DUKINFIELD. Ashton-under-Lyne, Cheshire. 4th June, 1867.

The Dukinfield colliery was also known as the Lakes Pit and the Victoria Colliery, and was owned by the Dukinfield Colliery Company with Mr. F.D. Astley as the sole proprietor of the pit. Isaac Whelden was the manager and had been at the colliery for five years.

When the pit was sunk water was met and it was raised by plunger pumps. The top one of 12 inches in diameter and the lower ones 7 inches and 6 inches diameter. All had a stroke of eight feet and powered by a slide level Cornish engine 17 foot cylinder and an eight-foot stoke. The steam was supplied by three boilers 34 feet long and 6 feet 6 inches in diameter working at a pressure of 12 lbs. per square inch.

The winding engine was 16 inches in diameter and the winding drums 24 feet two and a half inches in diameter. the total weight of the crank, axle and drums was 53 tons. There was a brake drum attached to one of the winding drums which acted on a steam brake of great power. There was balance on the main shaft which was a drum of 6 feet 8 inches diameter which was attached to a balance weight of 5 tons. The load was raised at 21 miles an hour.

There were two shafts at the colliery. The downcast was 340 yards deep and led to the Black Mine and was connected to the upcast shaft for ventilation. A horse road ran along the level and about halfway there was an upbrow and it was at this point that the explosion took place. The workings extended six hundred yards on a level with the upcast shaft in a southerly direction. The workings on the north side went for three hundred and fifty yards but this part of the mine had been abandoned when a fault had been struck some time before. The west workings extended one hundred and fifty yards with a dip of two feet per yard and a new air hole was being made in that direction for ventilation and this would communicate with the deep workings.

George Phillips, who was killed in the explosion, was the sole underlooker and had exclusive charge of the underground workings. Two firemen worked with him, John Moores and Joseph Wirrell. Their duties were to attend to the ventilation of the mine under the direction of Phillips and to inspect the mine before the colliers commenced their work. This took them two hours in the mornings and then they worked on the roads and did not get coal. They were employed as daywagemen.

The mine was worked by day and night shifts but there were as few as four people in the mine at night. On the night preceding the explosion, Joseph Wirrell was at work and he left the pit at 6 a.m. when Moores followed him and they met in the mine. Wirrell went to see the furnace which had been working only seven weeks.

At least seventy-three men and boys went into the pit under the direction of the underlooker whose duty it was to see that the mine was free from gas.  On the day of the disaster, all went well until about 8 a.m. when an explosion was heard in the pit. The manager, Mr. Welding, with a number of men descended the pit and thirty men were found, some badly injured and they were sent to the shaft. Of these nineteen were able to walk and eleven needed assistance. On going further into the mine, it was found that thirty-two miners were dead but six men had escaped another way making a total of thirty-seven dead.

When the explosion took place, Thomas Wynne, the Inspector was half a mile away from the colliery and he immediately went to the pit and descended to find that all the air doors were down and that the air from the downcast shaft was going up the upcast shaft and no air was going into the workings.

Wagons were broken and driven into a heap and the Inspector made a temporary stopping to drive as much air into the working as he could. As the air went forward the explorers were able to get into the workings. They found a body eighty yards from the shaft. In the next two hundred and forty yards they passed eleven bodies and at the top of the jig-brow they found twenty-seven others.

Medical assistance was got for the men and everything was done for them as they were sent to the surface. In the mine, the airways and brattice was blown away in many places and the roof and floor had been displaced. Despite this, the men had cleared the rubbish away by 3 p.m. and the removal of the bodies was completed.

Martin Birtenshaw was in the pit at the time of the explosion and worked in the new air brow of the new mine to the old pit. He saw Mr. Phillips at the surface as he went down at 6.10 a.m. James Hamilton had been down all night and said that there was no air was travelling. Phillips did not hear him. When he had been at work for some time, the explosion occurred. His lamp went out and some stones fell from the roof. He went to the horse level but the afterdamp was so bad that he and others were driven back. They then went to the bottom of the brow where there was some water and they were rescued from there.

As the bodies arrived at the surface they were wrapped in quilts and if they had been recognised, they were sent home in carts. If they were not recognised they were conveyed to a cottage which served as a temporary mortuary. Many of the bodies were bleeding around the nose and mouth and a crowd of wailing women had gathered at the pithead and the anguish of mothers was heard as their dead men and boys were brought of the pit.

In early reports the explosion was blamed to a leakage of foul air from an adjoining mine. The men were supplied with lamps as it was regarded as a fiery mine but it was known that the boys worked with naked lights against the Rules of the colliery.

