18^th February 1909

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Colliery Disaster

Thirty-Four Rescued

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

Newcastle-On-Tyne, Feb. 17.

The disaster at West Stanley Colliery, though not quite so serious in its effect as was at first imagined, has nevertheless resulted in a lamentable loss of life. The colliery officials, having revised the estimate which they gave last night of the number of workers in the mine at the time of the explosion, now say that 148 men and boys were below ground. Of these 34 have been brought to bank at the time of writing, and thus the probable loss of life may be placed at 114. It is just possible that as the search parties continue their exploration during the night one or two more survivors may be discovered and the death-toll slightly reduced. Expert opinion, however, now regards this as scarcely probable, and so far as the 114 poor fellows are concerned, it is to be feared that there is little ground for hope.

To-day West Stanley is in a state of nervous agitation. Men, women, and children wander aimlessly about the roadway, with no thoughts of work, or stand idle at their doors for a time gazing into space, but almost invariably in the end they drift towards the grimy pit yard, where the mud is ankle-deep and the coal dust lies a heavy pall over all. Here they find themselves standing quietly in a sort of dumb expectation among thousands of their fellow creatures. People have flocked to this small pit yard, the centre of interest in West Durham, from the whole countryside. There they stand in their thousands, waiting and watching, quite orderly and almost motionless, with dry eyes but with drawn faces, in an anxiety that is not far removed from despair. So it has been the whole day long, and the sight of this silent multitude encircling the pit shafts and the adjacent buildings, but never obstructing the work of rescue, is a strangely impressive one.

The Work Of Rescue

As was explained in The Times yesterday, there are two shafts at the colliery, the Busty, which is the one in general use, and the "Lamp" shaft, which is more properly the Brockwell. There are four seams of coal, first the Towneley, then the Tillie, then the Busty, and last of all the Brockwell. The "Lamp" shaft appears to have suffered more severely than the other one from the explosion, and last night the rescuers made it their first business to clear and repair the neighbouring Busty shaft. This was a slow proceeding, because half-way down the shaft the "skids" upon which the cage runs had been almost entirely destroyed. While the men were at work in the shaft they heard sounds from below which convinced them that some at least of the entombed men and boys were alive. The news was conveyed to the top of the shaft, where it was joyfully received by the considerable crowds of people who remained to spend a long night's vigil in the pit yard. At length, shortly after 2 o'clock, it was found possible to lower the cage to the Towneley and Tillie, and a little later to the Busty seams.

The first three rescued men were brought to the surface at 20 minutes to 3. Their names were John Smith, Matthew Elliott, and Joseph Keegan. Their shaking limbs and the pallor which was discernable under the grime upon their faces proclaimed the trying nature of the ordeal through which they had passed. Hearty greetings passed between them and the officials and others who were awaiting them at the pit top. Then they were hurried off to their homes in the village, where lights gleamed through many an open door to welcome workers who never came. These three men had been found in the Towneley seam.

The next batch of survivors came from the Tillie seam. Twenty-six men and boys gathered together from various workings in this seam, after encountering great difficulties, had made their way through a drift into the Busty seam, from the mouth of which they were rescued. They were brought to the surface about 6 o'clock. Like those who had gone before, they were in a more or less exhausted condition from the effects of the after-damp, and some of them had sustained injuries through the falls of stone which followed the explosion. Among them was a boy who had to be carried by one of his elders, his arms being helpless by his side. Other fortunate survivors were brought up singly and in pairs between 6 and 9 o'clock, and at the latter hour 32 men and boys had been saved. As they stepped out of the cage they were examined and tended by the doctors and nurses who had remained on duty through the night, and restoratives, provided by the owners of the colliery, were applied where necessary.

