Page:Accidents and disasters on land.pdf/5

 entertained during the course of the first day, that a communication might be opened to these unhappy people, by uncovering and descending through one of the old shafts, at Heaton Banks; but, before the scaffolding was reached, the surrounding earth fell in, and every glimpse of hope vanished. Workmen are now busied in clearing out a shaft in front of Heaton-hall, but, owing to rubbish which has accumulated at the bottom, and the carburetted hydrogen which is ascending in great profusion, much time is spent before that part of the workings can be inspected, where most of the pit-men were known to be employed when the accident took place. The sufferers who thus found a living grave, have left twenty-four widows and seventy-seven orphans, besides Mrs Miller and her eight children, to deplore their untimely fate. A subscription was immediately made to relieve the pecuniary distress of their families.

P. S. Thirty-seven horses were in the mine at the catastrophe.

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Sometime ago it was discovered that a fire existed in the old working of the nine-feet coal at Sauchy Colliery, in the vicinity of Alloa. From the investigation made, it appears that this fire must have been begun about ten years ago,