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kpioslon of Fite-Datlll; at Salilyglo. 3 SEVEN LIVES LOS T. jj [BY EXL'IiES^.J j We I explosion of fire-damp which occurred on Monday at the Coal Works of .Messrs. Bailey, TNantyglo, whereby seven unfyrhmate i:>dividuals w I Were killed. The circumstances attending (his b melancholy occurrence, will be found detailed in the S1 following evidence, taken at the inquest on the J bodies of the ill-fated men. I The inquest was held at the Bush Inn, Nantyglo, before Thdnias IlugUts, Esq., of Abergavenny, coroner for the district, and was commenced last j. Weejj.VThe Coroner, however, in cor, sequence of M some or the principal witnesses being, the inju- received in the pit, unable to attend, adjourned the enquiry to Wednesday last. The "I greatest interest was ielt in Naniygb., and the ncigh- bourhooii, as to the result of the investigation, in 7, consequence of some differences of opinion as to the > remote cause of the accident. To these, however, I we shall not further allude, but leave our readers to (j below. I form their own conclusions from the evidence given Thos. Bishop, Esq., solicitor, of Brecon, attended the adjourned inquest on Wednesday, and requested t permisssion from the coroner to watch the proceed- h)gs on behalf of the friends of the deceased. W. A W. Secietan Woodhouse, Esq., of Abergavenny, 5| made a similar request, oh behalf of Messrs. Bailey. J The Coroner readily assented, and these gentlemen 2 elicited many important facts in the evidence which 1, follows :— The first witness called was Jame9 Wightman, coal agent to Messrs. Bailey at Nanty- glo, who stated, that he had charge and management of the i pit in which the accident occurred. The accident happened on il tbe 6th inst., and was occasioned by an explosion ot tire damp, [ff I'here were seven men killed by the explosion tlicy were .John J fyrks, sen., John Parks, jcin-i and Daniel Parks—a lather SOIl; William James, John Morgan, Lewis Morgan, :1 and Thomas Jones, all colliers. Most of them were taken out 11 of the pit dead. There were six others severely injured; but they are still living, and likely to recover. There were several others at work at the time, who escaped without injury. He had been coal agent at Nantvglo since July last, and no acci- = dent had occurred in that pit before, since he had been there. e Soon after the accident, lie made an examination ot the pit, e and he thought the explosion took place in the heading in which < John Parks and his two sons were working. He believed it 3 must have been occasioned bv the light of one of their canities, ? He was not aware of the presence of gas in that part of tue j work but from observation on the previous trirtay, he )iau reason to think that some iniglit be soon generated tneie aiiu he therefore cautioned the men to be very particular in gomg i into the work the first thing on Monday morning. None of the I men expressed to him any apprehension ot danger, nor any dis- satisfaction with the state of the work. The state of the we rk was this there was a heading being uriven, which was about thirty yards in advance of the winùway and about twenty or thirty yards further on, there was a windway, which they were H driving, to meet that heading. It was frequently the custom >j in tliis country to carry the heading sixty yards or more in ad- ■I vance of the windways. There was no danger, therefore, to be apprehended from the state of that heading. The proprietors and managers of the Nantyglo Works had always been desirous since he had been connected with them, that he should do everything which he deemed necessary tor the safety of their > men and to the best of his power, he believed he did so. The men were always supplied with Davy lamps when they were re- quired. He had not the slightest reason to suppose that theéX- plosion took place from wilful misconduct on the part of any- body and he believed it to have been purely accidental. Upon re examination 011 the day of adjournment, this wit- ness further stated—That the trap doors of the pit where the accident happened were walled up, some with brick, and the creator pait with turf, previous to his going there; and those which he had walled up, he had done with brick. The use of trap doors and walling was to regulate the current of air in the l pit. Walling with turf was not the best way, but if rains be taken with it, it may be rendered nearly air tight. He had never seen any walled with turf in Newcastle. The eld stalls and windways were stopped up with small coal and stone. These walls should be air tight, in order 10 regulate the current f ot air. lie could not swear that they were all air tight. lie bad never seen any sign of fire damp in the old stalls when he found lire, it w::s in the new work. The old stalls were sometimes r not completely filled. He did not see any occasion to ventilate ) the old stalls at all. He had not seen any carburetted hydrogen tag for liie damp) in the old workings. The air there was the >icid gas. There was 110 over-man appointed at the Pit to go downV'fore the men, to apprize them ot the presence r 1 1 r.vrivown tras. He did not think it neces- torvtSfshould be one, because generally there was not suf- S l.mil.:ro He liad lrequently examined the wofkfnSs with a Davy-lamp, and had not found gas present toanyexcess. Before the accident occurred, there was a doo, on John Morgan's heading to throw air into Jo m 1. arks heading-andithad that effect. -John Morgan had neerre- quested me to put a door there. The door he haù descnbed as being on John Morgan's heading was put there oy J olm Park. Before that, there was a canvass door there, which was not so efficient, but which he considered answered the purpose for the time. lie never saw the door of which he had been speaking i in its proper place he liad only heard that it was there. The J canvass was not framed or nailed, but fastened to the top, and i a stone put upon the bottom. That kind of door waJ only put in places where there was little or no danger. On the Friday before the accident occurred, when he thought that the gas was [ generating in the work, he cave directions that a proper door Would be placed on John "Morgan's heading. On Tuesday morning (the day atter the accident) the door at J. Morgan's t heading, which had been temporarily put up before, was pro- ftferly put ap, and it had been since turning all the air that could be turned by it into Parks' heading, where the accident L happened; and he had tried the air there with a Davy-lamp V that morning, and he believed the gas to be as fully present then M it oislm when the accident happened. If the door had been 'SWaced there before the accident oeeaiPTWr; Tie "ul not believe at it would have