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Post by tammccann on Oct 13, 2010 19:55:28 GMT 1
Belvidere Colliery – On Tuesday an accident occurred at Belvidere colliery to the eastward of this city, which had at first a very alarming aspect. The colliery has not been working for about three weeks, having been undergoing repair, and during that time the hard coal, thirty inches thick, filled with water. When the water is drawn away, the roof of the pit becomes soft, and the stones fall from it, sometimes to the extent of seven carts in one mass, and obstruct the proper current of free air. About eight o'clock on Tuesday morning, some of the colliers descended the pit, which is32 fathoms deep, for the purpose of opening the trap-doors to clear the air-course, and remove the stones that had fallen from the roof. The workmen had proceeded from the pit bottom, on their way to the work-rooms, about 60 or 70 yards, when they encountered fire damp. Several of them fell from inhaling the impure air, and on returning to the bottom of the pit, three of the number were missing. By the exertions of the oversman, one of the men was immediately brought up in life. In making the attempt to recover the two others, three more were overpowered. One of those that first fell, Henry Reid, belonging to Parkhead, was brought up at 11 o'clock. Every exertion was made by Dr Craig to recover him for two hours, by trying to inflate the lungs and putting him into a warm bath, but life proved extinct. He was found lying on his back, which is a bad position for inhaling the gas, and though he was a strong man, his chest was weak. He was a sober industrious man, and has left a family. It was distressing to observe the anxiety of those who had friends working in the pit, and who were arriving from all quarters. The workmen belonging to the pit, with two or three exceptions, refused to go down, although Mr Houldsworth offered each man a reward of five guineas. A number of stranger colliers, and two weavers, volunteered their services to bring up five that were still below. At three o'clock, three of the men were brought up in an exhausted state; but by the most unremitting exertions they all recovered. Some of those who so gallantly volunteered their services, were themselves repeatedly overcome by the foul air, and were drawn up in an insensible state. They, however, no sooner recovered, than they again went down on their humane errand. At nine o'clock at night another man was brought up, who also recovered. Three of those who recovered were six hours in the pit. They describe their sensations to have been like a person becoming very drowsy, and then losing muscular action, repeatedly dropping down and rising up, imagining there was nothing wrong with them, till they had lost all recollection. They state that it would be a very easy mode of death, being without the least pain. The only remaining collier in the pit, a young man of the name of Sharpe, could not be found that night, the searchers carrying no light, as they were afraid of an explosion, and only groping their way in the dark. He was one of those who went down to save the deceased, and was given up for lost. Yesterday morning at 10 o'clock to the great astonishment of every person, he was discovered breathing, after being 26 hours in the pit, and the usual remedies being applied, he is now in a fair way of recovery. He also states that he fell into a lethargic powerless state, and gradually lost all recollection. He was found lying stretched with his face to the pavement, which is considered as having been the means of saving him, as whatever pure air exists in such a crisis is next the ground. The neighbourhood was crowded all day, and the most exaggerated reports were in circulation as to the extent of the disaster [The Times 24 January 1826]
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Post by Waverley on Dec 1, 2011 20:09:45 GMT 1
Seems there were a few pit and colliery deaths in and around the old coal face workings in the Parkhead, Dalmarnock, Parkhead and Shettleston area. The Bridgeton miners even had a special boot designed for them because they were prone to walk underground to the various coal faces which could have been as far away as Hamilton and Airdrie. There is many more stories of pit and colliery disasters in Lanarkshire which have already been cover in the Beyond The Pale section on here...it makes really interesting reading. www.scottishmining.co.uk/139.htmlfor those of you who missed it you can link up here or go directly yo the various Pit Disaster's in Beyond The Pale. October 1786 A few days ago the following melancholy accident happened at one of the coal pits at Camlachie:- While the empty bucket was going down, it unfortunately loosened from its hinges, and in its fall struck a bearer woman out of the other bucket that was coming up, and falling to the bottom of the pit, (about 50 fathoms), she was killed on the spot. [Edinburgh Advertiser 24 October 1786] 28 December 1838 On Friday morning, George Symington, one of the workmen at Westmuir colliery [Glasgow], went up to sort something that was wrong with the machinery immediately above the pit mouth, when we regret to say, he lost his hold and fell to the bottom of the pit. His brains were dashed out. He was a well behaved man, and has left a wife and family.