All England has been moved during the week by the
accounts of the fate of five miners shut up, by an inundation, in a stall of the deep coal-mine Troedyrhiw, at Pontypridd, in Glamorgan- shire. The men are protected by the compressed air of the long chamber, which refuses entrance to the water, but it has been necessary for the rescuers to dig through a wall of hard coal thirty-eight yards thick. The accident occurred on Wednesday week, and it was necessary to pump for some days, but on Tuesday actual digging commenced, and on Thursday, after incredible labour, all but a few feet of coal was dug away, and a communication was opened through a tube. It was found that the men were living, though weak, having during the eight days eaten four pounds of candles left in the stall, and the strongest hopes were entertained of a rescue, when a rush of gas from the chamber put out all the lights. This occurrence caused delay, which was increased by the difficulty of making the wooden screens behind the working-party, put up to prevent an ex- plosion of the compressed air, air-tight. At 10.30 on Thursday it was found that the rush of compressed air outwards was allowing the water to come into the chamber, and the imprisoned men begged that pumping only might be employed. This was not done, however, but a small man - hole was cut through, and the five miners were rescued, after almost all hope had been aban- doned, on Friday afternoon. Four other men are known to have been in the mine at the time of the inundation, and to have been similarly imprisoned in a different spot ; but for them, of course, there is no hope.
