BLACK MINE Flowery Field. Hyde, Cheshire. 8th. April, 1842.

FLOWERY FIELD, Hyde, Cheshire. 15th April 1842.

The colliery was the property of Messrs. Swyre and Lees and was in Newton, near Hyde and employed about fifty or sixty men and boys. The mine was entered by a shaft about 160 yards deep and at the bottom there was a tramway or inclined plane over 300 yards long up which the wagons of coal were drawn by a steam engine worked in the mine. At the end of the tramway there was a landing place or level of about 10 yards. From here there was another tramway up an inclined plane about 300 yards long at the end of which there was another landing place. The coal was drawn from parts of the mine to this place by mules and then attached to an endless chain and then to the shaft bottom. Another tunnel went from the pit eye for 800 yards level. The place where the accident occurred was on this level about 200 yards from the extreme end of the pit.

At about eleven o’clock the banks man heard a terrible rumbling and saw flames appeared from the mouth of the pit. The alarm spread and rescue teams of volunteers were quickly on the scene as was a large crowd of distressed mother, wives and relations. It was known that there were twenty-six persons in the pit and that an explosion had taken place.

Mr. F Tinkler and Mr. Potter, surgeons arrived to give what help they could but it was several hours before it was deemed safe to go down the pit. The underlooker descended and after a protracted and dangerous search he and his party succeeded in finding eight of the missing colliers. All were however dead, some bruised, some suffocated and other much bruised. Shortly afterwards another seven bodies were located and all were taken to the pit head.

The search continued and after about an hour the remaining ten were discovered at the extreme end of the mine where they had run for safety. Bowker and Grimshaw were alive but in a desperate state. Bowker died soon after he was found and Grimshaw expired in the arms of a fellow workman but four of the weight recovered and made their way to the pit.

Those who died were:

  • Samuel Derbyshire aged 17 years, son of the head banksman who died from suffocation.
  • John Wild aged 40 years, collier who was s shoeing a mule in the stables at the time of the explosion and was killed when the roof fell on him.
  • William Williams aged 17 years, killed by afterdamp.
  • Robert Unwin aged 20 years.
  • James Oldfield aged 13 years, eldest of six children who was scorched and bruised.
  • John Brookshaw, alias Lees aged 14 years, burnt and suffocated.
  • Thomas Williams aged 15 years, showed only a slight injury to his forehead.
  • Robert Downing aged 16 years., taken from the pit alive and died in Manchester Infirmary twelve hours later.
  • William Wragg aged 18 years, eldest of nine children.
  • John Aspinall aged 44 years, collier.
  • John Aspinall aged 18 years, collier.
  • Adam Gill aged 41 years, collier, left a widow and four children, the eldest 11 years and the youngest 8 years.
  • John Hardy aged 33 years, collier.
  • William Bowker aged 17 years, eldest of nine children.
  • John Bowker aged 47 years, collier, left a widow and eight children and was found not much disfigured.
  • Henry Lees aged 15 years.
  • William Grimshaw aged 45 years, left a widow and one child.

Those who were taken from the pit injured were:

  • Joseph Moday.
  • Henry Bradshaw.
  • William Hurst.
  • James Dunk.
  • Robert Merrick.
  • Thomas Merrick.
  • Joseph Merrick.

The inquest heard from men who were in the pit at the time of the explosion and the jury returned a verdict that:

We all agree that the accident was accidental death with no blame to anyone.

 

REFERENCES
Annals of Coal Mining. Galloway. Vol.2, p.73.
Mining Journal. Vol. xii, p.127, 135.
Stockport Advertiser.
Manchester Guardian.

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

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