Many Bodies Seen

Still the search parties below, braving unknown dangers, continued their examination of the workings. Luckily they found the ventilation in the three upper seams fairly good. Those who had been brought out alive came from the Towneley and Tillie seams, but no survivors were found among those who had been working in the Busty seam. In all three seams, unfortunately, numerous dead bodies were encountered, but the rescuers in their search for the living passed them by for the present. The efforts of those in the Towneley seam were rewarded shortly before 10 o'clock by the discovery of another living miner. His name was Joseph Leadbitter, and he showed signs of collapse as he was lifted out of the cage. Under the care of the doctors, however, he soon revived. After this there was a long interval before another survivor came up the shaft. Judging from the injuries which had been sustained by those who were found dead in the Busty seam and from the indications that those whose bodies lay in the two upper seams appeared to have perished from suffocation, it was concluded that the full force of the explosions had been felt in the Busty seam, and that probably the disaster had its origin in the workings there. As to this, however, it is impossible as yet to speak with certainty, and the colliery officials declare that so far they are at a loss to explain how the explosions were caused.

In The Lowest Seam

All this time the lowest seam of all, the Brockwell, had remained unexplored. The shaft is not "skidded" below the Busty seam, the Brockwell being approached, in fact, from the Busty level by "kibbles." The entrance to the seam also had been obstructed by the falls which followed the explosions. Towards noon, however, it became possible to enter the Brockwell workings and a party of official volunteers, headed by Mr. J. H. Burn, one of the owners of the colliery, descended to them. When at length some of the party returned they bore the mournful news that no signs of life were discernable in the Brockwell. Later in the afternoon it was found possible to penetrate for a distance of 500 yards into these workings, but with no more satisfactory results. The explorers from all four seams, as they came to bank at long intervals during the afternoon and evening, brought the same message ; only the dead apparently remained below.

There was one more rescue. About 1 o'clock a message came from the Towneley seam that a doctor was needed there. Dr. Hunter, of Mickley, went down at once and soon reappeared with a man named Patrick Joyce in his charge. Joyce was in a state of great exhaustion and it was necessary to administer oxygen to revive him. He was afterwards detained for treatment in the joiners' shop in the pit yard.

Experiences Of Survivors

The accounts of their experiences given by some of the men who have been rescued indicate in a striking manner the dangers through which they passed. The story told by John Smith, one of the first men rescued from the Towneley seam, is typical of the others. He said :—

There was one sharp crack and I and those near me were thrown to the ground. I crawled between two props out of my working place. Keeghan followed me and so did three others, but these were overcome by the afterdamp and collapsed entirely. It was not possible either to keep them going or to drag them along. They fell into a kind of sleep and could not be awakened. I crawled along on my hands and knees for some 70 yards and then to my joy breathed fresh air again. On his way to the opening of the shaft Smith passed quite a number of men who were apparently dead. He noticed that the stables were blown to pieces and the ponies as well as their attendants dead or dying. There was wreckage in every direction.

Henry Davison, who was one of the 26 rescued from the Tillie seam, said :—

The shock of the explosion was very great, it quite deafened me. I could not get away for a long time because of the gas. With a number of others I felt my way gradually towards the shaft. Once we had to stop for six or seven hours. We came across a young boy who was breathing heavily and seemed to be dying. We carried him for a short time. Then he died and we left him behind. I saw 17 dead and 15 of them were boys.

Eventually Davison, with others whom he came across, found their way through a drift into the Busty seam and so reached safety. He mentioned that when repeatedly when their progress was impeded the party sang songs in order to keep up their spirits.

Matthew Elliott, who was at work in the Busty seam, only found safety by climbing a staple to the height of 66ft. into the next seam. His hands were badly cut by the wire rope. H. Carr related how, while waiting for assistance, he nursed a dying boy for three hours in the Tillie seam. A sorrowful feature of the disaster is that the pit boys seem to have succumbed in large numbers. Only one boy is among the 34 who have escaped.

