Article from the Gateshead Observer, 29^th November 1862

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Explosion at Walker Colliery

Sixteen Lives Lost

On Saturday morning last, Newcastle and the neighbourhood was startled by the news that an explosion had taken occurred at Walker Colliery, situate about three miles to the east of Newcastle, and that several lives had been lost. The colliery is one of the oldest in the district and is at present worked by Messrs. N. G. Lambert & Co. ; Mr. T. W. Jobling is the manager and principal viewer, and Mr. Coles, the resident viewer. The workings were carried on by means of two shafts, named respectively, the "Ann" and "Jane" pits, the former being the downcast and the latter the upcast shaft. The Ann Pit was been worked about fourteen months, and the Jane Pit about 12 or 14 years, but the workings in both have been occasionally discontinued. The ventilation was most efficiently effected by means of two furnaces situate in the centre of the colliery, and a sufficient supply of air was always found in all parts of the workings. Davy lamps were used, and naked lights were never admitted into the hands of the coal hewers of the mine, the regulation in this respect being most stringent, and the majority of the men employed were old and experienced pitmen.

The whole of the men employed on the first shift of the colliery came up at four o’clock on Friday afternoon, and on any other day these would have to descend again to work on the following morning ; but this Saturday happening to be the fortnightly pay day the pit was, as usual, off work. On such occasions men called "off hands" are sent down to make necessary repairs in the workings of the pit, and with them, at two o’clock on Saturday morning, several hewers went down for the purpose of filling the tubs. These hewers would proceed to the north-west part of the pit, where they would hew coal. The "off hands" would be employed in different parts of the colliery repairing stonework, tramways, and doing any other work that required to be done. O is believed that with hewers, offhands, and officials, thirty persons were in the pit on the morning of the accident. The only other living creatures in the mine were nine horses and twenty-one ponies, the majority of which would be in the stables about forty yards west of the downcast shaft, but a few of these animals were employed in working when the explosion occurred. Between five and six o’clock the men engaged in repairs heard a rumbling mighty wind, and in an instant they were thrown down. Two banksmen at the mouth of the pit, named Robson and Richardson, at the same time heard a sound in the mine which they compare to a muffled report of a boiler explosion. This noise was followed by a tremendously string current up the shaft, brining with it straw, fragments of coal, and general particles of rubbish. Anthony Brown and some other men were engaged in repairing the bottom of the shaft of the Jane Pit when the explosion took place, and they were able to at once to ascend in the cage to the bank. The information of the explosion had been given by Robson and Richardson to Cooper, the engineman, and the alarm became generally spread. Mr. Cole, the resident viewer, was speedily at the pit, and he with brown, who had come up, and several other men, descended. It was ascertained that the men who had been engaged in repairs at some distance from the set of the explosion were not dead ; but some of them were benumbed and rendered powerless from its effects. These men were brought out of the pit as quickly as possible, and were attended by Dr. Aitcheson, of Wallsend, who arrived very shortly after the accident. On further explorations being made it was discovered that the stables were on fire, and from the fact that a man who sat on block of coal had a portion of his dress burnt, it was found that the coal, was ignited also. By means of a few buckets of water the fire in the coal, which had been confined to the ignition of a quantity of small material, was extinguished, and by the same means the conflagration at the stables was overcome. Unfortunately the horses and ponies were all destroyed, and even those animals that were are work in a more distant part of the pit were killed, although the men that were near them escaped. Further explorations were checked by the extreme potency of the noxious gas, which effectually precluded Mr. Cole and his men from approaching that north-west portion of the pit wherein the catastrophe is believed to have originated. Two bodies were seen and identified, but they were not brought to bank. Neither these bodies nor the men who escaped alive were burnt ; but some of them were swollen and somewhat disfigured by the gas. After the first rush of air in the mine, after damp had succeeded, and enveloped those men who had not escaped up the shaft, and they for some time after they were brought up suffered from its effects. Early in the morning, Mr. Jobling, the principal viewer, descended the pit ; and at noon Mr. M. Dunn and Mr. T. Y. Hall arrived. In company with Mr. E. Potter, of Cramlington, mining engineer, and Mr. William Cole, jun., Mr. Dunn descended the shaft, and remained in the colliery until nearly two o’clock. Mr. T. G. Hurst also descended, and inspected the mine during the day. In the afternoon Mr. G. B. Foster, mining engineer of Cowpen Colliery, arrived, and offered his services to Mr. Jobling. The experience of Mr. Foster, and his proved coolness in the hour of danger and excitement, rendered him a valuable assistant, and about three o’clock, he descended the shaft, and remained in the colliery for several hours. A man named Holt, found about 200 yards from the shaft, was cut on the face and was rather burnt, and several of the horses were severely burnt. The horses in the stables, in their efforts to escape, had crowded themselves into the smallest corners they could find, where some of them were found tightly jammed and terribly scorched. One had climbed a canch or projection of stone, and there was perched, quite dead.

