Description

At Murton Colliery, Durham, at 2.35 a.m. on 21st December, an explosion of firedamp caused the deaths of four persons (a deputy, McKillup, two hewers, Spry and Simmonds, and a shifter, Monarch), in the 1st South West District of the Five Quarter Seam, where pillars were being extracted at a distance of one and three-quarter miles from the shaft. The seam is seven feet thick and no shots were fired in it, the coal being got by means of compressed-air driven scalloping machines.

Figure 2 shows the layout of the district and the place in which the men were at the time of the accident.

After the area of the Main Coal Seam, shown on the plan, had been worked out, a trial or proving drift had been driven up from the Five Quarter Seam at an inclination of 1 in 3 through faulty ground and in line with the Old Back Drift. While this drift was being driven, it was ventilated by air pipes through the brickwork stopping in the Old Back Drift. This trial drift had been abandoned some time before the explosion, and was no longer ventilated. It can safely be assumed that soon after it was abandoned it would fill up with firedamp, and it is likely that, with a falling barometer, firedamp would issue from it.

The explosion occurred in a lift (shown on plan) turned off from the "Far Right" place and skirting the Old Back Drift which was the return airway for the district. It will be seen from Figure 3 that the lift was in line with the old stopping at the time of the explosion.

Prior to 9th December, the lift was adequately ventilated by air which came round to the Old Back Drift via the road designated "Air Crossing Stenton." On this date the lift became fouled with firedamp and remained so for two days, after which it was cleared by bratticing from the inbye end of the "Far Right" road, the brattice drop-sheet previously maintained in this road being removed to give the air free access. In all probability, the firedamp on this occasion came from the abandoned trial drift.

After the 11th December, and until the day of the explosion (21st December), there was no report of firedamp anywhere in the district.

At the time of the explosion, the deputy for the district was at the face of the lift with two hewers and, so far as is known, he was pursuing his normal duties there.

The effects of the explosion were confined to a comparatively small area. Some indications of force were felt in the intake shown on the plan as "Middle Drift," and much dust, rendering visibility bad for a time, was raised there. Afterdamp in considerable quantity was also forced out into the inbye end of this roadway and caused the death of the shifter, Monarch, who after recovery from the initial shock of the explosion, appears inadvertently to have gone inbye into the harmful atmosphere.

Immediately following the occurrence there was much confusion; this can perhaps be accounted for in part, at least, to the absence of anyone with authority, the deputy of course being lost.

A putter telephoned to the pit bottom and from there a message was relayed to the manager, but it was indefinite and to the effect that there had been a fall and that the night overman (Watkin) and others had gone inbye to the district. On arrival in the district, Watkin found all the men assembled at the deputy's kist, except the four deceased and two hewers, Parker and Cook.

Proceeding into the "New Rolleyway Place," Watkin found the two hewers at work completely ignorant of any untoward occurrence. Having brought these men out to the main road, he then proceeded with others to look for the four still missing. At the entrance to the "Far Right" place, a test showed that no firedamp was present. To clear the air of the dust and afterdamp, however, the compressed air was turned on, but a few minutes later a further test showed the presence of four per cent. of firedamp.

Visibility was still poor, but proceeding cautiously along the roadway the lift was reached by the search party. At about 12 yards up the lift they found an overturned tub and beyond it could discern a man's body, see Figure 3. It was not till this moment that Watkin fully realized there had been an explosion. He at once sent someone so to inform the manager. Soon afterwards he and others with him began to feel the effects of the afterdamp, so they withdrew. Upon the receipt of this further message, at about 4 am. the manager took steps to warn the local Lodge Secretary, the Central Rescue Station and the Senior Inspector of Mines, Mr. W. B. Brown.

A rescue brigade further explored the Far Right lift and removed the bodies of McKillup (which was lying a little inbye of the overturned tub already referred to) and of Spry and Simmons. Spry's body lay a little outbye of the face and near the fast side, and that of Simmons in a kneeling position on the opposite side of the place but a little further outbye.

Returning to the Middle Drift and proceeding inbye, the rescue brigade found the body of Monarch about 12 yards beyond the Far Right Hand roadway. Apparently, being (lazed after the first shock of the explosion Monarch wandered inbye instead of outbye and was overcome by afterdamp.

After the ventilation had been restored and a careful examination could be made of the Far Right lift, an electric safety lamp was found near the body of Simmons, both the outer glass and bulb of which were broken; and near the lamp there lay a piece of brick which Mr. Brown found could be inserted between the pillars of the damaged lamp so as to reach and break the bulb, without, however, reaching the filament.

The other lamps were intact; one of them, a high-candle-power flame safety lamp, normally carried by the deputy, was at the face close to Spry's body, and the other, an electric lamp, was found, still alight, near to McKillup's body. It was evident that for the time being McKillup and Spry had exchanged lamps, but for what purpose is unknown. These lamps were examined and tested with others at the Testing Station at Sheffield and found to be safe. The positions of the bodies and the safety lamps are shown in Figure 3.

In the absence of any other probable cause, it would appear that the gas was ignited by the exposed filament of the damaged electric lamp, either when a "bowk," or weighting of the roof, in the Black Drift caused part of the brick wall to be discharged and fall against it, or, possibly, by an accidental blow from Simmons' pick.

There were indications of some disturbance which had caused a partial collapse of the wall, and it is probable that the same disturbance caused an influx of firedamp into the face, for it seems incredible that there could have existed in the place an explosive mixture of firedamp and air without its having been detected by the deputy.

It is a matter for much regret that the shifter, Monarch, should have been lost, in addition to the three men at the site of the explosion who were clearly killed immediately. There is just a possibility that if someone had taken charge immediately after the explosion and led a search, Monarch might have been rescued before the deadly carbon monoxide had had its full effect.

Tombstone

Related Articles

Sources

• 1937 Mines Inspectors Report
• Headstone(s) in Holy Trinity Churchyard, Murton
• Tombstone photograph (T-00511-01-0002) © Kev Duncan

Researchers

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