Trimdon Grange Colliery Explosion – Trimdon – 1882

TRIMDON GRANGE. Trimdon, Durham. 16th. February 1882.

The colliery was owned by Mr. Walter Scott of Newcastle who purchased it in August 1880 from the late Mr. Matthew Forster together with the adjoining colliery of East Hetton also know as the Kelloe colliery. Trimdon Grange was a series of three pits and was connected to the Kelloe pit two miles away which was also owned by Mr. Walter Scott.

The shafts at the pit were sunk on the southern edge of the Durham coalfield and were within a few yards of Trimdon station on the Hartlepool and Ferryhill Railway and were sunk about ten years before. The seams worked are the Harvey, in which the explosion occurred and the Low Main. The Harvey seam which was the deeper of the two at 180 fathoms as compared to 130 fathoms of the Low Main seam. About five hundred men were employed in the three pits and they worked a three-shift day with an average of one hundred men and boys in the pit at any one time. Eighty men and boys were supposed to have been in the Harvey seam at the time of the explosion and about thirty in the Low Main.

The colliery worked the Low Main seam at ninety-seven fathoms and the Harvey seam, at one hundred and forty-three fathoms. The pit was divided into three districts, the Pit Narrow Board district to the north, the Headway district to the south and the Cross-cut district between the Pit Narrow Board and the Headway districts. An entrance from the Kelloe pit by of the Kelloe headways was closed by a door at the Trimdon engine. The longwall face to the north of the goaf in the Pit Narrow Board district was approached on the flat by three ways, 1st, 2nd and 3rd south and the pit was worked by cutting the pillars back along the wall through the whole level. The shots were fired by “kitties”, straws filled with powder, and an unexploded cartridge was found the day after the explosion near MartlandÕs place and the brattice showed signs of burning.

The pit was ventilated by a furnace twenty-one feet by six feet close to the upcast shaft and could be worked as either an intake or a return air furnace. On the day of the explosion, it was working as a return air furnace. The pit was lit by the hewers using Davy lamps and the drivers “midges” which were not safety lamps which were not thought to be dangerous.

The greatest vertical depth was nine hundred and seventy-five feet. The mine was dusty but it did not make a lot of gas. The only report of gas by a shift overman that was reported in his book was recorded by the overman who was killed in the explosion. The only safety lamp that was used in the mine was the Davy type with a sliding shield and naked lights, called “midgies”, were used by the river boys. They were allowed to take them as far as caution boards, which were placed at safe distances from the workings. It emerged at the inquiry that there was no evidence to show that the explosion was caused by naked lights.

The Special Rules used in the mine were drawn up by the Committee of the North of England United Coal Trade Association. The discipline in the colliery was good and there was no smoking, concealment of matches or disobedience of orders of the deputies. There was nothing to indicate that the cause could be put down to the misconduct of the miners.

The question of the number of deputies employed at the mine was a point that was raised at the inquiry. Three days before the explosion the number of deputies had been reduced from four to three which meant that the others had to do more work looking for gas in the Pit Narrow Board. The number of hewers had gone down and this was the reason for employing fewer officials. The cause of the explosion was in no way attributed to neglect of duty by the overmen or the deputies.

The readings of the barometer taken at the pithead were lower on the morning of the explosion that they had been at any time during the proceeding month and it was evident that the explosion occurred on a day when the atmospheric conditions were dangerous.

The condition of the roof was also noted at the inquiry. On the 16th, a hewer named Connor, was withdrawn because of a ‘bad place’ in the roof and the goaf behind the face was also considered dangerous since it might form the conditions, coupled with the state of the roof, that would liberate and trap gas.

The explosion took place at 2.40 p.m. during the back shift. At that time there were sixty-four hewers, five deputies and twenty-five boys in the Harvey seam, a total of ninety-four persons. Every man and boy in the Narrow Board and the Headways district was killed. The men at the Cross-cut district felt a sudden shock and compressing of the air and they made their way to the shaft through the advancing afterdamp and were rescued.  It was immediately clear that the explosion had taken place in the Pit Narrow Board district, opposite the southern extremity of the second south way. There was no time lost and exploration started at once.

The rescue work was hampered by the fact that the cages were stuck ten fathoms from the bottom of the shaft where the force of the explosion seemed to have spent itself. The rope was broken and the bucket of the cage had been upset and sent to the bottom of the shaft. Communication by means of the Low Main was also found to be impossible and the exploring party went by way of the Kelloe shaft.

A committee of colliery engineers who had arrived at the colliery to give assistance sat continually with Messrs. Bell and Willis the Government Inspectors and Mr. Wood the resident viewer of Trimdon Grange Colliery. On Sunday the exploring parties penetrated through the drifts from the Harvey to the shaft at the Kelloe. They found parts of the mine free from gas and the ventilation was almost restored.

