Sacriston Colliery new banner on the eve of the 1957 Big Meeting. Dr. Sam Watson unveiled it which shows 'Earl Attlee':

FELLING COLLIERY

1812

Felling is in the Parish of Heworth and lies one and a half miles east of Gateshead. The Colliery has been owned by the Brandlings of Gosforth since 1590; the High Main had been worked since 1779, until 19^th January 1811, the Low Main was then progressed in October 1810, and fully worked in May 1811. Messrs. 'John, William Brandling, Henderson and Grace' all had quarter shares; they also had a lease from the Dean and Chapter of Durham for the coal which was at the south east of Felling. The down cast shaft was the John Pit, which was situated at the north side of the Sunderland road, sunk to a depth of 204 yards; the shaft was used for drawing coals when a steam engine was used. A Whim Gin, was used for taking and drawing manpower.

The up cast shaft (air furnace shaft) was named the William Pit, and positioned five hundred and fifty yards south west of the John Pit, the shaft being sunk 232 yards deep. In the eighteenth century most pits were ventilated and air accelerated by a furnace at the bottom of the up cast shaft; while it is maintained and there are no falls of roof, and the ventilation doors are well positioned, the forward coal faces are well ventilated, but if there was anything wrong with the previously mentioned there was a big danger of Firedamp, production.

The date was 25^th.May 1812, there was a tremendous explosion at Felling Colliery, which was heard as well as felt in neighbouring villages; two blasts were clearly experienced from the John pit, then a further one from the William pit. The ground around the area for about four miles trembled and vibrated like an earthquake and dust and small coal rose into the air; the village of Heworth was completely covered and the whole area turned to darkness, just as if it was dusk. The heads of both shaft frames were blown off and pulleys blown to pieces, except them that was on the John pit as they were independent; the coal dust which was ejected around the area was three inches thick and it quickly burnt to a cinder; the same was blown up the shaft soaring high in the air and described as not unlike the eruption of the volcano of Mount Etna, Woman and children ran to the colliery in terror crying for husbands, sons, brothers and fathers all tremendously affected by horror, anxiety and most of all, grief. Because the main haulage wheels were not now working, the Gin, was put to use; many men took the place of the horses and with the urgency of the situation, their strength was enormous, by twelve o clock the thirty two survivors were brought to the surface. At the same time two dead boys were brought to the surface, they were scorched and their young bodies shattered; one hundred and twenty one boys and men were in the pit when the disaster happened, eighty seven were in their workplaces, two Waste men, two Deputies, one Overman, one putter, and two Masons, eight people in all came to the surface just prior to the explosion.

Apprehension grew for the people that were still at their workplaces; especially as no more had reached the shaft, and now search parties were being arranged, Mr. Straker, Mr. Anderson, William Haswell, Edward Rogers, John Wilson, Joseph Pearson, Henry Anderson, Michael Menham and Joseph Greener, all descended the John Pit. Because the Fire Damp, would have exploded if the men used candles, they progressed into the pit with Steel Mills, (small machines which give light by a cylinder rotated against a flint). The men cautiously went forward into the pit, but shortly had to stop using the machines as the firedamp irritated the spark and there was a danger of another explosion, in fact a cloud of the gas floated past them, and it appeared to be ready for the slightest spark to ignite it.

They were in complete darkness and they were choking for the want of air. Finding anyone now seemed remote and there was a good chance of the in-bye workings being on fire; added to this was a high possibility of a further explosion, the men withdrew back to the shaft area where they could once again breath fresh air and where they could check on further ventilation. At two in the afternoon Mr. Straker, and Mr. Anderson, ascended the shaft to check the air problem, in the, William Pit, Menham, Greener and Rodgers also ascended; two of the party were still at the bottom. Suddenly there was a further explosion, the men in the shaft, did not experience anything, Haswell and Anderson heard the growl of the pit and both clung on to a pit prop which was acting as a roof support, they faced the shaft and allowed themselves to lift with the blast, and it possibly saved their lives; as soon as possible the pair were brought to the surface, both feeling very fortunate men. Mr. Straker was colliery viewer, Haswell its overman, who had three brothers in the pit; Wilson was a Waste man having three sons in the pit. Pearson had a father and two brothers, Rogers was a Deputy having close relatives in the pit; all having strong reasons to do the best possible to get the men out. Pearson, Rogers and Anderson had escaped from the first explosion, and unselfishly were attempting to find any other survivors. As the searchers reached the surface many people asked for information that they may have on their relatives; every answer was negative, and was corroborated by the second explosion, also pointing to the impure state of the Colliery, and the unselfish attempts by the men. The rescuers did not want to destroy the hope of the people for their loved ones; over the years at other Collieries for example Byker, three men had been shut up for forty days and they were found alive; they had survived on Horse beans, and candles. There were many cries of murder from the crowd as atmospheric air was excluded from the mine; to try and extinguish the fires and many women would not go home, they stayed and listened for the slightest sound of their husbands or sons name. The owners of the mine gave assurances that no expense would be spared to secure the rescue of the men; they contacted anyone who may be helpful, especially viewers, all saying that it would be foolhardy for any more rescue attempts at this stage. The mouth of the John Shaft remained open; while the William pit was covered with planks. On Wednesday 27^th. May, Mr. Straker and the Over Man again went down the John pit shaft to check the air in the workings. At the bottom of the shaft a mangled horse lay, they went a further eight yards in-bye, and the sparks from the flint again were agitated by choke damp gas, and Haswell faltered in his steps, affected by the gas and had to be supported by Straker.

They quickly ascended the shaft and breathed in the clear air at the surface to revive them, feeling lucky to be alive; Mr. Anderson and James Turnbull (a hewer at the Colliery) then went down the shaft, Turnbull had been a survivor from the original blast. At thirty fathoms from the bottom the air was found to be very warm; at the shaft bottom they found that they could not breath, having no alternative but to go back to the surface. Their clothes smelt of turpentine made from coal tar; this in some way convinced the people at the shaft top that there was not much hope in finding anyone alive in the pit. Some walked slowly away in deep thoughts of their loved ones, some praying quite loudly, others still not accepting the facts and waited for the least hope at all of finding them. From that time it was resolved to seal the shaft to extinguish the fire and this was done with planks and clay. The officials now went further to make sure that the shafts were properly sealed, more clay and planks were added to the existing seals they knew fully that the fires would not go out until the air was properly stopped, and there was not a great lot anyone could do to help the poor men in the pit now. On the 28^th. May, even more clay was added and this led to all of the seal and clay dropping into the shaft; further clay was put on but this too collapsed.

Finally the day came when they attempted to re-open the unfortunate colliery, a brattice was brought to divide the William pit and work commenced to clear the shaft of the clay, and get it back to the surface. About this time rumours began to circulate, not only in the area of the pit but the County and even the Country; that survivors had managed to get to the shaft from the in-bye workings but had then died because of the shafts not being accessible. This greatly upset people waiting at the surface as well as officials and owners who had tried everything to get the men out of the stricken pit; other men in the area also caused friction by spreading more rumours causing terrible distress for the loved ones of the trapped men. On the 19^th. June it was found that the water had risen in the William pit to twenty-four feet; sinkers were brought in and a crow hole was bored into the north drift; stoppings were removed away from the John pit and air passed quickly into the mine and out again via the John pit tube. The officials made checks on the Fire-Damp gas and found that it would not ignite, the checks were made at the John Pit tube. When the shaft was finally exposed to the air the shaft became an up-cast, and with the mixture of air and gas a further explosion occurred; when it was exposed to a candle. On the 7^th. July the clay was pierced in the William pit, when a thick volume of vapour, which was gray, black, in colour was observed, on the evening it turned to gray, then the following morning it was hardly visible. On the morning of Wednesday 8^th. July it was decided that it was safe enough to enter the workings; a large crowd gathered some to cause mischief, others full of remorse and grief, others just for curiosity. As the air for the areas in the pit was important the crowd was kept back as far as possible, and police constables were placed strategically to do this, there were also two surgeons in attendance. At six in the morning Mr. Straker and Mr. Anderson and six others descended the William pit, and pushed in towards the Plane Board; a current of water over the past ten hours had been sprayed where they had descended and the air in the airways was found to be cool and easy to breath. The men used the steel-mills, which were now effective; the men came upon many falls of stone, which had to be put right as the circulation of the air was affected. After a while they came to the plane board, where a stopping was fitted to the right, which guided the air along their route to the inner workings.