On the Friday after the disaster, Patrick McHugh died in his own house which brought the total of dead to thirty-eight. Twenty-one were unmarried and one a widower and there were sixteen married men who left twenty-two children under ten years of age, eight between two years and fifteen years and four above fifteen years of age, a total of thirty-four fatherless children and sixteen widows.

Those who died were:

  • John Lomas aged 20 years, miner.
  • Henry Noble aged 14 years.
  • William John Taylor aged 56 years, miner.
  • Terence McHugh aged 19 years.
  • Patrick McHugh aged 22 years, brother of Terence.
  • Joseph Armfield aged 17 years.
  • Robert Armfield, aged 17 years, brother of Joseph.
  • Thomas Smethurst 15 years, miner.
  • Samuel Hudson aged 15 years.
  • Richard France aged 36 years who left a wife and five children.
  • John Thomas Buckley aged 11 years.
  • William Mellor aged 42 years, miner.
  • John Gee aged 34 years.
  • Thomas Gregson aged 18 years, miner.
  • James Mercer aged 34 years.
  • William Chorley aged 51 years.
  • William Harratt aged 49 years, left two girls.
  • John Elliott aged 40 years
  • James Haslam aged 34 years.
  • George Phillips, underlooker with five children aged 33 years.
  • Luther Warren aged 13 years.
  • James Brennan aged 19 years.
  • William Quinlin aged 24 years.
  • John Rixon miner aged 27 years who left a wife and two children.
  • William Booth aged 24 years, miner.
  • Charles Booth aged 22 years.
  • George Robinson aged 20 years.
  • William Martin aged 26 years, miner.
  • Samuel Johnson aged 21 years.
  • William Ashton aged 22 years.
  • William Garrett, miner aged 44 years.
  • James Hill aged 23 years.
  • David Clayton aged 28 years, miner.
  • Samuel Norton waggoner aged 14 years.
  • William Ernest Kay aged 15 years.
  • John Shore aged 14 years.
  • Thomas Hooson.

Those who were injured were:-

  • James Winterbottom.
  • Edward Hodgkins.
  • Samuel Ramsbottom.
  • Joseph Wild.
  • Joseph Phillips.
  • John Walker.
  • John Pickup.
  • John Brooks.
  • Martin Burtenshaw.
  • George Bullock.

Mr. Astley, the sole proprietor of the colliery went to every cottage of the suffers that day and gave everyone £4. A meeting was called with the objective of organising a fund for the relief of the dependants but Mr. Astley said he personally, would provide for all the sufferers and provide for the families.

The colliery was examined by Mr. Wynne, the Inspector on Friday and the inquest opened on Saturday before Mr. W. Johnson of Marple was the coroner. Mr. J. Wooley a former coal owner was the foreman of the jury. The viewing of the bodies took place for two hours and the evidence of identification took another three hours and the session was adjourned.

At the inquest was held by the Coroner Mr. W. Johnson of Marple, at the Astley Arms Hotel in Dukinfield. The spacious room at the hotel where the inquiry took place the room was crowded by many people, mainly miners.

The Mines Inspector had directed Mr. Phillip’s attention to a place where he thought gas might accumulate and told him that it must be removed before the level was tapped into the air-brow and that it must be done at night when the men were not working.

On examining the pit the morning after the accident, the Inspector came to the conclusion that the explosion had taken place in the horse-road, about one hundred and forty yards from the upcast shaft. Four of the twenty-seven victims were burnt but there was no sign of fire in the coal. A lamp was found lying on the floor and the gauze hanging up. All the miners were required to use lamps which were locked. The broken lamp was found at a place where naked lights were forbidden.

A fortnight before the explosion, Phillips, the underlooker reported a fall of earth at the end of the Black Mine tunnel and the Inspector told him to get some men and make it right. Phillips said that the earth was nearly up to the top of the tunnel. After the explosion only a small opening was found in the fall which severely restricted the flow of air.

Phillips had never reported gas to the Inspector in this part of the mine where it would have been expected. He had been employed at the pit for about a year and had previously been a practical miner. If he had done what he had been told the gas would have been cleared in five minutes. Gas had been reported in the Peacock and the Canal seams and had been removed.

Martin Birtenshaw was in the pit at the time of the explosion which put out his lamp. He went down the horse-road where the afterdamp was too bad so he went to the bottom of the brow where there was some water and they remained there until they were rescued.

