Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	3rd November 1898
Colliery:	South Elswick
Cause:	Explosion of fire-damp
Lives Lost:	1

No. 389. The must serious accident, and the only one which need be specially referred to occurred at the South Elswick Colliery, Northumberland, on November 3rd. when 4 men were injured, one dying within a short period. The deceased, William Johnson, a stoneman, and the master shifter, William Barnes, were engaged in firing gunpowder shots during the night shift, and it was at first thought that the accident was simply due to a blown out shot, but further investigation and enquiries proved that there must have been some other agent at work to account for the injuries to the other two men, who were some 50 or 60 yards away.

No gas had been seen in this seam (the Beaumont) for a considerable time past, nor had any been reported in the deputies' books for at least 12 months. Nevertheless locked safety lamps were in use. Practically speaking, the workings were free from dust, more especially at the point where the shot was fired, and on many places on the adjoining roadways water was standing on a level with the top of the rails.

The facts, prior to the explosion, are shortly as follows :— The master shifter, in making his rounds, had visited the two places where the injured men, William Smith and William Sharp were respectively working. He then proceeded to the working place of the deceased, who was a stoneman, and was engaged in getting up the floor in a gateway of the longwall face to make height. The latter had two shots prepared in the bottom canch, one on the right hand side and the other on the left, both pointing towards the centre of the road. The only evidence available at the Inquest as to what actually took place was that tendered by Barnes, and his narrative was as follows :— After making a careful examination of the place itself, and for a distance of 20 yards round, wherever accessible, he fired the first shot, which went off all right and did its work. He then made another examination similar to the first one, and after charging the second hole and lighting the fuze, retired with the deceased to a distance of about 25 yards. On the shot going off there was a flash of bright flame, by which the master shifter and the deceased were burnt, and at the same time passing along the face of the workings the other two men were injured by it, but to a much smaller degree. As a matter of fact, the fourth man was not aware that he had been injured until his arrival home.

It was important to determine, if possible, whether the terms of the Explosives Order had been complied with — first, as to the time when gas had been seen, and secondly, as to character of the mine so far as dust was concerned. On the first point I can only reiterate what has been previously stated, that fire-damp, as was given in evidence at the Inquest, had not been seen for a considerable time, and my examination of the books showed a clear record for at least twelve months.

On inspection after the explosion, however, it was found that a fall had taken place along the face at a distance of about 10 yards from the second shot, which was pointing in the direction of the fall, and in the hole thus made in the roof some gas was found. Had this fall occurred between the firing of the two shots, there would be little difficulty in assigning the reason for the accident, but in my opinion there is very little doubt that, whenever the fall did take place, we must look to that point as the source of the explosion, there having been a small accumulation of gas lighted up by the shot, which, as it happened, was partially blown out, and had not done its full work.

That the shot itself had done the damage was out of the question, as only 6 ounces of gunpowder was used.

As to the dust, a very careful examination of all the surroundings was made, and the fact that no trace of coking could be found, rather supports the theory that an explosion fire-damp, caused by the firing of a shot, is responsible for this accident.

Source:

1898 Mines Inspectors Report (C 9264), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.

	Johnson, William, aged 37, Stoneman, [Inspection made & inquest attended]
	All names found

 

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