The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-07-25 00:00:00

COLLIERY EXPLOSION.

Shortly before seven o'clock last Saturday evening a
fearful colliery explosion occurred at a colliery belong-
ing to the Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Company near
Wigan. The Saw-mills Pit, at which the explosion
occurred, is situated in Ince-green-lane, a short ilia.
tance from the railway station, and close to the work-
shops of the company. It has been sunk about five
years for the purpose of winning the Wigan five,
four, and six feet seams, which lie at the respective
depths of 363, 391, and 416 yards, the five and
four-feet coal being drawn from one mouthing.
On Saturday evening the men usually employed
in the Saw-mills Pit had been drawn to the surface,
and there were down in the four and five feet 13
men, and in the six feet 12 men. Of the latter, one
was a fireman named Crompton, of proved experience,
whose duty it was to fire the " shots " drilled by the
colliers during the I lay, and of these it instated there
were eleven. He had with him a qualified assistant
and nine others, the furnace-men making up the num-
ber. It was about a quarter to seven on Saturday
evening when a loud report, followed by a dense cloud
of dust, told the well-known story that an explosion
bad occurred. There was not very much damage done
to the shaft nor to the cages, and in a couple of hours
it was possible to make a descent to ascertain what had
occurred. Ten of the men in the four-feet, having
felt the explosion, and being, fortunately, at a con-
siderable distance from the mouthing, made their
way to what is known as the East Cannel l'it, and
were drawn to the surface in safety. When, however,
the first party of explorers descended they found that
the remaining three of the workmen in the four-feet
had not been so fortunate, for, as they had been
near the shaft at the time, they felt the full effects
of the blast of the after-damp. Two of these were
dead, one mangled beyond the possibility of recogni-
tion, and the third was so fearfully bruised that he
died shortly after he had been conveyea home.
Returning to the six-feet seam, -two more dead bodies
were found. Further examinations of the workings
was soon found to he next to an impossibility, the
damage done to the main road having been so very
considerable. The underlookeni and firemen were
frequently driven back by choke damp, and hail to
be bronght to the service to be restored. Mr. Gilroy,
the manager, was promptly in attendance, and had
charge of the operations. Many of the managers and
principal underground men from the neighbouring
collieries were present to render such assistance as
lay in their power. The night wore on, however,
without nnv cheering news for the anxious crowd of
watchers on the surface, whose patience was most
exemplary.

On Sunday morning the Government inspector, Mr.
Bell, reached the colliery soon after ten o'clock, and he
then found that just before his arrival the explorers
had returned to bank doubtful whether there was not
some smouldering fire in the mine, in which case, of
course, the risk of proceeding further was very great
There was also an immense fall of roof to be removed,
and as there WWI not the remotest possibility that one
of the nine persons known ti be in the mine could be
alive, it bad been resolved to ask further instructions.
This precaution was by no means unnecessary. One
feature of explosions in this seam has been the subse-
quent ignition of the coal, and the second catastrophe
at the Mom Pits in 1871 has led to very necessary
carefulness. Shortly after noon a small party of men
acquainted with the mine made another descent, and
on their return stated their strong opinion
that the mine was one tire. Late in the aft-moon a
large party descended in charge ld Mr. 1311lley, the
manager, and Mr. Beatty, the underlooker. Their
report was in favour of a continuance of the ex-
plorations. and on Sunday evening this was being
pressed forward as quickly as circumstances would
allow. The four bodies were brought to the surface
on Sunday morning, and placed in one of the work-
shops., the fifth lies at the house to which it was
taken. The fifteen persons who have lost their lives
were all responsible men, and they leave ten widows
and 31 children. The colliers belonging to this firm
have been connected with the Lancashire and Cheshire
Miners' Permanent Relief Fund from its commen e•
ment, and form one of its largest branches. The
widows and dependent relatives of the deceased are,
therefore, provided for. As the workings have not
yet been penetrated, it is impossible to state positively
the cause of the explosion. In all probability, it was
a sudden outburst of gas at the time of the firing of
one of the shots ; but, as too frequently happens, there
is not one person left tutell the tale.
The seam in which the catastrophe occurred was
the Wigan six feet, the working of which has proved
fatal to so many lives during the past half-dozen
years. Twenty years ago the Ince Hall Arley seam
was the scene of two most awful explosions: but from
that time to the present few companies have, com-
paratively speaking, had so great an immunity from
accidents of all kinds. Much of this is, no doubt,
attributable to the care and caution exercised by Mr.
Gilroy, who has held the position of President of the
Mining Association of Great Britain.

On Sunday evening Mr. 'Picard, Miners agent,
who had previously made an examination of the
return air from the six-feet seam by descending
the .pr act at the Inc- Hall Colliery, took charge
of a large party of explorers, who entered the seam
by the downcast. They found that progress Wm
possible, hut that it must necessarily be very
slow, as the number and extent of the falls of
roof were so great as to surpass all previous ex-
perience. Forward, however, the party went, until in
the course of the evening they found the bodies of the
fireman, John Crompton, and his assistant, Samuel
McAlister, who were lying a few score yards from the
face of the coaL The bodies were very much disfigured,
and the position in which they were was Ruch as to
confiim the conjecture that the gas had been ignited
by the shot lighters. There were four shots to be
fired, in the district in which the men were found,
and it is pretty certain that the tiring of one of
these has caused the catastrophe. Shortly after mid-
night the discovery of a small smouldering tire led
to a cessation of operations, but the difficulty was
courageously faced, and after a little time overcome.
This was not the only fire met with in the course
of the work during the night, but all were ex-
tinguished, and the task of examining the mine
was continued by men who worked in relays.
The choke-damp was most powerful, and some
of the directors of the parties below had to be brought
to the surface for resuscitation. By Monday evening
the examination of the workings had been nearly com-
pleted. but no more bodies had been found, and it was
very properly thought advisable to delay the removal
of the debris in order to search for the eight men
missing until every portion of the mine had been in-
spected, ao ci to ascertain whether there WON the
sjghtest fire. Until this thorough survey is completed
it is not, therefore, likely that any more of the dead
would toe brought to the surface. It is, however,
perfectly certain that there can be DO person alive in
the la.