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In the early part of this year was discovered amongst the ancient records of the city of London, at the Guildhall, a contract between King Charles I and the members of his privy council on the one hand, and the city of London on the other, by which h the monarch seems to have made over to the corporation of London certain large tracts of land within the bishopric of Durham, by way of mortgage, as security for loans of certain sums of money, amounting in all to £300,000 of the money of that day. That the lands so mortgaged must have been bishop's lands is manifest enough, inasmuch as the crown neither had, nor could have, lands of its own within the bishopric which it could so pledge, under any colour of law, unless it were some of the forfeited manors of which, after the Reformation, the crown deprived the prince bishop, who claimed them as palatine. This document is quite perfect and bears not only the signature of the king, together with the royal seal, but also the signatures and seals of the Duke of Buckingham and other members of the privy council of that period. It appears that, the king never being able to repay this loan, these lands were afterwards sold of the corporation of the city of London, and form now portions of the estates (leasehold or freehold) of some of the great proprietors of coal in the county of Durham. The corporation of London at that time could not, of course, have the most remote idea of the mineral wealth that lay under the surface of these apparently poor lands, which, in modern times, would probably in a single year have paid off the whole of the royal mortgage. [LRF]

January 4. — That portion of the Great North of England railway which extends from Darlington to the city of York was formally opened on Monday last for the conveyance of coals. At about four o'clock in the afternoon, four engines were seen approaching York, dragging a length of two hundred wagons, containing above seven hundred and fifty tons of coals from the Auckland valley. In a few minutes they were placed at the company's depots. In the foremost engines were Messrs. Plews and Oxley, directors, Mr. Storey, engineer, and Capt. O'Brien, secretary; and amongst those who welcomed the arrival at York were Messrs. Smales and Backhouse, directors of the Great North of England railway, and Sir John Simpson, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Cabrey, and other gentlemen connected with the York and North Midland railway. During the whole of the day, engines drawing long trains of wagons, continued to arrive at every one of the depots, with stores of coals of various kinds from the most celebrated mines in the county of Durham; and on Tuesday morning the sale of coals commenced at all the depots at an early hour each depot was completely crowded with carts and wagons from all the neighbouring towns and villages adjoining to the line of railway. Notwithstanding the day was a continued storm of snow and sleet, immense numbers of persons were assembled at all the stations and high grounds adjoining the line, to witness the first entrance of coals by the railway from the county of Durham into the North Riding of Yorkshire. Every thing passed off in the most satisfactory way, without any accident. [LHTB]

January 5. — An accident, which might have been attended with fatal consequences, occurred on this day, at Elvet colliery, Durham. The mine, which is ventilated by a shaft which rises to day in a field situated above Elvet Banks, is liable to be flooded with water. To prevent such an occurrence, an engine is constantly at work to draw off the water. It sometimes, notwithstanding, happens that the water escapes, and the ventilation of the mine becomes impeded. When this takes place, men are sent to the spot to set matters right, and to make a passage for the water in a proper direction, so that the engines may act upon it. An occurrence of this kind took place at this time, when two men were sent to remove the obstruction. This was done, and a sudden gust of air extinguished their lights. The situation of the poor men was now perilous in the extreme; they dared not to change their position, as they might have fallen into the water, or have been dashed to pieces in the dangerous parts of the mine. They were therefore, compelled to remain where they were without moving from the spot. The distance from the pit's mouth, and the depth from the surface — they were just below the ventilating shaft mentioned above — prevented their cries from being heard, and several hours elapsed before they were missed. At length, lights being procured, a search was made, and they were released from their perilous situation, much exhausted with fatigue and alarm, and chilled with the damp atmosphere of their dreary prison. [LHTB]

January 14. — A most remarkable and destructive fire occurred at the St. Hilda colliery, South Shields. It broke out between eleven and twelve o'clock, and burnt with great fury. Alarm was speedily given, and the fire-engines from both North and South Shields were quickly on the spot. The whole of the engine-shed was destroyed, and other things near the place. The flames ascended the shaft, a portion of the wood-work of which was destroyed. By great exertion the fire was extinguished about four o'clock. Twenty-two men and boys were at work in the pit, but were all safely got up without injury. The police of both North and South Shields were early at the scene of conflagration, and rendered much service in working the engines, &c. The fire commenced in the shaft of the pit, and is supposed to have originated at the mouth of the pit-furnace. [LHTB]

