The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-02 00:00:00

THE FATAL EXPLOSION AT

HASWELL COLLIERY.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.
(THOM A COIRESPOINDENT.)
HASWBLL COLLIDES', MONDAY NIGHT.

We are now enabled to give positive intelligence
respecting the extent of this melancholy occurrence.
On Monday afternoon an inquest was held at the
Railway Tavern, Haswell. We have received a re-
port of the examination of some of the witnesses up
to the mail leaving, but as it is so full of technicalities,
and could not be properly understood without refer-
ence to a plan of the working of the pit, we have
thought it better to give a condensed statement of the
facts elicited, with such other information as we have
been able to procure calculated to make the occur-
rence intelligible to our readers.
Haswell colliery is one of the most extensive in the
county of Durham. It employs upwards of three
hundred men and boys, and it is celebrated for the
very superior quality of its coal.
The pit, though essentially one, is divided into
separate workings, called respectively the Big-pit and
the Little-pit. The explosion took place in the latter.
The number of men and boys usually employed in
this part is about one hundred, and when the explosion I
took place there was ninety-nine down—ninety-five
of whom have perished. The other four would also,
without doubt, have suffered, had not the course of
the explosive current been intercepted by some wag-
gons laden with coals, in what is called a "rolley".
way—a railway used for the purpose of conveying
the coals to to the bottom of the shaft to be drawn to
the bank. The four men who escaped were at the
end of these waggons nearer to the shaft. They
saw the flame approaching, having the appearance
of forked lightning, when it fortunately struck the
waggons referred to. The horse attached to them
was killed, and thrown completely over in the form of
a somerset, falling on his back. The first appearance
of the fatal occurrence arose from a mass of rubbish
and foul air making up the shaft, when the man
stationed at the pit's mouth at once suspected the pit
had fired, and immediately afterwards gave the alarm.
The intelligence spread through the village with the
rapidity of lightning, and in a few minutes brought
the relatives of those who were down to the pit's
mouth, in all the agonies of dreadful anticipation. As-
sistance was immediately procured, and every exertion
made to ascertain the exact extent of the calamity,
and to render assistance to any who might have
escaped or survived. However, with the exceptions
stated, not one survives of all who were down. The
wort of the Big-pit are separated from the other
only by doors ; so that had the explosive current not
been checked or dissipated, as stated, the probability
is that it would have entered the Big-pit, and those
who were in it—upwards of 100—would have been
added to the dreadful list.

At the inquest upon the bodies, now being held
before Mr. Maynard, the coroner for Easington ward,
three witnesses were examined, viz., Mr. John Whittle,
an overman, and C. Brown and J. Scott, underviewers.
Their evidence as to the cause of the calamity being
altogether founded upon inferences drawn from what
they observed on examining the pit, is therefore only
conjectural. Their opinions were essentially the
same :—that the explosion had commenced at a part
of the pit called the " Meadows," at " the ninth head-
way," about a quarter of a mile from the shaft bot-
tom. In that part of the pit it appeared three men—
John Williamson, a deputy, John Curry, a hewer,
and Henry Weettnan, another workman, were en-
gaged in what was called " drawing the judd," that
is clearing away the pillars or blocks of coal
which are left to support the roof of the mine
when the mine is first excavated. After this first
working these pillars are subsequently taken away,
and the roof supported by props of wood. It was
conjectured that in removing one of these pillars of
coal the roof had fallen, an accident which sometimes
occurs, and damaged the Davy-lamp, held by an at-
tendant, by which the flame of the lamp escaped, and
coming in contact with the hydrogen gas which ge-
nerally escapes when a fall takes place, ignited it, and
produced the explosion. It had then rushed along the
air courses, as it always does in a direction against
the fresh air that is coming in, and being fed by the
latter, increases in intensity, until it finally escapes
by the shaft.
How far this opinion is correct it is not for us at
present to say. The opinion of some of the men on
the colliery may, however, be noticed, as contradic-
tory to this. Their impression is, that during the late
strike there had been, from the mine being unworked
an accumulation of fire-damp in some part, which
had not been properly attended to ; and although it
is stated that lamps only were permitted to be used
in this part, we conversed with a workman who de-
clared that on the very day of the occurrence he was
working within a short distance of the part with a
candle, by the permission and knowledge of the
viewers.