Clough Hall Colliery 1874
Researched by John Lumsdon
A man named John Benson has died from injuries he received, and two others Lomas and Foden have had narrow escapes, especially the latter. The adjourned inquest was held on Wednesday 7th January 1874 at the Duke of Wellington Inn, before Mr Booth. There were present: Mr Wynne, (government inspector) Mr Wynne jun., consulting engineer for the firm, Mr McDonald, the colliery manager and Mr Winkle, one of the bailiffs. The first witness was O Lomas, who was so far recovered as to be able to attend. He said that he and Benson were working on the day in question in the No. 7 pit on the Clough Hall Colliery. The place is better known as the “Chain Pit”. They had each prepared a shot, and were ready to fire it. Foden examined the places and said they were free from gas. He then gave them a light, and they each proceeded to touch the fuse. They then went 20 to 30 yards off, and the shots fired and immediately there was an explosion: but it was not like an explosion of gas, but more like gunpowder.
He felt the effects of it very much, being badly burnt. The place was examined in the morning by E Simm, who said it was all right. He was sure it was free from gas when the shot was fired, and that he had not seen any gas in that part of the pit during the 3 days he had been working there. In answer to Mr Wynne (Inspector) He had drilled his hole and put into it 3 scraper-fulls of powder but could not tell the exact weight, but thought it would be about three quarters of a pound. He put in that quantity because Benson told him, who worked there longer than he had. After the explosion he had a difficulty in getting out because of the afterdamp. He had been in an explosion before that.
E Simms, one of the butties, deposed to going down a little after 5 o’ clock and examining the two places in which Benson and Lomas worked. They were free from gas. Did not see them but reported to Berks who was the head man of the pit, that all was safe. In answer to Mr Wynne, (Inspector) he replied, it was not his place for they had a place each. He had not seen any gas in the pit for 18 months. There was a good deal of hesitation and evasiveness in this witness , which led Mr Wynne to remind him that he was upon oath and that in such a matter, he ought not to answer in such a flippant way.
E Birks, head butty was next examined. He went down about 5 o’ clock on the morning in question, sent Simm to examine the places while he went somewhere else; he received a report from him that all was right and made the entry in his book accordingly. He went himself into the place about half past six and it was alright then. There were no complaints.
In answer to Mr Wynne (Inspector) he replied: found no gas anywhere except in the fault, there was none in the “gobs” but generally in the faults. The bratticing was 2 or 3 yards off the face. There were several stoppings blown out and 2 doors and a third badly damaged. He did not always remove the bratticing, but when a shot was to be fired they sometimes fastened it up, so that the shot should not strike it, when there was a quantity of afterdamp or some thick smoke.
Mr Wynne (Inspector) then deposed, that he had examined the place since the explosion, and found the two holes where there had been shots. One of them had been drilled into the solid and blown a little off, the other was a “blown out shot”. The explosion, in his opinion, was an explosion of gas, for he found the return air very foul, especially in the back brow.
Witness here described on the plan the course of the explosion had taken; it had. Mr Wynne said, been so powerful that it had blown on one side stoppings, three doors and greatly injured another. Could not say, particularly where the gas had come from, but it was a coal dust that seemed to give gas off freely.
The foreman of the jury (Mr Hickman) to Mr Wynne: it is said by some that this explosion was caused by the dust having ignited, while there are others who say that it must have been gas to have done so much mischief. I am not a collier, so don’t know; but I wish you to tell the jury whether in your opinion, it was the dust firing could have produced such results. Mr Wynne: I say positively that it was not the dirt that fired; that is a total impossibility for anything of the sort to take place in the way it is said, and that it was an explosion of gas. - This was the whole of the evidence.
The coroner asked the jury whether they thought it would be advisable to adjourn for the attendance of Foden, who was very ill at the moment: The foreman: We do not see the necessity of adjourning again as we shall not be likely to get any further. The coroner then briefly summed up, and the room was cleared. – The jury then proceeded to consider their verdict, one part was desirous of returning a verdict that deceased was killed by an explosion of gas, while the other part thought it should be an explosion of dust. – The foreman suggested that as it was a matter upon which they were divided, and one upon which practical men were divided too, he thought their verdict should be as follows; “That the deceased J Benson was accidently injured by an explosion which caused his death.” The coroner was then called in, and approved of the verdict, and the course taken in arriving at it. The above verdict was then recorded.