LILLYDALE. Hanley, Staffordshire. 3rd. May, 1881.

The colliery was near Hanley and was owned by Mr. Enoch Perrins was acting as the manager of the colliery at the time of the disaster. Mr. Thomas Wynne, the Inspector commented:

This accident is entirely due to the reckless and disregard for human life for the owner was fully aware of the danger he was incurring. He neglected to take the slightest precautions in allowing his men to drive towards a large accumulation of water. When the water was suddenly tapped, it not only overcame the men who were in the immediate vicinity but drove the gas from the goaf on to naked lights, and explosion is the result in which some more men lost their lives.

Joseph Biddulph of Abbey Terrace, Leek Road was over the butties at the Lillydale colliery and was in partnership with his brother. They had worked at the pit under instructions from Mr. Perrins, the manager for about three months before the disaster. Biddulph was in the pit at the time of the explosion with Henry Lloyd. It occurred on the north side at about 10.45 a.m. where they had been trying to extinguish what he described as “something like a fire”.

He had not been round the works that morning further than the top of the dip which was a distance of about 50 yards. There were 13 men in the pit that day besides himself and his brother, a total of 15. The man at the top of the dip was removing dirt and there was a waggoner and a hooker-on. The two Biddulphs were driving on the dip in the direction of some old workings which they had been doing for some weeks before the explosion. They were working under instructions from Perrins who said that the object was to tap water from some old workings on the north level. The water was to be driven out and the coal further on, belonging to Mrs. Wooliscroft, mined.

In the three weeks before the disaster, Perrins had been down the pit on three occasions to see how the work was progressing. They were driving three heads and one was referred to as the “lower” and there was one borehole about 5 feet in advance of the work in each of the headings. Biddulph could not say if there was a borehole driven on the day of the disaster. Water had been found at a corner of the lower heading two weeks before the disaster and Perrins said that it was advisable to stop the leak but there were no instructions about borings to see if there was water ahead. The rules of the colliery stated that when approaching old workings they must keep a borehole four or five yards ahead and have flank borings but this was not done in this case.

Thirteen men went to work in the Cockshead seam on the day of the disaster. Anthony Hargreaves, a loader was at work at the colliery on the day of the explosion ad he took the waste material from Elijah Gratton who drove the boreholes. He went to see the place where the water was leaking in the lower level on that day but he did not see a borehole. There were other men there including William Biddulph and his son Samuel. When the water broke in he started up the dip and was halfway up when the explosion took place, Within a few minutes, the explosion occurred. Hargreaves was found by John Marshall Holiday who was the certificated manager of a neighbouring colliery and was helping with the rescue work about 59 yards from the shaft in water.

Henry Hales, a miner who lived at Milton, was working at the colliery on the day of the explosion and went to the bottom level where the water was being tapped. William Heaton, who was killed, was working with him. He told the butty, William Biddulph, that the water was bleeding faster and left the pit at 9 a.m. Biddulph then informed the fireman, Wood. William Tabbiner, the engine tenter was 30 to 40 feet below the dip connecting some piping. He had been working for about 20 minutes when the explosion occurred and the flame came from the main dip. He heard the report which he described as like a gun, the door was blown open and he saw a thick fog and before the door could shut again the flame came on him and his workmate. He was burnt about the face but the man who was working with him, Phillips, later died from his burns. Hales was convinced that the flame was not lit by Phillips who carried a lamp.

A short time after the explosion, William Biddle, a pit fettler of Bucknall, descended the shaft and found the body of Edward Clulow about 60 yards down the dip and helped to get his body out of the pit

Those who lost their lives were:

  • Edward Clewlow, collier,
  • E. Barlow, collier,
  • Thomas Plant, loader,
  • Anthony Barlow, loader,
  • Elijah Gratton, collier,
  • Samuel Biddulph, horseman,
  • William Eaton, collier,
  • W. Phyllis, engineer,
  • William Tabiner, engineer.

The inquest into the men’s deaths was held at the Red Lion Inn, Bucknall before Mr. John Booth, Coroner for North Staffordshire. It was learned that there had been a fire in some old workings for some months about 10 to 15 yards from the upcast shaft. On the day of the disaster, two men and a boy had been employed throwing water on this fire.

After hearing all the evidence and listening to the Coroner’s summing up, the jury brought in a verdict of manslaughter against the manager, Mr. Perrins. The case was heard at Stafford Assizes and Perrins was acquitted on the direction of the judge.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspector Report 1881.
Colliery Guardian, 6th May p.701, 15th July 1881, p.94.

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

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