The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-03-16 00:00:00

ANOTHER COLLIERY ACCIDENT.

On Tuesday afternoon a terrible explosion occurred
at the Unity Brook Colliery, Kersley, near Bolton,
belonging to Messrs. James Stott and Co., resulting,
it is supposed, in the loss of 35 lives. The colliery
was opened about ten years ago, and so free was it
from gas that the men have always worked with naked
lights.
There were two mines, one the Trencherbone which
was 260 yards below the surface, and the other, tha
Cannel, which was situated about 60 yards lower. In
the former mine, about 25 men and boys were em-
ployed, and in the latter about 40. The colliery was
inspected twice a day by the underlooker, James
Holt, once before the commencement of work and
once at dinner time. _ _ _

Between twelve and one on Tuesday afternoon the
fireman went through the workings, all of which he
examined with his safety lamp and found to be per-
fectly free from gas. The men resumed operations at
one o'clock, and the cage had only been wound up a
couple of times when a dreadful explosion occurred
which was heard for a distance of fully half a mile.
The cage, which hung suspended over the pit mouth,
was hurled upwards against the head gearing, and was
shattered to pieces, the wreckage falling down the pit.
The iron plates on the pit bank were tossed into the
air and the banksman, Thomas Worrell, was thrown
violently to the ground. A boy named William
Haslam was also blown off the pit bank, and sustained
rather severe injuries. As soon as possible, Holt, the
fireman, fixed a hopper to the rope and descended to
the mouthing of the Trencherbone mine. It was then
discovered that the explosion had occurred in the
Cannel mine, a descent to which was prevented in
consequence of the cage having become jammed in the
shaft.
The men and boys in the Trencherbone to the number
of 21 had heard the report of the explosion, and had
immediately hastened to the mouth. Some of them
were so overcome by the afterdamp which rose from
the Cannel mine that they fell to the ground in-
sensible, and had to be carried to the hospital. Fortu-
nately, they were all got out alive by five o'clock, and
Drs. W. Y. Martin, Kershaw, and Eames having in
the meantime-been sent for, restoratives were adminis-
tered 'which speedily had the effect of reviving the
men. Some of them, however, had to be carried
home.
Efforts were next made to clear the way to the
Cannel mine. This was a work of considerable diffi-
culty, and was not accomplished until after six
o'clock. A number of men then descended the Cannel
mine, at the bottom of which they discovered the
body of Thomas Hilton, the hooker on at the
Trencherbone mine. He had evidently been blown
down the shaft and was much mutilated. The ex-
plorers penetrated along the tunnel in the Cannel
mine for a distance of 15 yards when the presence of
foul air compelled a retreat. In their opinion there
was no hope of any of the men in the Cannel mine
being alive. They were employed at a distance of
from 200 to 380 yards from the pit mouth, and if not
instantly killed by the force of the explosion they
must speedily have been suffocated by the deadly
after-damp.
On the return of the explorers to the pit.bank Mr.
Joseph Dickinson, Inspector of Mines, who had in
the meantime arrived, accompanied by Mr. Grim-
shaw, of the Stand-lane Colliery, and Mr. Woodward,
of the Clifton and Kersley Colliery, descended bile
• pit for the purpose of masing on examination of the
Cannel mine. After they had been down about an
hour and a half the hoppet was wound up again in
obedience to a signal, when the presence in it of an
extinguished safety lamp indicated that the party
were then safe and well. Mr. Martin, deputy in-
spector, Mr. Johnson, the manager of the mine, and
a couple of others then descended and at once adopted
the necessary measures for the restoration of ventila-
tion. It was not expected, however, that any. of the
entombed men would be reached before midnight.
nothing is known as to the cause of the explosion.
Blasting was resorted to in the mine, and it is said
that the men were in the habit of firing their own
shots. At 8.20 Mr. Dickinson ascended the shaft and
reported that he had been in all the working places
except two, and these were so full of gas that he
deemed it unsafe to enter them. He told Mr. Stott
he felt certain that no one was alive in the ,Cannel
mine. He added that he had seen sixteen dead bodies.
It is needless to add that the thexcitement was very
great.