THEY DIED IN THE DARK

By  Sammi

I was researching my family History some years ago and my Great-Great-Great Grandfather was William Martin. 

He was Married to Mary, and between them, they had 10 children.

William was a Night Deputy, and he was killed in a Pit Explosion on the 11th November 1895 at the age of 46, and was buried on 14th November 1895 in a mass/pauper's unmarked grave in South Normanton, Derbyshire.

His job description:

1849: 

A set of men employed in setting timber for the safety of the workmen ; also in putting in brattice and brattice stoppings. They also draw the props in the workings from places where they are no longer required for further use. There cannot be any fixed rule for the number of deputies to be employed in a pit, this depending altogether upon the nature of the roof and consequent quantity of timber required to be set for its support, also on the greater or less quantity of fire-damp produced by the coal. Upon an average the number of deputies may be stated at 1 for every 7 or 8 scores of 6 tons each.

 1892: 

The deputies go to work two hours before the hewers. Each deputy, during the absence of the back-overman, is responsible for the management of the district of the pit over which he is appointed. Their work also includes that of supporting the roof with props or wood, removing props from old workings, changing the air currents when necessary, and clearing away any sudden eruption of gas or fall of stone that might impede the work of the hewer, or in delegating these duties to others.

I came across a newspaper clipping about the explosion, and a poem that James Childs had written, originally titled ‘Sad Explosion’ AKA ‘Colliery’s Poem of Death’. It appears to be from an account of what happened and is pretty graphic. I am not hiding the horrors as it shows the reality of the horrors this this explosion. 

The reason for the explosion was caused by the firing of an overcharged shot there. This happened in the A. Winning low main pit of the Blackwell Colliery Company, Blackwell Road, Blackwell, Derbyshire 

The Jury agreed that an overcharged shot of gunpowder caused the explosion, but said that the evidence failed to clearly define the secondary cause. They said: 

“We further find that no blame can be attached to the management, and we believe that all concerned, will have benefitted by the results of this calamity.”

A skilled witness found it difficult to understand the remark of ‘failing to find a secondary cause’, as it was agreed that the secondary cause was coal dust. 

The failure of the jury to recognise this, was probably due to the general reluctance of many mining men and others to admit that coal dust alone can be fired and give rise to such devastation.  

The names of the lost are:

William Martin (night deputy)

Joseph Renshaw (examiner)

James Fryer (examiner)

James Mee (day man) – a day man was given work on a daily basis as required

John Jones (day man)

Thomas Shaw (day man)

John Gibson (driver)

And a pit pony

My Great-Great-Great Grandmother ‘went into service’ I have photos of her as a servant (or maid) on the steps of a large house, in a group photo. She had several children to support, and looking at the Jury’s verdict, it was unlikely that the company gave her much in the form of a Widow’s pension. 

Compensation Payments

Compensation payments made by the Company for the widows and family of the men killed in the explosion of 12/11/1895 ranged from £7/10/- (£7.50) down to 2/6 (12.5p). £1 equivalent at 2011 would be approx £58.

I cannot even being to imagine to horrors these men had to face. "There but for grace of God go I"

Mining was never just a job. It was a community built from shared hardships and tragedies which extended far beyond the pit head. Everybody in a mining town was touched by the coal dust in some way.

The sense of purpose was as strong among the women as it was in the mine. Tending for the sick workers and the widowed women, helping the elderly, raising the children and working every bit as hard as the men to make tomorrow better than today.

 Some of the Blackwell victims were buried amid memorable scenes in the picturesque hilltop churchyard. Led by the Colliery Band, hundreds of sympathisers walked in driving wind and rain to witness the service conducted by the Bishop of Southwell.

MARY

  My Great-Great-Great Grandmother.

No wonder she is not smiling. 

RAISING MONEY

In those pre-Welfare State days copies of the poem were sold for a 1d to raise money for the families of the victims.

