AYR, DRUMLEY No.1 PIT. Ayr, Ayrshire. 9th. September 1897.

The colliery was the property of George Taylor and Company. There was a sudden outburst of firedamp which ignited at the naked light of the fireman in the airway. He was not aware what had taken place. The No.1 pit had recently been sunk to the Diamond seam which was 3 feet 4 inches thick and lay 139 fathoms from the surface. It was being opened out on the longwall system. The air current was stated to be 5,000 cubic feet per minute and naked lights were used throughout the workings.

It appeared that shortly before the explosion the workmen retired to the heading road as the roof began to “work” and there was a hissing noise of firedamp being discharged. The fireman had been in the section from which the men had withdrawn and was unaware of what had happened. He was returning along the airway when he reached a point where his naked light ignited the firedamp and caused the explosion. It swept through all the working places and extended down the heading. Two workmen, and the manager, who were in the level were uninjured.

The men who died were miners:

  • James McCreadie aged 38 years,
  • Hugh McCreadie aged 28 years,
  • John White aged 55 years,
  • Walter Dunlop aged 28 years,
  • Thomas Martin aged 40 years,
  • Thomas Martin aged 13 years,
  • John Brannigan aged 14 years,

Six other men were injured.

From the account given by the survivors among whom was the fireman, there seemed to be little doubt that, owing to the working of the roof, there had been an outburst of firedamp and the gas was carried in an explosive state to the fireman’s lamp. The explosion was not a violent not, and very little damage was done to the workings. The manager stated that an hour after there was no afterdamp of firedamp in the seam. The workings were dry, and after the explosion there was a coating of coked dust on some props. Apparently the explosion had been intensified by coal dust.

Mr. Ronaldson, the Inspector, commented:

It is unusual in Ayrshire to have sudden outbursts of firedamp, and in the adjoining pit where the Diamond seam had been worked extensively, such an occurrence is unknown. Since the explosion, the pit has been worked with safety lamps.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspector’s Report, 1897. Mr. Ronaldson.
The Colliery Guardian, 4th February 1897, p.214.

Information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre.

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