The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-05 00:00:00

DREADFUL COLLIERY EXPLOSION

AT BURRADON.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.
One of the most fearful explosions which for
some years past has been recorded occurred on Fri-
day afternoon last at the coal pit at Burradon, near
Killingworth, six miles north -east of Newcastle -on-
Tyne.

To understand the nature of this terrible acci-
dent, it will be necessary to give some description
_ _

of the Camperdown or Burradon coal mine. From
the downcast shaft runs " a way" or tram-road, in

a north-easterly direction, for about 300 yards ; at
the extremity of this way the workings branch off
to the right and left. On the right, at a sharp
angle, commences a sharp, steep incline, on which
is a self-acting railway; the length of the incline is
about 500 yards to the plane where several ways
meet, and in the neighbourhood of which the prin-
cipal workings lie. On the left, from the starting
point before ind!cated, is a long and crooked way,
upwards of a mile in extent, which curves round to
the east, and by an oblique series of workings joins
the extreme easterly point of the pit, into which the
workings beyond the plane at the top of the in-
cline open. In the workings beyond the plane, at
the end of the incline, between 70 and 80 men were
employed, and in the long way between 30 and 40.
The current of air passed down the long way
to the north, round towards the eastern side, and
across over the long way into the up•cast shaft.
The gas appears to have formed in the " whole"
or solid workings near the head of the incline. The
presence of gas in this part of the pit had been
known for some time, and had caused some anxiety
amongst the men. Some of them had remained at

home from fear of an accident, and about six weeks,
age part of the men working thereabouts had been
turned back by the 'deputies and viewer. At about

