Bignall Hill Colliery Explosion – Audley – 1874

BIGNALL HILL. Audley, Staffordshire. 24th. December, 1874.

The colliery was the property of the representatives of the late Josiah Wedgewood and an explosion occurred in the Bullhurst Seam. George Fryer, the underlooker found the ventilation good and everything was safe. He had been given authority to order lamps but did not do so as he saw no necessity as he allowed naked lights to be used when gas had been cleared away.

Enoch Gayter was the manager of the colliery and had been down the pit the day before the explosion but he had not been in the Bullhurst seam. He always examined the Report Books and it was unusual for gas to be found in the pit.

The banksman, James Holden was at the pit top at the time of the explosion and saw smoke and dust come from the downcast shaft and heard the noise of the blast. Joseph Read, a collier was working in the Bullhurst seam on the day of the explosion and went down at 5.40 a.m. and worked on the West side until about 7 o’clock. He was in the No.3 Heading but saw only a little gas in the bolt hole in the east side but was not enough to cause him alarm. The fire came up the dip and he lost consciousness and was rescued by other workmen.

Those who lost their lives were:

• James Handley, collier in the No.3 East Heading.
• Henry Machin, collier in the No.3 East Heading.
• Enoch Procter, collier in the No.3 East Heading.
• Samuel Plevin, collier in the No.3 East Heading.
• Thomas Turner, wagoner in the No.2 East Heading.
• Alexander Obery, collier in the No.2 West Heading.
• William Cotton, loader in the No.2 West Heading.
• Frank Browning, loader in the No.2 West Heading.
• William Bentley, collier in the No.2 West Heading.
• Joseph Ashley, collier in the No.2 West Heading.
• John Lunt, horse driver.
• Henry Halfpenny, wagoner, in the No. 3 West Heading.
• George Cotton, fireman.
• Joseph Mayer, collier in the No.2 West heading.
• Levi Browning, collier in No.3 West Splitting.
• John Plevin, loader Nos. 2 and 3 East Headings.
• William Dudley, hooker in Gin Dip and wagoner in Nos. 2 and 3 East Headings.

The inquest was held at the Boughey Arms, Audley by Mr. Booth the Coroner. George Frier stated that he had found gas in the heading on the East side on the morning of the explosion about 17 to 18 yards from the workings because the brattice was short. He did not allow naked lights to be used until the gas had been cleared away.

Joseph Fryer, butty was in the mine at the time of the explosion and saw a little gas. He had worked in the pit for about 14 years and during the whole of that time, he had worked with naked lights. He went to his working place about 7 o’clock and found a little gas as had been described by Cotton, the fireman. He saw Machin and asked him when he was going to work in the turning. Machin told him that he would go after snapping time. He asked Machin to take a lamp but Machin said he knew all about it.

Mr. S.B. Gilroy, the Assistant Inspector of Mines for North Staffordshire went down the pit on the evening of the explosion and saw that stoppings in the Bullhurst seam had been blown upwards from the main level and two boards had been blown our of an air door in the west level but the frame had remained intact. It was his opinion that the explosion had originated at the loader’s naked light in Machin’s level at the bottom of the bolt hole. There were no falls of roof on the roads and very few props down

The explosion might have been prevented if Harry Machin had not gone in with the top off his light.

The jury brought in the following verdict:

We wish to express our opinion that there was not enough care taken in the working of this mine and naked lights ought not to have been used and we recommend that locked lamps should be used in the Bullhurst and Banbury seams of this district.

REFERENCES
Mines Inspector Report 1874. Mr. Thomas Wynne.
Colliery Guardian, 8th January, 1875. p.58.

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