UNSWORTH. Sunderland, Durham. 18th. March, 1885.

The colliery was the property of Sir George Elliot and was about seven miles due west of Sunderland with Mr. Moorland as the manager. There had been an accident at the colliery in 1850 when twelve and a boy lost their lives. The shafts at the colliery lead to the Maudlin, Low Main and the Hutton Seams. The Maudlin was at one hundred and fifty-seven fathoms and the Hutton was the deepest of the three at two hundred and seventy-two fathoms. The explosion took place in the west pit of the Maudlin Seam and completely wrecked the shaft but the upcast was not damaged and gave access to the mine.

A few minutes before 9 a.m. that cage came up the shaft and several men entered. Suddenly there was a loud report from below and there was an uprush of air and dust from the shaft. The brattice in the shaft was shattered and the cage smashed. The miners who were waiting to descend fled. At the time the whole of the night shift was down the mine, some hundred and twenty men and boys.

The alarm spread quickly and crowds of people came flocking to the pit head. Men in flannel suits, knee breeches and leather caps came from neighbouring collieries to volunteer to help with the rescue operations. At the upcast shaft, a chain and kibble was rigged from the windlass and a band of men went down into the mine. At the pit bottom, there were masses of wreckage, boarding, props, coal, stone and tools lay scattered about.

The explorers went to the West Pit and they had not gone far when the came across the first body which was scorched, disfigured and bruised. They found three men alive who were taken to the surface and tended by doctors who had arrived at the colliery. Others were rescued who had been scalded as if by a boiler explosion.

William Puttams, one of the explorers gave an account of the operations:

When I got down the first thing that caught my attention was the state of the mine. Everything seemed upside down. Large baulks of timber, twenty-four inches thick, were split like pieces of matchwood. The boiler in the engine house was lifted from its place and about 200 yards further up there was a fall. It was terrible to look at. We crawled along the ground for about 200 yards but we could go no further. You can not imagine the fearful desolation I saw and what is more, I hope I will never see again. The tubs were turned upside down and some of the iron wheels were torn off. This will give you an idea of what a terrible explosion it must have been. I don’t think there is any chance of saving any of the poor fellows down the pit.

The explorers went forward over the mass of rubbish that came from the numerous heavy falls that occurred until they could go no further. They returned to the surface with the news that there could be no one left alive in the mine. Among the party were Clarence Lindsay and Elijah Donnelly who went into the return airways after finding the main way to the west pit blocked. On the way, they met Richard Slee, master shifter, who volunteered to go with them. They travelled along the return airways for about one thousand yards and they found the pit in good order and decided to turn back.

They had not gone far with Lindsay leading the way when Donnelly was overcome by the afterdamp. Lindsay and Donnelly helped him but he became unconscious and the other two were feeling the effects of the gas. Slee then became unconscious and Lindsay was uncertain to try to drag them out or to go for help. He decided to try to drag them out but he had not gone ten yards when also was overcome. He fell and his lamp went out. He left them and crawled forward on hands and knees. He was found by another exploring party and taken to the surface where the Doctor Wilson revived him. Parties went back into the mine to look for Slee and Donnelly and after two hours they returned to the surface with the two bodies.

It was reported at the time that Mr. Lindsay had taken the precaution of putting iron nails in his mouth which he sucked. It was thought that the afterdamp made a carbonate of iron when it came into contact with the afterdamp and this saved his life.

Three years later Lindsay was appointed as Chief engineer at the diamond mines in Kimberley South Africa.

Those who lost their lives were:

  • T. Crake, Shifter, 66
  • Moses Harlow, Shifter, 41
  • Michael Quin, Shifter, 53
  • Henry Hunter, Shifter, 75
  • David Beveridge, Shifter, 24
  • James Dawson, Shifter, 62
  • John Ball, Shifter, 68
  • James Clarke, Shifter, 60
  • John Tumilty, Shifter, 67
  • John McGreevy, Shifter, 52
  • William Sparks, Shifter, 62
  • Robert Richardson, Shifter, 39
  • R. Harrison, Shifter, 61
  • John Ingleby, Shifter, 48
  • Samuel Brown, Shifter, 47
  • William Brown, Shifter, 28
  • James Howarth, Shifter, 48
  • T. McLaughton, Shifter, 38
  • I. Outhwaite, Shifter, 29
  • P. McQuillan, Deputy, 47
  • M. Winship, Deputy, 59
  • Jos. Greener, Deputy
  • W. Carr, Deputy, 36
  • Charles O’Neil, Chockdrawer, 39
  • C. O’Neil Jnr. Chockdrawer, 14
  • James Cook, Hewer, 30
  • Martin Wallace, Hewer, 43
  • Thomas Connell, Hewer, 27
  • John Wood, Hewer, 55
  • John Taylor, Putter, 20
  • Thomas Kelly, Putter, 21
  • John Dunning, Driver, 17
  • Hugh Murray, Driver, 16
  • James Walmesley, Waggonwayman, 25
  • Thomas Wetherell, Waggonwayman, 22
  • Ridley Taylor, Waggonwayman, 39
  • Sysland, Horsekeeper, 32
  • Thomas Dobson, Boiler fireman, 18
  • William Howarth, Boiler fireman, 20
  • Caldwell (Slee), Master shifter, 43
  • Elias Donnely, Back overman, 41

The inquest into the disaster was conducted by Mr. John Graham, Coroner. Mr. C.S. Lindsay, the assistant viewer of the colliery gave details of the system of ventilation of the Maudlin seam and after a long and exhaustive inquiry the jury returned the formal verdict:

“Accidental Death” due to an explosion of coal dust and air, ignited by the shot fired at Brown’s place in the stone drift.

The jury added the following rider:

The jury wishes to say that they leave the question of shotfiring to be dealt with by the proper authorities.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspectors Report.
Minutes of proceedings taken at the adjourned inquest on the bodies of the 42 men and boys killed by the explosion at Unsworth Colliery on the 2nd March 1885.
The Colliery Guardian, 6th March 1885, p.384, 27th March 1885, p.503, 2nd April 1885, p.539, 17th April 1885, p.621, 24th April 1885, p.663, 8th May 1885, p.745, 19th June, p.974.

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

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