Tweet

	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	7th August 1815
Colliery:	Newbottle
Company:	Messrs Nesham and Co.
Cause:	Boiler bursting
Lives Lost:	11
Category:

A melancholy accident happened at Messrs. Nesham and Co.'s colliery, at Newbottle, in the county of Durham. The proprietors had provided a powerful steam engine, called the iron-horse, for the purpose of drawing ten or twelve coal wagons to the staith at one time ; and this being the day on which it was to be put in motion. A great number of persons belonging to the colliery had collected to see it ; but unfortunately, just as it was going off, the boiler of the machine burst. The engineman was dashed to pieces, and his mangled remains blown 114 yards ; the top of the boiler (nine feet square, weight 10 cwt) was blown 100 yards ; and the two cylinders 90 yards. A little boy was also thrown to a great distance. By this accident fifty-seven persons were killed and wounded, of whom eleven were dead on the following Sunday night.

Source:

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.

	Holmes, John, Pit Boy
	Nesbitt, William, Overman
	Sharp, William, Engineman
	3 of 11 names found
	Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.

05 Aug 1815	News (Durham County Advertiser)
18 Aug 1815	Colliery Accident (Liverpool Mercury)

 

 Return    Return to Top