Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	22nd November 1862
Colliery:	Walker
Cause:	Explosion, firedamp
Lives Lost:	16

November 22nd. Walker colliery explosion ; whereby 16 persons were killed.

The summary published in the "Mining Journal" is here transmitted as containing the leading particulars of the case. The great question was as to the prudence of having hewers and putters working in the pit, as also blasting going on with gunpowder, whilst the furnace was diminished for the furtherance of works in the upcast shaft, the ventilation being thereby diminished about one half.

 

At the termination of the late Burradon explosion the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers judged it necessary and advantageous to publish a statement of the facts connected with it, as well as the leading evidence taken at the inquest ; and, although the discussion thereon was peremptorily quashed, yet it was the means of making known the leading features to distant parties, and doubtless afforded a warning to others to prevent like accidents. So in like-manner way the analysis of the Walker explosion be expected to impress the mining community with reflections very advantageous, and well calculated to warn them against similar oversights, as the accident involved the loss of 16 lives, the sufferers leaving eight widows and many children to bewail their unhappy fate.

The preliminary inquest was opened by Mr. S. Reed, on Nov. 25, and upon the jury being empanelled the coroner favoured them with a speech highly laudatory of the ventilation and scientific management of the colliery. It must strike the unprejudiced reader that this was very strange language to fall from a judge upon the opening of an inquest in a case which ought to have demanded the most disinterested and impartial investigation, instead of its being assumed that the subject to be inquired into was of very questionable importance — his remarks bespeaking the most entire persuasion in his mind that no blame whatever could attach to the management of such a model colliery as Walker, conducted, as it was expressed, by the most consummate skill. The inquest was adjourned until Nov. 28, and the court then presented a remarkable spectacle. Around the coroner’s chair were assembled six or seven colliery viewers, including Messrs. Thomas E. Forster, G. B. Forster, W. Armstrong, and others, convened by Mr. Jobling, the viewer of the colliery ; whilst Mr. Dunn, the Government Inspector, was unattended by any legal gentleman, and not a single viewer or collier came forward to aid or assist him at the examination. The colliery plan was, it is true, upon the table, but the colliery witnesses exhibited great ignorance of its contents. The audience was of a mixed character, and not more than two or three of the workmen of the colliery were present ; none had been summoned, and they were under the impression that their presence would not be agreeable to their employers.

The first witness called was Anthony Barnes, the master wasteman, who although occupying that position, declared that he had never seen any gas in the pit till that morning, but admitted that there were goaves in that part of the pit. "It was a mystery to him where the gas had come from," yet the goaves in question, delineated upon the plan, showed an extent of more than 10,000 square yards of excavations, the coal being 5½ feet thick, being completely exhausted and unventilated. He also knew that the two innermost bords connecting the goaf with the trouble where they were blasting were foul and unventilated, and very high fallen. He admits, also, to fire a shot the top of the lamp must be unscrewed. The shots were directed downwards, therefore the discharge of the shot and fiery wadding would necessarily point towards the roof of the innermost of these two bords. He had gone through the waste a little before the explosion, and everything was right — all worked with Davy lamps. He was at the trouble (5 fms, downcast) where the men were blasting the stone to enlarge the air-course, and saw one shot fired ; it was 1¾ hour after that the explosion occurred, yet he says, "I do not think they would have time to fire another shot till the explosion occurred." He then fired the furnace hard, and stopped until he was afraid of losing his life from the after-damp ; and as this after-damp (mixed with the general return) had to traverse the waste for many hundred yards to that, it must have been very considerable to threaten their lives. He, in fact, says it was coming very strong. He then came to bank at that pit. With regard to the damping of the furnace, the fact is that it was damped 14 hours before the explosion — from four o’clock on Friday till six on Saturday morning. He says the size of the return was 6 ft. by 4 ft. (?) He would venture his life that the explosion did not come from the trouble. This trouble was not supposed of itself to produce such a quantity of gas, but in close connection with it were the foul goafs, and in the process of blasting the fire from the shot would naturally fly towards the bord in connection with the goaf.

John Shield, the back overman, had been through the workings the day the pit fired, and met with very trifling indications of gas. He saw no gas on the low side of the troubles ; if there had been gas there it would have passed along the return and up the dyke where Haswell was blasting down stone. He saw some gas two walls north below the trouble. He never saw any gas in the goaf, could not suspect where the gas came from, nor could he tell where the seat of the explosion was, though everybody can now tell where the seat of the explosion was, and also that the goaves were necessarily foul. He says it may have been in the jud, and that they had as much air as usual, which could not be ; there must have been more air when both the furnaces were regularly working. He supposes the furnaces were slackened, but there was still sufficient air to work to work the jud with safety. They had eight hewers in that morning, though even according to Mr. Armstrong it was improper to damp furnaces when you have the pit at work.

