Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

Many of the props that supported the roof had been removed on the preceding Friday, and the workmen occasionally heard the superlucumbent earth falling in behind them. This was heard several times on Wednesday, and it was doubtless in consequence of this that the carburetted hydrogen gas, commonly called firedamp, so plentifully generated in coal mines, was forced forwards to the place where the men were working. This would have been attended with no danger, if none of the lights in the pit had been exposed, as the safety-lamp, invented by Sir Humphry Davy, shows the presence of this gas without setting fire to it. All the men were provided with the safety lamp, but, unfortunately, the incessant vigilance required in colliers was not practised, one of the men working in the north side of the principal passage being seen to take off the top of his lamp, which was red-hot, with a view to letting it cool. Almost instantly an explosion took place, producing effects as disastrous as if a mine of gunpowder had been sprung. Several of the colliers who were nearest were scorched and destroyed on the spot: most of the hurriers and thrusters, who ran for refuge into the principal passage, were killed by the storm of splinters which were torn from the sides and roof, or by being dashed to the earth by the tremendous blast that issued from the cavern. The five colliers who were working in the southern division of the pit were suffocated. One collier, named Fox, who was working within a few yards of the place where the explosion occurred, miraculously escaped, by running into the northern passage; and another, named Caley, who was at work in the very furthest part of the pit, at the extremity of that passage, escaped by the same means, though he was twice thrown down by the violent expulsion and reaction of the air. So great was the shock, that four men standing at the pit’s mouth, on the surface of the ground, were thrown down by the blast of air that issued from the shaft. The men who were at work on the western side of the shaft all escaped without injury. The bottom-steward, Mr Moses Roberts, was immediately sent for, and he descended into the pit, which he found full of smoke. He took measures, with all possible despatch, to produce such a current of air as would clear away the smoke, and allow them to explore the passages; after which, at great hazard of suffocation, as well as of another explosion, several persons entered the passages, and by five o’clock the following morning, had found and taken out 21 dead bodies, besides several men who were bruised and maimed. As soon as Mr Blenkinsop heard of the accident, he hastened to the spot, descended into the pit, and remained there, directing all the operations, till he and the men were compelled to consult their safety by leaving the pit. At five on Thursday morning, the smoke gathered in such quantities – the coal having taken fire – that it was found impossible, without the most imminent risk of fresh casualties, to continue the search; and there was only too much reason to be assured, that the two men, whose bodies were not yet found, had been killed. The search was therefore abandoned, and the entrance to the pit stopped up, in order to put out the fire by depriving it of the support of air. It will probably be some days before the pit can be re-opened.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

Comment

More press reports. The Mercury’s report on January 22nd on the inquest blames “mostly frivolous causes” for misuse of the lamps, but I read somewhere else that they were also frequently opened because they overheated and had to be extinguished and relit – so a design/management failing, but there seems to have been no question of Blenkinsop being liable for manslaughter.