They began recovering the dead as soon as humanly possible; they used two shifts of four hours on and eight off to do this. The bodies were so badly burnt that even handling them was a task and the men encouraged each other to make the effort. The bodies were put straight into coffins underground and hauled up the shaft by the use of netting; the men used the substance Oakum, to put on their hands when they handled the dead. The sight of the dead was beyond explanation, because of the violence and burning. The men were really affected by it; especially on the sight of any one they knew. At the surface the coffins were stacked in the Joiners shop, ready for the next day. One day some coffins were delivered to the Colliery and the woman wailed, howled and cried uncontrollably, there were many heart-rending moments as they tried to identify the dead from any clothes they may have been wearing, or any visible scar. The bodies were so horrible in appearance that the families consented to having them interred immediately; and as the funerals were held from July to the middle of September there were heart-breaking scenes.

Eventually by 19^th. September ninety bodies were found, all were interred in single graves at Heworth Church Yard. One body was never found; even when eventually the Colliery commenced day to day working once more. A meeting was held at Heyworth on Wednesday 28^th. May, to organize a fund for the relief of the miners families; subscriptions came from all over Tyneside and Durham, the Coal Trade of Tyne and Wear, and also the Coal Factors of London. By 29^th.December 1812, the fund; although just commenced stood at 2742, with donations arriving daily.

TRIMDON COLLIERY

1882

On 16^th. February 1882 at about 2.30 pm there was a terrible explosion at Trimdon Colliery; where sixty Eight men and boys died, along with eleven horses and ponies; six other people at East Hetton Colliery which adjoined Trimdon Colliery also died. Two of the men from East Hetton were Mr. H.C. Schier, Under Manager and Thomas Blenkinsop who was a Master Waste man. They descended from East Hetton side in an attempt to rescue some of the men, but they were killed themselves because of afterdamp gas.

The explosion in its entirety was confined to workings in the Harvey seam; which lay at a depth of 286 yards. The Low Main was bored to a depth of 194 yards and was unaffected by the blast. The downcast shaft was twelve feet in diameter and sunk a few yards below the Harvey; the cages which brought the men to the surface, ran on wire rope guides. The shaft was generally wet, and the up cast shaft lay forty yards to the east of the downcast, being sunk to the Low Main seam only. This shaft was just short of fourteen feet in diameter; there was a staple ten feet in diameter, ninety-two feet deep, sunk from the Low Main to the Harvey Seam, near to the up cast shaft and there was also an up cast shaft from the Harvey.

From the downcast shaft the haulage roads extended north and south; the districts to the south of the shaft were not affected by the blast. On the west side of the shafts there were three districts, The Headways, The Cross Cut, and the Narrow Board. There was an engine near the shaft, which worked a Main and Tail haulage system, from the landing. The whole of the ventilation of the pit was operated by a furnace in the Harvey seam, at the bottom of the up cast staple. This furnace was fed by return air from the plane of the explosion; a furnace man was in attendance and there was nothing near the furnace that would cause an explosion. The air circulating in the Harvey seam measured eight days prior to the explosion was found to be 52,694 cubic feet a minute. The explosion took place during a period when the pit was working to a maximum of 100%; all of the faces were working to full capacity, with the hewers and the men responsible for getting the coal to the surface all working. The Harvey produced four hundred tons of coal a day and the thickness of the seam in the Trimdon area was three feet eight inches. All of the in bye workers used 'Davy Safety Lamps'.. Shots were fired on the day of the explosion on coal; there were also shots fired on stone. The Management always attempted to restrict the use of shots; although the Harvey at Trimdon was thought to be only moderately fiery. Near the goaf edge, gas had been observed, these areas were in the return airways and it was also observed that the coal was dry and dusty, the roadways were also dry and dusty; these also were kept under observation. On the day of the explosion temperatures were below freezing; around about the date of the explosion some gas was observed near the goaf, and they decided to have a complete examination.

The officials of the Colliery, the day prior to the disaster had discovered no unusual source of danger. After the explosion there was limited damage to the downcast shaft, because of the wire rope guides, there was no timber to burn so the recovery of the bodies were relatively easy and the last body was brought out within three days of the explosion. It was found that the explosion had continued in-bye to the working faces in the narrow board, and Headway districts, the travel was some 2,800 yards along the main intake haulage road. The return airways were free from blast except at doors air crossings and stoppings. The roof stone at Trimdon was found to be very sound, in general and it was found that unlike other disasters there were only a small amount of falls of stone to contend with. It was also observed that there were a few full coal tubs on the haulage way the nearest one to the shaft had been damaged and had spilled on to the side of the roadway. The air doors at First South, had their frames blown out and the trapper boy who looked after them had been blown into the vicinity of the face, and into a canvas sheet, which had been used for ventilation at the in-bye side of the wood door. At the Second South, the door frames were observed twenty yards nearer to the face than the doors should be; at the Third South the door was shattered but apparently not displaced, all of the stoppings along the haulage road were displaced and the Wagon Waymans tools were blown in-bye and spread along the roadway. Trimdon Grange Colliery was sunk in 1840 and was owned, together with Kelloe, by the (East Hetton Coal Company), but after a while was purchased by Walter Scott of Newcastle. Trimdon Grange had two shafts to the Low Main and Harvey, brought together with a staple. There was also a passageway linked to Kelloe Pit, and it was always known to be a dusty Pit. On the 16^th. Of February 1882 a Barometric pressure reading was very low, with a recorded drop of 5 degrees at the pit shaft. The back shift was at present in the pit, and there were 5 deputies, 64 Hewers, 25 boys, in their work places. A caution board was posted so that out-bye, the drivers could use open midges, Davy Lamps, which had a sliding shield were also used. Although in general the roof at Trimdon had always been reported as sound; There was a high possibility that after a roof fall in the Harvey, Gas had been released into the airways. This progressed on to the work areas, mixed with coal dust, and possibly ignited from a Davy Lamp; though a later enquiry failed to substantiate this. Three men had tried to escape, from where they were working, before the actual explosion happened, at 2.40pm, but they had died close to where they worked. It appeared that the Explosion had started in 2^nd. South. All of the men working in the Pit Narrow Board District, were killed, all having burns, others by the actual violence of the blast, the after-damp scattered men all over the pit, causing further deaths.

