Description

On the evening of 9th December an explosion of gas occurred at the Old Pit, Montagu Main Colliery (No. 66 on list), resulting in the immediate deaths of Thomas Holliday, putter, and serious injury to Joseph Ryan, who succumbed on the following day.

It appears that a certain district in the Five Quarter or Low Main Seam had been laid off about three weeks before, and on the evening in question the two deceased were sent in by the overman to bring out some of the rails from the siding on the out-bye side of a "caution" board, beyond which naked lights were not allowed to pass when the district was working. Between 7 and 8 o'clock a shock was felt, and on the men going to discover the cause it was found that an explosion of gas had occurred, and that Holliday was killed and Ryan seriously injured.

A message was immediately sent to me, and I arrived at the colliery shortly before midnight, and at once made an inspection of the place.

The workings of this pit are wet, and the effects of the explosion were local, though there were signs of considerable force in the vicinity of the place where the ignition had presumably taken place. After-damp was present in considerable quantities, showing that the amount of gas must have been comparatively large.

The place where the men were working was on the main intake air-road, 900 yards from the downcast shaft, and 100 yards on the out-bye side of the "caution" board, and from this point the blast had gone in both directions, as evidenced by the position of the tubs, which had been smashed by the explosion. Two lamps were found at this point, one a safety-lamp and the other an open torch lamp, at the latter of which the explosion no doubt originated.

An inquest on the body of Thomas Holliday was held by the county coroner Mr. J. R. D. Lynn, on the 11th December, and by adjournment on the 17th December, when the following evidence was given, as reported in a local paper :—

The Montagu Main Explosion

This afternoon, 11th December, Mr. J. R. D. Lynn, coroner for South Northumberland, held an inquest at the Rokeby Arms, Scotswood, respecting the death of Thomas Holliday, a youth aged 17 years, who was fatally injured through a gas explosion in the Old Montagu Pit, Scotswood, on Wednesday night. The man, Ryan, who was also injured, died on the way to the infirmary.

Mr. Benson, one of the owners of the colliery, and Mr. Nicholson, certificated manager of the mine, were present at the inquiry.

Evidence as to identification was given by the boy's father, Robert Holliday, and it was stated that the deceased had been burnt, and that his skull was fractured.

Thomas Rowell, a stoneman at the colliery, said that on Wednesday night he was in the pit working in the Main coal. Between 7 and 8 o'clock he heard a shock. The air was changed ; it was the shock of the air, and he knew something had happened. He volunteered to go and examine the places, and took a boy with him. He found the after-damp about 100 yards on the cross-cut flat from where the accident had happened. He put a shirt over his face, and ventured to where Ryan was lying and moaning. He was in the siding. The boy that was with witness said, "I am getting dizzy ; you had better go no further." He felt overcome himself, and, after shouting "Hallo" and getting no reply, he said, "There is somebody dead," and he returned back. He got assistance and went to the spot again, and sent Ryan away. The man was unconscious, and was afterwards sent to the infirmary, and he had since died. They made a further search, and found the deceased Holliday. He was lying three yards on the in-bye side of a dead horse. This was about 30 or 40 yards further in from where they found Ryan. The lad was quite dead ; he was "sore damaged" about the head, but he (witness) was so much overpowered that he did not take much notice. The deceased would not be much burned, but would probably be killed by the shock. The accident had no doubt happened through an explosion of gas.

The inquiry was adjourned until Thursday next.

Yesterday afternoon, the adjourned inquest respecting the death of Thomas Holliday, aged 17 years, who, together with a workman named Joseph Ryan, was fatally injured by an explosion of gas in the Old Montagu Pit on the 9th instant, was reopened by Mr. J. R. D. Lynn, coroner for South Northumberland, at the Rokeby Arms, Scotswood. Mr. Hedley, Government Inspector of Mines, Mr, Benson, one of the owners of the colliery, Mr. Nicholson, manager, and other gentlemen were present at the inquiry.

The evidence previously given was read over.

