Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser – Saturday 27 December 1851
Awful Colliery Explosion at Warren Vale.
Fifty-One Lives Lost.
One of the most awful and fatal explosions that has ever taken place in this neighbourhood occured on Saturday last at Warren Vale pit, Rawmarsh, two miles from Rotherham.
The pit is the property of Earl Fitzwilliam, and worked by Messrs J. and J. Charlesworth, the lessees of many collieries in the Yorkshire coal district. It appears that about ten minutes before six on Saturday morning Mr. Sylvester, the underground steward at went into the pit as usual, to examine the state of the workings. One or two men went down with him, and he was followed shortly afterwards by the whole body of miners employed there. The precise number of men in the pit has not been ascertained and it is believed to be not less than senty-three.
To outward appearance everything went on as usual until a few minutes before seven o’clock. At that time not only those near the pit, but the whole neighbourhood, were astounded and horrified by an eruption like that of a volcano. Smoke and flame burst out of the mouth of the pit in an appalling volume. Two corves, which were being drawn up out of the pit, were projected upwards with volcanic force, and lodged in the gearing over the shaft. A shower of coals, stones, and other matters was carried high into the air, and descended all around the pit in a terrific shower.
So fearful and perilous was it, the persons employed at near the pit month were compelled to take shelter under the platform of the tipplers for loading the carts and it was only by this precaution that they escaped fatal injuries. The country all-round the pit was blackened to a distance of three quarters of a mile, by the descent of the dust and smoke. So great was this, that a man who was standing at his cottage door, two fields from the pit, found his face blackened as if he had been working in the pit itself. The report or explosion was heard at a distance of two miles from the pit’s mouth.
The whole country round was filled with consternation, and crowds of persons hastened to the place. As soon as it was possible the damaged gearing of the shaft was repaired, so as to enable men to descend the pit, which is 127 yards deep. The supposed cause of the accident is the fall of a portion of the ad roof of the pit, stopping the usual current of ventilation, liberating a large quantity of foul air, and forcing it into the parts where the miners were working with candles. It appears that this is a new pit, which has not been worked more than as twelve months. The explosion took place in the northern parts of the workings of the deeper seam, but communicated by the shaft with the upper seam.
Up to Sunday evening forty-nine bodies were taken out of the pit, and it was thought that two or three others yet remained. The search has been continued with the greatest care, and only oneother body, that of Thomas Sylvester, the fire trier, has since been found. The body of Sylvester was blown to pieces, and the fragments so scattered about the pit that it was found impossible to remove them except in a shell. One of the men had a most singular escape. After the explosion he made his way to the bottom of the shaft, and in a desperate effort to escape from the after damp, by which he was then almost overcome, climbed by the conductors several yards up the shaft to a small recess in the wall. He was then so much exhausted, he and suffered so much from the after-damp, that it was only by placing his mouth to a crevice in the he wall, through which the water oozed, that he was kept alive. He had not been many minutes in this position before the rope and “chair” were lowered from the top of the shaft. This he seized, and was one of the first that were drawn up.
On Monday the anxious relatives and friends of the parties were engaged in inspecting the mutilated at remains, and the names of all the sufferers are now known. In some cases the only means by which the bodies could be identified were the buttons on the clothes. In one case the clothes and body were so much burnt, that the identity was only established by the buckle of a leather belt worn round the waist. The bodies of fifty-one have been identifed ; fourteen escaped comparatively uninjured, and eight have been seriously injured.
The Inquest.
A coroner’s inquest was empanelled on Tuesday morning by Thomas Badger, Esq., of Rotherham, coroner, to inquire into the circumstances connected with this awful explosion.
The inquiry took place at the Star Inn, in two chambers connected with which appeared the appalling spectacle of forty-three disfigured corpses, lying side by side, attired in their tattered working dress, in the precise state in which they had been brought out of the pit.
The Coroner having addressed the jury, they proceeded to view the bodies. On their again assembling the following evidence was taken. Some of the witnesses who were called first were absent at one or another of the funerals:
John Roebuck, of Rose Hill: I am engine tenter at the Warren Vale Colliery. I went to attend at my duty at the pit about five o’clock on last Saturday 5 morning. I was the first on the pit hill. I lowered the whole of the men and boys into the pit, with the exception of two who did not come that morning, down as soon as possible. The greater part were down before a quarter past six. As near as I can say, I let down men and boys to h the number of seventy. It was the duty of Sylvester the fire-trier of the nine feet bed, to go down to see that the works were all safe. I was never cautioned not to let others down till he had reported that the pit was safe. It was not his duty to report as to the state of the pit. I did not know whether the pit was safe or not. The practice at this pit was, that as soon as Sylvester had gone down, any other man could follow without waiting for a report as to the state of the pit. No notice has ever been given to me as to the men goings down, excepting that I was not to let any one down till after Sylvester. I have regularly let the colliers down along with or after Sylvester. I do not recollect that he ever went down alone the first thing in the morning. It has not been considered the duty of Sylvester or Kay, the underground steward, or any other person, to go down into this pit before the workmen to report as to its safety. I was in the engine-house when the explosion took place. It was about five minutes to seven o’clock. I do not know the cause of the explosion, for can I form any opinion. I worked the engine from Saturday morning till to-day at ten o’clock, and brought up the whole of the bodies. I think the whole of those in the pit have been got out. I never left the engine from Saturday morning till ordered this morning to attend the inquest.
The men at the pit are not furnished with Davy’s lamps, the pit being considered safe to work with the naked candle. The last body was got out late on Sunday night or on Monday morning.
Mr. J.G.D. Charlesworth, one of the proprietors, Mr. A W Goodison, the superintendent of Messrs. Charlesworth, and several colliers, were examined.
The jury then adjourned to Tuesday (next week.) The pit will be in the interim examined by Mr. Morton the government inspector. On Saturday Morton ton will inspect the pit, unattended, except by some of the surviving colliers. On Monday he will inspect the mines, attended by Mr. Byrom, agent of Earl Fitzwilliam; Mr. Locke, colliery viewer, Barnsley, and Mr. T. D. Jeffcock, colliery viewer, Sheffield.