Many of the bodies were burnt and the marks of violence were most numerous in the Pit Narrow Board district. There were many victims of the afterdamp scattered throughout the mine. In the Pit Narrow Board district eleven bodies were found burned to death and only one body, that of Maitland in the whole of the pit had the same appearance. Most of the men were found in their working places but Hyde, Smith and Hunter, who worked at the first and second pillar to the east of the second south but their lamps were found in their working places indicating that they must have seen some warning of the impending disaster.

All the bodies had been recovered and by Friday the number brought to the surface was 27 and on Saturday eight more were taken from the pit and by 5 p.m. on Sunday evening.  The whole of the remainder were been found with the last body being brought to the pit bank on Monday morning. All the recovered Davy lamps were tested and some were found to be defective.

Those who died were:

• Hermon Carl Schier aged 23 years.
• James Boyd aged 13 years.
• Joseph W. Burnett aged 23 years.
• George C. Burnett aged 19 years.
• James W. Burnett aged 17 years.
• William Burns aged 35 years.
• Michael Docherty aged 14 years.
• Edward Spencer aged 19 years.
• Joseph Dorman aged 14 years.
• Thomas Dorman aged 13 years.
• Patrick Durkin aged 13 years.
• Joseph Hyde aged 23 years.
• William Jefferson aged 14 years.
• George Jefferson aged 14 years.
• John Williams aged 31 years.
• William Jennings aged 17 years.
• Michael McHale aged 21 years.
• John McHale aged 16 years.
• Thomas McHale aged 13 years.
• Samuel Richardson aged 17 years.
• George Simon aged 16 years.
• Frederick Bowen aged 23 years.
• William Bowen aged 16 years.
• Henry Burke aged 39 years.
• Richard Dawe aged 20 years.
• John Edmunds aged 13 years.
• David Griffiths aged 19 years.
• Michael Hart aged 45 years.
• Cornelius Jones aged 18 years.
• John F. Jones aged 38 years.
• Ralph Mercer aged 18 years.
• Henry Miller aged 24 years.
• Thomas Priestley aged 29 years.
• Andrew Smith aged 23 years.
• William T. Stubbs aged 31 years.
• George Wigham aged 28 years.
• William Williams aged 31 years.
• John Wilson aged 33 years.
• John Allison aged 19 years.
• Thomas Clark aged 24 years.
• William Day aged 13 years.
• George Dobson aged 26 years.
• Thomas Peat aged 21 years.
• Thomas Pryor aged 26 years.
• John Smith aged 26 years.
• Robert Edwards aged 17 years.
• John Errington aged 33 years.
• Thomas Horden aged 50 years.
• William Maddrell aged 40 years.
• Christopher Prest aged 35 years.
• John Ramsay aged 26 years.
• Frank Ramshaw aged 17 years.
• William Robinson aged 34 years.
• Ralph H. Robinson aged 17 years.
• George Slack aged 21 years.
• Robert Soulsby aged 60 years.
• Jacob Soulsby Jnr. aged 27 years.
• Richard Thwaites aged 27 years.
• John Wilson aged 15 years.
• Jacob Berriman aged 37 years.
• William J. Hyde aged 26 years.
• Henry Joyce aged 16 years.
• Enoch Sayer aged 18 years.
• William Parker aged 16 years.
• Thomas Sharp aged 42 years.
• Thomas Hunter aged 37 years.
• William J. Hyde aged 26 years.
• Henry Joyce aged 16 years.
• Enoch Sayer aged 18 years.
• George Richardson aged 29 years.
• Peter Brown aged 60 years.
• Thomas Blenkinsop aged 27 years.
• Robert Maitland aged 46 years.
• Matthew French aged 13 years.

The Reverend Oates Sagar, Minister of Deaf Hill and curate in charge of the Parish of Trimdon gave an account of the disaster in a sermon:

