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	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	15th May 1899
Colliery:	Etherley Grange
Company:	Sir B. Samuelson and Co., Ltd.
Cause:	Explosion
Lives Lost:	1
Category:

On the 15th May an explosion occurred in the Busty Seam of the Etherley Grange Colliery near Bishop Auckland, the property of Sir B. Samuelson & Co., Ltd., which caused the death of a hewer named Hall, and somewhat severely injured two other workmen.

The colliery was worked with naked nights. On the morning in question, the deputy found gas standing in the face of the south headway and some bords which were turned off it, and by his direction a fence was put up across the road with the word danger written on it in chalk. He went to the pit bottom to meet the men coming in and told three of them, Hall being one, that they could not work in their own places, and directed them to go elsewhere, but he does not appear to have mentioned the fact that there was gas in their places. The men then proceeded in bye to their working places, and Hall went over the fence having a naked light with him to bring out his gear, picks &c. ; and of course ignited the gas.

He had no business to go over the fence without orders, and it was a breach of one of the Special Rules of the colliery his doing so. The object of a fence such as this, even without the word danger on it, is perfectly well known and understood to all miners, and the only suggestion that can be made to account for Hall doing what he did, and thereby unfortunately losing his life, is that he thought the place was fenced off on account of the roof being bad, timber being required or some cause other than the presence of gas. There was no entry in the report books of gas having been found, but about twelve months before safety lamps were provided for the deputies to examine with, and it came out that gas had been found in the same place five days before; and at the adjourned inquest which was held on the 14th June, the manager admitted that he had heard of a man being singed in the previous January, by igniting some gas, and that he had not reported it to the Government Inspector. It appeared to me that the conditions of the colliery were such that it ought to have been worked with safety lamps instead of naked lights, and by your direction proceedings were taken against the manager for a breach of General Rule 8 of the Coal Mines Act, which provides that no lamp or light other than a locked safety lamp shall be allowed or used (a) in any place in a mine in which there is likely to be any such quantity of inflammable gas as to render the use of naked lights dangerous. The case was heard before the Bishop Auckland bench of magistrates on August 17th, and a fine of £5, and £4 0s. 6d. costs was imposed. A second information was laid for a breach of General Rule 1, in not providing an adequate amount of ventilation, and was withdrawn on payment of 3s. 6d. costs.

Source:

1899 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 134), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report

	Hall, Evan, aged 39, Hewer, Killed by an explosion of firedamp which ignited at his naked light ; residence: Black-road, Witton Park
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16 May 1899	Colliery Explosion (The Times)
16 May 1899	Durham Colliery Accident, Man Killed And Others Injured (Northern Echo)
15 Jun 1899	Fatal Mine Explosion, Inquest at Witton Park (Northern Daily Mail)

 

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