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Original

DREADFUL CATASTROPHE AT MIDDLETON.
It is our painful duty to record one of the most fatally destructive calamities that has ever occurred in this neighbourhood, arising out of an explosion in Gosforth Coal Pit, the property of Charles John Brandling, Esq. at Middleton, three miles from this town. The following particulars are collected from the best sources of information on the subject. In Gosforth Pitt, which is eighty yards in depth and of considerable extent, upwards of forty men were working at the time of the accident,-between six and seven o’clock on Wednesday evening. About ten of these men worked on the west side of the shaft, and at a distance from the part where the explosion took place: the remainder worked on the east side, about two hundred yards from the shaft. The workings of this pit had been begun at the extremity of the bed of coal, and about three hundred yards eastward of the shaft, and the miners were gradually digging their way westward, having proceeded about one-third of the distance to the shaft. That part of the pit which they had exhausted was allowed to fall in, the props of the roof being removed as the men advanced, and an open space of about twelve yards left behind them. Twelve or fourteen colliers were employed in digging, and filling the corves, which were drawn to the shaft of the pit by several other men called hurriers, and a number of boys called thrusters. The part of the pit where the digging was carried on communicated with the shaft by two parallel passages, one of them (the principal one) running through the centre of the bed direct to the shaft, the other running at the north side of the bed, and reaching the shaft by a right angle. In that part of the workings between these two passages seven or eight colliers were employed, and five more worked on the south side of the bed, in a part separated from the rest by a wall of coal, but having communications with the principal passage. In the rear of the first of these divisions, many of the props that supported the roof had been removed on the preceding Friday, and the workmen occasionally heard the superlucumbent earth falling in behind them. This was heard several times on Wednesday, and it was doubtless In consequence of this that the carburetted hydrogen gas. commonly called fire-damp, so plentifully generated in coal mines, was forced forwards to the place where the men were working. This would have been attended with no danger, if none of the lights in the pit had been exposed, as the safety-lamp, invented by Sir Humphry Davy, shows the presence of this gas without setting fire to it. In these lamps, the flame is enclosed in a small cylinder of wire gauze, which permits the gas to enter, and of course to take fire within the lamp, but does not allow the flame to pass out; so that the whole lamp may be full of flame, and, though plunged in an atmosphere of inflammable gas, no explosion will take place. All the men were provided with the safety lamp, but, unfortunately, the incessant vigilance required in colliers was not practised, one of the men working in the north side of the principal passage being seen to take off the top of his lamp, which was red-hot, with a view to letting it cool. Almost instantly an explosion took place, producing effects as diastrous as if a mine of gunpowder had been sprung. Several of the colliers who were nearest were scorched and destroyed on the spot: most of the hurriers and thrusters, who ran for refuge into the principal passage, were killed by the storm of splinters which were torn from the sides and roof, or by being dashed to the earth by the tremendous blast that issued from the cavern. The five colliers who were working in the southern division of the pit were suffocated. One collier, named Fox, who was working within a few yards of the place where the explosion occurred, miraculously escaped, by running into the northern passage; and another, named Caley, who was at work in the very furthest part of the pit, at the extremity of that passage, escaped by the same means, though he was twice thrown down by the violent expulsion and reaction of the air. So great was the shock, that four men standing at the pit’s mouth, on the surface of the ground, were thrown down by the blast of air that issued from the shaft. The men who were at work on the western side of the shaft all escaped without injury. The “bottom-steward,” Mr. Moses Roberts, was immediately sent for, and he descended into the pit, which he found full of smoke. He took measures, with all possible despatch, to produce such a current of air as would clear away the smoke, and allow them to explore the passages; after which, at great hazard of suffocation, as well as of another explosion, several persons entered the passages, and by five o’clock the following morning, had found and taken out twenty-one dead bodies, besides several men who were bruised and maimed. As soon as Mr. Blenkinsop heard of the accident, he hastened to the spot, descended into the pit, and remained there, directing all the operations, till he and the men were compelled to consult their safety by leaving the pit. At 5 on Thursday morning, the smoke gathered in such quantities-the coal having taken fire-that it was found impossible, without the most imminent risk of fresh casualties, to continue the search; and there was only too much reason to be assured, that the two men, whose bodies were not yet found, had been killed. The search was therefore abandoned, and the entrance to the pit stopped up, in order to put out the fire by depriving it of the support of air. It will probably be some days, before the pit can be re-opened. Twenty-three men and boys have lost their lives by this melancholy disaster; and seven more have been severely hurt, four of whom were removed to the Infirmary; we understand that they are all likely to recover. The bodies of the five colliers who were suffocated were found without external injury; those of nearly all the rest were shockingly mangled. It will be perceived, by the list which we subjoin, that many of the sufferers have left families; several of them were nearly related to each other. The names of the men whose bodies have not been found are Joseph Haigh and John Ramsden. It is unnecessary to say, that the neighbourhood of Middleton is thrown into the utmost consternation and affliction, and that many families are left altogether destitute. A Coroner’s Jury has been summoned, but the evidence will not be taken till to-day.
The following are the sufferers by this melancholy event:-

This melancholy catastrophe ought to impress on the minds of all colliers the necessity of keeping their safety-lamps shut, at all times, and without a moment’s intermission. It is very possible, nay probable, that many of the sufferers on this occasion had been careful and vigilant for years, yet a single instance of carelessness has rendered all their previous vigilance unavailing. It is possible that a safety-lamp might often be opened in a mine, without any explosion occurring; but as the explosions, when they do occur, are so tremendously fatal, and as there is no means of discovering the presence of the inflammable gas (when the lamps are open) till it is actually lighted, every man employed in a pit should consider even a moment’s removal of the wire-gauze as an act that may plunge himself and all his companions into eternity. If men can be instructed by experience, this awful calamity will surely be effectual for that purpose.
Since writing the above, we have heard that Mr. Blenkinsop has determined to adopt an excellent expedient to prevent a repetition of these casualties, without leaving anything to the vigilance of workmen. He has determined to affix locks to the safety-lamps, so that the men cannot open them if they should be inclined. This is such a simple, sure, and important precaution, that we hope it will be adopted in all the pits throughout the kingdom.

1919 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Accident (25) ·
• Blenkinsop, John (1) ·
• Brandling, Charles John (1769-1826) (1), MP and coal owner ·
• Coal mining (24) ·
• Coalbed methane (2) ·
• Corf (3), large basket filled with coal or ore at the working face, placed on a sledge, tram or barrow for transport to the shaft, then hoisted by rope to the surface ·
• Corporate manslaughter (2) ·
• Davy lamp (3) ·
• Explosion (7) ·
• Firedamp (4) ·
• Humphry Davy (2) ·
• 📌Leeds (235) ·
• Manslaughter (4) ·
• Methane (2) ·
• Middleton, Leeds (4) ·
• Mining accident (4) ·
• Safety lamp (3) ·
• Work accident (20) ·

All tags.

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