On a sunny day, in a remarkably summer-like February, when the birds (early returned) were singing cheerily in the sky, that happened, which, to many among us, turned the light of the sun into darkness, and caused sounds of lamentation and bitter weeping arising to heaven. At half-past two o’clock o the afternoon of the 16th of that month, an ominous sound was heard at Trimdon Grange, and even for some distance around, which has been described as like the sound of a boiler explosion. Anxious eyes were turned toward the mouth of the pit, and smoke and ashes were seen rising from the Harvey shaft, and then dismay and apprehension filled the minds of all. Too soon it was known that an explosion of gas had taken place, and it was felt that many lives must have been sacrificed. The sad intelligence spread rapidly through the neighbourhood, and multitudes spread to the spot. Help came speedily from all directions. Mining engineers and their official’s miners in great numbers, with their agents, came to tender their services and the surgeons of the locality were there, ready to discharge their necessary duties. Men were found willing to descend through the choking stithe into the mine, and the greatest exertions were, made to discover the extent of the disaster, but it was some time ere this could be done. Meanwhile, it was found that the area of the explosion was not confined to the Trimdon Grange Pit, but that the deadly gas had forced its way through a connecting passage to the Kelloe Pit, which is worked by the same owner and the miners there were compelled to flee for their lives. Six men, however, perished there some of them gallantly led by the manager, H.C. Schier, M.E., died in an attempt to keep open the communication between the mines. It was some time before it was known how many lives had been lost at Trimdon Grange. The living were brought to the surface in a few hours, the less exhausted of their number bravely waiting at the shaft till the others had been brought to bank. Nine of them had been saved through the presence of mind of a veteran miner, the back overman, J. Soulsby, snr. who had kept them out of danger? The last of the saved was brought up shortly after nine o’clock and it was felt that those who were still in the pit could not possibly have survived what was found to have been a most destructive explosion. Out of the 93 men and boys who had gone down into the Harvey Seam that morning, only 26 were saved.

No exertions were spared by day or by night and no expense was begrudged, in opening out the pit. Many volunteers ran a great risk in performing this task and in recovering the dead. Early on Monday morning, the last body was carried home. It is supposed that all must have died in a very few minutes (say some five) and thus their sufferings could not have been prolonged. One man, J. Errington, was found with a boy on each arm and another laid over him. He had evidently been trying to save them and lost his life in the attempt. On of the 26 saved, the fireman, P. Brown, was so dreadfully burnt that he died on the following Tuesday, after great sufferings. He was ministered to by members of the Primitive Methodist body. The engineman, H. Ramshaw, and his assistant, a boy, W. Taylor, were among the saved, but the former had been blown by the force of the explosion some distance from his engine. On recovering his senses he exclaimed. “Whatever shall we do?” The boy’s reply was. “I think thou had best pray.”

Such was the first thought that arose in the mind of this boy, and such, we may well believe, must have been the first thought of those who perished, if they had time to think at all. Many of them were only boys out of the 68 who perished at Trimdon Grange, 31 were under21 years of age, many of them, it is consoling to know, were Sunday scholars whilst of the older ones, some were Sunday School teachers and members of Churches. I myself personally know many of them for years, as well as their friends, and they were very dear to me. I have had some of them in my own Sunday School some I have prepared for confirmation, and other clergy others while not a few of them have worshipped with us in various ordinances of the Church, both here and at Old Trimdon, And now, within the short space of men week, they have disappeared from, our view, and their places shall know them no more. “My heart is distressed for you, my brothers!”

The inquest was opened by Mr. Crofton Maynard Coroner on Saturday on the thirty bodies at the Trimdon and six at Kelloe which had been recovered and identified. Formal evidence was taken at the Trimdon and an adjournment to March 29th. Mr. Thomas Bell, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Mines and Mr. Willis and Mr. N. Atkinson, Assistant Inspectors were present as were members of the Miners National Union.

At the Kelloe inquest, the evidence was given in regard to the explorers who had died and a verdict returned that Scheir and Blenkinsop were suffocated in the attempt of the rescue whilst engaged in their work.

The seat of the explosion was in the Pit Narrow Board opposite the second south and a fall in the goaf, caused by a squeeze had liberated the gas. It would be possible for the increased velocity of the air caused by the fall to go through the lamp gauze. The Inspector had seen this happen at falls and on some occasions, it had blown out his lamp.

Two theories were put forward as to the case of the explosion. Nicholas Wilkinson thought it had been cause by a “flushed kittie” (a blown out shot), which blew down the stopping and blew the gas into the men’s lamps. The Inspectors, Mr. Bell and Mr. Willis did not agree with this theory and they thought that the explosion occurred throughout the whole of the pit. If this theory was true then the Davy lamp afforded no security in circumstances of this kind and the Inspector thought that in dusty mines with longwall workings, they should be prohibited.

After all the evidence had been heard the jury came to the following verdict

We are all agreed that John Ramsey and William Jefferson and sixty six others, men and boys, lost their lives by an explosion of gas in the Pit Narrow Board Longwall in the Harvey Seam of the Trimdon Grange colliery on the 16th February last but from what cause the explosion took place we have no sufficient evidence to show.

We recommend that in future that no shots be fired in the day time or during the time when the men are in the pit within forty yards of standing or fallen goaf and we would recommend that more deputies are employed at the pit.

We also recommend that a general report book be kept and that each officer’s report book be copied in the book daily.

The Inspector said that the recommendations of the jury were not worthy of attention.

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspector Report, 1882.
The Report of T.W. Snagge, Barrister-at-Law on the explosion which occurred at Trimdon Grange Colliery on the 16th February 1882.
Colliery Guardian, 17th February 1882, p.261, 24th February 1882, p.296, 6th April 1882, p.545

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