Gartshore Colliery Explosion – Twechar – 1923

GARTSHORE. Twechar, Dumbartonshire. 28th. July, 1923.

The colliery was about four miles east of Kirkintilloch and was owned by Messrs. Baird and Company. It included an upcast shaft, No.3, which was 98 fathoms deep to the mouthing 50 feet below the Ironstone Seam. At 70 fathoms from the surface there was another mouthing by which the air returned from the Anthracite or Haughrigg Seam entered the shaft. The Ironstone Seam had not been worked for many years but it was ventilated by a split of air which was taken directly from the No.1 or downcast shaft and coursed around the old workings. no mineral was wound at the No.3 shaft. From the bottom of the No. shaft there was a road which was known as the South Mine which branched to the left, 33 feet from the shaft into a cross drift measure which was known as Barries Mine. This was being driven to the rise to cut the Anthracite Seam. At a further 35 feet, a drift 8 feet wide and 6 feet high to be used a lodgement for water had been driven to the right.

The driving of the drift to form the lodgement was commenced in February, 1923 and completed on the 21st July. The work was carried on three shifts. A fireman was present on each shift and the manager, Mr. Neil McAlpine and the undermanager, Mr. Peter Hlaket made frequent inspections. The drift was driven level across the measures, with its pavement about six feet below the pavement of the South Mine. For 24 feet it was kept approximately at right angles to the South Mine but after that it followed the line of least resistance, turning first one way the other until at about 360 feet it struck a whin dyke after passing through the coal seams. it was not the advanced further but a few back from the dyke, an extension turned to the left and continued for 230 feet. It was in connection with the completion of the work on the outbye end of the lodgement that the accident occurred.

To ventilate the lodgement drift as it was being driven, a door frames with two doors in it was erected across the South Mine just inbye of the lodgement entrance and 17-inch diameter air tube was passed through the brickwork between the frame and the side of the road. An air current, measure at 3,000 cubic feet per minute, was passed through the tube and by addition of further tubes, into the face. a similar arrangement of tubes led for the opposite side of the South Mine which ventilated Barries Mines.

Naked lights were used by the workmen but a safety lamp was kept hanging near the roof of the face. Several months prior to the work on the lodgement drift being started, the air current of about 12,000 passing along the South Mine to the upcast No.3 shaft, had been found to contain 0.24 percent methane.

The lodgement was intended to be a permanent job and in order to support the roof and sides, steel girders were placed on brick side walls, the walls being at least 14 inches thick and the girders two and half feet apart. This formed a substantial piece of work which was expected to last for a number of years. When the work in driving the lodgement and the support of the roof and sides was completed the air tubes were withdrawn drawn from the face outwards, on 21st July.

The manger had gone on holiday, but before doing so he had instructed the undermanager by word of mouth that during the withdrawal of the air tubes, and after, until the lodgement was completed, safety lamps alone were to be used within the area of the lodgement, that was to say, named lights could be used in the No.3 shaft and in the South Mine. The individual workmen were warned and a “caution” board was erected near the entrance to the lodgement. The air tubes were successfully withdrawn on the 26th July and the undermanager made an inspection of the lodgement to see if any materials had been left behind. He made several tests for gas but found none. One of the firemen mad a similar examination and also did not find any gas.

The manager had given instructions to the undermanager that, towards the outer end of the lodgement, girders were to be placed across 6 inches above the pavement, and on these a brick wall, 2 feet tick, was to be built “hard to the roof and side.” This was built in the lodgement at 20 feet from the west side of the South Mine and was completed at 5 a.m. on the 27th July. Two walls then remained to be built, retaining walls on each side of the excavation, outside the cross wall.

At the inquiry no convincing reason was given for the building of the wall near the outer end of the lodgement. Mr. Neil Monro, assistant to the general manager, said it was so a sot make a good substantial job, but that it would not be exposed t pressure either from the roof or sides. Mr Buchanan, general manager, who followed Munro, said that the roof, although it look fairly smooth and safe, was of a dangerous nature, having gassy types in it and so the wall was built up to it.

On the afternoon shift which started at 2 p.m. on the day of the disaster, Saturday, 28th July, one fireman, three miners, one roadsman, four bricklayers, two bricklayers labourers an one bottomer were employed in connection with the building of the sidewalls on the outbye side of the cross wall.

The undermanager, Peter Halket, was at the spot from half-past two to three o’clock. he saw the contractor, William McSavony, who had been working during the morning shift, the fireman, Alexander Paterson and the roads man John Patrick. Paterson reported that everything was in order and the undermanager saw that the bricklayers and miners had safety lamps, but did not notice if they were any naked lights other than the acetylene lamp carried by McSavony. as this lamp was not in use in the area in which safety lamps were required, he made no remark about the lamp. When he left a few minutes before three, two of the miners were completing the redding out of the excavation to allow the bricklayers to begin building the side walls.

Samuel Sloan, one of the miners, gave an eyewitness account of the events up to and including the explosion. He said that he knew of the instructions about naked lights and said that they were not taken into the hole. When they were building the wall, they had a plank supported by barrels. When the explosion occurred he heard a slight report and:

“The whole show came down on to of us. Everything was rattling about, bricks hitting steel tubes And the noise was deafening. I got blown on my face. I remember hearing the two Kellys roaring. I picked myself up and got to the shaft bottom. I was almost suffocated by the heat.”

At the time of the accident, about 5.45 p.m., the bottomer, Andrew Arlie, heard a heavy report and the paraffin lamp at the bottom went out. He called out but there was no answer so he promptly got into to the cage and signalled the engineman to wind him up the shaft. Just as the cage lifted off the bottom, Sloan came out, but Arlie, being in a hurry, told him the cage could not stop but he would send the cage down for him. This was done and Sloan came to the surface but not before he had gone down as far as the lodgement and dragged one of the injured men, Melvin Kelly jnr., out towards the pit bottom.

