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	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	20th February 1900
Colliery:	Craghead
Company:	Thomas Hedley and Brothers
Cause:	Suffocation by Natural Gases
Lives Lost:	1
Category:

No. 80 on the list occurred at Craghead Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Thomas Hedley Brothers, on February 20th, and caused the death of a stoneman.

A staple was being put up from the Main Coal to the Five-Quarter Seam, and it had reached the latter seam, and was ventilated by means of air-boxes. Three men were working in it.

On the day in question they commenced work at 6 a.m. and worked till 10 o'clock, when a gelignite shot was fired, and about an hour and a half after this, when working in the coal, some stythe came off suddenly. One of the men was overcome by it at once, and another who was at the top tried to get him down and called to the third one, who was at the bottom, to come up and help him, but they were both also overcome before they could do so.

Two coal hewers, who were passing the staple, heard what had happened, and in a most courageous way went up the staple and succeeded in getting the three men out, although in doing so they also became victims of the stythe. All were then got to bank, and all, with the exception of deceased, who it appears had heart disease, ultimately recovered.

Deceased appeared to have thrown off the effects of the stythe, and had been out of the house walking about, but he suddenly became ill and died three days after the accident occurred.

The accident no doubt was caused by the presence of carbonic acid gas. It cannot have been fire-damp, which has never been seen in this pit, or it would have fired at the naked lights in use. There was no smell and the lights were put out at the bottom of the staple when they burned brightly at the top. This can be accounted for by the fact that the carbonic acid gas had come off quickly and at once, being heavier than air, fallen to the bottom of the staple.

I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of the two coal hewers, Christopher Parnaby and Lawrence Wilson, who went to the assistance of these stonemen when they heard they had been overcome; it is beyond all praise, and there is not the slightest doubt that to their ready help and bravery the two men who recovered owe their lives.

Source:

1900 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 536), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 27 Where to find this report

	Robson, Thomas (died: 23 Feb 1900) , aged 46, Stoneman, A staple was being put up to Five Quarter from Main Coal Seam, and when it was nearly at the top an outburst of stythe occurred, which overpowered deceased and other four men. He died on 23rd inst., the others recovered.
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