Houghton-le-Spring Colliery Explosion – Houghton-le-Spring – 1828

HOUGHTON-LE-SPRING. Houghton-le-Spring, Durham. 1st. September, 1828.

The explosion occurred on a Monday morning in the New Pit at Houghton-le-Spring belonging to Lord Durham. Three men and four boys were killed. The names of the unfortunate men were:

• George Smith aged 32 years of Houghton.
• Thomas Bradley aged 28 years of Houghton.
• John Wilkin of Philadelphia, aged 24 years.

The names of the boys were not learned.

The accident is attributed to the men themselves having incautiously left open a door in the mine on Saturday night. The foul air had by this means accumulated in the workings and on the return of the pitmen on Monday morning with their lights it exploded.  A coroner’s inquest was held on view of the bodies, and a verdict returned of Accidental Death.

REFERENCES
Annals of Coal Mining. Galloway, Vol.1, p.498.
Sykes’ Local Records.

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