Later it was found that the explosion had damaged the Ropes and the cages; the dividing door between Kelloe and Trimdon had been blown off completely. The Harvey area was cleared of Debris, starting at the shaft end, and the rescue party progressed to the coal seams. After some hard work they eventually found the 30 Hewers in the Low Main, who were not hurt and they were brought to bank. As earlier stated, The Under-Manager of Kelloe, Herman Schier led a party from the Kelloe end, searching for survivors; as they progressed through the passageway. The After-damp seemed all around them when Thomas Blenkinsop, the Master Waste man collapsed and Skhier caught him, on trying to drag him out he also collapsed. The others eventually managed to drag them out, but both were dead. 74 men and boys died, this included the men from Kelloe, Blenkinsop and Skhier. Three brothers, George Burnett, 19, shafts man, James Burnett, 17 landing minder, who was only identified by his clothing, Joseph Burnett, hand putter, whos body was found later. The Burnett boys were mentioned in Tommy Armstrongs poem, which he wrote trying to raise funds for widows and orphans, and later a street was called Burnett Crescent, in Kelloe.

There was a long enquiry on the causes, after the funerals of the victims; most of the families and miners thought that it was a record of inhuman and greedy pit owners who just did not care. A wheel was erected to commemorate the tragedy, when half of the men folk had been killed or injured in the village, and dedicated by the Bishop of Durham.

Let us Think of Mrs. Burnett,

Once had sons, but now has none,

By the Trimdon Grange Explosion

Joseph, George, and James are gone:

A ten-year-old boy David Irvine, obviously one of the victims, summed the disaster up by writing what he thought of the explosion.

The Mine Disaster

Yesterday it happened,

So quickly, so sickly,

Trying to get out,

They were yelling

HELP US

But by the time they helped them

It was just too late.

My brother, cousin and my next door

Neighbour lying here beside, safe

And sound beside me in the hospital.

Some I know died in pain

With a broken body.

Some I know died helping,

Helping others to get free.

David Irvine

The whole disaster was finally noted by Sam Cairns with his few lines from the heart..

REMEMBER THE FORGOTTEN

In the shadow of a mine stands a graveyard,

Where lies countless boxes of memories,

In a field full of friends.

Over-shadowed by the spirits, of the men who,

Laughedcriedlived & died.

Thus becoming another box of memories,

In a field full of friends.*********

Because of the nature of some of the injuries sustained by some of the dead, and with due consideration to relations, the Author had no alternative but to disregard some evidence available to him.

EASINGTON COLLIERY

1951

The date was 29^th. Of May 1951. It was on this day that Fire Damp, was ignited by a Cutter Machine pick. The Firedamp was released from the goaf, and it was reported that the explosion was strengthened by the ignition of coal dust, from a conveyor belt in the Duckbill District about 1 mile from the shaft bottom. An observant Waggon-Wayman heard a loud bang and quickly got the men in the area out to safety, and where there was plenty of air to counteract the gas. The Waggon-Wayman also had the sense to warn the mine officials and namely the under manager, he also tried to get in touch with the Duckbill district but was not able to do this. The manager informed the rescue services who quickly rushed to the area.

The rescuers quickly organized themselves and started to precede in-bye, but to their horror found that there had been a roof-fall over a very wide area. By this time a very large crowd started to congregate at the top of the pithead and in a number of ways hindered the rescue attempts. A lamp was found in the area of the shaft belonging to Ronnie Ritchie, and rescuers at first thought that that he must be missing, but apparently the Waggon-Wayman had borrowed the lamp, so that he could warn other districts, and he had sent Ritchie to the shaft where there was light and fresh air. Later he said that he thought something terrible had happened because all of the lights had gone out, and there was a high amount of dust in the air. There was also a strange sense of apprehension. People at the pithead would not go home and even after 10 PM, were still congregating waiting for news of loved ones. Mr. Watson, (miners leader) finally had to speak to them, telling them to return to their homes and pray. Some did go home but others who had fathers and sons in the pit would not leave the area, especially when there was a little hope. The explosion was heard in the seam below the five-quarter seam; they had never heard anything like it, it was like a muffled bang that shook the whole area; there was a general feeling that they were glad it did not seem to be happening where they were situated. The officials started to withdraw the men very orderly and it reminded miners of Dunkirk all over again. As the men slowly made their way towards the shaft a black cloud of dust came towards them from the stricken Five-Quarter to their seam which was The Main Coal. At the landing of the main coal deputies took no chance and hurried the withdrawal out of the pit as quickly possible; the mines rescue team again had been urgently sent for.

The Duckbill, district was in the north pits Five Quarter, seam and this is where the disaster started. Men said that the Ducks was hard to get into and hard to get coal out of. The seam was serviced by a string of conveyor belts; one continually delivering and emptying onto another going into a different direction. The dust lay heavy in the air as the coal tipped on to another belt continuing the process out bye. All of the time coal spilled onto the wagon way; timber leaders had a difficult job taking timber roof supports into the forward coal faces. Huge deposits of coal were evident. The more stone dust that was put on, the more coal dust was spilt and it was just a waste of time. Miners going in-bye could see the particles of dust in the ray shone by their lamps; all knew that this is what they were breathing. One miner described being in the ducks area just days before the explosion. He checked with his safety lamp and found that his flame area filled up with flame, which indicated a high percentage of gas. This shocked him so much he accidentally dropped his lamp. It was a frightening experience for the man, but all he could do was to report it; other men told of Spiral alarms, could not be carried as they continually went off. This was a recipe for disaster but for all of this men continued working day after day, never dreaming that one day the seam would explode.

As the emergency call was received by the one man on duty at the rescue station at Houghton-Le-Spring, he made further calls to Crook and Ashington. Five men quickly boarded the Thorneycroft, which had been converted to transport the rescuers and their equipment, which consisted of twelve sets of breathing equipment. The men were totally independent having their own lamps and safety equipment; all they needed was permission from the manager to proceed underground. The men who went to Easington that day were permanently at Houghton for this reason alone; they were Dobson, Stanfield, Jimmy Armstrong, A.S. Adamson, & George Rafter. At just about six in the morning there was not a lot of traffic on the roads and it did not take long to get to Easington. Most of the men were apprehensive as most had no experience of any explosion but hoped their training would be enough to guide them through. Easington was a very large colliery and employed many men. Within sixteen minutes they arrived at the colliery gates where the manager was waiting with six other officials. No one else was about, as news had not yet got out. On arrival even the manager was vague on just what had happened; he went on to say that there had been a blow out shot and he estimated wrongly that there was some twenty men in the area. The rescue team filled up with liquid air and they proceeded underground. Everything was black as night as there was no lighting at all and the lamps were put straight on in the cage reflecting uncertain looks on the mens faces.

On arrival at the shaft bottom they quickly preceded in-bye carrying their oil lamps, but because of a high degree of gas they no longer were able to carry them because of filling up with dangerous flame. The dust had settled on the roadways and it had caked on roof supports. It was a strange sensation as there was no air and everything was deathly silent. The air in the pit was hanging thick and stagnant. Well in towards the faces they came across a tremendous fall of stone and the force of the explosion could be imagined. There was just no way through. The men re-traced their steps meeting the manager on the way, who informed them of the terrible facts that at the time they were not aware of. The disaster was worse than first thought and in fact there were between sixty and eighty men beyond the fall. The manager also informed the rescue team of an alternative way in. By now the rescuers wanted some success and they set out with determination to get into the stricken area, marking their progress with chalk as they went so that the next rescue team knew which way they had gone.

