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Full Details

Surname
GEMMELL
Forename
John Jnr
Day
17
Month
08
Year
1900
Age
23
Occupation
Miner
Mine/Quarry Name
Portland, No.5 Pit
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Portland Colliery Co. Ltd
Location
Kilmarnock
County
Ayrshire
Details of Event
A section of dip workings sealed off by a brick stopping was being re-opened. Two shots of Nobel's blasting gelatine were fired in the stopping, 30 inches thick, blowing it down and causing an explosion of fire damp accumulated behind it. The men all retired nearer the shaft, and an hour afterwards a second explosion occurred, fatally injuring six of them and injuring other two. The cause of the second explosion has not been ascertained. From Main body of report: The most serious explosion that happened during the year occurred in No.5 Pit, Portland Colliery, Ayrshire. This colliery, which is close to Kilmarnock, belongs to the Portland Colliery Co., Ltd., Mr. Allan Gilmour being the managing-director, and Mr. Daniel Gilmour the manager. No.5 or Nursery Pit is the downcast shaft, No.4 or Wellington Pit, which is 1,100 yards distant, being the upcast. The main coal seam in which the explosion happened is 7 feet thick, and is worked on the "stoop and room" system. The accompanying plan No.1, shows the Hurlford section of the workings. Owing to a fire caused by spontaneous combustion some years ago the section BB was shut off by building a stopping in each of the two mines which formed the only means of access to this section. One of these stoppings was in the Dook Mine at the point (d). It appears that about a month previous to the explosion these old workings were tapped at the point (f) when fire-damp was given off. Thereafter a working place was driven as far as the point (e) where John Higgins, Junr., and Boyd Cummock were working with safety lamps, their place being ventilated by means of bratticing. It having been determined to open up the section BB from the Dook Mine also, on the 17th August, David Clark and John Todd were sent by the under-manager to blast out the stopping (d) by means of Nobel's blasting gelatine. This stopping consisted of a brick wall, 30 inches thick, built with cement. It seems that about 12.30 p.m., after having drilled and charged two shot-holes in the stopping, and lit the fuses, the men retired to a point between (c) and (h). First one and then the other shot went off, and the second was instantly followed by an explosion of fire-damp, which injured Alexr. Dunlop, who was working with James Brown at the point (a). There were 12 men in all in the section, and after the explosion they at once retired up the "Crosscut Dook." Four men went out to the pit bottom, while the others remained in the intake airway between the points AA', and while waiting there until the arrival of the under-manager the fireman and two of the miners took the safety lamps and went back to attempt to get their clothes, but encountered fire-damp when approaching the place (b), and had to retire. When Johnstone, the under-manager, arrived, he and the fireman and two miners went down the Crosscut Dook to explore, and having been met by fire-damp, which put out one of the two safety lamps, they had retired nearly to the top of the dook when a second explosion happened. About three-quarters of an hour afterwards the men were all found insensible by the manager and others between the points A and A1, the point A being some 260 yards distant from No.5 shaft. The under-manager was found lying in the recess (g) with a safety lamp and his naked lamp beside him. The other safety lamp was found some distance nearer the pit bottom. Turnbull's (the fireman) safety lamp was afterwards found at the point (h), where he appears to have been at the time of the first explosion. The ventilating current comes from No.5 Pit and down the Crosscut Dook in the direction indicated by the arrows, and was said to have been conducted by screens and bratticing to within 20 yards of the stopping (d), but as these erections were all blown away by the explosion a subsequent inspection could not show where they had been placed. On examining the stopping (d) after the explosion, it was found that the shots had made an opening 4 feet wide by 2 2/3 feet high right through. There seems to be no doubt that the first explosion was caused by the shots igniting firedamp accumulated on the lower side of the stopping. About an hour elapsed ere the second explosion occurred, but I have been unable to ascertain what was the cause of it. It seems evident that a body of firedamp accumulated behind the stopping, on being released by the shots, worked its way upwards until it came in contact with a naked light, and the explosion thus initiated was carried on and intensified by the coal dust, as these workings are both dry and dusty. There is evidence that the force of the blast radiated from the vicinity of the point (j), and this points to the possibility of the first explosion having set fire to some timbering or brattice cloth which kept burning until the body of firedamp reached it and became ignited. The investigation and subsequent inquiry into the cause of this explosion brought to light several contraventions of the regulations, and proceedings were taken against the manager as being responsible for three of these. After evidence was heard he was convicted in each case and fined £15.