On the night preceding the explosion, Joseph Wirrell was at work and he left the mine at 6 a.m. on Thursday morning. Moore succeeded him and met him there. Whelden was last in the mine a week or two before the explosion when he went to the bottom of the shaft to the furnace which had been only installed about seven weeks before and after the furnace was set to work Phillips made measurements and reported 15,000 cubic feet of air per minute were passing through the mine. This is the last occasion when he was down the pit.

There were some old workings in the Black Mine, about 500 yards in length but these workings had not been used for about three years. Parallel to the upper level a third level had been started and driven 300 yards to communicate with the higher level. These had not been completed and gas could accumulate in them. Brattice had been fixed with a view to stopping gas building up there.  Whelden said he had pointed this out to Phillips about 7 weeks ago and told him to get the gas dispersed and to do it on a night when there was no work going on.

When the explosion occurred Whelden was half a mile from the pit and he came to the pit and descended at once. Two doors were blown down in the level and air was not going into the workings but went straight up the upcast shaft. Coal wagons were broken and driven into a heap and they made a temporary stopping to drive the air into the workings as quickly as possible.

He then went into the workings and found a body 80 yards from the shaft. From there they went 240 yards along the horse level and found 11 bodies and examined them for life. He then came up the horse brow to the jig brow and found 27 bodies remaining.

On examining the pit the next day he thought that the explosion had taken place in the horse road about 140 yards from the upcast shaft. 4 of the 27 were burned and also the horses in the jig brow. The drawers in the horse roads were allowed naked lights and the miners worked with locked Davy Lamps.

He believed that the brattice at the ends of the engine brow would sweep the gas into the horse level and then into the workings. A Davy lamp with the gauze hanging up was found at a place where open lights were not allowed. The place where the explosion took place was 7 feet wide and 4 feet high.

The witness continued that 2 weeks ago Phillips the underlooker reported a fall of earth at the end of the Black Mine tunnel. He told him to get some men and put it right. Phillips said the earth was nearly up to the top of the tunnel. On inspection after the explosion he found only a hole “6 by 3” had been made at the top of the fall. When he was questioned by Mr Wynne at the inquiry, he said Phillips had never reported gas where he would have expected it to be.

Phillips had been at the pit twelve months and before that he had been a practical miner. He thought it was an easy matter to remove the gas and it had been reported that there was gas in the Peacock Cannel Mine and the men were brought out of the pit. The gas would go through the new workings but it was done at night when the men were not working in the mine. He did not recollect that John Hudson had complained of gas in the mine in the past six or seven months. He believed that the explosion was caused by someone placing an obstruction which diverted the current of air and drove the gas out of the old workings into the horse level where the men worked with naked lights.

Joseph Wirrell was a fireman since last March. He was previously a miner at the pit and he was on duty on the night of the explosion. He left the mine a little before 6 am. on Thursday morning when John Moores came down and he went to the surface. He told Moores that the workings were all right except for one or two places where gas would fire at the lamps. One was in the top coal on the north side of the jig brow. He saw Phillips when he left the pit and said he expected the miners to be getting through the third level with the air-brow. He reminded him to get some boring rods and then plug the holes before they drove through to the level.

That night he had been into the Peacock Cannel mine and found a little gas where William Mellor worked and on the north side there was a place where it fired at the lamp near William Harrott’s place. In order that the gas might escape it had to pass through the new workings and done at night when the men were not there. He had to give his report to Phillips not Whelden and he never said anything to Whelden about the gas but told Phillips that the air was slack on Tuesday. There had been a fall in the drift and he and Moores went to clear it of dirt. There was no air passing except through the loose material at the top of the fall but before long he could crawl through on hands and knees. He told Phillips that a fresh air road would have to be made but it was not made before the explosion.

On Friday before the explosion he gave Phillips notice that he was leaving the pit as he could get more money for himself and his boy was his reasons. He had often complained to Phillips that here were too few daywagemen to keep the roads clear and when he gave notice he was told that there would be twenty more. Phillips said that the pit was not profitable enough to employ so many more men.

John Moores, the firemen had worked in the mine for about twenty years and went to the pit at little before 6 a.m. on the morning of the explosion. He saw Phillips at the pit bottom and asked where he should go that day. He was told to go to No.40. He left his bottle and dinner at the top of the tunnel and went to clear the earth that was in No.40. Twenty minutes later and 300 yards away, the explosion took place; it did not blow out his lamp.

Mr, James Horsfall, the manager of the Fair Bottom colliery near Ashton-under-Lyme, went to the pit with his underlooker on hearing of the explosion to give assistance. He found doors blown in the horse level and new screen fixed instead. The roof in the horse road was in a very bad state and men were set to repair it. Several bodies were found and sent to the bottom of the new mine and along the No.2 tunnel to the old mine door and they then went back to the shaft.