Sunk in 1871, A Winning in 1895 employed over 800 men producing about 400,000 tons a year from the Deep Hard and Low Main seams. Although production ceased in 1969, the headstocks remain for access to pumps currently draining nearly two million gallons a day from local pit workings.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT

No doubt the superstitious saw as significant that it was almost 13 years to the day since the last serious accident in the coalfield, when 45 miners died at the Parkhouse Colliery, Clay Cross. But it is worth noting that in the same period, over 800 men had been killed in major disasters in the gassy pits of South Wales.

Despite the small death toll, Blackwell is important in mining history since it was found to be a purely coal dust explosion. Although two earlier such accidents had alarmed the Inspectorate many mining men were still not convinced that dust could be fired without the intervention of methane.

MANAGERS WARNED

Arthur Stokes, the H.M Midlands Inspector, had unknowingly predicted the A Winning tragedy in his annual report for 1894, when he warned managers that “in dry and dusty places dust on the roadways of mines in which gas is unknown has been ignited by the flame of a gunpowder shot," — the very circumstances of the Blackwell explosion.

At midnight on Sunday, November 10. a night shill of 28 men was lowered the 237 yards down to the Low Main scam to prepare and examine the workings before the arrival of the day shift.

About 4 a.m. a loud report and a cloud of debris from the shaft heralded disaster underground. Living close by the manager, William Elliott, was soon at the pit top and with two deputies. William Bowmer and William Prince and Aaron Wilson, all of Blackwell, formed the first rescue party.

ROAD BLOCKED

They realised that an explosion had occurred in the South or South West districts where 11 men were known to be at work.

Finding the main haulage road blocked by a huge fall, they very bravely switched to the return airway despite the obvious danger from carbon monoxide.

NO RESCUE SQUADS

No professional rescue squads then existed, but as the Free Press pointed out there was no shortage of volunteers willing to face any dangers to reach their trapped comrades, reporting that "some scrambled in places not fit for a rat. There is not a braver man anywhere than a miner." Sadly when the explorers regained the South Main road, they found only four men still alive.

But roughly 400 yards from the pit bottom were discovered the vital clues to the cause of the tragedy. Near the bodies of John Jones and 16 year old ganger lad John Gibson from Blackwell, and Thomas Shaw from Sutton were blasting tools, and powder can and a half section of shot hole for a length of 15 inches. Nearby lay Gibson's pony, still attached to his tubs. Further in were two more Black- well victims, night deputy William Martin and James Mee.

To their surprise, the explorers found another body over 200 yards down the South West main road. Curiously, the blast, instead of going on to the downcast shaft, had turned at an angle of 50 degrees on reaching the junction with this road, and struck down and severely burnt Joseph Renshaw a morning examiner from Normanton.

But the unluckiest victim was surely James Fryer from Blackwell. Untouched by the explosion, he was killed by after damp swirling along the faces he was checking deep in the South West district.

Experienced local colliers regarded A Winning as a particularly safe pit, so what had gone wrong on that November morning 83 years ago?

Apparently, Jones, Shaw and Gibson had been detailed to clear an obstruction which was fouling the tail rope of the haulage gear in the South main road about a quarter of a mile from the pit bottom.

The Inspector reasoned that when Jones decided to fire a shot he must have realised that he would be breaking the colliery rule forbidding blasting within six hours of the arrival of the coal getters.

So, to avoid a misfire, he prepared a double cartridge — two brown paper bags each filled with six ounces of black grain gunpowder, fused and tied with string.

Although the three men had splashed the contents of a 90 gallon water barrel on the roadway floor, this was only a tenth of what Stokes estimated was needed if the floor, roof and sides were to be made safely wet.

As his report said, the overcharged shot would have very little to do and "the broken side giving way easily would offer every facility for the flame of the gunpowder to ignite the dust which was so thickly found in the cracks and crevices on the sides of the roadway."

According to William Bentley, the undermanager, the floor of the roadway was watered periodically, "to give the horses a firmer footing."

But the jury at the inquiry at the Blackwell Hotel, to the obvious surprise of the Inspector, was reluctant to confirm that Jones had inadvertently detonated a purely coal dust explosion.

JURY VERDICT

Their verdict recorded that "the evidence fails to clearly define the secondary cause,” despite the fact that all the skilled witnesses agreed that this was coal dust.

