CLATTERSHALL. Stourbridge, Staffordshire. 2nd. March, 1867.

The colliery was near Stourbridge. One of the dams was found to be leaking and three men and two boys were sent down the pit to make the necessary repairs. This was to be down by strengthening the dam by a layer of sand. The sand was not taken down one of the working shafts but thrown down the shaft. This stopped the ventilation and choke damp accumulated and the victims were suffocated.

Those who died:

  • Josiah Chivers, the doggy,
  • Thomas Higgs,
  • William Hughes,
  • John Skidmore, boy,
  • Joseph Rowley, boy.

Sheffield Independent, 11/03/1868: “DREADFUL COLLIERY ACCIDENT – FIVE PERSONS KILLED

On Wednesday afternoon, an accident occurred at Clattershall Colliery, about two miles and a half from Stourbridge, by which three men and two boys lost their lives.

The colliery was worked a great many years ago, and was entered on by Mr. Edward Bowen, the present occupant, with a view of working what is locally called the “ribs and pillars”. Under his direction new gate roads were driven through the colliery, and at certain places, dams were built for the purpose of shutting off a considerable portion of the old workings, where for years the remnant of the coal had been on fire. At the further end of the colliery, an old shaft was, for purposes of ventilation, converted into an upcast shaft by having a fire placed in it. About 20 yards from the bottom of this shaft there was one of these dams above-mentioned; and it having been ascertained that this was leaking, it was determined to repair it by piling sand against it.

The men deputed for this work were Josiah Chivers, Thomas Higgs, William Hughes, and two boys, Joseph Rowley and John Skidmore. The manager of the colliery, Joseph Shaw, suggested that the sand should be taken down one of the working shafts, and conveyed to its destined place, but he allowed himself to be overruled by Chivers, the doggy, who urged that the fire should be taken out of the upcast shaft mentioned, and the necessary quantity of sand thrown down, whence it could be easily conveyed to the adjacent dam. Unhappily this course was taken.

The men and the boys reached the bottom of the shaft from the recent workings by a cross air road, and at once proceeded with their work. William Shaw was stationed at the top of the upcast shaft, which is only about fifty yards deep, for the purpose of communicating with the men and boys below. About a quarter to one he called down, and Chivers replied that all was right. At one he called again, but received no answer. He then gave an alarm, and he and his father went down for the purpose of ascertaining the state of affairs. Almost at the very entrance of the workings they were met by such an accumulation of choke damp that they had to get up to the surface as speedily as possible. Assistance was procured, and water and fine slack were thrown down the pit in great abundance, and eventually the choke damp was driven out.

Several men at once made for the place where the men and boys had been at work, and there, about 20 yards on their way back from the dam, they found the corpses of all five lying close together. They were conveyed to the surface, when two medical men saw them. Of course, nothing could be done for them. The cases of the accident is obvious. The taking the fire out of the upcast shaft destroyed the ventilation so far as to allow choke-damp to accumulate in quantities more than sufficient to be fatal to human life.”

The Inspector commented:

The accident furnishes a striking proof of the loose and disregard of general directions which is often exhibited in the mines of South Staffordshire. The workings were old and somewhat extensive and a portion of them, which was son fire, was cut off from the part in which coal was got by “dams” built across the air course. Ventilation was effected by a lamp fire in the upcast shaft and Mr. Croecutt, the colliery manager, had given Shaw, the chartermaster, strict orders to keep up this fire constantly, leaving him no discretion in the matter. One of the fire dams near the upcast shaft was leaking, the chartermaster directed his deputy, Chivers, to repair it by placing sand against it and told him to lower the sand by the winding or downcast shaft and to covey it from there to the dam. Chivers, however, insisted that this was a needless trouble, and proposed to take out the lamp fire and throw the sand down the upcast shaft. Shaw disagreed and after a heated argument yielded to the wishes. The result was that Chivers and three other men lost their lives by an accumulation of chokedamp.

Shaw was committed by the Coroner’s jury for manslaughter but was acquitted at Stafford assizes.

 

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

 

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