Description

Explosions of Firedamp.

On the 15th May last an explosion of firedamp took place in the Harvey Seam at Tursdale Colliery near Ferry Hill, belonging to Messrs. Bell, Bros., Limited, so severely burning Thos. Stewart that he died on the 27th of the same month; the deputy in charge at the time and a boy were also severely burnt, but ultimately recovered. The Harvey is a seam only recently opened out at this colliery and had not been worked far from the shaft, and owing to the thinness of the coal it is necessary to cut away about two feet of the bottom stone to make room for the tubs to travel; in order to make stowage for this stone the boards are driven an extra width (18 feet), and deceased's place having got too wide the overman ordered it to be reduced in width about 7 feet on one side; this having been done, a corner was formed where the air could not well reach, and gas accumulated between the coal and the stones which were stowed up; gas had been met with in this mine on previous occasions, and Stewart's board had once been stopped for this cause. The overman in his evidence at the inquest said: "I visit this seam every other day and know that it gives off gas; I did not see any on the Sunday previous to the explosion ; I reported having seen gas on the 13th January last; never heard that gas had been seen, and fired in the colliers' lamp in the adjoining board; the bottom stone is stowed in the board, and the brattice side is always kept clear for air-way. Deceased's board had got too wide, and I ordered it to be 'chalked off' and did not see it afterwards, and cannot say how many shifts had been worked in it. I saw gas on the morning of the accident sufficient to fire on the lamp ; there was 20 to 24 inches space for air-way behind the brattice in Stewart's board; the board was 27 yards driven up from the headways, and there was 11 yards without brattice. I saw gas in this board some time ago, and it was stopped ; powder is used for blasting down the coal, also for cutting in the bottom stone; the deputies only are allowed to fire the shots, but not until after a careful examination of the place, and they have printed rules to this effect." The deputy stated, "I have met with gas in this seam, and reported it in my book more than once; I made an examination of the board and back to the stone immediately before firing the shot on the morning of the accident; I did not observe any gas in the place or any cracks in the roof; after lighting the shot I retired to the bottom of the board; I heard the shot go off, followed immediately by an explosion which knocked deceased, a boy, and myself down, and burnt us badly ; the air-way in Stewart's board was clear before the shot was fired."

From an examination of the mine on the following morning and taking all the surrounding circumstances into consideration, I am led to think that such a careful examination of the place as was necessary had not been made by the deputy before firing the shot; also I think the manager was at fault in allowing the brattice to be 11 yards back from the working face, in a place like this, which was known to be giving off gas.

Tombstone

Sources

• 1876 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1734), Durham by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 273 Where to find this report
• 1876 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1734), Durham by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 286, Accident Number: 28 Where to find this report
• Church/Cemetery photograph (T-03201-06-0002) © Kev Duncan
• Headstone(s) in Holy Trinity Churchyard, Cornforth
• Tombstone photograph (T-03207-06-0002) © Kev Duncan

Researchers

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