Yet it was difficult to see how fire damp could have played any part. Both on the day of the explosion, when the normally powerful ventilation was practically blocked off, and two days later, no trace of methane could be detected at any point near the seat of the blast.

The 1887 Coal Mines Act forbade the firing of shots on "dry and dusty" main roads unless certain stringent precautions were observed including the thorough watering of floor, roof and sides for a distance of 20 yards.

‘UNFORTUNATE ERROR’

But the Act unfortunately failed to define what constituted “dry and dusty," and it was left to the discretion of individual managers whether Rule 12 applied to their pit. Maurice Deacon, the Blackwell Company’s General Manager, argued successfully that he had considered, before the tragedy, that the South main road did not fall within the scope of the Act, though he would, in future, apply the regulations to A Winning.

Stokes commented that the management had made an “unfortunate error of judgement" concerning the state of the roadway, "but not such an error as would carry a conviction for contravention of the Coal Mines Act of 1887."
Luckily, all the victims were members of the local Miners’ Fatal Accident Relief Society which paid £7:10s funeral expenses, and 5s per week to the widows with 2/6d for each child until they left school at 13.

MEMORABLE SCENES

In addition, the vicar of Blackwell, the Rev. E. E. Morris, reported that he had received donations totalling £210 by December 6.

Though of little consolation to their families, it could have been said of the seven that by their deaths many miners’ lives would be saved in the future. For as the Inspector said: "The cause and effect of this explosion cannot be too widely made known" adding "previously a number of them (mining men) had thought that dust required a certain quantity of gas before gunpowder would set fire to it.

Now, however, they had found out that either with gas or without it, dust would fire.”

Blackwell A Winning Colliery (North Derbyshire) Was Closed After 97 Years 

Fatal Accidents for Blackwell A and B Winnings:

• Aked, george, 13 Aug 1919, aged 48, Ripper, A length of main haulage road had been ripped and retimbered. He and two others were preparing to leave when there was a heavy fall which buried three men

• Alvey, Raymond, 05 Sep 1905, aged 14, Horse-driver, He was run over by eleven empty tubs which became uncoupled and ran away down an inclined roadway. Another boy was injured (Deep hard coal seam)

• Ball, John, 23 Feb 1883, aged 33, Stallman, Fall of roof when getting coals down (Hard Coal seam)

• Berrisford, George, 28 Mar 1875, aged 46, Collier, Ripping roof, when bind fell upon him

• Blount, Isaac, 24 Jul 1900, aged 23, Loader, Fall of roof. Deceased was doing a stallman's work in taking out timber. He fixed a ringer-and-chain to a prop and then proceeded to knock it out with a hammer. He knocked the prop out and the roof fell and killed him (Tupton coal)

• Bonsall, Henry, 24 Jan 1907, aged 37, Dataller, Fall of side. Two shots had been fired for widening a main road, and while the stone was being loaded up, a piece of the side fell and killed deceased (Tupton coal) 

• Bonsall, John, 27 Apr 1911, aged 64, Stallman, He was shovelling dirt from under some holed coal when it burst over from a "cleat" and fell upon him. The holing was about 8 feet long and 15 inches deep, and the holed coal was supported by two sprags which were displaced by the fall

• Booth, Reuben, 27 Aug 1883, aged 35, Collier, Fall of roof (Low Main seam) 

• Bradshaw, Thomas, 12 Sep 1894, (accident: 13 Feb 1894), aged 53, Contractor, Fall of side. A piece of rock fell off the side of roadway whilst deceased was working. He died on 12th September

•  Brookes, William, 08 Dec 1880, aged 50, Dataler, Fall of roof

•  Brooks, Benjamin, 08 May 1877, aged 37, Stallman, Clearing up the dirt in front of coals, part-holed and left standing, without being spragged

•  Brooks, Thomas, 19 Jul 1910, aged 36, Dataller, He was at a junction with a tub which he was about to take inbye, when a carrying bar and four other bars supported by it collapsed and he was killed by the fall of roof which followed