Arlie found two men James S. Leishman, a fireman in the Anthracite Seam and John Comrie, electrical engineer at the shaft top. When he arrived at the surface, Leishman asked him what was wrong and he told him that there had been an explosion, everything was in darkness and everybody had been killed. Leishman asked for volunteers and Arlie and Comrie went down with him. Leishman tested the air at the Anthracite Level and could find nothing wrong. He signalled the cage to be lowered to the bottom And Melvin Kelly jnr. was put in and taken to the surface, Comrie going with him.

The cries of Melvin Kelly snr. could be heard but it was not before two bodies had been recovered and another man who was alive found, that Kelly was found and taken out of the mine. The bodies of the five remaining men were recovered. James Campbell, John Campbell, George Young and Melvin Kelly snr. were found in the excavation in the pavement of the South Mine. Samuel Garrie, Alexander Paterson and John Patrick were found in the left side of the South Mine. Robert James Gray, Daniel Coyle and Melvin Kelly jnr, were found just on the outbye or north side of the excavation.

A cap with an acetylene lamp attached and a cap with a naked light attached was found about twenty feet in the lodgement of the south mine and a tin containing calcium carbide.

Those who lost their lives were:

• John Patrick aged 31 years, pit roadman of 27, Croy Row Croy,
• Alexander Paterson aged 49 years, fireman of 33, Parkfoot Street, Kilsyth,
• Samuel Garrie aged 20 years, bricklayer of 1, Monisborough Road Kilsyth,
• Robert James Gray aged 22 years, bricklayer of 15, Charles Street, Kilsyth,
• Daniel Coyle aged 18 years, labourer of 28, Westport, Kilsyth,
• James Campbell aged 52 years, labourer of 7, Newtown Street, Kilsyth,
• John Campbell aged 47 years, bricklayer of Findlay Street, Kilsyth,
• George Young aged 18 apprentice bricklayer of 25, William Street, Kilsyth.
• Young died from injuries received in Kilsyth Cottage Hospital ant 9 p.m. on the day of the disaster.

The inquiry into the disaster was held in the Sheriff Court House, Dumbarton, on the 24th. October, 1923 before Alexander John Pople Menzies, Advocate, Sheriff Substitute for Stirling, Dumbarton and Clackmannan and a jury. The verdict of the jury was as follows:

That on the 28th July 1923, the workmen after named all in the employment of Messrs. Wm. Baird & Co., Ltd., Coal Masters, Twechar, were engaged in the course of their employment or occupation within Gartshore No.3 Colliery, Twechar, constructing an underground level stone water lodgement in preparation for altering the pumping arrangements in connection with a new shaft – Gartshore No.12 – then being sunk near to No.3 Gartshore, when, about 5.30 p.m. on the said date, an explosion took place resulting in the instantaneous deaths of eight men.

The inquiry started at the Justiciary Buildings, Glasgow on 22nd January 1924 and was written by Henry Walker, C.B.E., H.M. Deputy Chief Inspector of Mines when all interested parties were represented. The report was presented to E. Shinwell, Esq., M.P., Secretary for Mines, on the 30th April 1924.

Mr. Walker stated:

I have not the slightest test doubt that the accident was due to an explosion of firedamp accumulated in the lodgement. When the air tubes were taken out for the lodgement that part of the mine ceased to be ventilated. Firedamp gradually accumulated and finally, percolating through or over the cross wall, became ignited at the naked lights used by the bricklayers.

I do not imply that the lodgement was necessarily filled with an explosive mixture of firedamp and air, but that somewhere within that area there was such a mixture and that form it, to and beyond the cross wall, there was a tail of firedamp, which, on being lighted on the outside of the cross wall, continued to burn until the explosive mixture within the lodgement was reached and an explosion caused. This explosion was of sufficient violence to blow out the cross wall and it, falling n the men caused their deaths. None of the men were burnt in any way.

Every effort was made at the inquiry to find out, which after the drivage had been completed, the use of naked lights in the lodgement drift was not forbidden but none of the witnesses would admit that it was because firedamp might accumulate. The manager stated that he had no fear that the gas would accumulate. When he was asked why he was afraid of working with naked lights, he replied:

Well, we had been advised by one of the Inspectors to work with a lamp in the highest part of the working during the operations, and we considered we would go further at the termination of the job. That was the only reason.

There was evidence that firedamp had been found during the driving of the drift and the inquiry came to the following conclusions:

The use of naked lights at the cross wall was contrary to the instructions given by the manager, that, by the and after the withdrawal of the ventilation pipes, safety lamps only were to be used in the lodgement drift. This precaution was not properly enforced by the officials or carried out by the workmen.

 The lodgement was not ventilated for two or three days prior to the accident. the crucial mistake was made when it was decided to withdraw the air pipes and to erect a close wall at the other end of the lodgement. Ventilation was this cut off and any gas given off within the lodgement was bound to accumulate ad eventually find its way to the outside wall.

 Generally, the number of accidents in Scotland from explosions of firedamp due to the use of naked lights can only be reduced by closer attention to the ventilation of places where firedamp is liable to be given off or accumulate, and by the more general use of safety lamps. the rooted objection to the use of safety lamps should be met now by an electric safety lamps are obtainable which can be carried on the cap in the same way as it is customary, in Scotland, to carry naked lights.

REFERENCES
The report on the causes and circumstances attending the explosion which occurred at the Gartshore Colliery, Dumbartonshire on the 28th July 1923 by Henry Walker, C.B.E., H.M. Deputy Chief Inspector of Mines.
Colliery Guardian, 1st February 1924, p.278.

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