After their time was up the Houghton men returned to the surface for a break and the Crook team took over. Finally with determination and a few mishaps they managed to get to the deputies Kist where they found absolute carnage. The men had been just about to change shifts and they had gathered at the Kist for instructions. Twenty men were laid dead; the rescuers checked each one for any sign of life. Shot firers detonators were strewn about the area and these were carefully collected. They started to get the dead out of the pit, later they were put in canvas bags and then in canisters. Later rescuers worked without their breathing equipment and used dettol swabs to cover their mouths and noses to counter the smell of the bodies. The men toiled relentlessly working twelve hours on and twelve off. It was heart breaking; the dead were all just young lads mostly fillers one rescue worker knew some of them and he murmured that hardly any were over thirty. All good North men whose families had been miners in the area for years; men with young wives and children. The rescuers picked their way further in-bye to the face they managed to get a further 175 yards in-between falls of stone when they found a further 26 bodies which left a further 18 missing; the men progressed further coming across still more falls of stone and this is where Henry Burdess [41] from Brancepeth Colliery collapsed even though he was using breathing equipment. His colleagues tried to revive him to no avail; artificial respiration had no effect on him. Henry was a very respected miner from Brancepeth and liked by everyone.

Earlier another rescuer had died while attempting to get miners out; his name was T.Y. Wallace of Deneside, Seaham. He had only been married for two months and now he had given up his life for his fellow men. The crowd at the pit top began to increase as the men who usually worked at this time started to congregate, and waited for news, the crowd had swelled to 2800, some having fathers husbands and brothers others friends and neighbours. A Lily white racing pigeon was noted flying above the pithead and some of the men said it belonged to Jack Wilson who was a five-Quarter engine man and who was missing. The Salvation Army van, handed out cups of tea to the people waiting for news; there were also smiles and words of comfort. It was noticeable that a young girl also waited patiently; she was waiting for news of Stephen Hunt, whom she was due to marry in a fortnights time. Stephen and two of his uncles were also missing. Mrs. McRoy waited for a second time in her life, her husband had been posted missing presumed dead once before when he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner; now he was missing again. All they could do now was wait for news.

Underground the rescuers having lost two men were taking no more chances. They could not proceed any further until a fresh air base, had been established and this base was essential because of afterdamp gas. It was generally thought that they would not find any more men alive. Sam Watson addressed the crowd at the pithead asking them to return to their homes, as there would be no further bulletins. Mr. Arthur Horner (General secretary of (NUM) arrived also Lord Hyndley (Chairman NCB) also Mr. Shinwell at the time defence secretary and MP for Easington was arriving that day. By now there was twelve rescue teams working in two hour on and two off, 1000 feet below the ground where the airways were still full of poisoned gas. The rescuers worked one and a half miles in-bye bringing out the dead. Volunteers from the ordinary miners at the pit were a godsend for the teams bringing tea and sandwiches. These men also worked hard to clear the fall of stone so that the bodies could be recovered.

Forty hours after the explosion twenty-one of the eighty victims had been accounted for; sixty were still missing. The first north was checked right up to the coalface and none were found. It was thought that the rest would be found further in. The blast had ruptured the ventilation system and this slowed recovery work and hopes of finding anyone alive were very remote. At the surface Sam Watson read out the names of the missing, Alan Joyce stood with mixed emotions, he heard his mates names called out, Billy Kelly, Bert. Burns, Peter Lynch, that fateful morning Alan had over slept, missing the last cage later a friend called to tell his wife that he was missing and found him eating his breakfast.

The rescue workers had managed to get passed the fall, where they found Mattie. Williams he was just alive; he was laid behind some tubs. They put him on a stretcher and carried him straight out-bye but later he died in hospital. The point of the explosion had came right to the main way because men in this area had died of horrific burns which included Mattie. Williams who it appeared had been busy putting tokens on the set. As time went on hope that any more of the sixty miners would be found alive was remote; the rescue services thought that even if one person could be found alive then it would make the rescuers feel a little better but it was not to be. When viewing the roadway later it was generally thought because of the force and violence of the explosion no one could survive. The area was a complete shambles, tubs and roof supports were blown to bits this included the miners bodies it was a very sad day at Easington indeed.

An official list of dependants of the twenty-four men found, and fifty-seven still unaccounted for, was made when a check was completed on miners homes. Since the explosion fifteen different rescue teams had been used working six-hour tours of duty. Seventy fresh and different men came from other collieries. Work began on the final 450 yards towards the coalface; one more body was found but not identified. There were 2800 men laid idle from the colliery because of the disaster and it was agreed that they get a guaranteed minimum wage. Wages due to the victims were to be paid to the dependants. An investigation into the causes and other circumstances would later be arranged.

Aftermath

The work of bringing the bodies to the surface carried on until Friday 8^th. June. Nine bodies were still missing; rescue work had carried on for 256 hours, sixty brigade staff being used along with 291 rescue workers losing two men. Subject to consent of the bereaved families all eighty-one miners who died at Easington will share a common grave, Easington Miners Lodge announced this. The clergy and the other sympathisers were in agreement as long as various denominations were considered. A colliery band will play at the graveside when the closing hymn would be Gresford, written by Robert Saint of Jarrow. Services were arranged as follows Saturday June 2^nd. Twelve noon Salvation Army, 1pm. Methodists, 2pm. Roman Catholics, 3pm. Church of England. Notices will be posted at the welfare hall and the other churches mentioned; places at each service will be reserved for immediate relatives and the public are requested to allow these to be seated first. Easington Colliery re-opened starting night shift Monday 11^th. June the last body was accounted for on Thursday 14^th June. Every precaution was taken in testing for gas and the pit in all areas was found to be completely clear. The odd one or two bodies were all eventually found, men seemed to be drawn to where these poor men were buried.

At the time of the explosion The Duckbill area was found by the rescuers to be full of after-damp gas, and the whole area had to be ventilated before the rescuers could enter, two of the rescuers who suffered with emphysema, struggled to breath and in fact inhaled some gas, both men collapsed and died. The disaster at Easington was a terrible waste of life and seventy two miners were found dead, four of which could not be identified, nine others were also found, and then two rescue workers were buried elsewhere.

Fifty Years on:

The date was Monday May 28^th. 2001 exactly fifty years since that terrible day on May 29^th. 1951, when an explosion ripped through the Five Quarter seam at Easington Colliery. At the time the weather was beautiful and people were starting to think of their annual holidays which most in the area would spend locally at Easington which was situated right on a beautiful part of the North East coast. It was 3.30 in the morning and two shifts merged bringing eighty one men together as the daily shifts were changing at the Duck Bill area none of these men would see their homes again all would have a terrible violent death. A later enquiry found that at 4.20 that morning a cutter struck Pyrites, which ignited Firedamp, gas, causing a massive explosion, which brought down 120 yards of roof as if it was butter. Louis Brennan manned the Cutter machine on this fateful morning; Louis left a wife and six children; there were three boys and three girls; the oldest, Peter was serving with the Engineers, part of the British Forces, in Malaya and stationed at the time in Singapore. Peter was flown home on compassionate grounds. Michael Brennan was nine years of age at the time of this terrible accident; Michael and his father were close, involved in everything going in the area and his death affected him tremendously the family now live at Aycliffe Village, Co. Durham. Michaels mother on no account would allow Michael to work at the pit; after going to secondary school he went on to serve in the Coldstream Guards, then later in the police force, where he finished his working life. The men were entombed in a hell of deadly fumes. The late reverend Beddows who was vicar in 1951 said the men and their memory will be commemorated in the hearts of the Easington people; they were representatives of the finest men in the Durham Coalfield.

Shortly a memorial garden will be opened which has been created on the colliery site overlooking the sea; 100,000 has been spent on the new garden and improving the cemetery. New features have been added which included two sets of crossed picks and five bronze miners lamps; Easingtons MP John Cummings will unveil these. The Bishop of Durham Rev. Michael Turnbull will conduct a graveside blessing; the Chairman of Easington Parish Council Coun. Alan Burnip will unveil a plaque and Easington Colliery band will perform a specially commissioned piece of music.