January 18. — One of the heaviest disasters that ever befell the shipping of the river Wear occurred on the morning of Monday, January 18th, 1841. For some time previous the river had been frozen over in various places above Sunderland harbour. The frost continued till Saturday the 16th, when a thaw commenced, the wind being then from S. to S. W. On that and the following day great quantities of rain fell, by which the river was much swollen and the ice loosened before any considerable portion of it had time to be dissolved with the thaw; the consequence was, that several floating fields of ice were carried down the river, at succeeding intervals, during the ebb tides of Saturday and Sunday, until it arrived at Deptford, which is the high end of Sunderland harbour, where the progress of the ice was stopped. On Sunday afternoon the Wear above Sunderland bridge presented one sheet of ice, as far as the eye could reach. Shortly after that hour, the day, which had been remarkably bright, began to lower, and very soon the rain came down in torrents; the river rose rapidly, and the pressure of the ice, urged on by the flood, carried away some ships from near the patent ropery at Deptford before five o'clock. At six, some others went adrift from the tiers above, but these were brought up and moored. Soon after seven, the inhabitants of the borough were alarmed by hearing the bellman summoning all masters and mates of ships in the harbour, to look after their vessels ; and, in most instances, this injunction was promptly obeyed, though there then appeared to be no imminent danger. It seems, however, that the ice which had come down, was only that formed in the neighbourhood of Hylton, and being thin, it passed easily over the shallows. But about midnight, large pieces, several inches in thickness, that had covered the river some miles above, were observed to be floating down past Hylton. As the front sheets came down, they met with obstacles at every turn of the river; the pieces behind were driven either under or upon them, and thus, huge, unwieldy masses were cemented together to the depth of several feet, which so far impeded the free flow of the downward current, that about Pallion the water at one time stood six feet higher than at the Mark Quay! This continued till about four in the morning, when the barrier of ice formed below Pallion yielded to the increasing pressure of the water, and the mingled torrent rushing down with irresistible force, tore away whole tiers of ships from their moorings at the Hetton and Lambton staiths, hurried them rapidly under the bridge, breaking their masts in the passage, and then dashing them against the vessels below, swept away tier after tier, and huddled them into a mass of wrecks extending from one side of the river to the other, opposite the Durham and Sunderland railway staiths. All who witnessed this scene of destruction admit their utter inability to convey anything like an adequate idea of its terrors. The shouting of men, the shrieks of terrified sea-boys, who had been aroused from their sleep, the noise of the ice rushing up against the ships' sides, the breaking of bowsprits, masts, and bulwarks, — and all in darkness, — formed a chaos of horrors enough to appal the stoutest heart. When morning broke, it revealed such a picture of havoc as only such a night could have made. Several ships had been driven out to sea; another, the Newby, of Sunderland, lay on her broadside at the mouth of the harbour, heaving and lurching in the waves, and at intervals spouting out water like a huge whale : higher up, near what is called the Caunch, was the deplorable sight of three sunken vessels — the Pilgrim, of Lynn, with only her stern above water, the Rosebud, of Sunderland, crushed down by the heel of the Cornelius, and the Kirton, of Sunderland, a total wreck. These unfortunate vessels, were all coal-laden, had taken the ground in drifting down; other ships coming away at the rate of five knots an hour, ran into them and sunk them instantly, thus at once closing the channel of the river, and stopping the further progress of a large fleet of all sizes that were hurrying away to sea. Besides these, there were sunk about the same place the Seaflower and Queen Victoria, of Sunderland, a French vessel, the Deux Amis, and the Caroline, Korif, of Altona, laden with coals and earthenware. The spectacle presented by the crowd of vessels immediately above the more unfortunate craft just named, literally beggared all description. Truly, the ships at this part of the river looked much more like an enemy's fleet after a sea-fight with a Nelson or a Napier, than British merchantmen in harbour. The river, above this barrier of ships, was a "sea of ice," block piled on block in every variety of fantastic form, and throughout besprinkled with wreck of every conceivable description — keels, timber, ships' boats, and brushwood, all frozen into a solid mass. Going upwards to the Hetton coal staiths, where the mischief commenced, it was astonishing to witness the amount of damage. Out of eight drops for the delivery of coal, seven were rendered unserviceable, one of them being absolutely torn away altogether, and a part of it carried down as far as the Durham and Sunderland railway drops, in the rigging of a ship. The mooring-posts for ships at this place stood full ten feet from the edge of the quay. which was supported by a stout wall of masonry; but so heavy was the strain at the breaking up of the ice, that not a single post retained its position, much of the wall was seriously shaken, and in one part full sixty yards length of solid quay was pulled into river! The cost to the Hetton company was estimated by a practical engineer at not much less than five thousand pounds, which sum was shortly demanded from the commissioners of the Wear, on the plea that their moorings were insufficient. The Lambton drops suffered less; the brunt of the onset having fallen on their less fortunate neighbours, although out of eleven drops, eight were damaged, six of them very seriously. Considering their position, as immediately overlooking the very vortex of destruction, the Durham and Sunderland railway staiths had a remarkable escape. it is hardly necessary to enumerate all the ships that suffered damage, for scarcely a ship in the harbour escaped. During the whole of Monday, the ordinary business of the town was at a stand-still. This is true to the very letter, for, in the afternoon of the day, many of the shops were closed, the population thronged in its thousands to the pier and the river banks, to behold the scene of desolation. So sudden and tremendous a blow to the very vitals of the commerce of the port seemed almost to have stupefied for awhile those most deeply interested; but, rapidly arousing themselves from their temporary lethargy, the ship-owners applied themselves vigourously to the rescue of their property, and with the aid of steam-boats, which had luckily taken shelter in the Wearmouth dock, by half-past four on Tuesday afternoon a passage was effected, and the ice went to sea, but unfortunately carrying along with it a large quantity of most valuable timber, not less, it is calculated, than about 250 loads. The following ships were picked up at sea, and taken into Hartlepool :– Era, of Rochester, which drove out of this harbour with no hands on board; the Jean, of Sunderland, with three boys and the captain of a French vessel on board; and the Gamma, of Sunderland. The Seaham pilots picked up the Young, of Sunderland, without a hand on board ; the Beatitude, Lamb, of London, with the mate, a man, and boy worked herself into Seaham harbour; a French schooner, with an English boy on board, was picked up by Morley, the pilot; 100 planks, 73 pieces of timber, two boats, and three keels, one loaded with bottles from Ayre's quay, were secured at Seaham, and at the Black Halls, Hawthorn Hythe, and Old Seaham, large quantities of timber were ashore, The Wear commissioners' valuable steamer, the Utility, was almost a wreck; and the steam-tugs — Safety, Hare, Earl of Durham, George and Ann, and Neptune, were either sunk, wrecked or missing. About thirty keels were sunk or destroyed, and almost all the harbour boats and other small craft disappeared from the river. Had it not been for the shelter of the north dock, in which twenty-five valuable ships, and about half that number of steamers took refuge, the loss to the port must have been fearfully augmented. The contrast between the tight and trim ships in the dock, and the wretched wrecks on the stream, was most striking. It could scarcely be expected that so frightful a destruction of property would occur without the loss of life; and a poor boy belonging to the Richard, in endeavouring to make his escape into the Canova, fell into the river and was drowned. Another life was lost in the Newby : when she took the ground to the North Pier, the boom swung over to leeward and carried overboard a smart young running fitter, named Davison. The rest of the people on board, seven in number, took refuge in the chains, and were rescued from the very jaws of death by Mr. Garthwaite, of the Wearmouth dock, assisted by two of the dock watchmen, named Henry Robson and Arthur Urquhart. [LHTB]

