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The inquest on the bodies of the unfortunate individuals who were killed by the late explosion at Hebburn Colliery was resumed on Wednesday last, before Mr. Hudson, the deputy coroner for the district, when a number of witnesses were examined, but, as usual in such cases, the actual cause of the explosion remains a matter of conjecture. The explosion took place, as already recorded, in the Chapter Flat, a new district, and the evidence justifies the conclusion that it arose in what is termed the middle level, the gas having ignited at the lamp of one of the men employed in blasting at the time the top of the lamp was off. In that opinion all the parties, who had examined the mine after the accident, were agreed. The inquiry before the coroner on Wednesday occupied about eight hours, but it is not necessary to do more than record the chief points of the evidence.

Mr. James Easton, the viewer of the colliery, and one of the proprietors of it, was the first witness examined. He described the mode of ventilating the colliery, the situation and extent of the workings, and the general mode in which the operations of the mine were conducted. He was of opinion that the gas had ignited in the middle board, where a man of the name of George Hall was working, and who was found to have been most severely burnt. Hall had been in the habit of blasting, and about three weeks before the accident, this witness having inspected the board and found the coal soft, gave instructions that powder should not be used, but the coal hewed in the usual way. There were indications of pressure from the coal yielding on all sides, and witness directed a hole to be bored downwards twenty seven feet to a seam of inferior coal for the purpose of letting off any gas that might be causing the pressure, but no gas escaped. Witness again inspected the board about a week before the accident, when he found that, from having been improperly drawn, it had risen above the proper level, and that caused an accumulation of gas, of which the men complained, and the board was stopped, until the requisite alterations were effected. A barometer and a thermometer were kept down the pit to indicate the changes of the atmosphere, which were all duly recorded. Between the afternoon of Wednesday and the morning of Thursday, when the explosion occurred, there had been a fall in the atmospheric pressure of about the nine hundredth part of an inch. The lamps were not locked when given to the men, but such a precaution was needless, since the men took matches with them into the pit, regardless of the danger incurred.

George Scott, an overman in Hebburn Colliery, stated that he had examined the workings on the Tuesday preceding the day on which the explosion took place, and was in the act of proceeding into the workings when it occurred. He felt the concussion in the air, and found the current reversed, but it soon returned to its usual course. He then went to the cabin, procured a lamp, and proceeded into the workings. He found the lamp with which Hall had been working lying about two yards from the face of the coal ; the top was off it ; and the top and the bottom were five yards apart. There was a shot in the coal, ready for exploding, but it had not been fired. The body of Hall was found near the middle of the board, and that of Silas Phillips, a deputy overman, about one hundred yards from it ; and the inference he drew was that Phillips had been at Hall's board examining it preparatory to the shot being fired.

John Ritson, a hewer, stated that he was down the pit at the time of the accident, and was going into the workings when he was met by a gust of wind ; he stooped down till it passed over, and then ran out by, but he found the air return into the workings again, and he went back to look after the men. He found two doors had been blown down at the crossing board. Was satisfied then that an explosion had taken place. Two men, Peel and Robinson, had gone in before him, and had found the body of Michael Wardle, a boy, who attended two trap-doors. Witness, with a man of the name of Cole, worked at the south board until the previous Monday, when they complained of gas. Cole said that be would not work in it any longer. They applied to Scott, the overman, but he could give them no satisfaction. Scott said they had better "dad" it out in the morning before they went to work. Cole said he would not work there, as it was impossible to clean it either by dadding or working. Cole at last said that the best thing Scott could do would be to light her up when there was none present but himself. Scott replied that he would not do that, and recommended the men to apply to Mr. Easton. They went to Mr. Easton on Monday night, and he said he had been in their place on the Thursday, and the brattice was not close enough, but if the place had been altered since he was in, and was not clean, he would give them a fresh place. Had never complained before.

Fenwick Barnfather stated that he had worked in Hall's board on the Tuesday before the explosion took place. He was going in to his work when it occurred, to succeed Hall. Had blasted the coal in that board, on the Tuesday, and for that purpose took the top off his lamp, when there was no indication of danger. Had received no specific instructions as to blasting in the presence of an overman or deputy.

Joseph Porter, a platelayer, stated that on the morning of the explosion he went into the board where Hall was working. Hall was then making a hole for a shot ; the board was rather foul. Witness went for two lengths of brattice, and Silas Phillips put them close up to the face. The deputy then took his lamp top off, and fired the bottom hole. This would be about half-past seven o'clock. When Phillips left the board he told Hall that if he fired the top hole before he came back, he had to "dad" the place well. Witness then left the board. Afterwards saw Phillips in the third board, when he instructed witness to go out and get a point for Cole. When witness was out the place fired. The men often fired shots when the deputies were not present.

Thomas Clark, an overman, and James Mounter, a master shifter, gave it as their opinion that there had been a rapid accumulation of gas in the board where Hall was working, and that it had ignited at his lamp on the top being taken off.

Mr. Matthias Dunn, the government inspector of mines for the northern district, was next examined. He referred to some remarks which appeared in this journal a fortnight ago on the inutility of government inspectors in preventing such calamitous accidents. Mr. Dunn stated that he had examined the pit on the 7th of February, 1851 ; and that instead of his having 2,000 collieries under his charge he had only 345. He described the statements in the Journal as wilful falsehoods ; and made use of other unbecoming language which it is not necessary to place on record, since the matter in issue is disposed of in a separate article. The inspector, after this exordium, proceeded to read the following document:—

I examined the chief part of this colliery on 7th February, 1851, at which period the air was divided into four columns, the total quantity as ascertained by Mr. Phillips being about 70,000 cubic feet per minute. The downcast shaft is 13 feet in diameter, and the upcast 12 feet, furnished with two ventilating furnaces.