The garden has been created to represent the colliery; a pit wheel has been installed at the centre of a flowerbed and the footpath represents the three-tier pit cage. There are small ingots on the footpath that represents the miners tokens each, with individual designs by local school children; lines of poetry are to be seen around the garden explaining what it is like to work in a mine. The entrance gates, which were produced by Michael Johnson, are based on the banner of Easingtons miners lodge and a time line runs from the park to where the shaft was, representing the depth of the pit shaft, which was 342 metres. Funding for the project came from the coal industry Social Welfare Organization, Durham NUM., Coalfields Generation Trust, and Easington Colliery Parish Council, Turning the Tide & Unison. The event will start with a blessing and unveiling, then a service at the Church of Ascension. There will be a graveside service. The organizers hoped that everyone having any connection at all with the disaster would attend. *****

BRANCEPETH COLLIERY

1896

Joseph & John Straker from South Shields part owned Willington Colliery with Joseph Love who lived in a large mansion type house at Willington very near to the Colliery. The same people sank a further Colliery Brancepeth, around 1850. The amazing thing about the two Collieries were that Willington was nearer to Brancepeth Colliery than Willington Colliery, which was situated near to Brancepeth. As Brancepeth started to produce coal the population rose from 258 to 965 with a total of 159 houses.

The Colliery was sunk to 240 feet and eventually consolidated with the Collieries of Sunnybrow, Meadowfield, Brandon, Oakenshaw and Bolden the last mentioned closing in 1931. The Company controlling the Collieries traded as Straker & Love. Brancepeth Colliery was situated parallel to the Willington & Durham Railway to a mile towards Brancepeth Village.

Coal was dispatched until 1930 from hoppers situated close to Willington where the coal was distributed to all types of haulage including the Railways. Enormous waste heaps were very apparent on the opposite of the railway line and it wasnt until the 60s that they were leveled and landscaped. It was also worth noting that Brancepeth was known to have the largest Coking Works in the World, having 990 Coke ovens. The Colliery was very profitable but it was not without problems.

Explosion

An explosion occurred at the Colliery about 11 PM on Monday evening the 13^th. April when 17 miners lost their lives. At this time a three-shift system was in operation, the sequence beginning at 5am. until 10; then 10 until 4; the final shift consisted of stone men, shifters and deputies their job was to repair and prepare the Colliery for the following day. One con solation regarding the timing of the explosion was that if the Colliery had fired on the day shift then approximately 150 men and boys would most certainly have been involved. Previous to this day there had been no indication that an explosion was apparent; Brancepeth had always been known as a safe pit. The Engine Man working on the late shift first indicated that there were problems below ground. There was a tremendous blast and an out rush of air at the mouth of the mine which was described just like a tornado. The officials quickly informed the Manager, Mr. Grieves that something was wrong below ground.

A rescue party was quickly organised and they descended the shaft. There was one consolation in that the shaft was more or less sound. A set of tubs stationary in the landing adjacent to the shaft took the full force of the blast leaving the shaft intact. Other stopping including a large brick arch was not so lucky and was blown into fragments. First indications were that the blast had started in the Brockwell seam, which extended for three miles distance from the shaft. Because the brick stopping had been blown out, the air in the pit was foul. There were further indications that pointed to the explosion starting in the Daisy Drift.The blast and ground tremor had been heard and felt as far away as Crook, and even Tudhoe and areas around. Tudhoe were apparently in a direct line with Brancepeth Brockwell, and an air rush was felt. The Managers of Brancepeth Mr. Grieves and Mr. Weeks were first to respond to the explosion and headed a party of very experienced officials, John Rutherford, (Engineer), Mr. Lawson (Fore Over man) Mr. Laws (back over man), this party headed a further fifteen others all very experience miners. As the news spread scores of other experienced engineers, sinkers and miners, rushed to the pithead.

Below ground it was sheer carnage; there were roof falls over a large area. Four boys employed near to the shaft bottom on pumping operations had travelled to another job about two miles further in-bye these were Thomas Blackett, James Mullen and Thomas Cunningham they were all aged between fourteen and seventeen. Also with them was William Bird, 13, son of John Bird. At their new job they felt a strong wind, which put out their lamps and candles. The boys roamed about in the dark and were not able to find their way back to the shaft. They were in complete darkness and climbed over falls of roof. Finally they saw lights coming towards them which were the rescue party. Two over-men took them to bank; although they felt sick with the after-damp they quickly got over their adventure

George Wilson a married man with a grown up family was blown over and on to some steel plates and was injured; he too was taken to bank. The rescue party finally reached the Brockwell; the whole of the area and obviously the seat of the explosion was wrecked. There were falls of stone everywhere, coal tubs were smashed, even steel Couplings had snapped like butter with the force of the explosion. Men worked frantically to find survivors with picks and shovels knowing time was the essence; finally fumes exhausted them and sheer fatigue; others had to take their places. One over-man John Gilchrist who had travelled from Brandon crawled over a fall of stone and fell badly over the other side after being over come by after-damp. His companions bravely formed a chain by holding hands and dragged the man away from danger in an unconscious state. He was sent for medical attention when he soon recovered. Conditions in the pit became increasingly difficult to make even the slightest progress. Some spaces were hard to negotiate and young fit small-framed youths were brought forward to help out and negotiate areas where larger framed men found it impossible. Mr. Weeks and others tried to reach the miners from the Oakenshaw Pit but found this impossible from there and returned to Brancepeth. A large amount of timber and bricks were sent down the Colliery to replace timber and roof stopping that had been blown out because of the blast. Mr. Grieves and Weeks were ordered by Doctors to go home and rest as they had been in the pit from early Monday morning and had worked none stop to find survivors. Other High Ranking officials from other Collieries filled their places they were John Wilson, (MP Durham), Mr. E. Douglas (Manager Crook), Mr. H.F. Cox (Manager Thornley) they had descended the shaft and offered valuable assistance.

Other Rescuers who had worked none stop were now exhausted and were forced to go to the surface they had to return through countless roof falls and foul air. Other enthusiastic miners filled their places; disregarding many dangers. Tuesday morning at 5.30 am. the rescuers had found Joseph Foster he was aged 40, he had been badly mauled by the explosion; John Rogerson aged 66 was found he was a Master Shifter, and in charge of all in that shift. Thomas Nicholson aged 20 of Catharine Street, was in his second shift at the Colliery and was newly married; his wife was extremely distressed. A further three bodies were found, Bartholomew Newell aged 15; Michael Turner, 50; he had a handkerchief tied round his mouth and Joseph Foster had a piece of cloth in his mouth. One of the men had his mouth to a piece of metal plate trying to suck the moisture. This was an old fashioned antidote for gas poisoning. It seemed all had struggled hard to stay alive all in vane and they had lost their battle. All were put into canvas bags, put onto stretchers and waited their turn to go to the surface. Joiners were working all hours to complete making coffins for the poor men.