•  Brown, Everett, 17 Sep 1874, aged 19, Horse keeper, Was entering the cage from an intermediate seam when the engine man lowered the cage without a signal causing the deceased to fall and slip to the bottom of the shaft

•  Burton, John Thomas, 17 May 1907, aged 20, Loader, Deceased was pushing a tub along the stall when it struck a prop, and the roof fell and killed him (Deep hard coal)

•  Carlisle, George, 12 Sep 1874, aged 39, Sinker, Being lowered in tub which caught upon a swinging scaffold hanging in the shaft and threw the men out of the tub

•  Carter, Edward, 14 Nov 1896, aged 15, Horse driver, Deceased appears to have been riding upon the crank of the shafts, when the cotter came out and the crank became detached from the shafts. He fell under the first tram of coal and was killed

•  Clark, Joseph, 28 Apr 1890, aged 14, Bank boy, Whilst standing near a brook course running at the bottom of the dirt tip he fell into the water. Verdict, "That owing an epileptic fit he accidentally fell into the water of the brook and was drowned"

•  Clarke, William, 14 May 1875, aged 21, Holer, At work holing when the coals burst over the sprags

•  Danner, Samuel, 26 Jul 1877, aged 40, Labourer, Crushed between railway trucks, under the screens

•  Davies, John, 27 Aug 1913, aged 21, Driver, Deceased and two other lads were riding in an empty tub down an incline of 1 in 14 to their work when the tub ran away. One lad jumped out and the others were pitched out by the tub overturning. Deceased's skull was fractured. They had been warned shortly before not to take the tub

•  Driver, John William, 18 Sep 1913, aged 46, Stallman, Having removed a prop at the lip edge, he attempted to ringer the ripping down, but it did not fall. Fifty minutes later he was shovelling under the ripping and was killed by a fall, weighing a ton. He had not re-set the prop

•  Dunnicliffe, William, 21 Feb 1914, aged 53, Foreman Labourer, He was in charge of the pit bottom whilst a rope guide was being lowered. After the cage had been rung off, hut temporarily stopped in the shaft by the surface man, he put his head over the edge of the bottom landing to watch a man working in the sump. The cage noiselessly descended and crushed his skull

•  Ellis, Reuben, 28 Jul 1891, 11.15 a.m., aged 29, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased was getting coal when the roof fell upon him

•  Eminson, Thomas, 17 Mar 1884, aged 13, Driver, Run over by a loaded tub

•  Fryer, James, 11 Nov 1895, aged 45, Examiner, An explosion in Low Main coal main haulage road [More information ...]

• Gibson, John, 11 Nov 1895, aged 17, Driver, An explosion in Low Main coal main haulage road [More information ...]

• Glover, Herbert, 07 Jun 1889, aged 8, Child, Playing upon the colliery sidings, crushed by a railway truck [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

•  Goodman, Samuel, 29 Nov 1892, aged 40, Banksman, Deceased was about to ascend a ladder and had only taken two steps from the ground when he was seen to fall sideways and immediately expired. The doctor's evidence was, "died from rupture of the aorta," but whether it occurred before he commenced to ascend the ladder or whilst taking the two steps he would not say. The coroner's jury returned a verdict that he slipped and fell and the fall caused the rupture

•  Grice, John, 03 Jul 1908, aged 26, Dayman, Fall of roof. Deceased was wedging down the upper part of the coal seam when the roof fell and fatally injured him. A prop should have been set under the piece that fell, for a fault-slip in the roof was known to exist (Tupton Coal seam)

•  Guyler, William, 24 Jul 1903, aged 53, Stallman, The coroner's jury certified that he died from natural causes, namely, "heart disease." He is said to have received a slight injury in the mine. A postmortem examination was made

•  Harrison, Alfred Joseph, 22 May 1914, (accident: 15 May 1914), aged 32, Deputy, He was engaged with other men removing the covering wood from the top of a waste hot water sump in the pumping engine room underground when one of the timbers he was sawing in two gave way, and he was precipitated into 2 feet of hot water 15 feet below. He died from his injuries on the 22nd May

