # one, however, of great difficulty, for, owing to the terrible force of the blast, the roadways were greatly damaged, and only slow progress could be made into tho workings, notwithstanding that nearly 100 men were employed on tho work. The roads were blocked with large falls of roof, tubs were scattered and blown to pieces, and hones lay dead across the roads. .As the exploring parties proceeded, the bodies of the killed wore found, dreadfully disfigured. They were placed on one side of the road and ticketed as found, but it was considered unadvisable to remove .them to the pit-eye and thence to the surface. By degrees, the workmen, who were ably directed by Ur Chadwick, pushed on to the workings, carrying with them the fresh air, and bodies were come across as they went along. Of the neighbouring colliery proprietors, the first to arrive was Mr william Smethurst, of the firm of Messrs Dewhnrst, Hoyle, and Smethurst. He at once descended the shaft, and offered his services and such help as his works could afford. Together

with Mr Chadwick, ho i ' of the tunnel through worked into the upcast slrnf, rct^n, entrance to which was situated th' ftt *> tion furnace. Tho fire had tinguiehcd by tl.e explosion, but , " c, ‘ «- sidered advisable at once to 1 this was done. Meanwhile the Oars wood Coal and Iron urko ’ of descended the pit, and SI,, p p ! r )il,l - r ' liar] the Brynhall Collieries, had likswi,' 1 ’ 1 ’ 1 ' 1 ’ of Ho the point of when Mr Sraethurst and Mr Ck,-.fv slu *ft, tho surface, it haring keen decid. H to tho time being the work of exi,l,mt- h&l f °" not necessitate any other mini.-,; ° n tJ 'd ti», of M, <»*&»,«■» command the entire* staff of ,-eriy u * managers and experienced underlookcr' at?d The work of exploration w a , , on ,'i, . with every possible precaution. The dor . and dangerous nature of the work w M 1 as from time to time men struck by the ~ damp were brought to the shaft lor tC W ’ pose of being taken to the surface and r At intervals the work had to be ini i suspended, for the workings being al) ~ *v made it a very tedious task to ch-ur, ,r °* course. The destruction, too, of road .’I au j' of plant had been fearful. - and I)rs Lister, Pennington, Tat Imm . kins were quickly on the spot, and did' dl they could to relieve the explore, t , f were brought up to the pit-mouth. viron were also visited at their homes their wants attended to. The Rev U. SW lock, vicar of llaydock, the Rev Mr Hawk,lv’ the Kcv J. Lyrnon, and other clergymen werw also on the pit-bank. Mr UaU, the Got..-™. incut Inspector of Mines, U taking Ins holiday on the Continent, and Mr Hctllcy, who has charge of the district during Mr Hall - , absence, was to-day in attendance at the in quiry a* to the Brynn Mally accident in North Wales, and, therefore, up to 7 o’clock the nit had not been visited by anyone on behalf of the Government.

The collieries of Messrs Evans are not connected with the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners’ Permanent Relief Society, which »- a , the case at the Pemberton and Ince-hall eiplosions, the only two serious accidents have occurred in this district since the llshmcnt of the society in 1873. The relatives of the deceased will not, tlureiore receive the usual allowances dispensed frorn i-, funds. The colliers have a duo m Cl , n . nection with the works, but it i- not a f present known what funds are ' aTa jj.' able for the relief of the suffer-:* "-fi.’ news of the disaster quickly spread through the village, for messengers hastened trorn n t to pit summoning the chief official- to the of Mr Chadwick and Mr Tmton. j; ie ( , on . veyanco of such messages had often been witnessed by the occupants of the cottage-, and there at first seemed nothing in this'iu’ lead them to think that their village liad sustained so terrible a blow. In a very short time however, it was evident that the accident was of no ordinary nature, and the inhabitants be'-an to throng the approaches to the pit, bu the intense silence which prevailed was appalling Owing to the extent of the colliery working of Messrs Evans, their men are scattered over a very wide area, and it was late in the afternoon before the news reached the homes of the men whose residences were most distant from the scene of the disaster. Sergeant Gardener, the officer in charge of the police station, and the small staff of constables he was able to collect together, had no difficulty in dealing with the small crowd which, in the first few hour-, gathered on the pit-bank or loitered in the lane leading to it, waiting for the verdict. A knowledge of the terrible extent of the catastrophe seemed to ooze out among the bystanders very gradually, and the truth was not realised for some time. There was no sign of destruction. Tie winding arrangements, so often thrown 0.,t of order by such explosions, were perfect, and there was, indeed, nothing to suggest such a frightful visitation. Batches of injured men were brought out, but no dead, and tor Lour* it was only those underground who were fully cognizant of the fact that there wa- no hope for the 230 men who were below. As th* news spread the crowd increa-ed, and there was an evident growth about the lime when the men who were working at the pit should have reached their homes.

Saturday Mcminn. The cause of the explosion is a complete mystery, nothing whatever having transpired to show either where the gas came from or how it was ignited. The intake tunnel by which the workings forming the immediate scene of the eipio.-ion are reached commences at a point alont 50 yards distant from the bottom of the shaft, on the south side, and the tunnel itself is some 250 yards in length. The mine has not yet been fully explored, and it is not known when the work will be completed. Only 17 bodies have as yet been found. There is not the slightest hope that one of the workmen in the mine can be alive, and the total number killed is put down at 235, though it is possible that some of these believed to be in the seam may have come out of the pit during the morning. Many distressing cases are reported, and it is said that in one street in Earlstown there is not a single house but has lost one or two members of the family.

Saturday Might. The total number killed by the explosion yesterday at the Wood Pit trill not, is i* hoped, reach more than 200, but the correct number will not be known until more particulars are obtained as to those who are missing. Two hundred and lilt v -one lamps were served out on the morning of the accident, and that number of workmen is supposed to have entered the mine: 50 of these lampe have been returned, leaving 201 to be accounted for. A complete list of the day wagemen, or datallers and colliers employed in the mine is kept at the ofiice, and from this the names of those who are reported alive are struck off and the rest put down as among the killed. Tne drawers, however, are paid by the colliers themselves, and of these no record is kept at the pay offices, so that their names will have to be obtained from the unde.looker or some other official at work in this seam. It is computed that about 60 of these arc m the mine. Sundav livening.

It is expected that the estimate of the number killed by the explosion may be still further reduced, for the gratifying intelligence has been brought to the colliery offices that some of those who were believed to have been in the mine are alive, they having left the colliery at an early hour on the morning of the explosion. The number killed is now set down as 182, consisting of 63 datallers, 6+ colliers, and 65 drawers. The reason given for the supposition that over 230 had lost their lives is that part of the men who wen* believed to have been working in the mine when the explosion occurred had been on a night turn, and had left the pit several hours previously. Last night Mr Hcdley and Mr W. Pickard were engaged with a large staff of workmen restoring the permanent stoppings with a Him brickwork, and putting in other stoppings, to prevent any escape of air. The task of get* ting ready two additional pipes for the con* veyauce of steam into the upcasts was during lias time being proceeded with, and by eight o'clock this morning they were both ready. A calculation made at the time showed there were 10,000 cubic feet of air passing through the tunnel, and half an hour after the additional pipes were got to work this amount was found to have increased to 12,000 feetThe explorers are now satisfactorily proceeding with their inspection.