awakened for the sufferers of the later accident, and we think that - like ourselves - the public generally will be surprised at the extraordinary conduct of the committee of the Hartley-colliery fund in determining that no part of their abundant superfluity should be applied towards the alleviation of distress caused by the Gethin accident, but that the money collected and placed in their hands should form a permanent fund for the use of the two counties of Northumberland and Durham only. It was at one time currently reported that as the Hartley fund was assuming such unexpectedly gigantic proportions, the surplus would form the foundation of a permanent fund for similar disasters in any part of the Kingdom. It would indeed be a pity that two such grievous disasters should occur and pass away without producing some lasting effect in the better providing for the future.
It appears that upwards of a thousand lives are annually lost in collieries, and yet we are without any National Calamity Fund. We therefore earnestly hope that the Hartley Committee may yet be induced to re-consider their decision, and that the large surplus which they have may be handed over to a national committee, extending its benefits to all parts of the Kingdom.
Every mining district throughout the land has its tale of woe, and we again urge that the surplus should be disposed of as the majority of subscribers wish. If they were polled we feel assured they would be of our opinion.
The Herring Season. - As early as September the Hastings herring catchers who were fishing in distant waters were reported to have had some moderately good hauls, and as regards the "home voyage", after the October gales, herrings were caught in great abundance, several of the boats realised from £20 to £40 by the catch of fish in a single night. As many as 4½ lasts were landed by a few of the boats, proving thus a boon to the hard-toiling fishermen and the public; the former of whom stood in need of the treasure thus obtained. This outburst of success continued in a modified degree for some time, and during the first two or three weeks of November, many thousands of herrings were caught, much to the satisfaction of the fishery and the public.
Fires and Fires Alarms(sic)
On the 2th of July, and errand-boy, in closing the shop of Mr. A. Vidler, home decorator at Claremont, was supposed to have let fall a lucifer match or a spark from a candle, and in that way to have set fire to some article. The dense smoke arising therefrom alarmed the inmates to no small degree; but with the dextrous application of some pails of water, the flames were soon extinguished.
In the 3rd week of September (as already noticed under "Accidents and Fataities", Julia Brazier, 10 years of age, living in Waterloo passage, caught fire and died next day.
(The St. Leonards fires in 1862, are noted in Vol. 9)
