Apedale Colliery Sladderhill No. 3 Pit Explosion – Newcastle-under-Lyme – 1891

APEDALE. Sladderhill No. 3 Pit. Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. 2nd. April, 1891.

The Apedale Colliery, which comprised several coal and ironstone pits, were about three miles N.W. of Newcastle-under-Lyme which was owned by the Midland Coal, Coke and Iron Company, Limited who took possession of the colliery on the 4th. January 1890. They were also the owners of the adjoining Podmore Colliery. Mr. W.Y. Craig was the managing director of the Company; Mr. W.H. Wain was the general manager of the collieries with Mr. S. Lawton the certificated manager of the pit and for its daily supervision. There was no undermanager and Thomas Holland was the overman of the pit and under him, in the explosion district, was two fireman Ralph Taylor and John Warburton. There were usually three firemen but at the time there was a vacancy.

There were three seams of coal worked at the colliery, the Seven Foot Banbury, the Eight Foot Banbury and the Bullhurst seams, all of which were entered by the same crut or stone drift. The pit was worked by one shift except in one area and this was where the explosion occurred. This district was worked in three shifts, the morning shift going down at 5.30 a.m. and made up of 15 men, an afternoon shift of 12 going down at 2 p.m. and a night shift of 9 going down at 9.30 p.m. Coal was drawn between 6 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. only and it was during the afternoon shift that the disaster took place.

The Sladderhill No.3 pit was the downcast and winding pit and was 9 feet in diameter and 200 yards deep. It pierced the strata at an angle of about 30 degrees and dipped to the south-east. From the bottom of the pit, a horizontal crut crossed the measures to the rise and cut the deep seams. After crossing the Seven Foot and Eight Foot Banbury seams, it cut the Bullhurst seam at 420 yards from the shaft. From the end of the crut and approximately at right angles to it, a pair of levels are driven into the Bullhurst for 560 yards. Near the inner end of these levels, two pairs of upbrows or dips were driven to the full rise of the seam. Before this, the Bullhurst had been worked to the rise of the present workings.

The ventilation was produced by a Waddle Fan, 35 feet in diameter at the top of the upcast shaft which was 500 yards from the downcast shaft. The fan was driven at between 50 and 60 revolutions per minute and produced a water gauge of 2.5 inches and ventilated several other districts in the mine. The amount of air allotted to the Bullhurst seam averaged about 10,000 cubic feet per minute according to the colliery record book. The current reached the end of the crut and passed along the lower level to the bottom of the No.4 jig dip where it divided, about half going straight on the levels and No.5 dips and returned along the upper levels and then to the upcast shaft. The other half ventilated the No.4 dips and took the same route to the upcast shaft. The air was sent to the working faces by iron pipes 12 inches in diameter or by canvas brattice. The Inspector thought there was sufficient air to ventilate the workings sufficiently. the workings were all driven under the top coal and averaged 5 feet in height. The main levels and dips were about 9 feet wide and the upper level was 4 to 5 feet wide with thirlings 3 to 4 feet wide.

The coal was got down by blasting after being holed over the top and cut at the side. in the main level it was filled into tubs taken to the face. In the upper level the coal was drawn from the face by a “dan”, or small iron box without wheels, to the last completed thirling and “riddled” or raked down the thirling to the lower level and there filled into tubs. In the dips the coal was riddled down to the last thirling, filled into tubs and “jigged” down to the main level. On reaching the main level the tubs were drawn to the shaft by horses.

Marsaut safety lamps were used in the pit. They were examined and locked at the surface. In the Bullhurst seam lamps were allowed to be opened for relighting at the bottom of the No.4 dip. The firemen were provided with shielded Davy lamps for shot lighting in addition to the Marsaut. The mine released a fair amount of firedamp and it was known to accumulate in rise places if they were left unventilated. The levels beyond the last thirling were left unventilated for 10 days after the explosion and firedamp did not accumulate in them. There were no records of gas in the fireman’s report book.

The intake airway and haulage road was wet or damp from the downcast shaft to thirling No.7. Water drained under the coal and down the thirlings from the old workings above and on reaching the lower level, it ran along the deep side to the crut and then to the shaft. The workings were generally damp as they were approaching old workings above from which the water came. The upper level was dry and dusty and there was considerable dust from the “riddling” operations that were carried on.

Two colliers, Samuel Rowley and Samuel Horton, had come from the upper part of the No.4 workings a few minutes before the explosion and were in the crut on their way to the shaft at the time. They had felt no sense of danger when they left their work a little early but at about 200 yards from the shaft they felt a change in the air. They were old colliers and knew that there a either an explosion or that there had been a very heavy fall of the roof but they did not consider the situation serious and they went took no steps to find out what had happened except to tell the engineman that if anyone signalled from the bottom of the shaft he was to let the cage down. They waited at the pit top until some other men went down and they returned with the news was that there had been an explosion so an hour was lost before anyone tried to enter the workings. In evidence from these two men at the inquest the Inspector commented:

They appear either wilfully stupid or very unintelligent and they were censured by the Coroner for their conduct.

