r 



364 Mr. Buddie's Narrative of the Explosion 



the other three survivors had sufficiently recovered, they gave the follow- 

 ing account of what they knew of the circumstances of the accident. 



Moralee, an elderly man, kept the second main door b in the 

 West Mothergait, which stood fifty yards from the north shaft. He 

 went round to the other shaft to ask Joseph Harbottle, another old 

 man, who also kept a main door, what o'clock it was. — It then 

 wanted eight minutes to two o'clock by Harbottle's watch. Moralee 

 returned to his door immediately, and sat down on the seat, behind 

 the brick jamb on the east side of the door, and was just preparing to 

 eat something, when he heard a tremendous rumble to the westward, and in 

 an instant afterwards was overwhelmed by a shock which rendered him 

 insensible. How long he might remain in this state he has no idea, but 

 on recovering his senses, he knew that the pit had blasted, although he 

 had not seen any fire, and he found himself hurt and bruised, but did not 

 perceive that his legs were burnt. On getting a little collected he went 

 upon his knees and prayed, from which he derived great relief and confi- 

 dence. He then groped his way towards the bottom of the shaft, in search 

 of Christopher Ovington, another old man, who kept the first main-door, 

 which stood between the shaft and his door, but he could not find either 

 Ovington or his door. He pursued his way towards the bottom of the 

 shaft, but his progress was so impeded by wreck of all sorts, that he despair- 

 ed of being able to reach it, and thinking he was the only person left alive 

 he turned round to go back again to the seat at his door. At this moment 

 he heard a groan at the bottom of the north shaft, which induced him to 

 persevere, and, groping his way through the rubbish, he found John Brown 

 at the bottom of the north shaft, who, by this time, had so far recovered 

 his senses as to recognise Moralee. They then considered that they would 

 go round to the south shaft, to see if they could find any body there. 

 They found the first stenting stopping c, twenty yards to the west, blown 

 out, and went through it into the West Mothergait from the south shaft, 

 and, on their way, found the boy, Martin Middleton, standing against a 

 prop, and took him with them. It was their intention to have gone to 

 the bottom of the south shaft, to endeavour to procure a drink of water, 

 of which they stood much in need, and in the expectation of finding 