At that period all the works were carried on with Clanny Safety Lamps, the whole coal places being all bratticed, and some extensive drafts had been driven on the yard coal 19 fathoms above and 5 staples sunk down, whereby to discharge the return air from the Goaves in the Bensham Seam. The face of the coal at that time was making a good deal of gas, but no fear was entertained of danger, to the air was conducted through all places by brattices and doors, the same as if naked lights were employed.

At that period this south-western district was not so far advanced as at present by 1,000 yards, and was only laying open, but the colliery appeared to be very well arranged, and no sort of complaint was made by the people. A barometer at the bottom of the shaft shews the state of the atmosphere, the changes of which are regularly registered.

Upon the 12th inst. in consequence of the explosion which occurred on the 7th inst. I examined that part of the colliery where the catastrophe has occurred.

The ventilation is now arranged in six split airs, the quantity allotted to the south-west workings where the explosion has happened, being from 4,000 to 4,500 cubic feet per minute, and the workings situate 2,070 yards distant from the shaft. The leading board A (reference is here made to a plan of the workings), was driven 37 yards from the holing, and having met with some bas coal and hitches, was making so much gas upon the Monday night, that the men were afraid to work, and having spoken to Mr. Easton, he agreed to stop her, the two neighbouring boards being kept going. The man who worked in the middle board had a Clanny lamp, but the men were allowed the privilege of blasting the coal and the top of the lamp must needs be taken off to light the shot.

It is clear that the explosion had taken place in the face of the board, for the hole was changed, and the lamp top taken from the bottom, evidently with a view of firing, when the gas must have come in contact with his light.

The manner in which the gas has been accumulated is clear to me, from the evidence I obtained in the pit, especially from Ritson, who had left the fore place on the Monday night.

The doors A and B were kept by one trapper, as there were not many coals working in that quarter, and whilst the men were working in that board they kept a watchful eye over the boy and his door, but his custom was to prop open that door till he opened B for the empty trams, and then return to shut A. The safety of the place depended upon that door being well kept.

But since the stopage of that board, no one being there to keep him to his duty, and as the board was standing it might not occur to him to be very careful; therefore it is quite within the pale of probability that, instead of returning to shut the door he had gone in with the three trams, and remained till they were getting filled during which time the door A would be standing open and the place filling with gas.

From the position in which he was found, he appears to have then closed his door, which would cause the air to circulate in the fore board and remove the gas from thence into the middle board, at the very time when that man had opened his lamp for the purpose above named.

The violence of the explosion having blown out the stopping C, and also the bearing doors, at the distance of 220 yards, these workings were entirely deprived of ventilation, consequently those who were not burnt were killed by the after-damp, in attempting to escape.

From the extent of the fire, as depicted by the charred dust and the burning of props, I am of opinion that some additional gas might have been brought into combustion in some of the back pillars, although it does not appear that such was known to be the case.

Suggestions As To The Future.

1. That a greater quantity if air be allotted to these whole coal workings, while laying open the whole coal.

2. That the firing of shots be discontinued in workings where lamps only can be used.

3. That all lamps be locked, and only opened by authorised persons in the fresh air.

4. That the furnaces be overhauled, and a trial made to produce an accession of air by more active firing.

5. The doors and brattices be strictly looked after, both in the construction and the keeping.

6. That printed regulations be circulated through the colliery, as to the use of the lamps, &c.

After the above document had been read, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Boyd, colliery viewers, stated that they had been in the habit of visiting the colliery, and bore testimony to the admirable manner in which it was conducted.

The Coroner then summed up, and the jury returned a verdict to the following effect :— "The explosion was caused by the accidental ignition of an accumulation of gas in the middle board to the Hebburn A pit, which caused the death of John Gascoigne and others ; but they cannot . . . without expressing it as their opinion, that there has been great want of that caution necessary for the sage working by the colliery ; and further, they recommended that there be an additional trapper in the chapter district ; and that the whole of the lamps be locked, and no firing of shots take place where the mine is worked out with lamps."

 

Name	Age	Occupation	Notes
Barnfather, Fenwick
Boyd, —
Clark, Thomas
Cole, —
Dunn, Matthias
Easton, James
Gascoigne, John
Hall, George
Hudson, —
Johnson, —
Mounter, James
Peel, —
Phillips, Silas
Porter, Joseph
Ritson, John
Robinson, —
Scott, George
Wardle, Michael

 

Hebburn Colliery

Pub. Date	Article (Newspaper)
07 May 1852	Colliery Explosion (The Times)
08 May 1852	Dreadful Colliery Explosion, Twenty-two Lives Lost (Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury)
08 May 1852	Colliery Explosion At Hebburn (Newcastle Journal)
10 May 1852	Fearful Colliery Explosions (Annual Register for 1852)
15 May 1852	The Hebburn Pit Catastrophe (Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury)
15 May 1852	The Hebburn Colliery Explosion, Inquest On The Bodies (The Star of Freedom)
22 May 1852	The Hebburn Colliery Explosion, Adjourned Inquest (Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury)
22 May 1852	The Late Explosion At Hebburn Colliery (Newcastle Journal)
05 Jun 1852	The late explosion at Hebburn (Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury)

 

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