James Hutchinson, overman, stated that on the night of the 9th he sent Holliday and Ryan to pull up some rails at the out-bye side of the "caution" board in the cross-cut way. It was a place that was done working, and they wanted the rails up. They went in at 6 o'clock. Ryan was in charge of the work, and was a rolley-way man. He was an experienced pitman. The "caution" board was put up to stop anyone going on the in-bye side of that board with a naked light. The man and boy had one safety lamp and a naked light. He could not swear they had a safety lamp, but they found one after the explosion. He never saw them after he sent them in-bye. About 8 o'clock that night, from what he heard, he went back to the pit, and found an explosion had occurred at the out-bye side of the "caution" board on the cross-cut way. They called it the Low Main Seam. He found that the deceased had been killed and Ryan injured. It was nearly a week before the accident when he was in the place where the explosion occurred. There would always be a current of air where the accident happened, and everything was going right before he left, about 4 o'clock. The ventilation was all right then. He had never seen gas in that district of the pit, and he had been overman nearly five years.

By the Government Inspector: He had never seen gas in that district, and he never remembered gas reported. When he was last in the district he was on the in-bye side of the "caution" board, as men were working there pulling plates up. The place was then all to order. He surveyed all the workings on November 21dt, and all the hewers were finished on the 16th. He found the place then in perfect order. He gave instructions to Ryan as to work he had to do.

By the Coroner: If Ryan had found gas, his duty would have been to return and report to him.

By the Government Inspector: Ryan had nothing to do beyond the "caution" board. Ryan had worked there for years, and knew all the districts in the pit, and he would re-light the lamps at the "caution" board. Witness told Ryan to examine the place, but did not indicate any precautions, owing to the safe method by which they had worked for years. He had every confidence in Ryan. There had been no alteration made in the ventilation of that part of the mine from the time he was in up to the time of the accident. He had formed no theory as to how the accident happened, but there had been a fall in the barometer that day, and he thought the explosion might have been due to that.

William Craven, a deputy at the Montagu Pit, said he had been deputy there for two years, and had neither seen gas nor heard of any gas having been seen.

Joseph Maughan, a deputy, stated that he was with Craven on the 5th, and corroborated all the latter had said.

John Hall, a miner employed at the colliery, said he was one of the men's representatives, and had worked in the district of the pit where the accident happened for about four years. He had never during that time seen any gas, and the ventilation was always good. He was quite satisfied there was no blame attached to any of the officials.

The Government Inspector said that he had tried his best to find out how the accident had happened. He had been down the pit three times, and was satisfied that there had been an explosion of gas. He was of opinion that the explosion had taken place at the point where the deceased was found. The signs showed that the explosion had gone both ways, for tubs had been destroyed and turned over, and one or two had been blown out towards the pit, while another had been blown over close to the "hitch," showing that the explosion must have been caused near the place where deceased was found. His theory was that there were a few places in the old workings which probably had not been visited for some time before the district was laid off, and that in these places some little gas had accumulated, and owing to the fall in the barometer this gas might have been brought out to the intake air-road, and caused the explosion. He had no fault whatever to find with the management of the colliery. He had given his opinion on the matter, for neither he not anyone else would ever be able to say where the gas had come from that caused the explosion. The jury found that "Deceased was accidentally killed by an explosion of gas in the Montagu Old Pit on the 9th instant, and that there was not sufficient evidence to show how the explosion occurred."

It will be seen from the above that the witnesses were unanimous in saying that gas had not been observed before in that part of the district, and it is difficult to conceive where it came from on the day of the explosion, unless it had been lying in one or two old bords which, it was admitted, had not been examined for some time, and, on the barometer falling, had gradually worked through the openings into the main road. I am rather indicated to adopt this view, as there were evident signs of an explosion at the back of the stoppings, two of which were partly blown towards the main road.

The deceased Ryan, who had been rolley-way man in that district for some years, and was well acquainted with it, was for that reason sent off to get out the rails. He ought to have examined as he went in, but his confidence in the place and its presumed immunity from gas rendered him careless. He was certainly on the out-bye side of the "caution" board, but considering that the district had been off work for so long, and he was put in charge, it was his duty to examine the place before allowing the boy with the open lamp to approach.

This accident again demonstrates the danger of using naked lights. It also shows the necessity of definite instructions being given by those in charge of every case where any work is to be done near old workings.

Related Articles

Mines Inspectors Report Entry

Sources

• 1891 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6625), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 33, Accident Number: 66 Where to find this report
• 1891 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6625), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 9 Where to find this report

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