The first news of the catastrophe produced great alarm among the colliery people living in the village, and the distress of those whose relatives were known to be down the pit was most poignant. Occasionally, during the day, a weeping woman might be seen near the colliery ; but the majority of the afflicted ones wisely refrained from leaving their homes to visit a scene which might add to, but could not alleviate their woe. The colliery operatives and other men, to the number of two or three hundred, assembled about the colliery, where they waited with patience and remarkable quietness for such tidings from below as might be communicated to them. The high platform of the pit, where the work of the downcast shaft is carried on was kept clear by a force of the Northumberland county police, and the work of exploring and clearing the pit of gas was conducted steadily and with dispatch. With that heroic sacrifice of self which, in time of peril, is one of the noblest characteristics of the north country miner, plenty of men were ready and willing to descend into the dangerous windings of the mine in search of their comrades, and every man of them took his turn with the utmost alacrity. As first amongst the foremost we may mention Jno. Knox, Thomas Collins, and Mason, who, between seven and eight o’clock, made their way to the furnaces, to renew the fires, in order to restore, as far as possible, the ventilation of the mine. At first the air, even near the shafts, was foul and dangerous, but as the morning advanced, the pit cleared herself to some extent ; but it was apparent that in the shattered condition to which the ways had been reduced, bratticing must be fixed in order to effect a complete clearance. In the course of the day, therefore, bratticing was carried down and was gradually extended into the most noxious parts of the colliery. Many of the men who formed the first exploring party, were brought up in a state of partial incapacity from the effect of the after-damp, but as the brattice was extended the danger became proportionally diminished. It was not, however, until about seven o’clock at night that the task of identifying the dead and bringing them to the bottom of the shaft became practicable. At this time, the work of recovering the bodies commenced in earnest. The party then perambulating the recesses of the mine witnessed sad and awful scenes. All round was a wreck ; on the one hand a man lay dead, on the other was a horse on his knees, his ears pricked up, his eye-balls still appearing to glare with fright, though he was quite dead, and had probably been killed instantaneously by the first and only shock of the explosion. Four of the men were found in their respective "boards." One man, Moore, had been blown a distance of about 30 yards from the face of the seam ; he was much scorched, but not considerably injured other ways, and he was easily recovered. In the second board, T. Miller, a man of about 40 years of age, was lying near the face of the board, and seemed to be calm as if in life. He was neither scorched nor wounded, and did not seem to have been moved from the place where he had been working. Thomas Kenny was the man in the third board, and he had been carried by the force of the blast about 45 yards from the place where he would be working when the explosion occurred. One of his legs was broke below the knee ; he was sadly burnt about the head, and was so much disfigured as not to be easily recognised. John Ellerton, who was in the fourth board, was thrown about 16 yards from the face of the working, and was much scorched. His body was almost buried amongst an accumulation of flat stone, and he was disfigured. William Burrell was found in the west way leading to the "juds." He was lying flat upon his face, and appeared to have been struck dead by fire. "Juds" is one name applied by miners to broken workings, and in one of these juds, about 100 yards from the unbroken workings or boards, five men were found. John Mitcheson, George Barnes, and William Barnes, were discovered lying over each other in the corner of the jud, and it was remarked as a curious fact that a watch found ion the pocket of William Barnes was still going and indicating the correct time. A watch found in the pocket of George Barnes had stopped at ten minutes past 6 o’clock. In the west jud, Thomas Atkinson was lying on his back upon some coal where it was inferred he was resting at the time of the explosion. Barnes seemed to have been struck on the face as he was lying in a similar manner on the coals. An expression of intense fright was observable on his countenance and in his eyes. John Holt was found in the rolley way. Thus 12 men were found and were brought to the foot of the shaft. Five coffins being all that were then ready, received the remains of five men which were then hoisted up out of the pit and taken to the homes of the distressed relatives of the deceased. A small crown stood around during this portion of the sad work and they seemed for the moment to be solemnly impressed with the funeral aspect of the scene as the coffins were removed. One widow was pregnant when the corpse of her husband was brought up, and a father had waited in silent sadness during the day for the bodies of his two sons. In the mine there were still four men to be found, and in order to explore the different portions of the workings where these four might be the brattice was altered for the purpose of changing the direction of the current of air, and the work was continued. Seven bodies remained at the bottom of the shaft until coffins could be finished and lowered to receive them. In the course of the explorations hitherto nothing had been discovered to add much strength to the supposition that the explosion had been caused by the blasting of a trouble, nor has subsequent investigation tended to throw much light upon the matter. The pantile of a Day lamp was found in the workings of the mine, but no importance is attached to this discovery as the fragment may have been broken from a lamp after the explosion. The other portion of the lamp has not been found. The following is a complete list of the men killed in the mine, together with the names of the majority of those who escaped :—

