The Workington Colliery Explosion

The inquest upon 11 of the men killed by the explosion at St. Helen's Colliery, Workington, on the 19th of April was resumed at Workington yesterday before Mr. Lumb. Mr. Willis, Chief Inspector of Mines, Newcastle, again attended. The evidence was taken of several men who were employed in the pit on the day on which the fire broke out, followed in the evening by the disastrous explosion by which 30 lives were lost. Thomas Robley, a coalminer, who was working in the pit in the morning at a part called Hogg's Brow, stated, in reply to the solicitor for the Miners' Association, that about a week before the explosion he had heard Tunstall, the deputy and shot-firer, say that he would never fire another shot in that brow again. Another coalminer, named Thomas Sanderson, who had been working in the same part of the pit, deposed that the pit was safe enough top work in, but if he had been a shot-firer he would not have let a shot into it on account of the gas given off. When Tunstall fired a shot on the Saturday previous to the explosion it took fire, and he was quite exhausted with putting it out. Since that there had been two shots fired in the place, one on the Tuesday following by Beaty, when nothing happened, and another on the Thursday, when the fire took place. Tunstall told him, after the fire on the Saturday, that he would not fire any more shots in Hogg's Working. He had not told Beaty of the danger he ran by firing a shot on the Tuesday. A lad named John Wright, 15 years of age, a drawer in Hogg's Brow, deposed that he had often heard gas buzzing in the workings ; it was as much as they could do to hear one another talk for the sound of it. About three hours after the fire broke out he heard Davidson say to the manager that the best way was to take out the men and flood the pit. Mr. Johnstone, the manager, replied that they had done the best they could. The inquiry was adjourned until this morning.