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	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	10th October 1907
Colliery:	Wearmouth
Company:	Wearmouth Coal Co., Ltd.
Cause:	(See description below)
Lives Lost:	1
Category:

A new pit is being sunk at Wearmouth Colliery, 18 feet diameter finished size, to supplement the existing two shafts and in order to avoid disturbing the water behind the tubbing in those shafts the water bearing strata in the Magnesian Limestone and underlying yellow sand (here only a few feet thick and coherent) had been frozen by a firm of German contractors who also carried out the sinking. The explosive used was gelignite and the rounds of shots were fired by battery from the surface, some direct and some with the intervention of time fuse. The holes were not stemmed but a wood plug was driven into the mouth of the hole. At the time of the accident the shaft was nearly at the bottom of the frozen ground. At 5 p.m., 21 holes, charged with 133 pellets of gelignite, each weighing 2½ ozs., were fired 3 direct and 18 with the intervention of time fuse, and afterwards the bottom of the shaft was examined by the chargeman who found one hole had missed fire, he removed the detonator and pellet in which it was placed and put a plug into it. The debris from the shots had been filled away and preparations were being made for another round of holes by the 16 or 17 sinkers then in the bottom when an unexploded cartridge of gelignite was struck by a pick and exploded. Deceased and two others were injured. On the 24th of the preceding month sinkers had been injured by a similar accident, when attention was called to the danger of using gelignite in situations where it would become hard. After the second accident it was decided to give up the use of gelignite in the frozen ground and use monobel powder. Evidence given at the inquest showed that derelict cartridges had on several occasions been found amongst the debris.

Source:

1907 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 4045), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 45, Accident Number: 80 Where to find this report

	Dilton, Johannes (died: 15 Oct 1907) , aged 28, Sinker, [Sunderland Echo reports: accident - 16 Oct 1907]
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