On the 5th of March, 1847, the Oaks Colliery suffered its first major accident, when an explosion of firedamp (methane) claimed the lives of 73 men and boys. Nineteen years later, this incident would tragically be overshadowed by what was to be the worst mining disaster in English history.
The South Yorkshire Coalfield encompasses a roughly triangular area between Barnsley, Doncaster, and Sheffield, although it is actually considered part of the much larger Midland Coalfield, which extends south to Nottingham. The Oaks Colliery was situated near Barnsley.
On Wednesday, 12th of December, 1866, there was an explosion so large that it blew the cage of the No. 1 shaft up into the headgear. When a party of pit deputies went down to investigate, they discovered a number of survivors who were sent for immediate medical attention. The dead who could be recovered were simply removed to their homes. The following morning, a party of rescuers descended into the pit, but another explosion occurred, killing the entire party.
A total of 361 lives were lost in the initial explosion. This included a large number of boys who were working with the pit ponies. The second explosion killed 27 rescuers.
Before the Oaks Colliery's shut down a century later, there were a further seventeen explosions at the mine...
No comments:
Post a Comment