February 9. — The railroad from Stockton to Hartlepool, which had been opened for coal traffic on the 12th November, 1840, was formally opened for passengers amidst great rejoicings. Two trains of carriages left the Stockton station about half-past twelve o'clock, and, after stopping to permit the company to inspect the viaduct at Greatham, and other works, the party arrived at the Middleton station, near Hartlepool, a little before two o'clock. The directors and their friends afterwards returned to Stockton, where the festivities concluded with a dinner, H. Vansittart, Esq., in the chair. This line — one of the few which were constructed without an Act of Parliament — was about eight miles in length, and was finished in about a year and a half, a viaduct of 92 arches, 700 yards long, being the only expensive work. The capital was originally £60,000. The company was incorporated by an Act, June 30, 1842. [LRL]

February 19. — About half-past eleven o’clock this evening, a fire was discovered to be raging in the magnificent and princely family mansion of the Marquis of Londonderry, at Wynyard Park, in the county of Durham, and, nothwithstanding the utmost exertions of the servants, almost the whole building was consumed before the fire was subdued. It would be impossible to enumerate the immense quantity of valuable articles of furniture, &c., which fell a prey to the flames, but we may mention the several glass chandeliers, together with some immensely large mirrors, and beautiful stained glass windows, with numerous exquisite works of art, in statuary and paintings, amongst which, were portraits of Queen Anne, George III., and Queen Charlotte, and the whole of the Tempest family pictures, not any of which were saved. The conservatory contained a number of camelias, 15 feet high, and a fine specimen of the Norfolk Island pine, together with 25 orange trees, in full growth, formerly the property of the Empress Josephine, with a number of other rare and choice exotics, all of which were totally destroyed. The damage was estimated at £150,000. The cause of the fire was never ascertained. The site of this mansion was formerly occupied by a hall, of the same name, which was the residence of the late Sir Henry Vane Tempest, the father of the then Marchioness of Londonderry. The building was commenced in 1822. The whole of the stone of this fabric was brought 26 miles, from a quarry on the family estate at Penshaw, Philip W. Wyatt, esq., architect. From the above it will be seen that the late hall had been upwards of nineteen ycars in building. At the time of this calamity, it was fast approaching towards completion, being expected to be finished in about another year. [LRF]

February 19. — This morning, one of the boilers at the Church Pit, Wallsend, suddenly exploded, doing much injury to the machinery, and killing two of the firemen. [LRL]

