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On the morning of 5th September, 82 persons descended the mine at 5 a.m., 38 going into the Six Quarters North District, 14 into the South-West District, and 19 into the drifts, the remainder being engaged on the main haulage road and at the shaft bottom. The deputy in charge of the North District was W. Weightman, and the deputy of the South-West District and drifts was D. McKenzie. The shot-firer, C. Brewster, descended at 7 a.m., and proceeded to the North District. The Under-Manager, Alexander Millar, had also descended the mine. The Manager, Mr. Kilpatrick, was on holiday, having gone away the previous day. Weightman was staying for part of an extra shift as explained previously (vide page 6).

A few minutes before 9 a.m., the attention of the banksman was drawn to a cloud of dust coming up the Downcast shaft. The Agent, Mr. Steel, who was at the William Pit, was immediately informed by telephone, and he, together with Mr. Brodie, Manager of William Pit, at once proceeded to the Haig Pit, On his way Mr. Steel telephoned to the Rescue Station at Brigham and also to Mr. Cook, H.M. Inspector of Mines, who resides in Whitehaven, and who also went at once to the pit. When Messrs. Steel and Brodie arrived at the pit, they found that the Engineer, Mr. Parker, and the storekeeper Mr. Rothery (who is an old under-manager) had already gone underground and they overtook them at the compressor house The Downcast shaft, cages, etc., were not in any way damaged, but the light wooden, covering planks over the Upcast shaft top were displaced, causing an overload on the fan motor which tripped the switch.

They found that no damage had been done to the shaft siding as far as the compressor house, and on meeting the Engineer, Mr. Steel instructed him to return to the surface and make preparations to restart the fan. The air was then travelling along the main drift to the Wellington pits.

At the time of the disaster, Mr. Millar, the Under-Manager and the rope splicer, Travaskis, were standing together near the compressor house, when they felt a blast coming from the North District of the Six Quarters Seam and were both carried off their feet. Mr. Millar was uninjured, but Travaskis had some ribs broken and shortly afterwards had to go to the surface. The Under-Manager proceeding towards the junction found a boy named Telford lying dead between some tubs and the side wall of the drifts. He made his way into the North District and found that the first air-crossing was blown down; he then continued further inbye, In the meantime Messrs. Steel, Brodie and a deputy named Thompson (who was at the shaft top and was to have relieved Weightman) had reached the air-crossing and heard Millar call for help. They went to his assistance and found him unconscious some 120 yards further down the dip. They carried him out to the junction and he was afterwards taken to the Infirmary. The men in the South-West District and drifts, having felt the blast, made their way outbye and several were called upon to render assistance. A hewer, W. Carter, was found, badly injured and unconscious, under some empty tubs that had been derailed under the No. 1 air-crossing; he was taken out of the pit but died on his way to the Infirmary.

Mr. Cook had by this time reached the Six Quarters junction, and after consultation with Mr. Steel and an inspection of the return air at the No. 1 air-crossing which showed that there was no apparent danger of fire, it was decided to restart the fan. This was done about 10.30 a.m. They found the return airway full of afterdamp and a white vapour, Precluding any hope of men being able to live in such an atmosphere

After the fan was re-started an attempt was made to proceed down the main engine plane, when it was found that, in addition to the No. 1 air-crossing, the No. 2 air-crossing and the stopping on the left side of the plane between the two air-crossings were blown out.

On reaching the No. 2 air-crossing the air was found so foul that progress could not he made, and the rescue team, which had by this time arrived, were sent forward to investigate the engine plane beyond this point. After proceeding a short distance, however, they returned reporting that there were large falls which prevented them from going further.

The air was short circuiting at the air-crossing and stopping and it was impossible to continue the exploration until these had been repaired. The party was then withdrawn, and with the additional help then available a commencement was made temporarily to restore the air-crossings. While this work was in progress, the Agent, Mr. Steel, was overcome by afterdamp and had to be carried out and taken to the Infirmary, and Mr Brodie was affected and taken to the surface.

In the meantime the Under-Manager of Wellington Pit had travelled through from this pit and reported that all was right on his way.

By early afternoon the air-crossings were successfully completed and a stopping erected in place of the one blown out, while a further stoppage was put in in place of the wooden door which had been blown out on the No. 1 level. Stoppings were also erected in the drift to Wellington Pit and at the Little Main Drift to put more pressure on the Six Quarters section.

The air then began to take its normal course. This enabled an exploring party to get further down the main engine plane, where they found a number of bodies and many large falls, but were still unable to reach the faces until further stoppings were put in on the other levels to the right. While these stoppings were being erected the party made an attempt to get along the No. 1 level and reach the men in the longwall district; the afterdamp impeded progress, however, and stoppings had to be put in in the openings on the right hand side. Eventually the ventilation was sufficiently restored to enable the rescue parties to enter the workings and ascertain that no one was alive. The rescue brigades were used to explore the dead ends of the levels in front of the partially restored ventilation and they found several of the bodies. By between 2 and 3 a.m. on the 6th the bodies of all the men, 25 in number, who were not buried by falls of roof, had been recovered.

I was in Scotland when the explosion occurred, but travelling by night I was able to reach the mine at 4 a.m., on the 6th September, and at once went underground. I did not leave until I was satisfied that none of the workers left in the mine after the explosion could be alive and that everything possible was being done to recover their bodies. The Divisional Inspector, Mr. Wilson, who was away from home on leave at the time, together with Mr. Ashley, Senior Inspector in temporary charge of the Division, arrived on the afternoon of the 6th, and also went underground. During their inspection, when they were accompanied by Mr. Steel and also Mr. Cook, they were able to reach the face of No. 6 level, where a shot in the bottom coal had apparently been fired either just before or at the time when the explosion occurred. The inbye end of the shot-firing cable was suspended over the innermost bar and the cable was laid out for a length of 60 feet outbye to where it was attached to the battery. The body of the deputy and shot-firer, Weightman, had been previously found lying close to the shot-firing battery. Other five holes in the face were charged ready for firing. Firedamp was present, reaching some distance back from the face, and it was evident that it came from a blower behind where the shot had been fired.

It was Sunday, 10th September, before the whole of the bodies had been recovered and brought to the surface, owing to the heavy falls making the location of the remainder very difficult.

Careful investigations covering many days were made by myself, the Deputy Chief Inspector, the Divisional Inspector, and other members of the Mines Inspectorate, and details of the results are given on Plan No. 3, which shows the lines of direction of force, the position of falls dealt with, and the places where coking, etc., were found. The extensive and heavy falls, owing to the friable nature of the roof, limited the area of investigation to those places still upstanding, the falls having obliterated all evidence in the roads concerned. At least 70 per cent, of the bord and pillar workings were fallen.