•  Hartland, Abraham, 10 May 1905, (accident: 01 May 1905), aged 50, Stallman, Fall of roof and coal. Deceased was working at the coal-face when the roof broke over the solid coal and fatally injured him. He died 10th May (Deep hard coal seam)

• Haywood, William, 04 Mar 1891, (accident: 21 May 1890, 1.30 p.m.), aged 34, Stallman, Fall of roof. Died 4th March 1891

• Hill, Joseph, 23 Dec 1901, aged 49, Stallman, Fall of roof. The deceased was working with his pick when a small piece of roof fell and struck the pick point, driving the shaft end of the pick into his bowels, so injuring him that he died a few hours afterwards (Tupton coal)

• Hubbard, Charles Henry, 11 Nov 1906, (accident: 01 Nov 1906), aged 44, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased was taking a prop out of a partially-built pack, when a fall of roof caused serious injury to deceased. He died 11th November (Deep hard coal)

• Inwood, William, 24 Mar 1890, aged 36, Sawyer, Drawn into a belt pulley. Was trying to put a belt upon the pulley whilst it was in motion contrary to the rule of the colliery. He should have stopped the engine

• Jones, Isaac, 31 Oct 1878, aged 37, Stallman, Fall of roof. Stallman had neglected to set the timber as he took away the coals [More information ...]

• Jones, John, 11 Nov 1895, aged 41, Dataller, An explosion in Low Main coal main haulage road [More information ...]

• Jones, Josiah, 17 Sep 1889, aged 39, Stallman, Fall of coals whilst holing; The deceased had neglected to set sufficient sprags although cautioned by his fellow workmen

• Kerry, Henry, 17 Mar 1913, aged 53, Loader, He was suffocated by fumes from a burning gate pack

• Leigh, William, 05 Jul 1900, aged 12, Horse driver, Found dead under the front end of the first-loaded tub in a train of three. He was probably riding on the limmer iron, and caught his head on the low bars in the roadway (Deep Hard Coal)

• Lyons, Edward John, 23 Sep 1915, (accident: 06 Sep 1915), aged 30, Stallman, Entering his stall with a candle without making an examination and ignited a small quantity of firedamp. Burnt and died from toxemia 23rd Sept

• Mansfield, John William, 09 Nov 1898, aged 19, Train runner, Deceased was riding on a set of 26 full tubs up an engine plane when he appears to have lost his light and in trying to reach the signal wires to stop the train he fell under the tubs and was run over

• Marriott, William, 26 Nov 1896, aged 14, Driver, Fall of roof. Whilst sitting on the side of a roadway waiting for trams, a piece of rock fell from the roof and fatally injured the deceased. He died the same day

• Martin, William, 11 Nov 1895, aged 46, Deputy, An explosion in Low Main coal main haulage road [More information ...]

• McCormack, Ernest, 16 May 1914, (accident: 07 May 1914), aged 36, Stallman, He received a scratch on his left forearm by a fall of coal. He worked the three following shifts and was then attended by a doctor. Blood poisoning set in, and he died on the 16th May

• Mee, James, 11 Nov 1895, aged 51, Dataller, An explosion in Low Main coal main haulage road [More information ...]

• Meir, George, 18 Nov 1907, aged 61, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased appears to have been withdrawing timber from a waste by the use of a hammer instead of a ringer-and-chain. The use of the hammer was contrary to the rules of the mine. A fall of roof killed him (Tupton coal)

• Mitchell, John, 23 May 1892, aged 18, Loader, Fell down and died from syncope the result of a dilated heart. No accident or injury

• Moakes, Andrew, 22 Dec 1905, aged 43, Dayman, He died while at work in the mine. The doctor certified death to be due to natural causes, "cancer." No inquest was held [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

• Mountney, Luther, 05 Feb 1891, 11.25 a.m., aged 26, Loco. driver, While shunting two waggons on the branch railway another set of eight ran into the two which stood next the locomotive and killed the deceased

• Parkin, Thomas, 13 Jun 1887, aged 43, Stallman, Fall of coal while trying to get it down

