THORNLEY. Thornley, Durham. 5th. August, 1841.

Mr. Wood was one of the owners of the Thornley Colliery and one of his viewers gave an account of the explosion which occurred there. The explosion took place at about 4.14 p.m. in the north-west district of the Harvey Seam “A” Pit and was caused by an accumulation of gas in the third board past the waggon bord which had accumulated by a trap door being left open by a trapper by, Robert Gardener, who was under nine years of age. The gas was ignited by a naked candle. There was downcast shaft at the colliery and the upcast was a staple from the Hutton Seam which was 21 fathoms above the Harvey and 145 fathoms below the surface.

Those who died where:

  • Peter Graydon, aged 11 years, a driver.
  • George Ord aged 17 years, a flatman.
  • Thomas Haswell aged 42 years, a hewer.
  • Robert Gardiner aged 9 years, a trapper.
  • Thomas Hall aged 18 years, a putter.
  • John Graham aged 15 years, a half marrow.
  • George Graham aged 17 years, a half marrow.
  • John Armstrong aged 15 years, a putter.
  • John Gardner aged 16 years, a putter.

All the dead were buried at Kelloe.

Those who were injured:

  • George Crozier, way-cleaner.
  • James Maudlin, an overman.
  • Thomas Pyle, a trapper was lamed.

Those who escaped were:

  • John Humble, trapper.
  • J. Wilson, trapper.
  • W. Willis, trapper.
  • George Gillings, a driver.
  • Andrew Benes, water leader.
  • W. Woolcott, water leader.
  • George Morgan, shifter.
  • Thomas Atkinson, shifters.
  • R. Palmer, putter.
  • Thomas Welsh, putter.
  • W. Eltringham, putter.

On the arrival of Mr. Seymore of Wingate Grange, the head viewer, about two hours after the disaster, he and Mr. Hackles started an investigation as to the cause of the blast. It was soon apparent that a door kept by Robert Gardiner, one of the boys killed, had remained open for too long, allowing gas to accumulate and ignited at his candle.

At the inquest, at the Thornley Colliery Inn, the jury returned a verdict that the deceased had met their deaths from an explosion of gas and that no blame could be attached to the colliery management.

 

REFERENCES
Durham Chronicle.
Explosion & Inundations &c. which have taken place in the Coal Mines of Northumberland and Durham.
Royal Commission on Accidents in Mines. 1832.
Annals of Coal Mining. Galloway. Vol.2, p.259.
Mining Journal. Vol. x, p.230.
The Children’s Employment Commission. Append. i, p.555.
Latimers’ Local Records. p.144.

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

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