March 15. — A melancholy accident occurred at Cowpen colliery, north pit, on Monday, the 15th March, 1841, by which four men lost their lives. The pit had not been worked for about twelve years, the machine having then been burnt, and the pit laid off in consequence; but the colliery having been taken by new lessees, preparations were making to work it again. A new engine and engine-house had been erected, and the workmen were employed in walling the shaft, and the pitmen and sinkers in clearing away the old materials. This work was in progress at the time of the accident; and the shaft was walled to within seven feet of the top. At about 1 pm, the masons quitted the cradle, or hanging stage, and were replaced by their assistants, who began to clear the sides of the shaft for another course of stones. While thus employed, the old materials suddenly came away in a body; and so large and heavy a mass of wood and rubbish, falling upon the cradle, forced it downward. The cradle, was connected with a sort of gin or capstan to raise or lower it — a "crab" as the pitmen call it — which in the ordinary progress of the works, was prevented from "running off" by a pall or cow. But this check was broken by the sudden jerk which followed the fall of the materials, and the crab ran backwards with great velocity — the cradle, at the same time rapidly lowering, till it fell upon the "brattish" — a partition dividing the shaft into two parts. There were five persons on the cradle; four of whom were precipitated to the bottom of the shaft, and (no doubt) killed. The fifth to his astonishment escaped. He had seized the sling in his descent; and after the cradle was smashed on the brattish, he found himself lying on a portion of the wreck, in imminent peril of falling. He cried aloud for help, and a rope was lowered; to which he attached himself, and was rescued. The sufferers were :— 1. Joseph Wright, aged 37 on the day of the accident. He left a wife and three children. 2. Francis Reay, who left a wife and five children. 3. James Reay, who left a wife and six children. 4. Stephen Heron, unmarried. William Heron, the rescued pitman, was the brother of Stephen, and had a wife and young family. He was wounded by the falling materials, but not seriously. The bodies were not recovered until the following Thursday evening. From the first there were no hopes of the men being recovered alive, and it was necessary to secure the shaft properly, before any person could descend with safety. An accident, attended with so great a loss of human life, never having occurred at this colliery on any previous occasion, the event made a peculiarly deep impression on the workmen and the public ; and the funeral, which took place on Saturday the 20th, was attended by hundreds of the inhabitants. [LHTB]

March 15. — As some men were repairing the shaft of Cowpen Colliery North Pit, a fall of a large mass of old materials from the sides took place, which, descending upon the cradle, in which the men were suspended, precipitated four of them to the bottom of the pit, killing them on the spot. Another man caught hold of some timber attached to the shaft, and escaped unhurt. The sufferers were Joseph Wright, aged 37, who left a wife and three children; Francis Reay, who left a wife and five children; James Reay, who left a wife and six children; Stephen Heron, unmarried; William Heron, the rescued pitman, was the brother of Stephen, and had a wife and young family. [LRF]

April 13. — Between six and seven o'clock in the morning, and explosion of fire damp occurred about two miles within the pit at Whitley colliery, near North Shields, by which Mr. Clavering, the under-viewer, and Wm. Study, overman, were severely injured — the former so much that he expired the following day. Happily the explosion was not very extensive, or many lives might have been sacrificed, as above 120 men and boys were at work in the pit at the time. [LHTB]

April 19. — A melancholy explosion attended with an extensive loss of life, occurred about one o'clock in the afternoon of Monday, at Willington colliery, belonging to Matthew Bell, esq. M.P. and partners, situate about midway between Newcastle and North Shields, when thirty-two poor fellows were suddenly hurried out of life, whilst only three out of thirty-five who were down the pit at the time were saved. The first intimation of danger was a tremendous noise accompanied by a dense cloud of smoke issuing from the shaft mouth, and a violent shock in the neighbourhood resembling what might be supposed to proceed from an earthquake. This noise was heard at a great distance and in every direction, and produced alarm throughout the neighbourhood which was but too painfully realized when the melancholy news had spread amongst the friends and relatives of those who were employed in the pit. The accident happened in the “Bigge Pit,” which is one of the new workings, the pit having been for a considerable time closed and the work in it having only been recently resumed. The workings are, therefore, comparatively, not extensive, the east headway running 220 yards, and the west headway 280 yards, while that to the north is even much shorter. The shaft is sunk to the depth of 140 fathoms, the High Main Seam being passed through, and the workings of the Bensham Seam fairly carried on. As soon as the dismal reality was known, relatives, and all in any way connected or sympathising with those engaged in the work, were drawn to the spot, manifesting in every look and action the dismal anxiety, the gloomy foreboding, or the intense sorrow, with which the occurrence had overwhelmed them. Two men — Michael Ranson and Henry Dunn — and George Charlton, a boy, all sinkers, were employed at some distance in the east headway, and were made sensible of their danger by the dust and wind which came upon them. Fortunately, the after-damp was spent, and they reached the shaft without being injured ; there they found that stones and wood-work at the bottom were torn from their places and had fastened the cage, but, after much labour, they were rescued from their perilous position and conveyed to the top in safety. Without loss of time, and with a readiness which, while it bespoke their feeling and displayed their courage, a body of workmen descended and commenced their melancholy work. The labour, exhausting though it was, was continued unremittingly, until the bodies of the thirty-two sufferers were recovered. Amongst the number, obtained in the earlier part of the search, were three, who, though much mangled, were yet alive : they were immediately conveyed to where the most judicious assistance could be afforded, but they shortly afterwards died in excruciating agony. In another part of the west headway lay three men, completely dead, one of whom was dressed, and had his night-cap stuffed in his mouth; the others had a part of their clothes on; and it is accordingly presumed that these unfortunate men, aware of the peril they were in, had ventured on an attempt at escape. Twenty-nine bodies had been obtained on Wednesday the 21st and in the course of Thursday the remaining three were found. Two horses, in the northern division, were also found, quite dead ; and in the same direction where the three survivors were, was found an old pony, which, though nearly starved, was unhurt. The stable was burnt down, and an unknown amount of other injury effected. Many of the bodies were in a sound state indicating that their death had been the result of suffocation. In the majority of cases they were mutilated, and presented a sight truly appalling; in others, the falling of the stones and props which were wrenched from their places by the devastating power, had so completely disfigured them, so broken every bone and muscle, that. the coffins had to be sent down, to prevent limb falling from limb, while being conveyed up the shaft. Part of the sufferers were decently buried on Wednesday and Thursday, but the last sad rite remained to be performed over several after the inquest was concluded. How or where this calamity originated must ever remain matter of speculation. The seam which was being worked was the same as that in which the accident at Wallsend happened, and is generally spoken of as being attended with greater risk than the other seams. Those about the pit, and who, though interested, might be considered the most competent judges in the matter, positively stated that no apprehension of danger existed in the mind of any one — that, on the contrary, perfect confidence prevailed, and was justified by the care and labour which had everywhere been bestowed. The solution put forward as the most probable, and as supported by concurrent testimony, was, that the whole was attributable to the neglect of a poor little boy, a trapper, who left the trap door in the north headway, to which it was his duty to attend, to play with two other boys close by. It is essential that these doors be shut, except at the very moment when the putter is passing, and in the present instance, it was supposed the boy propped open his door, that it remained thus for some time, and that the necessary ventilation was thereby prevented. [LHTB]

