| Disasters - Names |
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Disasters - Names | ||
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| Date: | 11th November 1850 |
| Colliery: | Houghton |
| Cause: | Explosion, firedamp and coal dust, ignition caused by safety lamp |
| Lives Lost: | 27 |
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| Description | |
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A dreadful explosion of gas occurred in Houghton Colliery, the property of the Earl of Durham. From the close contiguity of the colliery to the town from which it derives its name, the alarm spread in all directions, and the usual quietude gave place to the greatest consternation by the report that 150 lives were destroyed, that number being down the pit at the time of the accident. A number of brave men volunteered, with the usual magnanimity displayed under such circumstances, to make an attempt to save their relatives and friends, and, after five hours arduous exertions, they succeeded in rescuing one hundred and twenty four men and boys, many of whom were in a state of insensibility, the remainder, twenty six on number, were found dead. The sufferings of the survivors, during the protracted period which elapsed before their deliverance, were of the most intense character, both bodily and mental, and the meeting between them and their disconsolate families, who had given them up as lost, will never be forgotten by those that witnessed it. The sufferers, with two exceptions, were unmarried, and the Earl of Durham ordered that every necessary relief should be afforded them.
| Source: | Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by T. Fordyce, Published in 1867 |
See also: N1850-03
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| Fatalities | |
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Anderson, Henry, aged 11, brother of William and John, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 12 Nov 1850 | |
 | Anderson, James, aged 42, left a wife and 4 children, residence: Philadelphia, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 |
Anderson, John, aged 14, brother of William and Henry, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 12 Nov 1850 | |
Anderson, William, aged 18, brother of John and Henry, residence: Houghton Le Spring | |
Atkinson, Thomas, aged 16, residence: Newbottle, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Beaney, John, aged 15, residence: Newbottle, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Brown, Abel, aged 19, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Dixon, John, aged 19, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Elliott, William, aged 14, residence: Newbottle, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Fairley, Edward, aged 17, brother of William, residence: Newbottle, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Fairley, William, aged 14, brother of Edward, residence: Newbottle, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Fenwick, John, aged 22, residence: Newbottle, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 14 Nov 1850 | |
Gardiner, George, aged 13, brother of Samuel, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 12 Nov 1850 | |
Gardiner, Samuel, aged 15, brother of George, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 12 Nov 1850 | |
Hunter, Thomas, aged 43, Overman, left a wife and 4 children, residence: Bunker Hill | |
Kaghan, John, aged 15, brother of Thomas, residence: Newbottle | |
Kaghan, Thomas, aged 14, brother of John, residence: Newbottle | |
Keiley, John, aged 22, residence: Cross Row | |
McGuiness, Thomas, aged 13, residence: Newbottle | |
Moore, Robert, aged 16, residence: Success Row | |
Moorhead, John, aged 17, residence: Houghton Le Spring | |
Mossom?, Thomas, aged 14, residence: Success Row, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Riley, Patrick, aged 13, residence: Newbottle | |
Rogerson, Robert, aged 15, residence: Del? Pit | |
Walker, William, aged 17, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Watchman, John, aged 25, residence: Houghton Le Spring, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
Watson, George, aged 12, residence: Newbottle, Buried: St. Michael & All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring on 13 Nov 1850 | |
All names found | |
Youngest: 11 years old ; Oldest: 43 ; Average: 18 | |
Those names marked with |
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| Newspaper Articles | |
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| 13 Nov 1850 | Awful Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 14 Nov 1850 | The Explosion At Houghton Colliery (The Times) |
| 23 Nov 1850 | The Colliery Explosion At Houghton (The Times) |
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