The Walker Colliery Explosion

The explosion of gas which occurred on Monday night in the Ann Pit of Walker Colliery was fortunately a much less serious affair than was at first supposed. Of the 100 men and boys in the mine at the time only six were killed and three injured, the remainder, after much anxiety had been experienced as to their fate, being all safely brought to bank. The explosion occurred a few minutes past 8 o'clock in what is known as the Brockwell seam, one of the lowest seams worked in the pit. All in the pit at the time were stonemen and others, whose duty it was to put the mine in order for the shift of hewers who were to enter at 3 o'clock yesterday morning. Twenty-two of these were in the Brockwell seam, 13 of whom went into what is known as the West District, and nine, including John Pickett, the master shifter, into the North. The West District men state that the first indication that they observed of anything unusual having occurred was an interruption of the regular air current. They did not hear any sound, but felt a rush of air and then a counter current, after which it was noticeable that the regular ventilation had been interrupted in some way. They immediately concluded that an explosion had occurred with Pickett's party, and they set out to ascertain how matters stood. The derangement of the ventilation was their chief difficulty, and this, with a slight experience of after-damp, prevented them for some time from getting near the spot where the nine men in the North District were known to be engaged. At last, in conjunction with exploring parties sent from the bank, they reached this point, and found their worst fears realised. The whole of the nine men were lying in close proximity to each other. On examination it was found that three were still alive, and they were at once picked up and carried out. Though this work of rescue was carried on with great difficulty, owing to the after-damp, the bodies of the other six were subsequently brought out and sent to bank. The explosion, though so fatal in its results, had only been a small affair compared with the recent similar disasters in the neighbouring county of Durham, and the damage done to the workings is only trifling, while the shaft, fortunately, was not damaged in any way. The exact cause of the explosion has not been definitely ascertained, but it is known that Pickett, the master shifter, had instructions to fire a shot if necessary at the point where the explosion occurred, which had been properly inspected and examined for that purpose. The names of the killed and injured are as follows :— Killed. — John Pickett, 55, years of age, master shifter, left widow and family ; William Richardson, 35 years of age, stoneman, wife and family ; J. Cockburn, married ; Anthony Hogg, wife and one child ; James Mullen, wife and family ; John Hylton, wife and one child. Injured. — Robert L. Wilson, William Hall, Henry Defty. The injuries of Defty and Wilson are very serious, but those of Hall only slight. The pit, of course, yesterday laid idle.

Mr. J. B. Willis, Government Inspector of Mines for the Northern District, and his assistant, Mr. Atkinson ; Mr. White, the manager of the colliery ; Mr. Edwen, under-viewer ; Mr. J. Smith, overman ; and Messrs. J. Coxon and G. Elliott, representatives of the miners, yesterday descended the pit to examine the part in which the explosion took place, and returned to bank after having spent several hours at the scene of the occurrence.