prevented it. A bag which contalnedvic- Ot&s belonging to one of the. Parks' was hanging in the Tjieading where tlieaccidentoccurred, and was very little singed, and there were candles there which were but partially melted, A from which he inferred that there was very little gas there, and if tfcat if ordinary precaution had been used by the men the 3 accident might have been prevented. He considered that the I system pursued in South Wales, as contrasted with Newcastle, was the best for the district, if properly carried out. He had met John Parks and his sons on the morning of the accident, going to work, and Parks asked him to allow him (Parks) to jnix the small coal with the large, which would be an ad- vantage to him, and he gave liim permission to do so. » 'John Evans, collier, examined on the first day, stated that iVlie was in the fore part of the work when the accident occurred I _'within about 120 yards of the spot. lIe believed that the explosion arose entirely from one of the men having acciden- 1 tally set fire to the gas Thomas Phillips," collier, said he was in a heading about thirty yards from Parks' heading, where they believed the acci- dent to have occurred. The explosion took place about nine o'clock in the morning. Seven men were killed, and he was unconscious, from the effects of the explosion, for about five hours- He believed that John Parks must have set the gas on l fire; but he was a very cautious man in general; and therefore the firing must have been accidental He (witness) had worked In that pit about nine months, and there was never any danger ■tkere during that time. lie was witli John Parks on Saturday ■'■flight, when he put up the door as well as lie could, but there ,»s no framing to it, nor a wall. It was intended to have been ;.rt up properly at another time. He believed there was tfwbody to blame with reference to the accident, ihe canvass '$oor did well for the time; but the other was best, as the work '"was being carried further. ¥ Thomas Lewis, collier, after confirming some portions of the foregoing evidence, stated that he knew of no one. to blame, •Ixcept that he had heard that John Parks had asked for a door; jgnd he was not aware of any fault to be attached to any party. Be had worked in the pit for three years, and during that time \hey considered their.selues in no danger; and 011 the morning the accident he did not consider they were in any danger, j'Thomas Williams, collier, said, when the accident happened je was at work in the pit, in the heading in which the explosion fook place. When he went in, they were apprehensive of some §anger> and John Parks put down his candle ior the purpose ol jonsnming the foul air; and then came back from the spot, and rtnittined away until he thought all was safe he then returned tt his own work, and immediately after, the explosion took jlace- Witness believed that the explosion was quite accidental, |ttd"not wilful on the part of any one; but that blame was at- iched to some one. There was plenty of atr coming into the pit, fay if there had been a door placed to turn the air out of the |Bi into Parks' heading, the lives of the men might have been Mved. There had been a cam'ass sheet used as a door, but ||at bad fallen to pieces. About five or six weeks ago, he keard John Parks ask Mr. Wightman for a door, which he then jjromi9^ him. Upon a subsequent occasion, which witness Relieved to have been a short time before the last pay—(which dn# on the Saturday before the accident)—Parks reminded Mr Wightman of his promise; and that the air was beginning to get bad and that he thought there might be some fire there, jlr. Wightman upon that occasiou said that he had been to the piaster carpenter, and the door frame was not ready. Parks's UtadinGT rose in a slight ascent, and Morgan's headmg was level; Äd the door not being air tight, had tIle effect, witness thought, di allowing some of the air to turn mto Morgan s heading, 111- Jtead of into Parks'. He was the only person living who heard Parks apply to Wightman for the door. There had been Arcada ia the coal in the heading in which Parks was working. If a doorway had been placed at that spot, there would have Men no fire damp to injure anybody.. SSttobert Smith, agent at Clydacb Iron Works, Brecon, said K fijJ kee»«anHected with coal mines for the la < J where the WMtting (last Wednesday) he inspected the o p M Aldent happened, in company with Mr. W Whry Bailey; am/ ie found the general ventilat :IK,(} ffij good. He was provided with Davy's-lamps. I i.nriu,,i Hmcs' heading, and found gas at the extremity 01 it, 1 lithe Davy-lamp, and if a candle had been applied to It, It have exploded. There was a door placed there to tft current of air towards that heading the effect 01 the n \jffnld be to clear it of gas to some extent, but it mig-'t le sufficient to explode. Enough of gas might have geneiat < tie re between Saturday night and Monday morning to ha^e fiitsed die accident; but the men, with a little prerauti >n,might hfve prevented it. He never saw a colliery better ventilated. FSrwni his experience, he was of opinion that accidents ot that kind might occur where the greatest possible caie was taken. The Coroner lucidly summed up the evidence, and the jury returned the following verdict: That the men died from sullo- calion, produced by an explosionof carburetted hydrogen gas;" atd the jury expressed an opinion that Mr. Wightman was not td blame; at the same time recommending that a man tie ap- pointed to go into the work with a Davy-lamp, before the men descended of a morning, to ascertain whether there was any danger or not; upon which Mr. Henry Bailey came forward, Olid expressed the deep regret and concern which he felt at the dreadful catastrophe that had happened; and assured the (kroner and the J Ilry that their recommendation should be im- mi, 1 lately complied with. \Ve regret to learn that so strong a prejudice exists against James Wightman, the manager of the pit at which the explo- sion took place, that the men have turned out in consequence of hH being permitted to continue at the works. The effect of this untoward circumstance has been that two of the Messrs Bailey's iron furnaces have been blown out for want of coal; and still more disastrous consequences must follow if the men persist in their refusal to work. We trust, however, whatever inuression may have existed previously to the inquest, that the evidence then given, especially that of Mr. Robert Smith, 01 the Clydach iron works, as to the general state of ventilation inthe works, coupled with the verdict of the jury, will induce sufh a temperate course as will obviate the necessity for a fujrther cessation of work.

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