• Peake, John, 03 Aug 1912, (accident: 26 Jul 1912), aged 44, Stallman, Deceased was buried by a piece of bind as he stooped to lift up his pick. The bind was 10 inches thick, and above that was rock. All round the stone were slips. He died 8 days later

• Pendleton, William, 08 Jul 1865, aged 42, Sinker, Fell down shaft whilst coming up

• Pepper, Matthew, 09 Sep 1911, (accident: 29 Aug 1911), aged 15, Pony Driver, He was run over by six runaway tubs on an incline. The runaway was due to a coupling chain falling out and the breaking of the hook in the over chain. Deceased went too far up the road, having taken his pony past the stop block. He sustained a fractured thigh, and died of septic poisoning 10 days later

• Pepper, William, 14 Dec 1904, aged 26, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased was standing near to another stallman who was taking down some coal. When the coal fell the roof also came down and killed deceased (Deep hard coal)

• Poplar, James, 07 Jul 1882, aged 22, Incline man, Train ran off the rails and crushed him

• Priestman, James, 31 Oct 1878, aged 20, Loader, Fall of roof. Stallman had neglected to set the timber as he took away the coals [More information ...]

• Ralph, Charles, 20 Dec 1912, aged 63, Chargeman Labourer, He was killed by a fall of 50 cwts. of stone bind which came off the lower part of the face as a vertical slab, disclosing an unsuspected joint

• Renshaw, Joseph, 11 Nov 1895, aged 35, Examiner, An explosion in Low Main coal main haulage road [More information ...]

• Rodgers, William, 04 Dec 1875, aged 20, Collier, Filling a paraffin lamp whilst the wick was lighted. Paraffin caught fire and burnt him [More information ...]

• Shaw, Thomas Frederick, 11 Nov 1895, aged 35, Dataller, An explosion in Low Main coal main haulage road [More information ...]

• Smith, John Thomas, 09 Jun 1890, aged 31, Stallman, Fall of roof. He stood next the coal face to allow a tub to pass and the roof fell upon him

• Tideswell, George, 11 Nov 1903, aged 32, Loader, Fall of coal. Deceased was cleaning up the dirt at the floor and in front of the coal-face, when a slab of coal fell and fatally injured him (Deep hard coal seam)

• Toplis, Robert, 19 Dec 1883, aged 30, Stallman, Fall of roof whilst taking coals down (Low Main seam)

• Vardy, John, 13 Apr 1896, aged 20, Loader, Fall of roof. Deceased was getting stone from the goaf to build a pack, when the roof fell upon him. The roof of the goaf should have been carefully examined by the stallman before deceased entered the same

• Wainwright, George A., 24 Mar 1911, (accident: 18 Feb 1911), aged 17, Pony Driver, He was trying to replace a tub which had got off the rails when a lump of coal fell off and cut his little finger. He worked until the 4th March, and then stopped. He died on 24th March, from tetanus resulting from the accident

• Walker, John William, 16 Nov 1903, aged 30, Engine-man, Deceased was standing on a ladder attempting to oil the bearing of a revolving shaft. The foot of the ladder slipped and to save himself deceased put his arm across the shaft, which took hold of his coat and whirled him round the shaft. He died the same day

• Ward, James, 23 Dec 1890, aged 50, Stallman, Fall of roof. He was withdrawing back timber from the goaf

• Westwood, Matthew, 23 Apr 1907, aged 34, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased knocked a prop out which was standing in a waste and used a hammer. The chain attached to the ringer was round the prop, but it did not appear to have been used (Deep hard coal)

• Wilkinson, Theodore, 22 Nov 1897, aged 61, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased was setting a prop under the end of a bar in the stall when a quantity of roof broke down and killed him. The roof fell from between two slips which the bar would have made safe had its fixing been completed

References

https://www.healeyhero.co.uk/rescue/pits/Blackwell/Blackwell-B.html  

https://www.healeyhero.co.uk/rescue/individual/Bob_Bradley/Bk-5/B5-1969-C.html 

https://www.nottsminingmuseum.org.uk/they-died-in-darkness/