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	Individual Details		Individual Details

Age:	42
Died:	11th Apr 1864
Accident:	6th Apr 1864
Year Born:	abt. 1822
Colliery:	Seaton
Company:	Marchioness of Londonderry
Occupation:	Stoneman
Notes:	burnt by explosion of gas
Buried:	[not known]
Category:

At Seaton Colliery, belonging to the late Marchioness of Londonderry, on the 6th of April, a slight explosion of fire-damp occurred, unfortunately scorching four persons who were employed at the place where it happened, two of whom ultimately died from its effects.

Preparations were in progress for forming a very large arched flue (with side ways) for conducting the return air of the Seaham Colliery to the Seaton Colliery shaft, in and above the main coal seam ; a considerable quantity of the brick arching had been put in, and a large excavation was being cleared in front of it for the purposes of extending the arching ; immediately beyond the arching there was a fault or hitch, and the roof had fallen to a great height above the level of the top of the arching, and while the workmen were engaged in removing the debris a fall of stone took place, which was immediately followed by the fatal explosion of fire-damp. One of the persons burnt by the explosion, and who ultimately died from the injuries caused by it, was the person in immediate charge of the operation.

The evidence at the inquest on William Fairly, who also died from the effects of the explosion, went to show that a large fall of stone immediately preceded the explosion. That no gas had been observed in the place before it took place, and that naked lights were used. It was necessary to fire shots, but gas was searched for, with safety lamps, before a shot was fired. There was a ventilation of about 5,000 cubic feet of air per minute in the place, which was only about 150 yards from the shaft of Seaton Colliery. A naked light was said to have been used in the upper part of the place about two hours before the explosion took place, without any symptoms of the presence of gas having been observed. The underviewer stated that he had a naked light in the upper part of the place for about three hours on the morning of the day when the accident happened, and that he then saw no symptoms of the presence of gas, nor had he observed any such symptoms at any previous time. He stated further, that he went and examined the place after the explosion occurred, and found no indications of the presence of gas.

From the evidence it seemed probable that the gas had either been liberated from the fault or hitch, by the fall of stone, or that it had accumulated in the upper part of the place, and had been forced down upon the workmen's naked lights by the fall of stone. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Safety lamps were adopted for working the place after the occurrence of the explosion.

• 1864 Mines Inspectors Report, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 18
• 1864 Mines Inspectors Report, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 35, Accident Number: 15

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