May 5. — The successful winning of Framwellgate Moor colliery, which had been an object of great interest to the inhabitants of the city of Durham, (within two miles of which it is situated,) was completed on the above day, Wednesday, when the first regular and direct transmission of coal to the place of shipment — the drops of the Stanhope and Tyne Railway company, at South Shields, was effected. A cargo of capital coal — some of the best ever shipped from the southern bank of the Tyne — was on that day sent down by the railway, which communicates, by means of a bridge thrown over the river Wear, a short distance above Finchale priory, with the Durham Junction Railway, and subsequently with the Stanhope and Tyne, after re-crossing the Wear by the Victoria bridge. The wagons, decorated by handsome flags, were accompanied by the agents of the colliery, to the shipping drops, where they arrived, after a trip of thirteen miles, performed in a very short space of time, a few minutes before two o'clock; when they were met by a party of the directors of the Northern Coal Mining Company and their friends. The vessel destined to receive the first cargo of the valuable mineral was appropriately enough called "The True Briton," — a circumstance which some regarded as a favourable omen of a long course of uninterrupted prosperity to the new colliery. The coals were shipped with extraordinary celerity, amidst the repeated cheers of the spectators on the drops and on board the vessels lying at the staiths, which all mounted their colours in honour of the event. [LHTB]

May 17. — As some workmen were employed in a quarry on the Kirkharle estate, Northumberland, they discovered a worm embedded in the solid freestone. After exposing it to the air for three or four minutes it died. [LRF]

May 20. — On the evening of this day, great excitement was created in consequence of an influx of water in the colliery on Chatton moor, near Belford, worked by Mr. Stephen Dryden, the workmen then engaged in it (four in number) were unable to reach the shaft of the mine ; and it was not until noon on the following day that the water could be sufficiently reduced to admit of their being released from their perilous situation. Fortunately no injury was sustained, except a very slight accident to one of the pitmen. [LHTB]

May 27. — John Bowes, Esq., and Partners, reached a second seam of coal, six feet thick, at Marley Hill colliery, near Gateshead. The workmen were entertained in celebration of the event. [LRL]

May 29. — Saturday, a sad accident occurred at Derwent Crook colliery, near Gateshead, the property of Lord Ravensworth and partners. Between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, the men connected with the works at bank were sitting in the engine-house taking their "allowance," as is customary on a Saturday afternoon, when they became suddenly aware that the boiler was exploding. They had but a moment for flight. The body of the boiler, weighing about four tons, became separated from the bottom, and was lifted entirely over the engine-house, alighting on the opposite side. Mr. Michael Almond, engineer to the colliery, while making his escape, was caught by a large detached portion of the bottom plate, which, falling upon his shoulder, severed his arm from his body, tore the flesh from his side, and took off one of his legs. He expired in a few moments. There were nine others more or less injured. A young man, named Young, died on the following Monday from the effects of the falling stones and steam; and there were two others, named Morpeth and Ford whose recovery was doubtful. [LHTB]

May 29. — A sad accident occurred at Derwent Crook Colliery, near Gateshead, the property of Lord Ravensworth and Partners. Between four and five o’clock in the afternoon, the men connected with the works were sitting in the engine-house, taking their "allowance," when they became suddenly aware that the boiler was exploding. They had but a moment for flight. The body of the boiler, weighing about four tons, became separated from the bottom, and was lifted entirely over the engine-house alighting on the opposite side. Mr. Michael Almond, engineer to the colliery, was caught by a large detached portion of the bottom plate, which severed his arm from his body, tore the flesh from his side, and took off one of his legs. He expired in a few moments. Ten of the workmen were severely scalded, three of them afterwards died from the injuries they received. [LRF]

June 7. — Andrew Hudson, of Little Bavington, while working in a limestone quarry at Cocklaw Walls, in the parish of Thockrington, Northumberland, found the hones of two human bodies amongst a quantity of loose stones. The bones were collected and deposited in Kirkheaton Churchyard. [LRF]

