RAINTON. Plain Pit. Rainton, Durham. 18th. December, 1817.
An explosion claimed twenty-seven lives, eleven men and sixteen boys. The blast occurred before all the men had descended. Had it occurred later there would have been 160 men and boys in the pit. Early reports of the total number of lives lost amounted to twenty-six, and those principally boys. The explosion took place at 3 o’clock in the morning before the hewers had descended the pit and from this circumstance, about 160 lives have been preserved. Every exertion was made to render assistance to those in the mine and two men fell having been suffocated by the impure state of the air. The viewers and agents were extremely active and had nearly shared the same fate. The pit in which this accident occurred, was always considered to be quite free from explosive matter and in consequence of this supposed security the safety lamps had never been introduced into it the miners continuing to work by the light of candles.
REFERENCES
Annals of Coal Mining. Galloway, Vol.2, p.494.
Sykes’ Local Records.
Durham Advertiser.
Information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre.
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