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Southland Times, Issue 3331, 22 February 1879, Page 2

Thk intelligence of the explosion in |'.the"Kaitangata mine,- published elsewhere, I is terrible indeed, and painfully reminds us that the colonvrhas, by its very progression, Entered 7 upon* that- career of mortality which has strewn its thousands by the way -in-~the"';Hiining districts of Great .Britain. The Kaitangata mine explosion is the most extensive, and by far the most fatal, of any that have ever taken place in Australasia. -Even in the extensive coal-mining districts of Newcastle, N.S. W., such explosions are exceedingly raiv, and so far fatalities in connection with them have been slight indeed. Nothing approaching the loss of life of yesterday is on" record. It is evident now that the Kaitangata coal lies in a fire seam of extremely dangerous quality, and that the mine henceforth will have to be worked with very great 'care, and the adoption of all the precautions in use in coal mines in Europe. The vital necessity of this has been rendered painfully apparent by the harrowing account of the disaster. Nearly forty men suddenly hurried into . eternity, and twenty of them mairied, and having families. Tiuly is it a cata&tiophe that calls for special action to meet the emergency arising out of it, , for there arc the widows and fatherless to be provided for. The generation and accumulation of the gas must have been astonishingly rapid, for only on the previous day the mine was examined by a practical vie .^er, who pronounced it to be perfectly safe, and well ventilated. With what terrific force the gas exploded may be inferred from the fact of the boy and horse being blown fifty yards, from the mouth of the adit. As we have despatched a special leportcr to -the scene, we shall be in a position to give a detailed account of the di&aster to our readers on his return.