Durham Mining Museum - Newspaper Articles (original) (raw)

28th October 1854, Page: 3, Column: 3

Dreadful Colliery Accident At Frood

A coroner's inquest was held on Wednesday last, at the house of Mr. Cowlinshaw, the Running Horses Inn, Frood, on the bodies of four men who were burnt to death in one of the pits on Thursday the 19th instant.

The names of the deceased were Edward Edwards, Edward Edwards, junr. Edward Williams, and Edward Thomas. There were two more deaths caused at the same time, viz.: Edward Griffiths and Stephen Davies, but their homes being in Flintshire, they were out of Mr. Thelwall's jurisdiction. A. Joze, Esq. of the Rock Cottage, Gwersyllt, was foreman of the jury; the Government Inspector of Mines, John Dickenson, Esq., being present. From the evidence of several parties, the following facts were elicited bearing upon the melancholy event. About six o'clock on Thursday morning, Ed. Edwards, the elder, and jun. accompanied by John Lloyd, all three charter masters, went down the No. 9 pit, belonging to Messrs. Sparrowand Co., to work, but previous to which their office was to examine the works and to see that all was right. They had not proceeded very far when they perceived that a door called the air-door, had been left open during the night by some one, and that consequently it was probable that foul air had congregated at the farther end of the works. Knowing their danger it would seem that they cautioned several parties that were not far off not to open a door which they had closed after them till they came back, for if this had been done, no harm would have occurred. John Lloyd, who is the only survivor, states that Edwards senior went slowly on to the farther end, where they knew that the sulphur would be, with a safety lamp, having the gauze on, he himself keeping behind when ; he saw by the lamp that there was great danger, he instantly called out to Edwards to come back, but before they could go any distance a stream of light like a flash of lightning passed, and immediately afterwards the explosion took place. When he first saw the flash he and Edwardsfell flat with their faces to the ground, and had it not been that Edwards afterwards crept up the wrong place and got smothered, he would surely have recovered.Edwards junr. was literally flayed alive by the action of the fire. Edward Williams before his death said that the explosion was caused by his opening the door with a lighted candle in his hand, on purpose to go for his pick, although Edwards had cautioned him. His reckless perversity has however cost him his own life as well as the lives of five other poor men. This statement is corroborated by the intense action of the gas on the coal walls adjoining there, as well as by the body of Williams himself, who had not from the loins and upwards a whole skin of the size of a sixpence. When the explosion took place several parties who were nearer the eye of the pit, ran away with all speed, and went and reported it in the neighbourhood, when John Roberts, of the Frood, with others went down into the pit, and got the parties up on the level. Six out of the eight who were injured are already dead; two, John Lloyd and George Randles, having escaped.

In the course of the proceedings, the Government Inspector strongly censured the practice of allowing the colliers to go into the works before the daily examination is concluded; and observed that if in the present instance the place had been examined before the colliers came down no accident would have occurred. Collieries should be worked, he added, as if danger was always imminent, which would be the very best safe-guard against it. Mr. Watkins the underground bailiff, said that no sign of fire-damp had been seen in the pit for some time past, and no accident would have occurred now, had not the door opening to the middle wicket been opened in face of the orders of the Charter Masters. He had been connected with the works for ten years, and only one accident had happened before during that period.

Mr. Sparrow, who has only been in possession of the works since the 10th of August, promised that for the future every precaution would be taken to ensure the healthiness of the pit and the safety of the men.