Margaret Iron Mine

Copied from The Whitehaven News 11th May 1911

Pit Head On Fire At Frizington – Alarming Conflagration

Men Ascend By An Old Shaft – 300 Out of Work

A disastrous fire took place at the Margaret Mine, Frizington, early yesterday (Wednesday) morning, whereby the winding and drawing engine-houses, two charging-houses, joiners’ and blacksmiths’ shops, headgear, &c., were burnt to the ground, the engines, it is feared, also rendered useless. The men on duty on the surface were Mr. Albert Holden, an engineman, and Mr. T. Metherall, a fireman. J. Holden was attending to the electric engine. 29 men were working under-ground whose names were as follows: L. W. Darley (electrician), T. Graham (joiner), J. Scurr (working electric hauling engine), W. McManus (overman), Henry Jackson, J. Scott, sen., J. Scott, jun., J. Postlethwaite, J. Ure, John Richardson, John Keough, John Cox, Tom Devitt, Geo. Hugo, Daniel Dickinson, Jos. Mingus, Richard Thomas, George Fearon, Henry McDonald, Thomas Weighman, Chas. Howell, Henry Hetherington, J. McGuire, William Fisher, W. Stewart, J. Kelly, John Walker, Joseph Kitchin, and George Weighman.

It appeared the engineman oiled around the machines as usual and did not observe anything wrong. At 1.20 he found a strong smell of burning, and thinking something had caught fire, he proceeded to the changing-houses, and in entering the further one at the end of the block, he found the place full of smoke and flames. He and his assistants immediately procured buckets of water and attempted to subdue the flames. This, however, was found to be impossible, as the fire had advanced too far. The men then hurried to the engine-room and telephoned down to the men underground to come up. The message was received by John Scurr, who warned the men on No. 3 level, and then came up in the cage with William McManus, and arrived safely at the pit top. The fire spread rapidly and quickly mounted up the headgear. The steel ropes attached to the cages were severed, and the cages went thundering down the shaft within a very few minutes of each other. Mr. P. Thompson, the manager, was quickly on the scene, and was followed by Mr. W. Thompson, manager of the Parkside Mine, Mr. T. Williams, manager of the Lonsdale Mines, and Mr. Thomas, manager of the Dean Moor Colliery. The fire horn was blown, and the Arlecdon and Frizington Fire Brigade were quickly in attendance. The alarm also brought many anxious friends and relatives of those in the pit to the pithead, and within a very short time, a crowd of about three hundred had collected. The fire had now gained a good hold, and although the Brigade laboured strenuously, their efforts met with little success. Sgt. Batty and P.C. White were early on the scene and employed their time keeping the crowd back. The people waiting, however, were very quiet and orderly, and there were no excited scenes. Many persons in the crowd were acquainted with the pit, and they assured the people that the men could easily escape through the old Agnes shaft, and that it would only be a matter of a few hours before they were liberated. General attention was directed to the electric-engine house, which is built with a wooden and tarred roof. On one occasion, the end of the roof caught fire, but the wind coming from an easterly direction prevented it from spreading, and it was quickly quenched. Mr. W. Thompson and a gallant band of helpers kept the fire in this part in abeyance until it was later extinguished by the fire hose, thus saving the electric engine intact. At about three o’clock, one of the sheave wheels fell from position, which was followed by the other about ten minutes later. The whole of the headgear was burned down by about four a.m. After this, it was simply a matter of destroying the flaming debris.

How The Men Escaped

Fortunately, there is another shaft to this pit – the old Agnes shaft – and as soon as the men below on the No. 3 level discovered the Margaret shaft was in flames, they at once congregated together and proceeded to the Agnes shaft. Below the No. 3 level is a bottom level on which several men were working at the time of the accident. The first intimation they received of the accident was by the fall of the cage. Tom Graham, a joiner, was the first to give the alarm. He felt a sudden gust of wind, followed by a crash, and on proceeding to the shaft, he also observed sparks from the burning wood. He hurriedly informed the others working off the same level (which is 161 fathoms below the surface) and they made their way up a rise to the south end of No. 3 level, where they were joined by the others, and the whole 27, with T. Graham and T. Devitt at their head, who were both thoroughly acquainted with this means of exit, then proceeded to Old Agnes. They succeeded in reaching the shaft within a hundred yards. Everyone was in excellent spirits, and all were perfectly safe. On arriving here, they were compelled to stop for the water, which was lying about six feet deep, thus making it impossible to reach the shaft. All that the men had to do, however, was to wait while this water was pumped out. It appears that this shaft is kept clear chiefly as a means of exit in case of accident, and every day, an engineman pumps out the water in the morning, which congregates there during the afternoon and night. At about three a.m. Mr. T. Thompson, manager, and Mr. Thomas descended the Agnes shaft, and it was found that there was a good current of air. Mr. W. Leck, H.M.I.M. and Mr. R. Smith, general manager, also arrived on the scene, and finding the correct current of air going towards the main pit, were satisfied of the men’s safety. About eight a.m., the water got under enough to allow the men to wade to the flat-sheets, and they were all landed safely, to the great relief of all concerned, especially to the relatives who had waited so patiently during the trying and weary hours.

