St Helen’s Colliery Disaster of April 1888

On 19th April 1888 a massive explosion of firedamp probably caused by firing shot in the coal seam foreshadowed the similar event in 1904 which would kill my 3 x great grandfather William Hoodless. It happened in the the exact same area of the pit – No.3 known as William Pit in St. Helen’s Colliery, Siddick. There is no doubt that William knew about this disaster as indeed it made the news worldwide. Though it was on a far bigger scale, it demonstrated the unpredictable nature of this coal seam.

There were about 160 men working the morning shift at this time. In an area known as Hoggs Brow there was a face of coal making a large quantity of water (150 gallons in 24 hours) and “singing” with gas constantly. Air was circulated to disperse the gas by means of brattices which directed airflow. The practice was for the shot firer to prepare and leave shot to be fired at the start of the next shift by the shift’s deputy. On the morning of 19th April three hours around 8.30am, the shot was fired and this ignited a substantial amount of gas causing a fire to take hold of the coal face.

The manager John Johnston and his overman went to the location but could not get close enough so decided to to wall in the fire as close as they could and deprive it of air. At 11 O’clock everyone was evacuated from the pit and since the situation was serious and urgent they sent down 35 men to build a series of brick stoppings in three locations. Work commenced on these at 3pm. They had to work taking turns in small groups then be relieved because the heat was so fierce. The fire worsened in its intensity and the first location for stoppings was abandoned. Fresh work began further away and two of these were complete by 7.30pm. This party of workers had taken a break for food and refreshment and had just returned down below, while Johnston checked the situation and was assured that air was flowing in a large volume and at speed in the right direction. He then went up to meet with a government inspector Mr Oswald and was just about to descended with him when the explosion happened.

The explosion was so huge it shook the colliery buildings, reverberated through the ground to the nearby houses and was heard and felt about a mile away at Northside. All ran to the shaft and pulled the cage up finding one man had crawled to it but was dying from his injuries. In the silence that followed a throng of fellow workers began arriving and overwhelmingly offered to go down and rescue their workmates. Family members arrive distraught more their loved ones, managers from other pits in the area all begin to arrive and a couple of doctors set up operations to deal with the casualties. Oswald and Johnston led a volunteer party down in the cage to attempt a rescue but of those recovered only five were alive. The explosion had affected a wide area and the risk of further explosion was deemed to be great and the risk to rescuers going further in, too high.

By the next day the chief inspector, a man called Willis, had arrived and after reconvening the men discussed the situation and decided that no men could have survived and the best way to deal with the extensive fire and potentially explosive gas was to flood the pit. This is such a harrowing decision to have made. It is harrowing and disturbing to read about it now over 130 years later. The idea of flooding a works area when you know there are bodies and potentially even survivors still in-situ does not bear thinking about.

A terrible explosion took place at St. Helens Colliery, Workington, to-night, by which about 17 men have lost their lives and several more have been injured, three of them so seriously that at the time of sending this despatch there is little hope entertained of their recovery. The pit took fire this morning, while a shot was being fire. At 9 o’clock a gas blower burst out into flame and created great consternation. During the whole day men have been employed in endeavouring to wall off that section of the pit, and at about 6 o’clock they came to the top for refreshments. The party numbered about 30. They descended the pit again, and at about 8 o’clock, while the managers were in the office consulting the plan of the workings so as to facilitate the work of extinguishing the fire, a loud explosion took place, which shook the whole of the buildings on the pit-top. On looking out of the office the managers saw dense volumes of smoke issuing from the pit mouth. They went to the top, and signalled down the shaft, but could get no response. They therefore proceed to draw up the cage carefully, and when it reached the top they found that it contained the body of one of the workers fearfully burned. The report of the explosion had brought a crowd to the pit mouth, and several men at once volunteered to go down the shaft and explore the pit. Some of the offers were accepted, and at 11 o’clock they sent up the cage containing two dead bodies, and within half an hour the number of dead, dying, or injured sent to the top numbered 11. Three of the number were not very seriously hurt, three others were evidently dying, three others died in a few minutes, and the remaining two were taken to the infirmary. Some of the exploring party were very much exhausted by their labours. One of these was Mr. Johnstone, the manager, and another was his brother, from Aspatria. When they reached the surface they reported that they had been to the far end of the dip and had explored the whole of the place, and had seen 10 or 12 bodies lying dead. The list of dead below, added to the five dead who had been sent up, increased the death roll to about 17.

Article in The Times, 20th April 1888

There is a great crowd at the pit mouth and the scene is most heartrending.

The Times Reporter

Casualties

Some were initially brought out alive on 19th and died of injuries on site, others died at the hospital. There was great difficulty identifying men at the time because they were horrendously burned. The following were brought out that night but died as the doctors tended to them in the joiners shop alongside, or after being taken to the infirmary.

There were two survivors Robert Clark and William John Beattie whose injuries and burns would have been life changing. It is estimated around 19 pit ponies were also killed or became trapped in the upper seam and eventually starved to death.

The next rescue attempt was made on 30th April when another two bodies were retrieved. There was consternation among the local colliers who saw miners coming in from other pits to undertake drilling and water pumping work while they were stood down and idle. Two bodies were retrieved:

• William Peele. Aged 47.
• Henry Nicholson. Aged 22.

On Tuesday 15th May almost a month after the explosion a diver entered the mine to attempt to retrieve the fifteen bodies remaining.

• Thomas Marrs. Aged 32. Recovered by diver, left a widow and five children.
• James Hogg. Aged 31. Recovered by diver, his watch and tobacco box still on his body.

The next day, Wednesday 16th, Alexander Lambert, the diver made another attempt but large amounts of coal began to fall and strike him, so the attempt was abandoned.

By mid July it was deemed safe enough to start pumping away water from the pit to make it accessible to retrieve bodies and by 21st and 22nd July the following were removed:

• Isaac Gaskin. Aged 42
• Thomas Hannah. Aged 25
• Thompson Moore. Aged 25
• John Williams. Aged 31

A man named John Davis died when he fell from the cage during this process adding to the death toll. Over the course of an arduous five days the final bodies were removed 29th July through to 2nd August to be finally laid to rest over three months after they lost their lives.

• John Davidson. Aged 53 an under manager.
• William Dixon. Aged 23.
• John Johnson Aged 26.
• Launcelot Laybourn. Aged 48 whose father was also killed.
• William Benton. Aged 37
• William Tunstall, Flimby. Aged 41. Deputy brought up dead on 2nd August
• William Halstead, Flmiby. Aged 45
• Robert Townsley. aged 39