June 15. — The West Durham Railway, which was partially opened in the preceding year from the Willington and Hunwick Pits to its junction with the Byer's Green branch of the Clarence Railway, was finally opened to the parliamentary terminus at Billy-row, near Crook, and a number of wagons laden with coals of a very superior quality, from the White Lee, and old Roddy Moor collieries, were passed down the line on their way to Hartlepool. A select party of gentlemen, the friends of the directors, from Stockton, Darlington, and Bishop Auckland, attended to witness the transit of the coals, and were highly interested with the excursion. [LHTB]

June 21. — The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Improvement bill, the great north of England railway bill, and the Middlesbrough improvement bills, received the royal assent on Monday. [LHTB]

June 28. — The first coals sent down the railway from Westerton colliery, co. Durham, belonging to Nicholas Wood and Co., took place on this day, Monday. After accompanying the wagons a short distance down the line, the party returned to Coundon, and sat down to a most excellent dinner at the inn, where the afternoon and evening were spent in a very pleasant manner. [LHTB]

July 10. — At Whitworth Park colliery, Durham, the Hutton seam was gained at a depth of 516 feet. The pit proved a most disastrous speculation, and was "laid in" in 1842, after an outlay on the part of the Durham County Coal Company of nearly £40,000. It was afterwards purchased by a private company, who have worked it with great energy and success. [LRL]

August 5. — A melancholy and dreadful explosion of inflammable gas took place at Thornley Colliery, belonging to Sir W. Chaytor and Co., situate about seven miles east of Durham, and close adjoining the collieries of Haswell, South Hetton, and other extensive and important mines connected with the trade of the Wear ; which, since its commencement, about six years previous, up to the above date, had been worked with the greatest safety and satisfaction, having always been considered one of the best ventilated pits in the neighbourhood; and in this instance the unfortunate accident by which eight boys and one man met with an untimely end, could be, with too great certainty, traced to the negligence of one of the boys (a sufferer) by the leaving of his trap-door open. Thornley pit contains three seams, the first of which is called the five-quarter seam, and is worked at a depth of 85 fathoms; the second the Hutton seam, of 145 fathoms; and the third (the place where the explosion took place) is at the depth of 166 fathoms, and is called the Harvey seam, and up to a few minutes of her taking fire, there was not the smallest reason whatever to anticipate such a lamentable result, and not the slightest danger was apprehended by any one connected with the works. On Thursday afternoon a little before four o'clock the men at the bank were alarmed by a fierce blast of wind coming suddenly up the shaft, carrying with it thick volumes of smoke and dust, and soon after, the workmen employed at the bottom ascended and gave the alarm that the pit had fired; upon this the most praiseworthy and humane efforts were immediately used by Mr. Heckles, the resident viewer, Mr. Cairns, and other individuals, who disregarding consequences, descended the shaft, in order if possible, to render every assistance to those who had fortunately escaped with life, and endeavour to bring to bank those who had perished under the devastating power of the explosion. In the mean time, the news of the disaster spread through the village (which is very populous), and the pit was soon surrounded by relatives, friends, and others, who were waiting in anxious suspense, to know the extent of the injury. Mr. Heckles and his brave comrades, on descending, soon ascertained the quarter from which the fire originated, viz. the Harvey seam, and in about a quarter of an hour after, such workmen as were found unhurt, along with three others who had been severely burnt, were all brought to bank; but one of the latter (a boy named Jonathan Gardner) died a few hours afterwards. On further examination, it was discovered that the explosion was confined to about 200 yards in the north-west part of the seam, and, as they proceeded, they found in the workings, nine dead bodies, eight of whom were boys, and one man, two of whom had been burnt to death, and the rest had died from the effects of the after-damp. There were also found two horses dead. At the time of the accident there were between 30 and 40 men down in different parts of the mine; and in the particular district of the fire, between 70 and 80 hewers had just left off working and returned to bank a few minutes before it occurred, and the only man who suffered was Thomas Haswell, a hewer, who on account of being lame, did not go away with his comrades, but while waiting to ride upon the wagons, the explosion took place, by which he unfortunately lost his life, A boy named Pile, also was thrown down by the violence of the blast, but escaped with only his arm broken ; and a man, a driver, was fortunately within the tub on the empty wagon, which was thrown over upon him, and his escape was attributed to this singular circumstance, as the horse he was driving was killed. Saturday the 7th, an inquest was held on the bodies, before Richard Maynard, esq. coroner for that division of the county of Durham, and a respectable jury, at the Thornton Colliery inn, and after a long and careful investigation of the circumstances connected with the melancholy event, it appeared from the evidence brought before them that the pit generally at all times was considered in a very safe state, being thoroughly ventilated by an up-cast and down-cast shaft; that the Harvey seam was a new one, and had been worked only since April preceding; that a trapper boy, named R. Gardner (one of the sufferers), was observed during the day with his trap-door open, and was at the time cautioned; but that ultimately it is supposed he had fallen asleep with his door propped, by which means a portion of the ventilation of the mine was stopped, and in consequence a quantity of foul air gradually accumulating, had fired at his candle, and caused the explosion. The jury, under these circumstances, after consulting some time, returned the following verdict :— "Accidental death — caused by an explosion of fire-damp, but by what means it was caused could not be discovered." The following is a list of the unfortunate sufferers Thomas Haswell, hewer, aged 42, leaving a wife and seven children; John Armstrong, putter, aged 15; John Gardner and Robert Gardner, two brothers, aged 17 and 9, one a putter and the other a trapper; John Graham and George Graham, two brothers, aged 16 and 11, both putters; Peter Gradon, driver, aged 11; George Ord, flatman, aged 17; and Thomas Hall, putter, aged 17. The coroner having signed the warrants for the interment of the deceased, the whole were buried at Kelloe, the same afternoon. Nearly all the population of Thornley turned out to accompany the funeral procession — a melancholy and heart-rending spectacle which it was impossible to behold without the deepest emotions. The damage sustained in the workings of the pit were very inconsiderable, there being only a few board-end stoppings knocked down, and some other trifling things, all of which were soon replaced, and the mine again restored to a proper state of ventilation. [LHTB]