Dead. — Thomas Miller, hewer, of Bigges Main, single man, the support of his mother, who was dependant upon him. John Moore, of Bigges Main, hewer, married. Thomas Kenny, hewer, leaves a widow and three children. John Ellerton, hewer, single man, was the support of his mother. Joseph Atkinson, single man, lived with is parents in New Row. Thomas Atkinson, his brother, also a single man. Joseph Forster, hewer, Diamond Row, leaves a widow and a family of three adult persons. John Holt, rolleywayman, East Pit, leaves a widow and a daughter. William Barnes, deputy, diamond Row, leaves a widow and three children. James Haswell, deputy, New Row, leaves a widow and a family of three persons, two of whom were dependant upon him. George Watson, wasteman, New Pit, was a widower, and leaves a daughter. Martin Fatkin, deputy, Diamond Row, leaves a widow and a family of two adult persons. George Barnes of New Row, hewer, the brother of William Barnes, leaves a widow and a family, consisting of two sons and two daughters. John Mitcheson, of New Row, hewer, leaves a widow and two children. George Mitford, young man, a wood leader, Henry Pit. William Burrell, young man, putter, New Row.

Escaped. — John Wilson, deputy. W. Jobling, wasteman. John Shields, back-overman. Thomas Holt, onsetter. Robert Barnes, deputy. Anthony Barnes, master wasteman. William Joicey, rolley-way man. Edward Joicey, deputy. Henry Holt, furnace man. George Mitford, stone man. Thomas Watson (boy), driver. James Giles, driver. James Chambers.

It will be seen from the above that six deputies were down the pit when the explosion occurred. There are about 200 men altogether employed in and about the colliery.

There were a few groups of curious strangers assembled around the colliery on Sunday morning, but the absence of excitement was as remarkable amongst them as it has been since the accident occurred. In the course of the night the four remaining bodies were discovered, and by three o’clock in the morning all the coffins had been completed and sent down, and in them the bodies were brought to bank, and taken to the houses of their friends, at that silent hour. Three bodies, those of Fatkin, Haswell, and George Watson, were found near the trouble, where they had been working in enlarging the return air course. Foster, the hewer, who had been engaged in pumping in the travelling way communicating between the Ann and Jane pits, was found dead near the pump. The bodies found near the trouble were a good deal burnt, but not much contused. It was at first believed that all of the horses and ponies in the pit had been killed, but as the miners pursued their explorations through the night they found that one quadruped had survived the shock that had laid low the rest of his tribe. This was a pony called "French," an animal that has been in several other collieries, and, as the horses in coal mines are always regarded with great consideration, "French," since he has been brought to bank, has been quite lionised, and numerous visitors have taken a peep at him through his stable window.