He was critical that gas was allowed to remain in the mine and he thought the gas had been drawn into the horse level and fired at an open lamp. The coroner thanked Mr. Horsfall for his efforts and thought that he had been responsible for saving the lives of two of the miners. His underlooker who went with him was Oswald Wooley.

Thomas Jones of Pendlebury now but he worked in the pit at the time of the explosion said on the morning of the explosion, Phillips told him to go to No.40 air hole which wanted cleaning and a proper road making. James Mornington went with him. They went to the top of the timber and started to throw dirt from the couplings. They had been at work for only a few minutes when the explosion took place.

He told the Inspector the road was three feet wide and the air passed quickly over the rubbish and the explosion did not blow out his lamp.

James Normington, coalminer of Oxford Road, Dukinfield, said he had worked at the pit for only two weeks and on the day he started work Phillips told him to go with John Moores and clear the No.40 air tunnel as it had fallen in. He found the tunnel closed but a little air was passing over the top of the rubbish.

He got the road through but there was loose dirt at the top that could have fallen in at any time and closed the tunnel. They timbered and put in a sidewall. On Monday morning they started “oot riddling” to make the road larger at the bottom.

At the time of the explosion James Mornington was pulling down the top and he was working with others to clear it away. About a full tub had come down as soon as it was touched and this was immediately before the explosion. His lamp was blown out and he was thrown down.

Joseph Kay, coalminer of Dukinfield, was not at work on the morning of the explosion because he was lame but he was aware that there was gas in the third level. He knew that if the No.3 level had trapped gas, that gas would have escaped into the workings of the new mine and caused an explosion.

He never told this to Welding because when he reported gas on previous occasions Isaac Welding had told him to go about his business. This revelation caused a sensation in the court among the gathered miners. He then told Welding that he did not want to work in the place because it was not safe and he did not complain about the second lot of gas to him because he knew he would loose his job and Welding had never come to see if his information was true or not. He told the court that earth stoppings were used in the mine but they were never air tight. This was because of the lack of bricks and mortar and the mismanagement of the pit.

John Hodgson, coalminer of Brick Lane Dukinfield, was in the pit at the time of the explosion and had worked in the pit for two years. John Moores and the fireman and Joseph Wild the night fireman and they did not come to inspect the place regularly and they missed as much as four days a week. When the furnace was put in seven weeks before the explosion he did not find the ventilation better and told Welding so but he never came to inspect his place.

John Bate, coalminer of Dukinfield, was employed to the pit up to three months before the explosion. He was called a fireman but was engaged chiefly in jobbing about. The ventilation was bad and then the furnace was built. He had never seen brick stoppings in the mine bar two, one of which he built himself and Moores the other. He examined the workings only once a week and spent much of the day shifting dirt. This was done with the knowledge of Phillips who had to work like any of the other men. When Bate complained that the men were working without air, Phillips said that brattice should be got there. Sometime after putting up the brattice he told Phillips that there would be an explosion if proper precautions were not taken and he had shown Philips where the gas lodged.

He also told Welding and was discharged by Phillips through WeldingÕs orders three months ago because he refused to go down the mine alone at 4 a.m. He said he was discharged from being a fireman but the thought that there was no air or any regulations at the pit so he left.

Mr. W. Foulkes, surgeon of Dukinfield, went to the pit on the morning of the explosion and saw the bodies brought up. He said they had all died from suffocation.

The Coroner asked if any of the assembled colliers wanted to say anything and James Ramsbottom came forward. He found Samuel Moores working with a lamp that was produced in court and the lamp was in a dangerous state and Moores knew it. He had asked for another six weeks before the explosion but could not get one. Moores said that he bought the lamp at a pawn shop and the gauze broke three weeks ago. The miners were responsible for buying their own lamps but the company should provide the gauzes. He asked Phillips for a gauze and was told that he had not got one to fit and he would have to keep it. On the morning of the explosion, he got a new lamp from the fireman. Philips had seen his old lamp and sent home to work on the far level. Both the fireman and the underlooker knew of the state of the lamp.

Mr. Wynne, the Inspector had no doubt that gas had accumulated on the No.3 level and had been blown to the horse roads where it fired at an open light. He said that fiery mines were not dangerous if they were well managed.

The jury deliberated for an hour and returned a verdict of accidental death but added:

We are of the opinion that the general management of the pit was characterised by great incompetence but not sufficiently grievous as to fix the manager with criminal responsibility.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspectors Report, 1866. Mr. Joseph Dickenson.
The Colliery Guardian.
The Illustrated London News.

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

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