August 5. — Messrs. Bolckow and Vaughan, of Middlesborough, brought their new iron works into partial operation. About 2 o’clock a lump of iron, in a state of fusion, was conveyed on a proper carriage to the "squeezer," where it was kneaded (as a gentleman observed), like an old woman working a loaf. This squeezer is of great power and weight — upwards of 20 tons. Its shape and action may be compared to the head of a huge crocodile, and some one had humorously chalked an eye on each side, and a row of large teeth on the jaw, which gave it the appearance of a mighty monster chewing red-hot iron. After the mass had undergone this process, it was quickly conveyed to the rollers, when Mr. Vaughan seized it, with a proper pair of pincers, and passed it through the rollers, amidst the loud and long continued hurrahs of the workmen and the company present. The different departments are so arranged that the huge masses of wrought iron can be moved from one part to the other for the necessary operations, and finally shipped at the door, with the greatest facility and economy of labour. [LRF]

August 10. — Tuesday, about two o'clock on the morning, an explosion of fire-damp took place in one of the side workings of Haswell colliery, Co. Durham, whereby a man named Routledge was killed, and five others burnt, two very severely. Routledge was quite dead when found ; the greatest force of the ignited gas having been expended on his person : the others being at some yards distance escaped with various extent of injury. [LHTB]

August 12. — Thursday, great rejoicing took place among the colliers of Murton, near Dalton-le-Dale by whose exertions and zeal, guided by the indomitable perseverance and undoubted ability and energy of Mr. Edward Potter, the viewer and engineer, the South Hetton Coal Company had conquered difficulties apparently insurmountable, and succeeded in sinking through the sand at their extensive winning of Murton. Of all the mining operations which it has been our lot to record, or which have engaged the patience and funds of the capitalist — the ability of the engineer — or harassed and disappointed every exertion in order to the overcoming of difficulties apparently wholly insurmountable, perhaps we may not be wrong in stating it to be the most remarkable on record. It was in the autumn of the year 1838 that the sinking of five pits was commenced, and immediately there sprung into existence a host of smoky buildings, lofty chimneys, and mighty engines groaning and hissing in their ceaseless labours — a busy crowd of swarthy miners hurrying to and fro, all ready to obey the master-hand and to undergo any exercise of their peculiar vocation calculated to advance the marvellous work. Shrouded in an atmosphere perturbed and dark, and filled with noisome stench, day and night laboured the mechanical powers, and certainly not in a less degree, the sturdy miners. By the beginning of 1840, the available mechanical means, amounting to the power of five hundred and forty horses, was put into action in order to the breaking of the crust of limestone to gain access to the quicksand. Up to this time, a strong feeder had been coming out of the limestone, but on its being broken by the final shot, the quicksand and water instantly rose to the height of fifteen fathoms in one of the pits, but the united power of the engines, extracting more than seven thousand gallons of water per minute, was found to master the spring. This mastery however, could not be maintained, as the sand operated against it in two ways — first it was found that the buckets owing to the wear of the leather, had to be changed in the lower sets sometimes as often as every three hours; hence therefore, arose a cause of delay which allowed the water to resume its old position. Another difficulty arose from the immense mass of sand held in solution by the water, which, by its superior specific gravity, settled upon the slightest stoppage of the engine, thus causing the loss and breakage of the buckets and other remote machinery. Thus if a column of water of thirty-three fathoms was charged with sand — after a trifling stand, it was found that there fell on the bucket a dense pillar of sand, five fathoms in height — a difficulty apparently insurmountable. The delays constantly recurring from these contingencies baffled every effort to make way through the sand, notwithstanding Mr. Potter's great personal exertions. In this dilemma, the operations were suddenly brought to a stand in the latter end of June 1840, and the proprietors availed themselves of the experience of Messrs. Nicholas Wood and George Johnson, by whose advice they immediately erected two additional engines of three hundred horse power each, on average pressure, making a grand total of the power of eleven hundred and forty horses, giving to bank a total delivery of ten thousand, eight hundred and thirty two gallons of water every minute. Eighteen boilers supplied steam to the mighty mass of mechanical power which ultimately procured the completion of the gigantic undertaking, which occupied a period of time, between commencement and completion, of not less than two years and a half. Not the least remarkable feature is the amazing patience and perseverance exhibited on the part of the proprietors, who though daily and hourly subjected to an expense of the most ruinous amount, yet continued steadfastly to proceed with the work, trusting to a successful issue for repayment. Truly the expenses were enormous : during the time they had to contend with sand and water, the leather buckets alone cost £11. 5s. hour by hour, and three tan-yards but served to supply the requisite quantity of leather; an hundred tons of coal day by day were required to feed the furnaces, and the water which flowed from the ceaseless working of the pumps and buckets, formed a notable stream, and created for itself a channel where water had never run before. [LHTB]

