Single Record

Full Details

Surname

WILKINSON

Forename

David

Day

14

Month

08

Year

1934

Age

37

Occupation

Machineman

Mine/Quarry Name

Rosehall, No.10 Pit

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Robert Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd

Location

Coatbridge

County

Lanarkshire

Details of Event

Miner' Burns Prove Fatal; Victims of Rosehall Colliery Explosion; Four Others Detained in Hospital: The explosion which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the main coal seam of No.10 Rosehall Colliery, Bellshill has resulted in two miners, one from Bellshill and the other from Coatbridge, losing their lives. Four others are detained in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and are reported to be seriously ill. Striking heroism was displayed by the rescuers, who carried their comrades for half a mile underground. There was constant risk of another explosion. The Bellshill miner whose burns proved fatal was Andrew Craig, 30 Glebe Street. He died in Glasgow Royal Infirmary on Tuesday night. Craig is a married man with no family. The Coatbridge miner whose burns proved fatal was Matthew Martin, 136 Hatton Street. He suffered from general burns and died in the Infirmary yesterday morning. The injured men were conveyed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where they have all been detained for treatment. The injured are:- Samuel Mayberry, Motherwell Road, Bellshill (burns to back and hand) Taylor Quate, 83b Calder Street, Whifflet (head burns) William Stewart, 43 East Parkhead Rows, Bellshill (burns on forearm) David Wilkinson, 36 New Orbiston, Bellshill (general burns) The explosion occurred about two o'clock on Tuesday morning in the main coal seam of No.10 Rosehall Colliery, belonging to Robert Addie and Sons Ltd, which is situated between Bellshill and Whifflet. Nine men were engaged at coal cutting operation at the time of the explosion – two coal cutting machinemen, one hole borer and six brushers. The machinemen, hole borer and three of the brushers were closest to the scene of the explosion, and were badly injured. The other three brushers fortunately escaped injury. A “Mystery” Explosion - There were scenes of great heroism at the pit when the injured men were carried half a mile underground to the bottom of the shaft by their comrades at great risk following the accident. The men were laid down at the bottom of the shaft until the rescue brigade from Coatbridge descended and conveyed them to the surface. The accident occurred at a point 150 fathoms deep. The precise cause of the accident has not yet been ascertained, and the mine officials regard it as something of a mystery explosion. There is little doubt, however, that the men received their burns when an accumulation of gas became ignited and exploded. One of the rescuers, John Robertson, Bellshill, told a press representative that when the explosion occurred he was thrown off his feet by the force of the blast. He was working at another coal cutting machine about 50 yards distant from the first, where the explosion took place. “Half a dozen of us rushed to see what we could do,” Mr Robertson said, “but we found ourselves faced by a sort of smoke screen of after damp; it was impossible for use to go into the smoke; we would have been overcome. We heard the others shouting and screaming and could hear them dragging themselves towards us. We were compelled to wait till first one, then another, and the rest, all but one, came into view. It was an awful sight. Their state was terrible. They were blackened and burned by the explosion and their clothes were in tatters.” Shouting In Agony - “One of them was missing but we discovered afterwards he had been able to get to safety by another way immediately after the explosion occurred. We lost no time in getting the injured men up to the level, where we would all be in clearer air. They were shouting in agony as we dragged and carried them along, but it was the only way we could move them. When we got them up to the level, the Rescue Brigade was just arriving, and the injured men were taken over by them and conveyed to the top.” One of the men employed at the pit stated in an interview that the night shift started work at ten o'clock. “I myself wasnot on the night shift, he said. “I had gone to bed, and was wakened shortly after 2am by a man who informed me that there had been a serious accident in No.10 pit. I immediately put on my clothes and hurried to the pithead. I learned that shortly after the accident a number of men who were not involved volunteered to go to the rescue of their comrades, some of whom were lying unconscious.” Groped to the Scene - “The volunteers – at great personal risk – descended the pit and groped their way to the scene of the accident. They half carried and helped their injured comrades to the bottom of the pit shaft. In the meantime the Coatbridge Rescue Brigade – the only one in the vicinity – was called out, and brought the men to the surface. The men were then rushed to the Infirmary.” Mrs Quate, wife of one of the injured men, said her husband had been working in the pit for nearly a year. “He had a premonition that there would be an accident at the colliery,” Mrs Quate said, “and unfortunately it proved only too true. I was informed about the accident about five in the morning,” she said. Crawled To Safety - A graphic story of the accident was given to a reporter by Peter McBride, Wallace Street, who was working on a level above the section in which the accident occurred. “I heard a muffled explosion and I knew there was something wrong,” he said, “because the firing of shots would not have been heard in a different level in ordinary circumstances. Along with another man I attempted to get into the section, but owing to the fumes which filled the tunnel we were unable to do so.” The concussion was heard on the surface, and the men at the pithead immediately descended to investigate. They were also prevented from entering the section where the explosion occurred. Meanwhile the injured men were crawling and struggling along towards safety through dense fumes. “A Fearful Sight” - “It was a fearful sight,” said Mr McBride, “and I hope I shall never see the like of it again. My comrades and I met the men half way, and helped them to the shaft. They appeared to be suffering terrible agony. Their shirts had been burned off their bodies, and the skin was peeled off their hands. Craig's hair had been completely burned off his head. The bodies of the men were also badly scorched.” Only five of the men were found by the rescuers half way towards the shaft. A search was made for the sixth man, and while the rescuers were going through the section they were informed that the man had managed to crawl to the bottom of the shaft himself, and had been taken to the surface. Some of the men were crying piteously and begging for a drink of water when the rescuers came upon them. Others bore their injuries heroically. Many Volunteers - The first of the rescuers to reach the men could do little to relieve their pain. A few minutes later, however, the second rescue squad arrived with blankets, which they wrapped round the injured. A feature of the drama was that there was no lack of assistance. Everybody available volunteered to help. The injured were placed in stretchers and taken to the surface, where ambulance waggons were waiting to rush them to the infirmary. The force of the explosion was so great, Mr McBride said, that one of the men was hurled about 10 yards, but miraculously he still retained consciousness. Mr Scobie, under manager at the pit, paid a tribute to the rescuers for the heroism which they displayed. “I was present when the rescuers went down shortly after 2am,” he said. “Both the members of the rescue brigade and the volunteer miners showed great pluck.” It is understood that the men were boring through waste into an old section of the pit when the explosion occurred, and it is further believed that some gas came from this old working. One of the injured men told his rescuer that he had been eating his “piece” when the explosion occurred. He was instantly enveloped in clouds of fine dust and was slightly injured by being struck by some flying stones. [Bellshill Speaker August 17, 1934]