Edward Robinson, the overman, was down the pit at the time it fired, and had examined it that morning. He could not form any idea where the explosion took place ; he got a light at the shaft, and endeavoured to get where the men were lost ; he only got bout six walls before he had to return ; he found the stoppings displaced in the north side of the pit. He then returned, and met Mr. Cole, the resident viewer. He does not think the explosion took place where the men were firing the shot ; all the lamps found at the west were all right ; he does not think it took place with them. He does not think the gas came from the goaf ; he never saw any gas there. He says there was as much air as usual, though how could that be with the furnace out ; and he says that they were remarking just before the explosion what a capital air there was. They found some damaged lamps, and one of them was not locked ; it was found in the west jud, just where the deputy’s bag was found. In reply to Mr. Dunn’s question, "If it had fired from that lamp would it prove the goaf was foul?" he said that he never saw any gas there. With regard to the damaged lamp found in the west bord, and which was a deputy’s lamp, and not locked, the explosion itself would readily account for its being damaged. There must have been a great accumulation of gas to produce such an explosion. Robinson thought that the blast came from the north-west, where the goaves are, and of the correctness of this there can be no doubt.

William Mason, lamp-keeper, said all the lamps were in good repair.

Mr. Cole, the resident viewer, read from a book a statement of the amount of ventilation said to exist several weeks ago, which air was said to amount 61,000 cubic feet per minute, and to be subdivided into seven different columns. Now, Mr. Cole’s statement requires to be analysed. The measurements were not his own, but his son’s, made some weeks before of this quantity ; and, making allowance of a half reduction, there would not be exceeding 4,000 cubic feet per minute passing along the headways to the juds, especially under the leakage of the doors below, one boy keeper both. The escape to the crossing would prejudice the effect upon the gas in the goaf. The damping of the furnace and the operations at the Jane upcast pit would cause the air to be diminished, he presumed, one-third ; but whilst Mr. Cole only allowed a diminution of one-third, the furnace manager states it on-half, judging from his anemometer. There had been hundreds of shots fired. At the time the accident occurred the blasting was going on below the trouble. Hundreds of shots had been fired at the trouble out the goaf was constantly in course of enlargement, or it might have happened sooner. He had examined the place where the men were firing the shots since the accident. He could not say whether the explosion took place there or in the workings. There is no doubt it either took place at the trouble or where they were working the pillars in the broken. Judging from the effects, there has been a large amount of fire in some parts ; the props are much burnt near the bords. From all appearances he believes the explosion was a very partial one, which, however, could not have been the case, as it involved the firing of a goaf consisting of 10,000 square yards of excavation, besides two foul bords next the trouble. The current of air was restored immediately after the explosion, says Mr. Cole, though witnesses previously examined swear that the stoppings and crossings were destroyed, and that the after-damp was deadly even at the upcast pit. The stable air does not go into the workings, not does the first east-way air.

The next witness examined was Mr. Thos. E. Forster, who stated that he examined the colliery, particularly at the trouble where the men were blasting. From the appearance of the timber at that point, he was satisfied the explosion did not occur there — the lamps were found there with their caps on, and all secured. He examined the whole bords and the broken, where the greatest amount of damage had been done. It is his opinion that the explosion occurred from either a defective lamp or from a lamp having been injured. He says his opinion is that the quantity of gas has not been much, an opinion which cannot be understood when the extent and height of unventilated goaf in the position shown in the plan is considered. It should also be remarked that there is no evidence of a defective lamp being in use, but just the contrary, and that the lamp might have been damaged by the explosion. He examined the quantity of air before it is divided into splits ; it was 50,000 cubic ft. per minute, a quantity quite ample to ventilate the pit. This statement was quite gratuitous, and palpably erroneous. He said that in all goaves there would be gas, but considered that when the furnace was slacked was quite sufficient, yet the result has proved that it was insufficient, inasmuch as the gas in the goaves was not pressed. He did not consider the explosion happened at the dyke, but in the waggon-way. In reply to Mr. Dunn’s question — "Would you recommend the same plan to be pursued for the future as formerly?" he said that he would ; he would not have the slightest apprehension of any danger in working the pit again in the same way ; and upon this it should be remarked, that a similar answer was given in the Burradon case — that he would warrant the colliery being remodelled in the very same fashion.