October 7. — On the morning of this day, Thursday, about nine o'clock, an accident occurred at Waldridge colliery, two miles west of Chester-le-Street, by the breaking into the mine of a large quantity of water. Between sixty and seventy men and boys were below when the rush of water took place, but they were fortunately enabled to effect their retreat into some old workings from which they were afterwards safely brought to bank. Their escape may be considered as truly providential. [LHTB]

October 30. — Three men were killed in the Cramlington pit, Northumberland, by a falling in of part of the roof. [LHTB]

November 8. — Monday night, a fire took place in the stables down the South Hetton pit, by which ten valuable horses were killed. The fire was got under on the following day, and the pit commenced working again on Wednesday. It is supposed the fire was occasioned by some person leaving an oil-lamp burning on the corn-chest in the stables. [LHTB]

November 14. — Sunday morning, about five o'clock, an alarming and destructive fire was discovered at Friar's Goose colliery, South Shore, near to Mr. Clapham's alkali works. At the time the alarm was given, the wind was blowing fresh from the north-east, and, in consequence, the flames burst forth with uncommon fury, and in a little time the extensive range of coal sheds, screens, and pully frames, were all in one blaze, and before seven o'clock, the whole were entirely consumed, besides a number of wagons, &c.; the wheels and spokes of some were "run" with the intensity of the heat. The several engines from Newcastle, and one from Messrs. Hawks, and another from Felling colliery, were speedily on the spot, and fortunately by their united exertions the fire was confined to where it originated. The fire was supposed to be caused by one of the sinkers (many of whom had been at work until three o'clock the same morning), leaving a lamp burning in one of the sheds, the flames of which, by the violence of the wind, having communicated with the wood partition, had caused the accident. The loss was estimated at £800. [LHTB]

November 30. — The first seam of coal, known in this district as the three-quarters seam, was cut through at the new winning at North Biddick in the county of Durham, on this day, Tuesday, at the depth of 68 fathoms from the surface; its general appearance and thickness, together with its position in the strata, sufficiently prove the value of this coal field. [LHTB]

December 10. — At an Easington justice meeting held before Rev. H. G. Liddell, R. S. Pemberton, and R. Burdon, esqrs., William Hutchinson, and John Green were brought up for a violent assault upon Edward Floordown, at Wingate colliery, Co. Durham, on the above day. It appeared in evidence that Green, who was only a boy, fastened a rope to Floordown's foot, who was sitting in a small cabin close to the shaft. Hutchinson took the other end of the rope, and put it round the pit-rope, which was going at the time, and being rather rough, it caught the rope which held Floordown's foot. He was instantly tossed headforemost into the pit, when, wonderful to relate, after descending the shaft about 16 yards, he caught the ascending rope, held on, and turned himself upwards By this time the engine had stopped, and the next thing heard from the pit was Floordown calling out for the engineman to bend away, when he was drawn to bank very little worse. Hutchinson and Green, in answer, said, "It was all done in a lark;" but the magistrates thought there was no "larking" in the matter. Floordown said there was no malice between him and the other two, as they were upon friendly terms. It was a fortunate thing that Floordown had once been a jack tar, for by this circumstance alone was his life and that of others saved; for it was stated by Mr. Taylor, the viewer of the colliery, that if Floordown had got a little further down the shaft, it would have carried a platform away, on which several men were working at the time. The magistrates convicted Hutchinson in the penalty of £5, and Green in the penalty of £1 and costs. [LHTB]

December 18. — The schooner Susan, Aslet, of Guernsey, which left Shields on the morning of this day, coal-laden, was towed soon after into Sunderland, having taken fire, which appeared to have originated by a lighted-candle having been left in the hold by the coal-trimmers who took in the cargo. When the appearance of the fire was first observed, by smoke proceeding from the hold, the crew used their utmost efforts to extinguish it by cutting holes in the deck and pouring in water, but their exertions were ineffectual, as the fire kept increasing, which was evident by the smoke increasing below deck. The stern boat was put in readiness, lest the crew should have to abandon the vessel. On arriving in Sunderland harbour, she grounded at a short distance from the entrance of the river, the tide having ebbed considerably. The Wear fire-engine was soon towed alongside, and got to play upon the decks and afterwards below deck, and in a short time the fire was completely extinguished. Upon examination part of the decks, beams, &c., were found to be burned to charcoal, and part of the coals were burned to cinders, though the fire did not break out into a flame. [LHTB]

 

 

 

• LHTB — 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.
• LRF — Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by T. Fordyce, published in 1867
• LRL — Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Latimer, published in 1857