Hope Abandoned

Mr. F. H. Burn, one of the owners of the colliery, definitely stated to-night that hope has been abandoned of saving any more lives. The atmosphere in the workings is such as to render the possibility of anybody remaining alive very remote. Good progress, however, has been made in the task of restoring ventilation and the search will be continued without intermission. Mr. Burn, who has spent a considerable amount of time below ground, to-day says that dead bodies of men are strewn about in the workings. Some are badly burned, others have been choked by the afterdamp, and several have been battered and bruised by being thrown against the timbers. Many of the ponies are dead, but a few are still alive. Falls of stone have been frequent, and men are lying buried beneath them. Mr. Burn added that the mine is kept regularly watered and as a matter of fact was watered on Sunday last. He acknowledged with gratitude the aid rendered in the work of rescue by mining engineers and officials. Among those who have taken an active part in the work is Mr. Donald Bain, his Majesty's Inspector of Mines for West Durham.

The Bishop of Durham, accompanied by Mrs. Moule, visited the pit head during the afternoon and addressed some sympathetic words to the waiting crowds, conveying to them the message from Convocation. Then the Bishop led the the people in reciting the Lord's Prayer. The vicar of the parish, the Rev. R. Watson, has received telegrams of condolence from the Bishop of Jarrow and the Archdeacon of Durham.

The Dead And Missing

Another Estimate

The representative of a news agency was informed late last night by Mr. Hall, the manager of the mine, that he had been down the mine and had made a thorough examination. As a result he calculated that there would be altogether dead and missing 150 boys and men.

A Plucky Miner

Our Darlington Correspondent telegraphs :— Special mention may be made of Frank Keegan. He was rescued about 6 o'clock, and after going home for a wash and rest returned to the pit about midday, got a lamp and went down to help to rescue others. It is also stated that he was with a party of eight others, and it was mainly owing to his exertions that they were rescued. They were all badly affected by afterdamp, and it was very difficult for them to get along owing to the heavy falls of the roof. Keegan encouraged his companions to persevere and assisted in dragging some of them over the fallen dйbris, thus enabling them to get within reach of the rescue party. Keegan has been a soldier, is a very strong young man, and was apparently not affected by the after-damp in the same manner as his friends.

Telegraphing at midnight our Newcastle Correspondent says :— "A list of 40 men and boys imprisoned in West Stanley pit disaster was supplied last night. They are all supposed to be dead. The work of bringing up the dead has begun. Messages of sympathy were received at the head office of the colliery last night from the Home Secretary and Lord Monkswell. The two men Leadbitter and Joyce, who were brought up in the morning, are still unconscious."

Colliery Warnings

On Saturday last various newspapers circulating in the mining districts published the following colliery warning :—

An atmospheric change of great importance to all employed below ground is now in course of development over the British coalfields. A large area of high pressure is moving steadily down from the Arctic, bringing with it very dry air. It is therefore incumbent on miners to pay heed to any signs of an increase in the flow of gas from the strata, and at the same time see that the dust in the vicinity of blasting operations is sufficiently moistened.

A telegram was received at West Stanley yesterday from the Home Office, which said :— "Sir Henry Cunynghame, of the Home Office, has just been here and at his suggestion we are sending some rescue apparatus and two or three men down to your assistance immediately. We are getting them off by the 2.20 from King's-cross, and Dr. Leonard Hill will accompany them."

The Archbishop of York, in an address to the full Synod at the York Convocation yesterday, said that their responsibilities to the life of the nation was to him no mere historical form, and he emphasised the deep significance of the fact that the House was summoned at the same moment as the Great Parliament of the Realm. It would remind them that they must not exclusively or mainly keep strictly to ecclesiastical affairs. They must keep in remembrance the cause of the people and of the poor, and he would best interpret the feelings of those present if at once from his lips they sent a message of condolence through the Bishop of Durham to the miners of the north who had been placed in peril by the disaster of which they had heard that morning. Perhaps the Bishop of Durham, who would be obliged to leave soon in order to join his flock in their distress, would convey to them the assurance that the Convocation of York was not forgetful of those who laboured for them in the depths of the earth.