31^st May 1951

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Stricken Village is told there is no hope for miners

Women Break Down as News is Given

Easington Colliery is to-day a village without hope. In little colliery houses in almost every street women are mourning the loss of some relation, killed 900 feet below ground in the Five Quarter Seam.

Late last night the crows at the colliery gates made way for miners’ leader Sam Watson, who walked bare-headed among the miners and their wives, climbed up the steps of a colliery house and turned to tell them: "There is no hope."

"It is now 40 hours since the disaster. I think we must take it that there is no hope now. The pit will remain idle for the rest of the week and the position will be reviewed on Saturday," he said.

As a weary team of rescue workers, with oxygen masks and rescue apparatus hanging from their shoulders and carrying a used canister of liquid oxygen trudged wearily from the pit cage to the rest room only 50 years away from Mr. Watson, he told the crowd how these courageous squads had been battling for 40 hours to find the entombed men.

He also paid tribute to the work of comfort which has been done by the church workers of many denominations.

Priests, clergymen and Salvation Army canteen workers, had been standing with the crows in Abbot Street since a few hours after the explosion.

As Mr. Watson finished speaking women broke down in the crowd.

It was the first and only sign of emotion that this grim, stoic gathering, used to the perils of pit life, had shown.

Then came the news that the bodies so far recovered were to be brought to the surface. Volunteers were called for to descend the shaft as stretcher bearers.

The crowd surged forward towards the colliery yard and almost every cloth-capped mine was shouting: "I’ll go. Take me."

On Leave

Two of the men among the crowd who offered their services were on compassionate leave from the Forces.

One was Naval Airman H. Brown, of H.M.S. Gamecock, Nuneaton, whose step-father, J. Anson, of Thomas Street, Easington Colliery, was one of the lost men.

The other was Sapper Gordon Calvert, stationed at Elgin, Scotland. His father, George Calvert, of Clifton Street, Easington Colliery, was on the casualty list.

Both had just arrived from their units. Both were still in uniform.

A murmur went round the crowd in Abbot Street last night when a man stepped out of a car and was recognised as Coroner T. V. Devey. He had come to issue burial certificates to relations of men whose bodies had been located.

Conditions

Mr. Sam Watson gave some idea of the conditions below ground when he told Press men that a percentage of only .03 of carbon monoxide in the air prevented men from carrying on with their work. And .1 percent would probably be fatal.

Plans are already being made to relieve distress in mining families who have lost their main wage-earner in the disaster.

"I would like to take this opportunity of saying that distress in any of these homes will be relieved by the weekend," said Mr. Watson to reporters. "Help will come quickly."

Condolences

Messages of condolence are coming in from towns and public bodies in all parts of the world.

Among them last night came a message from the Flag Officer Commanding Submarines, from the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, and the Minister of Fuel and Power.

Boldon Urban Council decided at its monthly meeting last night to send messages of sympathy to Easington R.D.C. and Easington Miners’ Lodge.

A letter of sympathy from the Northern Group of Socialist M.P.s to Mr. J. Reynolds, Secretary of Easington Miners Lodge, reads ;—

"The Northern Group of Labour Members of Parliament express their deepest sympathy with all those who have suffered or are affected through the tragic disaster. Our admiration and good wished to out to the valiant band of rescue workers, who are bringing unstinted effort to their task."

The message is signed by 30 M.P.s including Ministers.

John George Vasey (20), hewer, of Cook Street, Easington Colliery, believed to be at first among the missing is now known to be safe.

Lord Hyndley, Chairman of the National Coal Board, announced last night: "This is the worst disaster in the history of the N.C.B."

A message of sympathy has been sent to Easington Lodge of the N.U.M. by Sunderland Branch of Amalgamated Engineering Union.

The Rev. Rex Herbert, of St. Owen’s Cross, Herts, former vicar of Easington, has sent a message to the Rev. R. A. Beddoes saying that "his heart is with his old parish in their tragic loss."