Additional Particulars

As may be readily imagined, extreme consternation was caused amongst those in the pit after the first shock of the explosion had been felt. George Mitford, a highly intelligent miner, was at some distance from the trouble when he felt the force of the concussion. It occurred to him at once that an explosion had taken place, and he ran as fast as he could towards the bottom of the shaft. He had not gone far, however, before he was overtaken by the after damp ; he then fell instantly, and at once gave himself up for dead. His first though at this critical moment, as he has since told a friend, was as to what would become of his poor wife and children. He became totally insensible, and was afterwards found in this condition by men who were engaged in exploring the mine. By these generous hands he was brought to the bank, where, through medical aid, he was resuscitated after a lengthened period had elapsed ; but it will be come time before he is perfectly recovered from the effects of his perilous situation. Mr. Mitford is a man well known among miners generally of this district. He was an active promoter of the Miners’ Provident Association, and was one of the men who were of great service in directing and restraining popular feeling during the terrible days and nights of suspense at Hartley. Robert Shields was one of the men that were brought up alive after the explosion. When it occurred, he was about 400 yards from the shaft, and the first effects he noticed was the extinguishing of his lamp. Finding from this that after damp was present, he and some others who were near him fell down on their hands and knees, and crawled for about 200 yards. Shields then recollected that his uncle was left in danger, and he at once went back in search of that relative. Finding him insensible, he dragged him along, and finally placed him out of danger. Some other watches were found on the persons of men at half-past nine o’clock on Saturday night, in addition to those we have already alluded to, and these latter were going at that hour. So far as we have heard, the explosion did not damage the tubbing in the mine.

In the course of Sunday afternoon some hundreds of persons visited the colliery, where, however, there was but little to excite interest or gratify curiosity. With the exception, perhaps, of a peep at the pony "French" — who we may remark, had got himself into the air drift in the mine, near where Forster was killed at the pumps — there were no objects to be seen that would at all repay the trouble of a visit. Between three and four o’clock there would be several thousand persons, but as evening drew on the crowds gradually disappeared. At eight o’clock the carcase of the first horse was brought up. It was found necessary to cut his hamstrings, in order to get him into the cage, the remainder of the animals were brought up in the course of the night.

From The "Times"

Such dreadful catastrophes as these naturally set men’s wits to work to devise safeguards and securities for life in coal mines. We are accustomed to the fact of danger attaching to certain kinds of employment, and we accept it as one of the necessary facts of society — necessary for supplying the physical needs of man. The truth is that the whole field of life has its analogies to the field of battle. In war there is dangerous work to do, and somebody must do it ; somebody must mount the breach, somebody must stop the gap, somebody must be the first in storming the intrenchment. Human life, like ware, has its needs. There are physical wants which must be supplied, and the task of supplying those wants is accompanied by danger. There are many kinds of work which are attended by risks peculiar to themselves, and some of the those employments which present a less formidable show of danger are perhaps accompanied by as great a loss of life in the long run as those which carry their dangerous character more in front. The workmen who make our cutlery suffer as much damage, perhaps, upon an average, by the constant inhalation of the dust which their employments create, as the collier class does by these extraordinary and casual storms of the underground world. Our mercantile marine is a dangerous employment, which is created by the wants of society, for the very food which we eat is the product of distant countries, and implies a mercantile navy to bring it over to us. The work of the collier is in the same way a work carrying danger upon the surface of it, which is created by the physical wants of man, for warmth is necessary to life. But, though we are thus accustomed to the fact of dangerous kinds of work, we are not the less shocked by these wholesale losses of life when they occur. The thought immediately arises, cannot anything be done? Are we to submit to an annual average of casualties as if it were a law of nature? We ought not to do so, and the least we can do whenever such a calamity occurs is to institute a most searching inquiry into the cause of it. There are, of course, causes over which we have no control, and, unfortunately, it must be said that some of these causes are almost organic, and attaching to the very nature of the employment. In the dangerous work you must have cool heads, and cool heads have an inevitable tendency to contract as insensibility to danger, and even a kind of defiance to it. The combination of courage with fear is rare, and yet natural fear is necessary as an instrument of security against danger. There is nothing contrary to nobleness in fear, which is, indeed, an absolutely essential part of our composition. But, though many causes of dangers are organic, all are not, and it is of the utmost importance to discover whether a calamity has originated in any cause which us capable of alteration and remedy. It is a sad business indeed to look into causes of misfortune after the fact has happened, but the future safety of thousands depends upon it. We have had a great number of colliery accidents lately, and the employment of a pitman is becoming almost as sadly picturesque from its exposure to danger as the sailor’s life. We hope that the discovery of the causes of accident and their remedy will ultimately reduce this characteristic of it, and render the life of a collier as safe as that of an ordinary miner.