WASHINGTON. Washington, Durham, 19th. August, 1851.

There was an explosion at the colliery which claimed twenty-eight lives. The upcast shaft was only 7 feet in diameter and the total air of about 28,000 cubic feet per second was divided into five parts with 6 to 7,000 cubic feet going to the workings where the explosion took place. The air depended on one set of single doors and the bratticing was not well carried out.

The ventilation had been in an unsatisfactory state for several weeks so much so that gas appeared at candles and several men left their work in fear. The bulk of the men continued to work and it never occurred to anyone to communicate with the Inspector who, at the inquiry showed that:

There was a great want of ordinary caution and sufficiency of ventilation to abide so many splits.

The local registers show the following burials, August 21st:

  • William Hall aged 44.
  • Thomas House aged 16.
  • Henry Todd aged 17.
  • John Todd aged 23.
  • James Todd aged 13.
  • Henry Dalton aged 33.
  • James Pearson aged 14.
  • Thomas Telford aged 12.
  • Joseph Bewick aged 46.
  • Thomas Bewick aged 25.
  • Michael Bewick aged 21.
  • George Jones aged 35.
  • Andrew Hartley aged 13.
  • George Hutchinson aged 62.
  • Thomas Thompson aged 22.
  • Charles Wright aged 14.
  • John Errington aged 49.
  • Thomas Elliot aged 43.
  • Joseph Dawson aged 19.
  • Thomas Wright aged 16.
  • Robert Dobbins aged 34.

The inquest into the disaster was held in the Village school hall when, after an extensive inquiry the jury returned the verdict that:

We are of the opinion that William Hall and others came to their deaths by a fire in the Washington Colliery which took place on McNara’s board and that the fire was caused by gas being ignited at a naked light. The jury is also of the opinion, owing to the alleged accumulation of gas in the mine previous to the explosion, that safety lamps ought to have been used instead of candles.

 

REFERENCES
The Report of the Select Committee on Accidents in Coal Mines, 1853.
Washington Parish Church Burial Register.
Durham Advertiser.

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

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