half-past one on Friday, in the afternoon, a slight
explosion was observed, the exact locality of which
is not yet ascertained, but it is believed to have
taken place in the " straight up flat," in the
" whole" or unbroken coal. Whether any serious
damage arose from this beyond injury to the per-
sons in close contiguity, is not known ; no such
terrible results followed as those which were pro-
duced by a second explosion which occured within
10 minutes ,afterwards.
Two lads, hewers, named Allen, were alarmed
by the concussion of the first explosion, and ran
down the incline towards the point at which it
joins the principal air way, and took shelter in a
cabin where the lamps, &c., are kept. Here they
were spoken to by' the " back overman," 'William
Alderson, who, thinking that the danger was past,
urged them to return; but they refused, and the
overran left to press the same request upon the
men engaged further up to the east of the incline.
In this way he met another boy named Urwin run -
ning, and in vain persuaded him to return—the
boy's life was saved. Scarcely had he left Urwin
when the second explosion took place, and one of
the Aliens was struck by a stone driven along by
the force of the tremendous blast in the roadway,
which destroyed the machinery and waggons with
which it came in contact. The death of Alderson
and the rest of the employed beyond the top of the
incline must have been instantaneous.
Some of the men in the " longway" felt the explo-
sion and took to their heels, warning others as they
came ; others appear not to have been conscious of
anything unusual, and only sought escape when
warned by the deputy-overman. The whole of
these fortunately escaped. The following is an ac-
curate statement of their names :
Stephen Taylor, Robert Green, Thonias Reid,
Thomas Pratt, William Rice, John Waugh, Thos.
Drysdale, Wm. Frier, Peter Martin, Thomas Smith,
Jeremiah Barnes, "Jack" (name not known), John
Oliver, Mordack M‘Nah, James Forster and son,
William Brown, Richard Alderson, James Heron,
Michael Kennedy, John Robert Dixon, Benjamin
Swinburne, Robert Golightly, Matthew Golightly,
George Neal, William Johnson, jun., Robert Cal-
vert, Thomas 111‘Quin, Luke Beadlen, Richard
Alderson, and two boys named Allen.
Most of these persons escaped without sustaining
any injury, many of them neither felt nor heard
the explosion, but some were slightly injured.
John Frier was knocked down twice, and one of the
Beadlens sustained some slight contusions.
Meanwhile the shock had been felt at the down-
cast shaft, and a little boy, who had noticed it, ran
and alarmed the residents in the neighbouring cot-
tages. The deputies and overmen, who were not
down in the pit, foitwith commenced making
efforts to rescue those who were known to he there.
They met some of the men , escaping from the
"cross-cut," or long air-way; but, persevering as
far as the "after-damp" and sulphurous vapour
would permit, penetrated nearly to the plane at
the top of the incline. To do this they had to take
in with them " brattice," or thin planks of wood,
to stop up certain openings, and so to force the cur-
, rent of fresh air from the pit shaft to accompany
them. The first body found was a lad named Za-
chariah Beadlen, who was found at the top of the
incline. In all directions were found broken lampee
fragments of clothing, parts of hoots and shoes, in-
dicative of the force of the terrific explosion. Up
to five o'clock this morning, 16 bodies only had
been recovered. Most of these were so dreadfully
burned and bruised as to be recognised with diffi-
culty ; few had any remnants of elothing of any
kind remaining. Each of the corpses presented a
• dreadful spectacle, but were sent up the pit shaft
covered in blankets.
The following is a list of the persons believed to
he lost, including those whose bodies have been re-
covered, viz.:-George Maddox, leaves a wife and
six children ; John Maddox, jun., nephew of the
above, leaves a wife and three or four children ;
Thomas Maddox, James Maddox, and John Maddox,
brothers; single men, and nephews of the above ;
Edward Dryden, a wife and three children ; John
Carr a wife and seven children; Thomas Lawson,
single; Wm. Wilkie, a wife and four or five chil-
dren ; Thomas. Wilkie, son of the above, putter,
single; James Brown, a wife and two Children ;
Thos. Wilkinson, a wife and family ; 'nes. Thomp-
son, a wife and two children ; 'Win. Turner, a wife
and one or two children; Wm. Urvvinea wife and
four children; Thos. Beedlen,single, and Zechariah
Beadlen, single, brothers ; Thos. Dawson, single :
Robert Soulsby, a wife and three or four hildren ;
Wm. Donelly, a wife and family; Joseph Vought,
single ; David Addy, David Addy, jun., and John
Addy—father and two sons; Robert Leitham,
nephew of David Addy, wife and large family—
his first day in the pit ; John APWilliams, a wife
and three children ; John Fittes, single ; Robert
Kyle, single r Amor, married ; Ralph Heron,
widower; John Pease, a wife and two children;
John Pease, son of the above ; John Thrift, single ;
Alfred Allen, single; John Carr, single;' George
Fisher, a wife and three children ; Martin Sankey,
married three months ago; Matthew Mordue, sin-
gle; Wm. Nichol, single; David Phillips, 'single,
and Thomas Phillips, single—brothers; Afetthew
Hepplewhite, single • James Nichol, single; Andrew
Messer, single; Matthew Cleghorn, single, his first
day at the pit; Moses Thompson, boy; Jas. Brown,
his first day in the pit; Jacob Weatherley, boy;
Thomas Grey, boy; Wm. Cook, boy; Thomas Go-
lightly and Ritson Golightly, boys, brothers ;
Joseph Musgrave, boy; John Marshall and Thomas
Marshall, brothers, sons of a widow ; William Al-
derson, back overman, wife and five children;
Benjamin Nicholson and John Dewery, deputy
overmen, both leave large families ; Henry
Johnson, putter; Isaac Johnson, single; Hethe-
rington, boy; Isaac Wilson, single ; John
Jervis, single ; John Frier; single ; Geo. Shotton, a
wife and two children; John Gallon, putter ; Wm.
Doxford, putter; Geo. Thrift, putter; John Cope-
land, boy; Smith, single ; Geo. Schimpf, a wife
and two or three children ; Edward Thompson, boy;
Geo. Whips, wife and family.
Two wastemen, named Thos. Friar and Robert
Jefferson, who, went down the pit to assist in re-
covering the bodies, have not been seen since about
nine o'clock in the evening,' and it is supposed that
they are lost. The overman, Mr. Weatherley,
shortly after parting with them tried a trap door
leading* into the waste, in the hope of being able
to approach the bodies by that route; buttie noxi-
ous gas was overpowering, and he was obliged
shut the door quickly to save his life. He thinks
the two men must have supposed he entered the
waste, and that in attempting to follow him_t
o they_
were suffocated. While trying this door a lit 1 lad
of 12 or 14 came up crying bitterly l for his pony.
Mr. Weatherley told him not to venture inside
the door, but ho fears his warnings were disre-
garded for ho has Seen nothing, of the poor boy
since, and is unable to hear that he has been brought
to hank.
This list of names conveys to the mind- of the
stranger no true idea of the misery
i which the cala-
mity has producedln every house n Burradon and.
Ca.mperdown.
The character of many of these men
was deserving of the highest esteem, and we write
with a perfect knowledge of them, when we say
that some of them would have adorned any sphere
of life in which they might have been placed by
their social and domestic virtues,their morality and
piety. George Maddox—upon whose family this
calamity.hasfallen with especial severity—was a
man of sincere religious earnestness, and an active
labourer in the Sunday school of the village, wherein
he hnd taught for 11 years with scarcely the excep
tion of one single Sunday. He was in his family
circle tenderly affectionate, and for 23 years never
left his house without kissing the whole of his
family. Sober, just, and unpretending, he gained
the respect of all Who knew him. He was an active
member of the Provisional Committeeof the Miners'
Provident Association, and vas usually called