Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	6th May 1901
Colliery:	Tursdale
Cause:	(See description below)
Lives Lost:	1

The second occurred on May 6th at Tursdale Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Bell Brothers, Ltd., and caused the death of a pump minder, and severe injury to two other men.

On the East side of the Busty seam at this colliery, a staple was sunk to the Brockwell seam, a distance of 36 yards, and drifts were driven from the bottom of it, about 120 yards each way. About nine years ago these drifts were stopped, and the water was allowed to rise until the staple was full, and nothing has been done at it during this time, but, it having been decided to get the water out and drive the drifts again operations were made with this in view.

There was an engine placed at the top of the staple, and it required to be repaired, and the rope had to be examined and resocketed. While this was being done the fitters complained that the safety lamps did not give sufficient light. The Under-manager examined the place, and finding no trace of gas, gave instructions to the Engineer, but to none of the other officials, that open lights could be used until the drawing of the water by means of the cages actually commenced, but as soon as they began to do that, nothing but safety lamps must be used.

The Engineer conveyed these instructions to the Engineman at the top of the staple on April 26th, but they were not carried out, as water drawing commenced on May 5th, and on the 6th, when the water had been lowered 16 feet, some gas was given off and exploded at the engineman's open light.

The stoppings and regulators, in connection with the ventilation, were blown out ; the cage in the staple was blown up against the pulley, and the flat sheets and timber about the top of the staple were very much disturbed.

One of the men, who was attending to the cage, was burnt about his face and arms, and otherwise injured. The Engineman was also burnt about his arms, face, and body, and the pump minder was burnt, but the most serious injury was to his head, the skull being fractured by the flat sheets hitting him when the explosion occurred. His work was not at the staple, but at a pump a half a mile further in-bye ; the engineman, however, had forgotten his watch, and the deceased youth volunteered to go and tell him what the time was, and he was at the staple for this purpose, when the explosion occurred.

It is to be regretted that the Under-manager did not also inform his other officials that naked lights were not to be used when water was being drawn ; if he had done so the probability is that the explosion would not have occurred, as one of the officials was at the place shortly before and saw the naked lights, but knowing nothing about any instructions did not think anything was wrong. The Engineer too, I think, should have been more careful to see that the instructions he received were carried out, but beyond mentioning them to the engineman on April 26th, he appears to have done nothing.

When the drifts were driven eight years ago, open lights were used at the staple top, and gas had not been seen before this. In future, only safety lamps will be used.

Source:

1901 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 1062), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian

	Appleby, John George, aged 19, Attending Pumps, A staple from Busty to Brockwell seam was full of water, and it was being taken out by means of water cages. When the water was lowered 16 feet some gas came off and ignited at an open light and caused fatal injuries to Appleby and injuries to other two men.
	All names found
	Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.

 

 Return    Return to Top