[Scotsman 2 Jan 1839] Tollcross 28th September 1846 On Monday morning a dreadful accident from an explosion of firedamp caused the loss of 6 lives in a pit connected with the Clyde Ironworks, property of Messrs Dunlop, at Tollcross. The pit is called Bogles Hole pit and is situated within a stones throw of the riverside. We understand it is a working which has been daily open of late, and no premonition of danger had taken place in connexion with it. About 4 o'clock on Monday morning five men and a boy went down in the course of their ordinary occupations and immediately on the lights which they were carrying coming in contact with the foul air and explosion took place by which the whole have been deprived of life. The consternation which this occurrence excited in the neighbourhood can only be imagined by those who have been witnesses to similar scenes of distress. Steps were promptly taken by those connected with the management for recovering the bodies and in the course of the morning those of one man and a boy were got out. The remains of the other 4 men were not recovered till about 5o'clock Monday evening. Bogles Hole Pit, the property of Messrs Dunlop is situated between the Clyde Iron works and the north bank of the river, being close to the latter and about 3 miles from Glasgow. It consists of a vertical shaft of 55 fathoms communicating with the horizontal workings which are 263 fathoms in length and branching out from this latter is, at certain points in it course, is a working of 59 fathoms in length communicating with a back mine driven from the main coal to another seam. It was in this section of the pit that the explosion took place. The passage to the back mine is divided longitudinally in the centre by a brick partition which is terminated at the near end by a door crossing the main pit. The air from the pit mouth traversing the main working is, in ordinary circumstances, when this door is shut, turned aside into the back mine, and rushing along one side of the brick wall, escapes at its further end, returning on the other side and thus completely purifying this section of the works. The door, on the occasion in question, having inadvertently been left open, the current of air took its natural course along the main pit leaving the back pit altogether unventilated and here consequently the deadly gas was allowed to accumulate undisturbed from Saturday evening when the men dropped work until 4 o'clock on Monday afternoon when the accident occurred. We understand that12 or 14 men are employed in the pit altogether, but the parties who lives have been thus suddenly terminated formed the shift appointed for the morning referred to. It was the regularly appointed duty of one of their number, David Jamieson, 64 years of age, to have gone down the pit to see that all was safe before th main body of workers commenced operations, and for this purpose he is provided with a Davy lamp. Most unaccountably, however, he appears on this occasion, to have neglected this precaution, entering the mine with a naked lamp and taking the whole party of workers with him. Had he inspected the place alone with his Davy lamp, as he was bound, he would at once have discovered the fatal mistake which had been committed in leaving the door open, and all danger would have been averted. The men who have suffered in addition to David Jamieson are:- Duncan MacFarlan, aged 40 James Jamieson, 25 Chas. Laird, 29 John Sneddon, 24 and a boy named William Jamieson, 14 years of age. All the men were married and have left families with the exception of Sneddon, who, however, is stated to have been on the point of marriage, his betrothed having been one of the first persons whom the alarm attracted to the scene of the disaster. The poor fellows case is rendered more distressing by the fact that he met his fate in attempting to rescue the men of the shift to which he himself did not belong. He went down in the course of the morning after the explosion had taken place along with two others to render assistance, when the choke damp overpowered him and his life was sacrificed in his generous efforts to save others. Thomas Kerr one of the two who accompanied him, made his escape badly burned, but his life is not in danger. Several attempts were successively made by other workers to render assistance to the sufferers as long as a probability existed of any of them surviving, and the utmost solicitude was evinced by everyone connected with the works to afford facilities for so doing but all were unavailing. It was not till 4 or 5 o'clock on the evening of Monday that the bodies were recovered. The disaster spread a gloom throughout the neighbourhood of Tollcross which will not be speedily dissipated. The Procurator Fiscal has been engaged at the works investigating the accident. We understand the pit has been worked for 15 years, principally for consumption at the ironworks and no occurrence of a similar nature has ever taken place before in connexion with it. [Glasgow Herald October 2 1846]
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