Mr. William Armstrong perfectly coincided with Mr. Forster. He could not form the slightest conjecture as to where the gas fired. He did not think it occurred in any of the five bords (and if it did not occur there it must have occurred where the firing was going on), and had no doubt the goaf was foul, and the in-bye bords also. He thinks there was a sufficient current of air — the goaf being so small, and the run of the air current so short, it was quite safe. Now, the facts and circumstances have shown this opinion to be fallacious. He never saw a pit where there was more care to get a better ventilation. If the accident did not occur in the goaf, he says it occurred in the trouble, and if it did occur there, it is just possible that it might communicate up the bords, and so get hold of the goaf ; in the one case you have lamps occasionally exposed, whilst in the other they are never exposed. This part of the evidence is clear and convincing ; the lamps were necessarily opened to fire the shots ; the discharge was upwards towards the gas, and Mr. Armstrong candidly admits that it might happen there. He never saw a pit in his lifetime where the arrangements were so good and so scientific, and the ventilation so admirably conducted as this. Now, the science consisted in the splits and crossings, but that was overdone — a very common error, and the pit became dangerous. He thought there was ample air when the furnaces were slackened, considering all the lamps were locked ; when the furnaces are damped, the pit should not be at work. When you have so small a way for such a quantity of air, as in this case, it is impossible to conceive anything safer. But then Mr. Armstrong seems to deny his own principle just enunciated, for he says, with respect to the theory that has been advanced of the gas having exploded at the trouble, he holds it to be physically impossible that with such velocity gas could lodge there in such quantities as to explode.

Although the evidence of Messrs. Forster and Armstrong differs in many important particulars, Mr. Johnson, the viewer at Haswell, who examined the pit with them, agrees with both — a very convenient question and answer, "I coincide with them both" — but he seems to deny that any explosion should occur at all. He agrees with Mr. Armstrong that it is impossible the explosion could have happened at the trouble ; but continues, the goaf would be foul, but there was sufficient are to prevent the gas getting into the workings from the goaf.

Henry Holt, the furnaceman, damped the fire at four o’clock on Friday afternoon, and the fire continued damped until the explosion. The damping reduced the air, but there would still be sufficient air to render the pit safe. It is but just to state that this opinion was extorted from Holt, who, of course, could not tell whether in the distant workings the air was sufficient to keep all safe. He had an anemometer to tell the quantity of air, and thought it would be diminished one half by the damping of the furnace. The damping of the furnace weekly had been going on for some time. The last witness called was Mr. T. W. Jobling, the viewer, who simply stated that the last accident at Walker occurred three years since, through a man opening his lamp, but what reference this had to the present inquiry it is difficult to discover. The jury then retired, and found a verdict that "the explosion was purely accidental."

Source:

1862 Mines Inspectors Report

See also: N1862-04

	Atkinson, Joseph, single man, lived with his parents in New Row, brother of Thomas
	Atkinson, Thomas, single man, brother of Joseph
	Barnes, George, aged 47, Hewer, of New Row, brother of William, left a wife and 2 sons and 2 daughters, Buried: Walker Churchyard/Cemetery
	Barnes, William, Deputy, of Diamond Row, left a wife and 3 children, brother of George
	Burrell, William, Putter, young man, of New Row
	Ellerton, John, Hewer, single man, was the support of his mother
	Fatkin, Martin, Deputy, of Diamond Row, left a wife and family of 2 adult persons
	Forster, John, Hewer, of Diamond Row, left a widow and a family of 3 adult persons
	Haswell, James, Deputy, of New Row, left a wife and a family of 3 persons, two of whom were dependant upon him
	Holt, John, Rolleyway Man, of East Pit, left a wife and daughter
	Kenny, Thomas, Hewer, left a wife and 3 children
	Miller, Thomas, Hewer, of Bigges Main, single man, the support of his mother, who was dependant upon him
	Mitcheson, John, Hewer, of New Row, left a wife and 2 children
	Mitford, George, Wood Leader, young man
	Moore, John, Hewer, of Bigges Main, married
	Watson, George, Wasteman, of New Pit, was a widower and leaves a daughter
	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.

24 Nov 1862	Fearful Colliery Explosion (The Times)
25 Nov 1862	The Colliery Explosion (The Times)
26 Nov 1862	The Walker Colliery Explosion (The Times)
28 Nov 1862	The Walker Colliery Explosion (The Times)
29 Nov 1862	Explosion at Walker Colliery, Sixteen Lives Lost (Gateshead Observer)
02 Dec 1862	Letters to the Editor, Colliery Explosions (The Times)
05 Dec 1862	Letters to the Editor, Walker Colliery Explosion (The Times)
06 Dec 1862	Letters to the Editor, The Walker Colliery Explosion (The Times)

 

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