Description

Number 78 on the list occurred at Eppleton Colliery, on the 13th of December, at about 11.30 a.m., causing the deaths of John Thomas Brown, a deputy, Robert Lawns, a putter, and Anthony Little Harrison, a coal hewer.

This unfortunate accident occurred in the Main Coal Seam, owing to the deceased deputy going through a fence into a place which was foul with gas, for the purpose of getting an empty tub out. He took the putter Lawns along with him, but before getting to the tub they were overcome by the gas, and Harrison, the hewer, lost his life in trying to rescue Brown and Lawns.

Two headways, a main and back one, were found to have gas in them on the day previous to the accident occurring, and they were accordingly fenced across their whole width, and danger boards hung up as required by the Coal Mines Act and Special Rules. On the morning of the day in question the foreshift deputy examined them, and still found them to be foul. The manager came shortly afterwards, and after examining these places, decided that he would make some slight alteration with the ventilation, and abandon one of the places, as he could get a connection with it by driving a stenton from the face of the other, as soon as he got the gas out of the latter. To do this he gave instructions for Brown, who was not in the pit at the time, as soon as he came in, to take the way out of, and middle prop, the last stenton.

When Brown came in, as soon as he had examined the places, he took the putter Lawns with him, and explained to him and another putter that he was going into the back headways, which was to be abandoned, to get a tub out. This they then proceeded to do ; they left their lamps at the fence, and then attempted to travel through the gas to get to the tub, but just before getting to it they were overcome.

The other putter happened to want the deputy Brown, and knowing where he had gone to, he went to this place and heard snoring and saw the lights hanging lit. He shouted the names of Brown and Lawns, but got no answer ; he then ran for assistance, and got three hewers, named Harrison (who afterwards lost his life), Evans, and McDermott, and took them to the place. These three men it appears had courageously rushed into the place to try and rescue the other two, without any thought of the danger to themselves, but before getting to them they were also overcome.

In the meantime a message had been sent to the manager, Mr. Mold, who at once went to the place, taking with him the under-manager of the Jane Pit of this colliery, the overman belonging to the main coal seam, and they met the back overman on the way to the place. They, on arriving at the place, went cautiously to work to get the five men, and succeeded in getting two out alive, Evans and McDermott, but Brown and Lawns had been dead for some time, and Harrison had just expired.

There was no necessity whatever for Brown to go into this place for the tub, and it was a grave error of judgement to do so, for if he had thought for a moment he would have seen that it could be got out as soon as the stenton was driven over from the winning headways.

In taking down the fence, which he did as he went into the place, he was contravening section 49, General Rule 35, of the Coal Mines Regulation Act, which say no one can remove a fence without proper authority, but, apart from this, his quite unnecessary act in going into the place at all resulted in two other poor fellows as well as himself losing their lives.

I should like here to say a word or two in appreciation of the courage and gallantry shown by the men who were amongst the rescuers. The three hewers, as well as the manager, under-manager, overman, and back-overman, all showed that they possessed the qualities which in the past made pitmen famous for heroism in the time of danger ; such conduct as theirs should not go without commendation, and I am pleased to have the opportunity in this report, to show my appreciation of it, and I regret that one of them should have lost his life in the plucky attempt made to rescue Brown and Lawns.

There was nothing wrong with the ventilation or the management of the places, and such a condition of things as existed was due to the presence of a fault, or dislocation of the seam, running parallel and close to these headways ; and the barometer being low, as was the case about the time the accident occurred, it was not possible to prevent the gas accumulating in these places.

Sources

• 1895 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8074), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 14 Where to find this report
• 1895 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8074), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 26, Accident Number: 78 Where to find this report

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