Durham Mining Museum - Local Records Extracts (original) (raw)

1858

May 19. — His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, after visiting the Lake district, arrived in Newcastle, and partook of refreshment at the Central Station Hotel. The Prince left by the express train, which stopped specially for his convenience at Fence Houses Station, where he alighted. He was received by R. T. Morton, esq., and accompanied by that gentleman His Royal Highness visited Houghton Pit, the property of the Earl of Durham, and one of the most extensive of the Lambton mines. The Prince having been equipped in a suitable dress immediately descended the shaft, and was conducted through some of the workings by Mr. Heckells, where his Royal Highness made numerous and pertinent inquiries as to the manner in which a colliery is conducted, and expressed himself highly gratified by his visit. After his return to the surface the Prince drove to Lambton Castle, where he partook of luncheon, and proceeded on his journey southward during the afternoon. [_LRF_]

June 9. — The estate and Colliery of Burradon, near Newcastle, was purchased by Joseph Straker, esq., of Tynemouth, for £29,800. [_LRF_]

August 6. — A most singularly horrible fatality occurred this day to a pitman, named Henry Hunter, at the Elemore Colliery, in the county of Durham. It appeared that Hunter and another man, named George Lishman, having finished work, came to the bottom of the shaft to be drawn up. They both placed their feet in the loop of a chain, to which they held with their hands when they began to ascend. After being drawn about half the distance, a loop in the descending chain, by some means, got over Hunter's head, and before he was able to extricate himself, or give any signal, his head was torn completely from his body. Horrible to relate, the headless trunk of what a few seconds before had been a living man came to bank along with Lishman, the feet in the loop and the hands still grasping the chain. [_LRF_]

August 8. — The work people, men and boys, employed in the numerous and extensive collieries of Frances Anne, Marchioness of Londonderry, to the number of nearly 4,000, were entertained at dinner by her ladyship, in a large and commodious wooden structure, erected for the occasion, in the beautifully wooded grounds of Seaham Hall. The arrangements of the immense building were such as would provide room for 4,000 persons, in addition to which there were galleries for a large number of spectators, and a raised dais, designed for the marchioness and her principal guests. The pillars and roof were covered with floral devices of the most ingenious description, and at intervals appropriate mottoes were interspersed. The dais, which, was upwards of seventy feet in length, was most elaborately decorated, and vines, melons, and numerous choice specimens of horticulture were tastefully disposed in front, amidst a profusion of hanging drapery and flowers. To give an idea of the internal decorations it may be mentioned, that 8,000 artificial flowers and 18 waggon loads of evergreens were used on the occasion, and the task of disposing them was executed under the superintendence of Mr. Craig, of Houghton-le-Spring, Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Usher, of Seaham Harbour, and Mrs. Ferme and Miss Hindhaugh, of Pensher. As the hour approached which had been appointed for the commencement of the repast, the weather brightened up, and I thousands d of people in holiday trim, began to converge towards Seaham Park. By half-past one o'clock the whole of the men had arrived, and the firing of cannon announced the approach of the marchioness. Her ladyship on taking her place on the platform was accompanied by the Right Hon. the Bishop of Durham, Lord Adolphus Vane Tempest, M.P., the Hon. John Vandeleur Stewart, Hugh Taylor, esq., and a number of gentlemen connected with the district. Grace having been said by the Rev. A. Bethune, such a clatter of knives and forks ensued amongst the guests as is seldom, heard, and the immense rounds of beef and joints of mutton disappeared with astonishing celerity. Lord Adolphus Vane Tempest occupied the chair after dinner. In the course of the proceedings the marchioness intimated, that if her workmen were willing to combine for the purpose of supporting their aged and infirm brethren, she would readily be at the expense of erecting a suitable building for the purpose, which should be termed the Pitmen's. After various speeches and toasts the assemblage dispersed in the utmost good order, all apparently delighted with, the proceedings in which they had participated. [_LRF_]

September 14. — The annual conference of the Northern Union of Mechanics� Institutes was held at Alnwick, under the presidency of Sir George Grey, bart., M.P. A special train from Newcastle was arranged for the occasion, and at half-past nine in the morning a very numerous party left the Central Station for the place of meeting. At Alnwick all due preparations had been made by the committee, which was composed of Messrs. G. Tate, F.G.S., and Thomas Buddle, secretaries; James Archbold, Henry Hunter, James Heatley, jun., Joseph Archbold, James Hall, Henry Hunter Blair, George Ormston, and William Richardson. On arrival at Alnwick the delegates from a distance were received by the Alnwick Committee, and conducted to the Town Hall, where the conference took place, and shortly after the hour of meeting — half-past eleven — there was a considerable gathering, among whom were Robert Ingham, esq., M.P., Terrot Glover, esq., Mayor, Mr. G. Tate, and Mr. J. Hodgson, from South Shields; Mr. Thornton, Secretary of the Union; Mr. Robert Wallace, Mr. A. Carse, and Mr. Sinclair, &c., from Newcastle; Mr. Joseph Cowen, jun., Stella House; Mr. Reed and Mr. Moseley, from Blaydon ; Mr. Ridley, from Hexham ; Mr. Smith, from Winlaton ; Messrs. Joseph Clephan, James Guthrie, Thomas Pringle, and Arthur Robson, from Gateshead ; Mr. Ramsay, Berwick; together with delegates from Wylam, Morpeth, Blyth, Elswick, &c,, &c. There was present, also, a considerable number of the members and friends of the Alnwick Institute, including Mr. James Landells, Mr. John Horsley, Rev. D. Donaldson, Rev. Mr. Limont, Dr. Embleton, Beadnell, Mr. John Bolton, Mr. John Collingwood, Mr. William Ferguson, Mr. W. Vernon, Mr. J. Forster, Mr. D. P. Bell, Mr. William Duncan, Mr. Patterson, Mr. John Brown, Mr. James Hall, Mr. T. Vernon, Mr. J. Davison, Mr. E. Allen, Mr. J. Mattison, Mr. W. Robertson, Mr. T. Walby, Mr. J. Golding, W. Bell, Mr. J. Buckham, &c., &c. Upon the termination of the conference Sir George Grey, bart., M.P., Mr. Ingham, M.P., Mr. Thornton, and a considerable party of the delegates and strangers visited Mr. Tate's splendid geological museum, the largest collection of mountain limestone fossils in the kingdom. To various other places the delegates and strangers were conducted by other members of the committee of the Alnwick Institute, and the interval between the breaking up of the conference and the annual dinner was thus spent in a most agreeable and instructive manner. [_LRF_]

December 20. — A fearful boiler explosion occurred on the Hetton Railway, by which James Ford, the engineman, and his son, a boy ten years of age, were killed. Three others were blown a considerable distance, and severely mutilated. [_LRF_]

• LRF — Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by T. Fordyce, published in 1867