The fan attendant said that the fan was running at its normal speed and he had observed a smell and found that he could not stay in the fan drift because of the afterdamp but he sent no message to the manager. The Inspector further commented:

It is not probable that the loss of life was increased by the delay in entering the pit, as there was little doubt that all the victims were dead a few minutes after the explosion. Had the conditions been different the stupid conduct of these men might have prevented the person alive after the explosion.

The explosion was not observed at the top of the downcast shaft and there was no one at the bottom of the shaft. When the night shift were going to work shortly after 9 p.m. they found the first traces of an explosion in the Bullhurst level about 150 yards from the crut. Here a stopping was disturbed and a short distance beyond, a door blown out. They returned to give the information and the officials were informed and the exploration commenced. The Inspector reached the pit at 2 a.m. and made an examination of the district.

Richard Parsons, a horse driver was found beside a journey of full tubs to which the horse had been attached near the bottom of the no.4 jig. He lay on his back, burnt and at his place of work. George Wetnall, the taker-off, was found at the bottom of the No.4 jig, with four lamps that had taken the force of the explosion near the place. Two of these lamps were said to have belonged to Parsons and Wetnall and one was the fireman’s shot firing lamp. Frederick Webb, who had worked in the thirling near the face of the main level was found 40 yards from his place and he looked as though he had fallen while he was running out. His lamp was found at his place of work. Sampson Knight was found in the level near the last thirling and had probably been coming down the thirling at the time. James Holland was in the upper level about 18 yards from the face with his arm around a displaced air pipe and John Warburton was found two or three yards further in with a coil fuse in his hand. His lamp was near him but was screwed up. Joseph Birch was found the No.5 jig dip but his lamp could not be found. Arnold Allen was found at his place of work and William Oakley away from his place of work and it was thought he died while trying to escape as had George Hall. All the lamps that were found were locked and there was no reason to suppose that they had anything to do with the explosion.

Those who died were:

• John Warburton aged 43 years, fireman who died from the violence of the explosion,
• Frederick Webb aged 21 years, collier who was killed by the afterdamp,
• Samson Knight aged 41 years, collier who died from severe injuries,
• Richard Parsons aged 13 years, a horse driver, who was found dead with a scorched head and clothes,
• William Oakley aged 19 years, a loader who was killed by afterdamp,
• George Wetnall aged 19 years, a taker-off who died from severe injuries and burns,
• George Hall aged 34 years, a loader who died from the effects of afterdamp,
• Joseph Birch aged 19 years, a loader who died from head injuries and other severe injuries,
• Arnold Allen aged 14 years, a riddler who died from injuries,
• James Holland aged 33 years, a riddler who was burnt, William Rhodes, collier,
• Thomas Roberts, collier.

The inquest was opened by Mr. John Booth, Coroner for North Staffordshire of the 4th April and continued on the 16th and the 23rd The jury heard the evidence from Mr. Atkinson who said:

All indications observed pointed to the far end of the upper level as the starting point for the explosion. Here in the thirling there appeared to have been a blown out shot. The coal was side cut and holed over the top. The position of Warburton the fireman, which was such as he might take immediately after lighting a shot in the thirling. He had a roll of fuse in his hand, and such fuse was used for lighting the shot a shot box, containing two cartridges of gelignite was also found near him. His Marsaut lamp was unlocked but screwed together from which it would appear that he had lit the shot by opening the lamp. This was a breach of the rules as the firemen were supplied with a shielded Davy lamp for the purpose of lighting shots by means of a hot wire. His shot firing lamp was found afterwards near the bottom of the No.4 jig.

There was no doubt that the coal dust had a part in extending the explosion throughout the mine and there was criticism of the materials that were used to stem the shots.

The jury returned the following verdict:

That the explosion was caused by a blown out shot and we are strongly of the opinion that the management of the colliery had been most lax and negligent leading, in the opinion of the jury, to the gross carelessness shown on the part of their subordinates.

The Inspector recommended that clay should be sent down the pits and used to stem shots and pointed out that the relighting station was too near the face. He was also critical of the system whereby the firemen had two lamps and recommended that this should be restricted as much as possible. He was also critical of the use of air pipes for ventilation and recommended that a stoke counter be placed on the ventilating fan.

The Coroner entered the verdict and the foreman called his attention to the fact that the jury had sat for two days besides the preliminary hearing at the pit head and he said that he felt that they should have some remuneration. The Coroner said that the matter had been before the County Council who refused to make any allowances to juries and he thought that they should all be on an equal footing either all being paid or not.

REFERENCES
Report to the Right Honourable Secretary of State for the Home Department on the Explosion which occurred at the Sladderdale No.3 Pit, Apedale Colliery, on the 2nd April 1891 by W.N. Atkinson, Esq., H.M. Inspectors of Mines.

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