Death Of Nineteen Pitmen

On Friday morning about 6 o'clock an explosion occurred in Coxlodge Colliery, situate about two miles from Newcastle-on-Tyne, on the old Edinburgh turnpike-road, whereby 19 pitmen and pitlads lost their lives. Coxlodge Colliery which is the property of Mr. Joshua Bower, of Leeds, is one of the few remaining pits working in the old Wall's-end district. It has been open over half a century, and its workings are very extensive. The area of the explosion was very limited, and but for the bulk of the unfortunate men and lads running back upon it and into the chokedamp, the loss of life might not have been so great. There are about 200 hewers, with the usual complement of drivers, putters, and off-hand men, employed upon the colliery. The fore shift men were in the pit at the time that the explosion occurred. The colliery is provided with three shafts — the Prince Regent, the Jubilee, and the Fawdon. The Prince Regent and Fawdon are downcast, and the Jubilee is the upcast shaft. The accident occurred about a mile and a half north of the Regent Pit, at a place called Leonard's Cross-cut. Thirteen hewers and 12 boys were working at this part of the mine. About 20 men and boys were working at a place still further north, called the Gosforth drift. All the deaths, it is said, were in reality caused by the afterdamp. Five only were burnt by the explosion. Their names are Robert and Michael Bell (father and son), Edward Ramsay, Robert Stonehouse, and William Walton, all hewers, except Walton, who is a putter. The two Bells have fallen victims ; the other three were recovered before the after-damp had taken fatal effect, and, not being severely burnt, they are likely to recover. The poor fellows who were working at the Gosforth Drift were left to the mercy of the foul air, the ventilation on which they depended being cut off by the explosion. Seven of the men broke down a stopping by means of which they got into the return air, and so to the Jubilee upcast shaft, by which they got safely to bank. About 70 men and boys were in the mine at the time of the explosion, but the greater portion were working at other parts of the mine, nearer the downcast shaft, and had no difficulty in escaping by that means of egress. The only damage caused to the mine was the blowing out of a single stopping, which was at the same time the cause of the sad fatality to the lives of the workmen, by interrupting the ventilation, and so allowing the fatal chokedamp or carbonic acid gas to accumulate at the spot where it occurred. The ventilation was restored immediately on the stopping being renewed, and the bodies of the men were all recovered within a few hours of the accident. The officials of the colliery state that there was a good current of air running through the whole of the workings. Four of the men were working with naked lights, and the rest with safety lamps. The men entered the mine about 3 o'clock in the morning, previous to which the deputies had made their customary examination to ascertain that all was safe. The accident is supposed to have been caused in this way. It appears that the only seam working is the high main ; but there is a thin seam from 10 to 18 feet above it. A fall of the roof would bring down the gas from the upper seam, and the gas so brought down, and "tailing" off to the naked lights, would cause an explosion. The following is a list of the sufferers :— Robert Bell, aged 37, hewer ; Michael Bell, 17, son of the above, hewer ; David Mole, 31, married, hewer ; Thomas Baker, 33, married, hewer ; Robert Rowell, 21, hewer ; Thomas Nichol, 19, hewer ; Thomas Patterson, 19, putter ; Mark Simpson, 20, putter ; Isaac Bambrough, 18, putter ; Wilson Harrison, 16, driver ; Joseph Waugh, 14, driver ; George Pattison, 16, driver ; Robert Maughan, 13, driver ; Robert Hutton, 12, driver ; Robert Weallans, 15, driver ; George Ramsay, 14, driver ; Mark Short, 13, driver ; William Read, 13, trapper ; Robert Hann, 16. The married men have left widows and dependent children to deplore their loss. William Kenrick, a boy, had both his legs and collarbone broken. He was blown off a tub by the force of the explosion, but was got out alive. The viewer, Mr. William Maddison, resides at Bulman-village. His two sons are overmen at the colliery, and Mr. William Johnson, the under viewer, resides close at hand. The Government Inspector, Mr. M. Dunn, went down the pit. The ventilation, however, having been so little interfered with by the explosion, the mine will be very soon and without much difficulty restored to working order. Mr. S. Reed, coroner, has opened an inquest at the Brandling Arms, pro forma, and, the jury having viewed the bodies, the inquest was adjourned till Wednesday next, at 10 o'clock.