Engineman’s Heroism – How McManus And Scurr Were Rescued

It was afterwards learned that McManus and Scurr, the two men who were hauled up the Margaret shaft, were rescued with great danger. When they were being hauled up, smoke was issuing down the shaft, while a large quantity of bricks and other debris was continually falling down. Although they fortunately escaped this, they might never have been rescued but for the heroism of Albert Holden, the engineman. Had he left his post, the cage could not have been hauled up, and the men would never have been saved. During the latter part of the journey, the engine-houses were all ablaze, and Holden was surrounded by flames and smoke, at considerable danger to himself. Despite this, however, he stuck to his post until he had the satisfaction of knowing that the men had been brought up safely to the top.

Describing his ascent up the burning shaft, McManus said that the smoke was coming down the pit in dense volumes, while there was a lot of debris falling.

Asked as to whether he thought it was dangerous, McManus replied that “it was only what a miner had to risk every day of his life.” At the time of the ascent, there was not sufficient smoke to suffocate them. The danger lay in the fact as to whether the ropes on the cage would break, or whether the man at the engine would be able to stick to his post. Had the ropes broken, of course they would have fallen down a depth of about 160 fathoms and would have thus been instantly killed. If the man at the engine had not been able to “stick it”, then the cage would have hung in suspense until the ropes had eventually been severed.

“So it was really through Holden sticking to his place that you escaped?” asked our representative.

“Yes,” replied Mr. McManus. “If it had not been for him, it might have been all up.”

The Pit Explored – No Fire Found

About one o’clock, a company of the Northumberland and Durham Colliery Fire Rescue Brigade arrived by motor at the pit. They had left Elswick about eight o’clock in the morning, and had arrived at about one o’clock, the journey thus occupying about five hours and twenty minutes, during which time a distance of about 110 miles had been covered. They had motored by Alston and Penrith and had had a puncture en route. Happily, they found their services were not needed. The motor is a beautifully finished vehicle of an up to date pattern and is fitted with the latest improvements. Although lightly built for fast running, it is capable of carrying a large quantity of apparatus. The men were under the leadership of Mr. Simonds, the captain of the Brigade. About two o’clock in the afternoon, an exploration was made to ascertain the condition of the pit. The party included the general manager, Mr. Smith, the manager, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. W. Leck, and Mr. J. Atkinson, H.M.I.M. Several of the Northumberland Rescue Brigade also made the descent. After about an hour and a half’s stay, the party returned.

Interviewed as to the condition of the pit the manager stated that there was about six feet of water in the bottom level. There was no fire, while the air was good, and everything was in order.

The Margaret Mine – 300 Men Thrown Idle

The Margaret Mine, which belongs to the Cleator Iron Ore Company, was opened about 15 years ago and is really an extension of the Old Agnes (No. 7 Pit). It was put down with the most improved plant. Afterwards, electricity was introduced; while a short time ago it was considerably extended in depth, at a very considerable outlay. The output is very large, the ore being of excellent quality. The number of employees is about 300, the largest portion of whom reside at Frizington. The mine is considered one of the main supports of the district. It is situated in an elevated position, and consequently, the fire was viewed from a wide area and made an imposing spectacle. The loss to the Cleator Iron Ore Company is, of course, a considerable amount, while the loss of wages to those so unexpectedly thrown out of employment will be great. The Company, however, hope to have the pit put right in a short time, and with this view has wired Messers. Hawthorn & Davey, of Leeds, the Company’s engineers, to send a representative to survey the damage.

Remarkable Coincidences

Two remarkable coincidences were noticeable in connection with the accident. It was exactly a year to the day since the Wellington Pit Disaster occurred, when 138 men and boys lost their lives.

Another remarkable fact was that on the night before (Tuesday) the accident took place, it was mentioned at the Frizington Urban District Council that there never appeared to be any fires in the Frizington district. Not six hours after the fire at Margaret Pit occurred, which is perhaps the largest and most disastrous ever known in the history of the district.