Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	6th December 1837
Colliery:	Springwell
Cause:	Explosion
Lives Lost:	27

A melancholy catastrophe from an explosion of foul air occurred at Springwell colliery, near Wrekington, four miles from Newcastle. The pit is the property of the right hon. Lord Ravensworth and partners, and we may here observe that in 1832 a similar accident occurred there, by which upwards of thirty human beings were hurried into eternity. The catastrophe we have now to describe occurred between nine and ten o'clock on the morning of the above day, Wednesday, when, of twenty-nine men and boys at work in that part of the Hutton seam of coal where the blast took place, twenty seven unfortunately perished, viz. — fifteen men and twelve boys. What added to the calamity was, that many of the men left wives and large families, who were thus deprived of their natural protection, and of their chief dependence for support. On Thursday, an inquest was held before Michael Hall, esq. (coroner for Chester ward,) and a respectable jury, at the house of Mr. Thomas Maughan, the Springwell inn, on the bodies of James Henderson and Thomas Mason. The witnesses examined were — Nicholas Wood, esq., colliery-viewer, and general manager to Lord Ravensworth and partners for their several works. Mr. Geo. Southern, resident viewer to the Springwell colliery, Mr. C. Steel, overman to the colliery, and several pitmen who had worked in the mine, both recently and formerly. From the testimony adduced, we learn that the depth of the pit to the Hutton seam is 128 fathoms, and that the dip of the seam of coal is to the east, at a decline of one foot in sixteen. After the accident in 1832, every available means were adopted to improve the ventilation of the mine, the most expensive of which was the formation of a communication from the Springwell pit to another shaft on the Black Fell — the former being the downcast, the latter the up-cast, so as to secure, as nearly as the nature of such works will admit, a free current of air. The pit, with these improvements, was not considered by the pitmen to be at all "fiery," to use their own expressive language, but, on the contrary, they deemed it to be quite safe. It appeared, also, that the state of the working parts had been vigilantly attended to ; indeed, owing to their strict attention to duty, the resident viewer and the overman narrowly escaped destruction, as they had just left the part where the explosion occurred, and were blown down by the after-current. In similar calamities the immediate cause of the accident remains shrouded in mystery, but in the present case a discovery was made which led to the strongest inference that the accident was so purely accidental, that it could not have been prevented by any foresight or prudence. The workings of the pit were in two different parts, called “districts.” One of these districts, about a mile from the shaft, and where sixty-one men and boys were at work, was not affected by the blast. In the district where the accident happened, about half a mile from the shaft, the operations of working both what is called “the whole coal,” and “the broken,” were going on. To our distant readers we may explain, that “whole coal,” in mining phrase, means the seam in its imbedded, unbroken state. In operating upon this, the pitmen work out stated portions, leaving “pillars” of coal to support the roof of their subterranean workshop. Eventually these pillars are removed, the roof being temporarily sustained in the mean time by props of wood, and this is called “working the broken.” This “broken” part of the workings of coal mines is always considered the most dangerous, from its greater liability to the generation of foul air, and in removing the pillars, safety lamps are exclusively used in Springwell pit. The custom is, however, when working the unbroken seam, to blast it with gunpowder, and in this operation the men used candles. It is in the pillar workings, however, where, notwithstanding the employment of the safety lamp — and the still further precaution adopted of supplying the men with locked lamps as they went down to their work — that the fatal accident is supposed to have occurred. There remained traces of the fire in the “broken” workings, particularly the scorching of the pit props. Near there, also, was found the safety-lamp of Edward Price, in such a position as to lead to an inference that it had fallen across the rolley way, and been accidentally run over and broken. — Thomas McNay, wagon way wright, John Todd and William Potts, pitmen, spoke to finding the broken lamp, and tracing the explosion from the northern extremity where the lamp was found to the south end, and from thence westward to the whole coal working north to the shaft. The gauze wire and glass of the lamp were broken and otherwise much bulged in, and the body of Edward Price was found not far from it. The lamp was identified from the number on it as being the one the unfortunate man had used, and the breaking of it, in the opinion of the witnesses above named, was the cause of the fire. The jury after a few minutes consultation, returned a verdict of Accidental Death. Three horses, as well as the unfortunate men, were killed by the explosion. The workings of the pit were less injured than might have been expected.

Source:

Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences Connected with the Counties of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham by M.A. Richardson. Published in five volumes in 1844.

	Awfflick, Andrew, aged 27
	Banks, Forster, aged 26
	Beedling, James, aged 22
	Fenwick, Mark
	Fenwick, William (jnr)
	Fenwick, William (snr)
	Hedley, Thomas, aged 15
	Henderson, James, aged 30
	Hood, Samuel, aged 12
	Hunter, George, aged 17
	Mason, Joseph
	McGee, Alexander, aged 50
	McGee, George, aged 18
	Price, Edward, aged 40
	Price, Robert, aged 24
	Ramsey, Joseph, aged 37
	Ridley, G., aged 16
	Ritchie, Joseph, aged 30
	Robson, Lionel, aged 17, Buried: St. Andrews Churchyard, Lamesley
	Rushey, Joseph, aged 30
	Rushey, Luke, aged 18
	Simpson, George, aged 31
	Wakefield, Todd, aged 32
	Wear, T.
	24 of 27 names found
	Youngest: 12 years old ; Oldest: 50 ; Average: 26
	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.
	Some of the names of mining fatalities on this page have been kindly provided by Ian Winstanley of the Coal Mining History Resource Centre and are marked with , further details may be obtained by contacting Ian by email at ian.winstanley@blueyonder.co.uk

09 Dec 1837	Dreadful and Lamentable Accident, 27 lives lost (Gateshead Observer)
12 Dec 1837	Colliery Explosion – Twenty-seven Lives Lost (The Times)

 

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