DREADFUL COLLIERY EXPLO SION.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XIII, Issue 3570, 24 March 1880, Page 3

DREADFUL COLLIERY EXPLO SION.

EXCITING SEARCH FOR THE BODIES, Ah explosion of gas occurred on Jan 21 at the. Lady Fair pit of the Leycett Ulliery, belonging to the Crewe Coal and Iron Company, near Fewcastle-under. Lyne. An explosion occurred at the" same colliery on Sept. 12 last, eight men being killed. On the present oocasion the loss of life and the destruction'of property have been much greater, The furthest extent of the workings from the S V?° yard 3in one Erection and M yards in another, the depth being'dlO yards. On the day of the accident there were more than seventy men and boys in " he pit. About half-past ercht o'clock a terrible explosion occurred, scattering destruction in every direction, and alarming the people in the neighbourhood for a distance of three miles. A new ventilating fan had been brought into operation since the previous explosion, and the roof of the fan-shed was lifted off; but, fortunately, the fan was uninjured, and the ventilation of a portion of the workings not being stopped the shaft was soon, sufficiently free from -noxious gases to admit of persons descending. It hap.' pened, however, that the lower part of the guide-rods was broken and the bottom of the pit much damaged, and some hours elapsed before the pit could be entered. .Even then the progress of getting to tha bottom was slow, as i tha cage could not bo lowered the whole depth, and ladders had to bo employed. Mr Lawson, the manager of a neighbouring colliery, and seven, other men were the first to go down, A cage containing sufferers was lifted at noon, when four men were brought up.' They walked from the pifc-mouth to the lamp-room, though they were more or less injured. Having received the attention of. several medical gentlemen, they were despatched to their homes. At intervals of about a quarter of an hour the cages brought up two or three at a .time, most ot them being seriously injured. During the morning Mr Eichard Wynee CadmanMr Hunter, Mr Downing, and others experienced m mining operations, assuited by numerous willing colliers, descended the pit and rendered as. sis.tance. In the afternoon several more dead bodies were found about .% yards along the south slant irom the pit bottom. Thoy were brought' to the surface with nine other bodies at present unrecognised. There were a dozen dead bodies taken to the pit bottom, but soon afterwards the efforts of the courageous men who were underground were temporarily interrupted. The shock of the explosion had liberated the gas from a number of small blowers, and until the fires thus kindled'were extinguished the work of exploration was impossible at any considerable distance from the pit bottom. Many of those previously engaged in exploring had already run great risk of suffocation, and before they had done all they wished they had to retire to . .save theirown lives. The cause of the explosion is at.presenta mystery; battue fiery nature of the seam, with ; tbev fact that a new.fan had recently V.been in operation, leads to the conjecture that' a large blower was suddenly struck, and the velocity of the air, owing of the nev fan, was.-such that the-gas was forced through the gauze of a lam'pif The number of deaths will be at least 60,' and many are badly injured. A subse- . quent cablegram, says 50 bodies were recovered*; • # . v-