On Wednesday morning more bodies were found, John R. Dawson aged 20, single. His father was one of the first volunteers to look for survivors, when he discovered his own son. It was said that young John was an excellent footballer playing in the Bishop Auckland district. Ralph Lawson was aged 60, Jim Jefferson 58, and Robert Hanson aged 15. The latter two had run for their lives and were found in the Dairy Flat, their bodies clean and un-marked. Thomas Carling aged 14, was said to have missed the blast but died from after damp poisoning. His father had also sadly died three years ago. William Cook 52, and Henry Hodgeson were found; they actually were found Tuesday but were situated in a dangerous area just beyond reach. Stone hung dangerously overhead; their bodies were recovered Thursday. J. Henry Hodgeson was found the immediate area where he was found had to be made safe before his recovery. Henry had just qualified in an examination for mine management, getting a first class certificate. His brother who also identified his nephew, Thomas Carling, identified him. Robert Hanson, and John Wearmouth aged 64 were found Saturday morning

By noon Sunday morning April the 19th. there were still bodies to be found; afterdamp was still very apparent and men were affected tremendously. The rescuers reached the top of the hitch at the Daisy Workings; in this area the afterdamp was very bad and most rescuers had to be replaced by young and fresh men. A very large roof fall had blocked the return airway at the Daisy Workings, and it slowed progress down; the new squad managed to clear this after which they found another 5 bodies. Thomas Lawson was found behind some tubs. The men found here seemed to be trying to vacate the area; all had their jackets on and were proceeding towards the shaft. When caught by the after-damp gas. The men were not affected by blast but were a little swollen by the gas. All were placed in canvas bags to wait their turn to be taken to the surface. Charles Lintern was identified aged 34, this was his second shift as a stone man, 3 days previously Charles had worked with his brother Frank who was a strong and fast worker and Charles could not keep up the pace. His brother wanted him to stay with him saying that he did not mind, and was prepared to share the money made, equally. Charles insisted that he go with the stone men on the easier job and this resulted in his death. Charles Linterns wife was expecting a baby and it would be her sixth child. News of her husbands death had a terrible affect on her. George W. Lawther aged 39, was married with five children; Trisran Spence aged 31, this was the second fatality in the family three years previously his father had been killed by a fall of stone.

It was noted that the father of William Laws in company with his two other sons were waiting at Bank. He was an overman and had been in the pit all day searching for William. William Rawlings aged 50 of Albert Street, was found. He was married with one child; one other son had been killed with a broken back just a short time ago. Twenty bodies were now found; it was said that William Laws died later while at home. The Doctor sent William Flemming to Bank; after he had been overcome with afterdamp, while searching the Jet, after trying to rescue Ralph Lawson. William was wrapped in blankets and carried to the surface on a stretcher where he was put to bed.

After news of the explosion spread round the village people began to gather at the Pit Head, fearing for their loved ones. Mr. D. Atkinson a Police Sergeant stationed at Willington sent a messenger to Durham, informing them of the explosion. Soon a force of Police arrived in the area to make sure everything was done in an orderly fashion. Woman stood all night waiting for news, youngsters clinging to their skirts. People arrived from all over the County and even further a field; they came in ponies and traps, train, bicycles and even walked to the area. At that time the population was in the region of 7000. Superintendent Burrell who controlled the force of Police said that the crowd was excellent. Everyone silently watched the action of the Shaft pulley wheels searching faces for any news at all. Doctor Brown was seen to be circulating making sure that any one requiring medical attention received it.

Word came that the first body would be coming to the surface; this was Joseph Foster; he was taken to a makeshift Morgue which was a storeroom. This is where the bodies could be identified; on one occasion two women claimed the same body. Mr. J. H. Straker on behalf of the owners expressed great sorrow that so dreadful a calamity should have fallen on them; he went on to say that there was nothing in the history of the Colliery that there was any cause to fear anything, and they could only express their great regret that the explosion happened. Everything possible was being done to alleviate the sorrow of the relatives would be done

Funerals Over the next few weeks funerals were held for the deceased men. Words could not describe the terrible scenes of people mourning their dead. The Churches of Primitive Methodism, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan were very busy. Tom Carling aged 14 was carried to the Church by four young friends to the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor, he was the only Catholic to lose his life in the Explosion. There was a co-incidence in the death in that Tom's sister was due to marry John Martin in this very Church; but due to inflammation and Pleurisy John had died just prior to the explosion. Both boys were buried in the same grave; John Martin lowered first. The priest father Holsten was moved to tears when mentioning Our little Carling, who was an excellent member of the Church. He served on the Alter like an angel and was never late for mass. High Mass was sung. 400 people attended Thomas Nicholsons funeral; Rev. M.M. Robson Presbyterian, Rev. R. Huddleston, (Primitive Methodist), and Rev. W. Wonfor (Wesleyan Chapel) gave equally brilliant services. There were also 23 ponies in the pit and all died in the stables. Mr. G. Farrow (Vetnary Surgeon) tried to reach them but was stopped by bad roof falls. Eventually men cleared a way through and the ponies were brought to the surface and buried in a field. One young driver waited for the ponies patiently picking out his own, then crying sadly uncontrollably. He was very much attached to the animal he said, It was the best and strongest pony in the pit; it never had to be asked twice to do anything. Bobby was always willing and faithful

Relief Fund

Lord Boyne who owned most of the land gave 500; the Durham Miners Association gave 800, Straker & Love, 500. The Prudential Insurance Group, paid out on fifteen claims. The Sunnybrow Cricket Club arranged a concert at three Council Schools. The Mayor of Middlesbrough; Councilor Theo. Phillips gave generously when opening the fund. Mr. Anthony Wilkinson 25, Sir William Eden (Father of Anthony Eden), 5 many smaller donations from ordinary people were forth coming.

The below mentioned officials all gave their assistance to the relief fund and helped where needed:

E. Watson, & E. Douglas, (Manager Crook). F.O Kirkup & C. Widdes, (Managers Bitchburn), E. Chivers (Official Eldon), W. Steel (Sunnybrow), M.J. Davies, (Coundon), T. Pearson (Auckland Park), H.F. Cox (Thornley), C Douglas, (White Lee), Mr. Hopkinson, (Newton Cap), C. Hendy, (Etherley), T.Y. Greener, (Pease's West), Mr. Fishwick, (Binchester). To finish this sad part of Willingtons History there must be a mention to the woman of the village most grieved for loved ones and had to carry on the sad times of bringing up their families on their own. All conducted themselves in a way that explains the roll taken by North Country Woman in the volatile and dangerous years when people depended on the coal Industry to make a living; sometimes only earning a pittance:

The jury gave the following verdict in writing. A shot was fired by persons not known and this ignited coal dust and caused an explosion on 'Cross Cut Way'; culminating in 20 men and boys accidentally loosing their lives. They were further asked if there was any recommendation & they said that they would leave this up to the Government Inspectors:

WINGATE GRANGE

1906

A sample bore was sunk at Roderidge by Seymour & Co. in 1840, this turned out to be a very expensive venture. It was put down on land at Catlow that had been sold by John Dobson and now owned by George Townsend Fox. The original borehole did not yield much coal at all and they sent for William Coulson. Coulson was a Master Sinker whose fame in finding coal was amazing. Coulson put down a borehole on the Catley Hall estate; finding the Busty and other rich seams without trouble. He also found that the Harvey was washed out. Coulson found a good alternative in that he found Fire Clay also containing a small amount of iron ore, which was the start of the Roderidge Fire Bricks, and this Company prospered right in to the present Century

The shafts passed through 87 of soil & clay 267 of Magnesium Limestone before reaching rich veins of coal. This later produced 690 tons a day employing 1,200 men and boys. Any other Sinker but Coulson would have been put off, having found so much soil, limestone and clay. The coal was of good quality and therefore in great demand. The shafts were used for ascending and descending; water was controlled from the Hutton Seam by a pumping engine pumping 650 gallons a day.

