YORKSHIRE MAIN COLLIERY

The following are extracts from the original report i have in my possesion on the inqiuiry into the maltby main explosion on 28th july 1923.

 

 

 

The report was made by Sir Thomas Mottram, C.B.E   H.M. Chief Inspector Of Mines.  The enquiry was held in the town hall, Sheffield.  The proceedings were opened at 11.00am on Tuesday 18th September and lasted 7 days.  during the enquiry 31 witnesses were called and 10,057 questions were put to and answered by them.

 

 

Description of the colliery and method of working in 1923.

The Maltby Main Colliery is situated in South Yorkshire, 1.5 miles east of the village of Maltby.  The two shafts of the mine are sunk to the Barnsley Bed, the only seam at present worked at depth from the surface of 820 yards.  Both shafts are 20 feet in diameter.  Output from the colliery per week is between 14,500 and 16,000 tons.  The seam is a naturally gaseous one, and is inclined to be subject to sudden eruptions of gas.  Only 4 gob fires, previously to the fire dealt with in this report have however occurred since the pit reached coal in 1911.  The system of working is the long wall advancing system.  85% of the coal is won by hand, the remainder being worked by compressed air driven coal cutting machines.

This picture of a group of  Maltby Deputys was taken in 1930, 7 years after the disaster and shows what the roadways would have looked like.

 

 

 

EXPLOSIVES - No shots whatever are allowed in the mine.

HAULAGE - The haulage is of the endless main and main and tail systems, electrically and compressed air driven and 19 ponies are in use. 

VENTILATION - the ventilation is produced by a  capel fan 12ft 6" in diameter, making 177 revolutions per minute and is driven by steam.

SAFETY LAMPS - No naked lights are allowed in the mine.  There is an installation of 2,223 oldham electric lamps and 250 marsic double gauze oil lamps by messers John Davis and Son ( Derby).  Each miner is issued with an electric lamp and each stall is issued with a flame safety lamp.  The station for re-lighting the flame lamps is on the surface.

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST COAL DUST - Stone dusting had been extensively carried out at this colliery and for sometime prior to the date of the explosion 24 tubs of stone dust had been found to be sufficient.  The stone dust used consists of Dinnington Bind, ground by a stone crusher on the surface.

MANAGEMENT - The colliery is under the general control of the Managing Director Mr W B M Jackson, the Manager Mr A Butler, and the Under Manager Mr M Gabbitas.  There are 2 over men on each shift and a staff of 35 deputies, 2689 persons are employed, 2214 underground and 475 on the surface.  The total number of workmen underground on the morning of the 28th July was 122, these were employed on the building of stoppings and were incidental to it.

 

PIT BOTTOM IN 1923

 

 

CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION AND POINT OF ORIGIN - It was common knowledge at the time of the explosion that a fire existed in the mine and that steps were underway to combat the heating, an explosion had taken place on the 16th July in the gob fire area and the miners were withdrawn from the pit, the only men down the mine from the 16th onwards were employed in sealing off the fire in the low east district, the point of origin was inside the stoppings A1 - A2 between 53's and 37's district.  Evidence clearly showed that the explosion was caused by fire damp and that the fire damp was ignited by fire from spontaneous combustion in the low east area.  There were 26 men erecting stoppings, 1 on 53's and 1 on 37's, the fire damp in the area had been recorded as being between 2 and 6% in the days leading upto the explosion.  In the early afternoon on the 27th July there appears to have been an considerable increase in the percentage of fire damp in the area and this appears to have got worse upto the time of the explosion.

PICTURE OF FIRE DAMP GRAPH.

 

 

The officials at the time considered this level of methane safe to work in.  The Managing Director said "There are certain conditions upon which it is absolutely necessary to work under, circumstances that you would not normally work under to save the mine".  As can be seen from the air samples below the fire damp reached 11.33 on one occasion in the days leading upto the explosion.

AIR SAMPLES.

 

 

On the morning of the explosion Mr Stoker the Overman arrived and enquired what it was like further inbye, the reply was "It is very bad, it is not fit for a cat!".  Mr Stoker then left to go the stoppings to inspect the area and soon after the explosion occured.  2 miners outbye saw the flash and were affected by the hot air but both escaped.  The last workmen to come out of the area alive was John Arthur Watson, he was taking in supplies to the stoppings but had to wait further outbye for George Perrins and Horace Outram to make an examination, at the time Mr Watson noticed that Horace Outrams lamp had gone out. 

 

EXPLOSION AREA.

 

 

The rescue attempt was started almost immediately by volunteers as to no consideration as to the danger they were putting themselves in.  They moved forward toward the explosion area and came across the first and only body to be recovered, that of Original Renshaw, a road layer who had been working outbye.  Beyond this point progress was blocked by falls of roof and the men returned to the surface, a further attempt was made but with no progress.

 

POSITION OF ORIGINAL RENSHAWS' BODY.

 

 

Due to the fact that there was still a fire burning inbye and the condition of Original Renshaws body, it was decided that no one past the body could be alive and the rescue was called off.  To save the mine stoppings were put in place and the area sealed off with the bodies of 26 men inside, about 1 half of the mine workings were sealed off.

 

LIST OF PERSONS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE EXPLOSION

 

 

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