Seven Men Killed in Pit Explosion

Four Escape Unhurt

From our correspondent

Sunderland, July 6

An explosion at Eppleton colliery, near Hetton, County Durham, early this morning resulted in the deaths of seven men who were workings in the Busty seam, 1,300ft. below the surface. Two other men were severely burned and were taken to hospital in Sunderland, where their condition was stated to-day to be "poor."

Four men who were working a little farther along the seam escaped unhurt. One of the uninjured men said afterwards :— "The first thing I knew about the explosion was a terrific blast which knocked me and the three other men down. It wrenched a shovel from my hand and carried it 10 yards away. For about 20 minutes we could not see anything for dust."

The four men raised the alarm, and within a few minutes rescue teams arrived. The remained of the pit was evacuated by the 500 other miners working there at the time. Among officials present at the pithead were Mr. E. H. D. Skinner, chairman, and Mr. H. E. Collins, production director, of the Durham Division of the National Coal Board, Mr. J. N. O. Rogers, area production manager, and Mr. A. H. Kellett, No. 2 area general manager.

Eppleton colliery is five miles from Easington pit, where 83 men lost their lives five weeks ago. Its weekly output is generally in excess of the 12,000 tons target. The colliery ambulance team recently won second place in the N.C.B. national first aid competition, and Mr. Holmes, the more seriously injured of the two men, was the national winner in the individual section.