On a Sunday Evening October 14^th. 1906 at precisely 11.40 there was an explosion. It started in the Low Main', seam. 24 men died from the blast and two others died from afterdamp gas. As the hour approached midnight word travelled through the community that the pit had fired. People rushed to the Pit Head, all watched in silence as volunteers arrived and prepared themselves to go into the pit. At first the full implications were not apparent; but indications were that many men were trapped in the Hutton and Harvey seams. This was because of the damage to the shaft and cages. There was a strange co-incidence in that other seams were not aware of any problem; they even used shots. Two stone men Tommy Luke and Geordie Robson asked Young, Dick Ashcroft to fire them shots in stone where they were developing; this was approx. 1am. It was possible to get foodand drink to the men trapped, by lowering down a basket in a kibble. The kibble would eventually be used to vacate the men. The rescue teams worked like men possessed, calling on inner strengths, this was the North Country miner; they would not rest until they had their comrades safe and out of the pit. It was a fact that by early Tuesday morning these brilliant rescuers had all of the survivors to the surface. After nearly thirty-six hours of working none stop, the ninety-three men who had been entombed were finally brought to the surface all were alive. During Monday night seventy-nine men were brought up and yesterday (Sunday) fourteen others were rescued in small batches.

Although there were still fifteen bodies in the pit, the Inquest went ahead Tuesday. Survivors and rescuers told many heroic stories of happenings over the last hours. One old miner led men to some old workings that were free of afterdamp gas. Eventually when the survivors were found they had been standing up in water up to their waists for eight hours. Food had run out and they had to eat corn from the mangers of the ponies. The Master Shifter, from the Harvey Seam who was one of the entombed men, said he had been in the pit from ten o. Clock Sunday evening. There were around ninety men in the seam and everything seemed to be progressing well.

Around 11.50 when the air seemed to change. The Master Shifter got everyone together at the Shaft bottom and work was suspended. They found that the shaft had been damaged and men could not be taken to the surface. The earliest men could be given food was 5 pm. Monday evening and this was sent down in large quantities and very much welcomed by the starving men. Some managed to get some sleep using straw from the stables and all seemed in good health apart from the uneasy feeling of uncertainty. One man called Brown who was the rapper signaler for the seam got a blow on the head and he was not very well. Later one person who was in the Harvey said they sang hymns, particularly the boys.A shafts man carried one

of the bravest acts out. On Monday morning he went down the shaft on top of the cage in the Lady Pit. He found he could go no further when the cage stuck some way from the imprisoned men. He took the food the rest of the way by rope lowering him down to the level of the seam and thus getting food to the starving men. In the Low Main where the explosion started H. Mc Gonnell had been working over a mile in-bye; there was a sensation in the air as if someone had left the doors open and a whirlwind had been produced. They carried on working until George Harris informed them that something serious had happened, he advised them to make their way carefully out-bye to the shaft.

There were four in the party, Cuncliffe, Peat, Dawson and Mc Gonnell all went towards the shaft together. They came near to the 1^st. East Way; there was an accumulation of dust and there was an eerie ghostlike sensation around the place. Five men were found all seemed to be in a deep sleep, none had any marks on them. Gunnell lifted one of them infact it was Farnworth and poured water over his face to try and revive him; others were trying to revive the rest of the men. All to no avail, Peat thought it was important that we quickly got to an area where there was good air and led us to East Way; where it was possible to breath. We all felt cold and damp and by now our lamps were going out, with the exception of Cuncliffe whos lamp lasted 18. . hours. After the rescuers had saved all of the survivors they began to concentrate on the dead. Most had to be carried over dangerous ground and timber which was strewn all over the place. Many had to be dug out from falls of roof. Fifteen bodies were placed in Tarpaulin and carried to the Five Quarter Seam; from there brought to the surface in the cage. The dead were carried passed bareheaded solemn faced comrades to the Joiners Shop, which was used as a Mortuary. A total of twenty-four men that had died in the explosion were now accounted for. Shortly the experts started to arrive at the Colliery Mr. Claude Palmer, son of Sir Charles Palmer began to look quickly for causes of the terrible disaster. Most seemed to accept that the cause was the careless use of a naked flame.

Doctor Nixon Suffragan, Bishop of Durham visited the bereaved at Wingate; the Vicar accompanied him. When the first body appeared from the Shaft he stood bare headed and later addressed a large group of people; expressing his sympathy to the families. The explosion was debated in Parliament from a Home Office report. The mine was properly ventilated and the safety lamps were of a satisfactory design. Naked lights were used un

der certain and strict areas & conditions. The mine was not gaseous and no firedamp had been detected anywhere at the seat of the Explosion in the Low Main. The causes of the explosion were very much discussed and debated over the following weeks if not months. The Home Office report as already noted was put to Parliament. The mine was not exceptionally dusty but indeed well ventilated. No Firedamp had been found previously in the Low Main. It was pointed out that the Haulage Road out-bye was dustier than most other areas in the seam but this was due to coal coming off sets of tubs passing the area.

Eventually a theory was put forward that the coal dust in the air which could be a very inflammable mixture had been sparked off in some way causing the ignition. This may have been caused by a shot being fired improperly. T. Maddison fired the shot on this occasion; he had not been instructed to do this. His instructions were to clear a fall; not to remove a large obstruction in front of it. The shot firer had the most burns on his person; showing that the ignition commenced instantaneous with the shot and furthermore a cartridge was missing from Madisons supply; which was known to be in his possession. A spent piece of fuse wire was found close by. When the jury examined the area of the development they must of realised that the stone in the area had been blown not by the explosion but by the shot. Furthermore a shot on the main haulage way must have been found safe to fire a shot and would have been thought out of the way of Gas.

The H.M. Inspector of mines reached an opinion that the men including the shot firer were not aware of coal dust mixed with air were as lethal, as it turned out to be. They recommended that no further action should be taken against Management or any other party. Certain suggestions should be taken into account mainly to prevent this ever happening again 1/ the dangers of coal dust and air explosions should be circulated to Management and men. 2/ All shot firers should have the rules of shot firing printed on his authorisation form. 3/ That mine owners be made aware of dust blowing down shafts. 4/ That all main haulage roads henceforth be kept free of dust by watering or brushing.

A monument commemoration to the tragedy was unveiled just opposite the Church. Later in 1909 the Colliery was sold to the Weardale Coal Company, Sir Christopher Furness heading the group, the price being 175,000; the new manager was Charles Herbert Leeds.

East Hetton (Kelloe)

Inundation 1897

At 3.30 on May 6^th. 1897, there was an inrush of water from old workings at East Hetton, Colliery. This caused an inundation when ten people lost their lives. There was one consolation in that there were only a small amount of people in the pit at this time; if it had happened in the day shift it would most certainly have cost more lives.

The first indication that all was not well occurred in the Harvey Seam. This was on the face of long wall workings, about a mile north of the shaft; water was noted coming from the forward coalface. Some men felt that this indicated danger and advised other workers to get away from the area. It would appear that if some of the men had not hesitated to put on their clothes they may have escaped with their lives. Among others that did escape from the Harvey at that time was David Galloway a well known local Methodist Lay Preacher.

The water quickly swamped the area and quickly rose to the roof; men tried to vacate the district by trying different routes towards the shaft. The water rose so fast that it cut them off and some were trapped. Two men saved themselves by keeping hold of the rope of the main haulage; although having water up to their necks they still managed to scramble to safety. Management of the Colliery finally were informed of the accident, Mr. Tate (Agent), Mr. Chipchase (Manager), over men, deputies and others quickly descended the pit. . Even at the shaft bottom, which was high ground the water, was three feet deep and it was found impossible to make any progress in bye.

Nearby there was an old Cassop shaft; this was situated about 300 yards from the long wall workings where the water was known to have breached the area of the coalface. Observant officials noticed that

the water had receded here from its normal level. Years ago the Main Coal and Five Quarter seams were worked here. They were sure that they had holed into this source and they knew before the pumps could penetrate the water in the present seams that they would have to stop this feeder. Get a plug in", as the saying goes. They were determined to stop this flow of water. A large engine house was knocked down and thrown into the shaft and sump area, clay, and soil lime anything that would stem water flow. Water tanks and pumps at East Hetton worked to capacity. Everyone waited anxiously. After a few hours the water began to drop in the shaft area and this was an indication that the plug in was working. Now only a small water feeder which the pumps could handle found its way into the forward areas.

