John Raffle
Thursday, a most lamentable occurrence took place at Springwell colliery, the property of the Right Hon. Lord Ravensworth and partners, near Wreckinton, in the County of Durham, and about five miles from Newcastle, owing to a dreadful explosion, in the B Pit in that colliery, by which forty-seven individuals were instantly deprived of life, besides many who received severe fractures and contusions. This colliery is on the most extensive scale, and from its complete ventilation in every part of the workings, was admired by all those engaged in the undertaking. On the morning of the day the accident happened, it had, as usual, been examined by the under viewer, and overmen and declared quite safe. About eight a.m. one of the overmen observed that a collier had pricked a blower, (a hole or crevice in the roof, from which a small quantity of inflammable gas issued;) he instantly ordered the person to leave that part of the mine. And on returning, two hours after, accompanied by the under viewer, he did not perceive any danger, but as a measure of precaution, ordered the safety lamp to be used instead of candles, with which the mine had been worked, owing to the extreme purity of the air. The colliery consists of two pits, A, and B, although containing but one shaft, which divides them by a strong and formidable piece of wood work, termed a brattice. About two o'clock on the above day the neighbourhood was alarmed by one of those dreadful explosions so peculiar to the coal mines in this district, and many posts were thrown out of the mouth of the shaft. As soon as the alarm subsided, parties of brave fellows descended the mine, and they fortunately succeeded in rescuing several who were severely injured, and also found three dead bodies, but such was the havoc created by the explosive matter, and the impure state of the mine owing to the after damp, that they could not penetrate any considerable way into the workings, and at seven o'clock on the night of the next day only eight of the bodies of the sufferers had been recovered, consequently thirty-nine remained in the mine, and with them the sad secret of the catastrophe; not one person having survived to dispel the cloud of mystery that hangs over this dismal affair. Great numbers of people visited the colliery on the next day, Friday; and at five o'clock a respectable jury was assembled, to hold an inquest on the body of James Oliver, a fine lad, who had been found dead in the pit, where his father at the same time lost his life. During the proceedings, the coroner said, as a garbled account of this lamentable affair had been printed and hawked about Newcastle and the neighbourhood, charging an unfortunate stranger, who was represented to be a Welshman, as the cause, by taking off the top of his safety lamp, he was desirous, for the exculpation of the individual thus foully charged with such a heinous offence, that he should be examined, for the satisfaction of the public, as well as the future safety of the poor fellow. Thomas Turner, from Staffordshire, was then called. He stated that he was at work in the A. pit on the preceding day; used the Davy lamp, but did not take the top off; nor ever did such a thing in his life; he was aware of the report, but it was unfounded. The jury then returned a verdict of accidental death. There were only nine or ten adults that fell victims to the terrific explosion, the remainder being boys; and nearly the whole of the sufferers were natives of this district, as only two of the strange workmen are supposed to have been lost. The accident occurred in the Hetton seam, at a depth of 120 fathoms.
Extracts from the Inquest into this death.
Pub.
Date | Article (Newspaper) |
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| 14 May 1833 | Awful Explosion in a Mine — Forty-Seven Persons Killed. (The Times) |
| 18 May 1833 | Awful Explosion In A Mine, Forty-Seven Persons Killed (Westmorland Gazette) |
- Durham Mining Disasters, c.1700 - 1950s by Maureen Anderson, Published by Wharncliffe Books, 2008, ISBN 1-845630-73-4
- Contributions by members of the Public
- Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences Connected with the Counties of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham by M.A. Richardson. Published in five volumes in 1844.
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Beverley Jackson
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09 Apr 2012 |
RAFFLE FAMILY RESEARCH.
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