Because the water had roofed in the present pit there had been a lack if not any air had reached forward areas and now gas was the problem. This had to be stabilized mainly by re-establishing air doors and again making air circulate to the inward areas. This had to be done before men could progress to the stricken areas. Managers and officials from other Collieries arrived at East Hetton; brave men up to their chests in water attempted to reach the entombed men, but again the water was still too deep for them to make any progress and they still had problems with falls of roof and also gas.

After two days they were at this time very pessimistic of finding any survivors. On the morning of the 10^th. Mr. Chipchase heard a movement in the water some distance away from him. He rushed towards the sound as best he could still only half hoping that it may be a survivor; his second thought may be rats. The noise to his delight and surprise was a person coming towards him through the swirling water, which was still rather deep. The person was a deputy named Wilson; he struggled towards him hardly able to make progress with open arms and hugged the man; obviously weak with hunger and desperately cold and damp. The rescuers welcomed Wilson warmly, revived him with warm soup and brandy his cold and wet dirty pit clothing replaced with blankets. This brave Deputy had been imprisoned since 3 AM on the 6^th. and it was estimated a total of 100 hours.

Mr. Wilson finding himself cut off climbed onto woodwork that was supporting horizontal sheaves which was connected to the haulage system. At this time the water was about 3 feet deep underneath him. He remained there half dazed; although he had chosen high ground there was water up to the roof either side of him. Wilson was grateful that the air left

in the cavity had enough oxygen to keep him alive. He was very weak and it seemed that he drifted into long periods of sleep. The air in the cavity supported his life; but shortage of food gave him lapses of illusion when he fell into long periods of sleep and in his unconscious state he lost all track of time. He thought he had only been cut off 24 hours when infact he had been imprisoned 100 hours. When the water had receded enough he took the chance to get to safety.

There was an amazing coincidence concerning Mr. Wilson because he was the last person brought out alive from the Trimdon Grange pit after the explosion in 1882. With careful care by family and friends in the area; Wilson re-commenced his duties as a deputy within three months having no ill or after effects. The search went on for bodies in the pit and on the 12^th. the first person was found and on the 13^th. five more bodies were discovered. The final body was recovered on the 26^th.May. 1897.

Everyone in the area of Kelloe, Quarrington Hill, Coxhoe and Cassop came together to help the poor families of the men who had lost their lives. Mr. Tate and Mr. Chipchase and all Colliery staff and workmen did their utmost at the Colliery. Viewers from neighboring Collieries were available constantly. Mr. Wilson, Mr. Johnson, and others from the Durham Miners Union, did not hesitate to search workings underground. The water had come in from old Cassop Colliery, but for a long period the reasons for the happenings remained unclear.

Falls of roof hindered exploration to find the area where they holed into the Old Cassop workings. It was estimated that 1000 tubs of debris and fallen stone from the roof; were removed from the area, this hardly cleared any way through. After heavy work in the area to reach the coalface, on the 18^th. August they reached the area that had been holed. This laid to rest any other theory that may have caused the inundation. This was a clean hole that had been made into the old Cassop Shaft over 300 yards away.

The Colliery owners endeavored to make sure that all information were available on old workings. Drawings of the Five Quarter and Main Coal were readily available but no details were available of the Harvey Seam. Statements were taken from many people who were connected to the Colliery previously and it was found that they had driven only a short distance wrongly into the Cassop Shaft. This nevertheless was a costly mistake. 1/ Ten lives had been lost 2/ The Pecuniary losses to the Mining Company who owned the Colliery.

On further checking witnesses it was also found Mr. Bell, 30 years

earlier had been connected with Cassop and was inspector in charge of this district was interviewed by Mr. Tate prior to the beginning of work in the Harvey seam and in his presence circled the working plan. This had a working 300-yard radius from the Cassop Pit. He told him that if he kept to the outside of the line, or if testing by boring they could infact go nearer with precautions. He again repeated this in evidence. A borehole was put in but this was to test for a fault that was known to be in the region of the seam and not to explore for the Old Cassop, shaft. He repeated the evidence before the Coroner and that if working was kept within the area laid down it would be perfectly safe. No old workings were anticipated to be in the area of the present Harvey seams. But what is certain is that more coal had been worked than he knew of.

Inquest

On the 1^st. September after two adjournments the inquest went ahead and lasted two days. This ended in a verdict of Accidental Death. The jury exonerated the Company and officials from all blame. Evidence were taken regarding previous workings in the Harvey Seam from the Cassop shaft. No evidence was forthcoming from any other source.

The inquest was held at a large schoolroom at Kelloe and it created much interest. The Company was represented by Mr. Stanton (Solicitor), of Newcastle and Mr. Atherley Jones QC. MP. Instructed by Mr. Isadore Issacs, represented the relatives of the deceased men. The Durham miners Association was represented by Mr. J. Wilson, MP, Mr. Foreman, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Cann.

It was found not necessary that Counsel should attend on behalf of the Home Office. The Jury after consulting about an hour returned the following verdict

Verdict

We find that Thomas Hutchinson and nine others accidentally lost their lives in the Harvey Seam at East Hetton Colliery by an accidental in rush of water from the old workings of the Harvey Seam of Cassop Colliery into the Harvey seam of the East Hetton Colliery on the morning of he 6^th. day of May 1897. Further, we believe that Messrs. Chipchase and Tate did their best to find plans of the workings of the Old Colliery and we believe that they used every precaution for the safe working of the East Hetton Colliery, and we think no blame was attached to one or either of them.

The Coroner: were the jury unanimous? The Foreman replied yes.

The following is a list of the dead.

John Garside; aged 51, Stoneman, buried at St. Helens, Kelloe.

Anthony Gibbon; aged 41 Shifter.

William Hall; aged 50, Shifter.

Thomas Hutchinson, aged 49, Stoneman, buried at Quarrington Hill Churchyard.

James Oliver aged 42, Wasteman.

Edward Pearson aged 50 Wasteman.

John Raine, aged 63. Wasteman.

Matthew Robinson, aged 26, shifter.

Thomas Roney, aged 58, Shifter.

Edward Smith, aged 26, Shifter.

Lucky Escape~~~

Kelloe Colliery narrowly avoided a catastrophe in 1983 when due to observant officials hundreds of men were saved from inundation; Kelloe Colliery continued producing coal until 1989; but on the 24^th. March 1983 it was planned to win high amounts of coal reserves found under Thornley. New roadways were developed and everything was made ready to work this coal it was said that many years of reserves of good coal waited to be developed. Officials at the Colliery for some reason became suspicious of water situated above the seam. The Busty at the time lay 90 feet below an old Tilley seam of Thornley Colliery. As the seam had been originally dry no water problems had been envisaged. To confirm this checks were never the less still made. On the 29^th. March drilling was commenced into the old Tilley seam; when reaching 112 feet on the 19^th. April contact was made with the Tilley goaf, the drill was 15 mm, water began to flow but was soon blocked. The hole was then reamed and a pressure gauge fitted a reading registered 68 lbs /sq. inch, this reading astonished the officials. Mr. Dunbar ordered a change of gauge and this confirmed the high reading. It meant that above them was 162 feet head of water. The entire Thornley Tilley seam and the Harvey above it was filled with 173 million gallons of water. The order was quickly given for all of the men to be withdrawn from the area.