Maltby Pit Disaster of 1923
The Inquest
Stories of Survivors
The inquest resumed on 21st September when survivors of the Maltby Colliery explosion, gave accounts of their experiences at the inquiry held by Mr. T. H. Mottram, H.M. Chief Inspector of Mines
The disaster occurred at 9.15 am., when there were 121 men below ground, all volunteers, employed on work incidental to the building of the 'stopping,' the means of isolating the 'gob' fire, which had been raging in part of the pit since April.
Of the twenty-seven men lost, said Mr. Wynne, of the Mines Department, the body of only one - Renshaw - had been recovered.
A deputy, named Arthur Bagley said that at about 6.30 or 6.45 a.m. he found by means of his safety lamp that there was as much as 6 per cent of gas in the air current at 95's 'stopping.' He rang up George Perrins, the deputy in charge at 91’s level, who was afterwards killed in the explosion, and asked him, the condition of ventilation at the 'stoppings' there.
Perrins replied, 'It is bad' . The witness said to him, 'I have been in 95's pass-by, and there is a large quantity of gas; and if I were you I should withdraw the men.' Perrins did not say anything to that. The witness remarked to another deputy whom he met, 'It is not fit for a cat to be along there.'
While he was helping a man named 'Bill' Burke to erect a brattice sheet at 83, Cross-gate the explosion occurred. Asked to describe his sensations, the witness said : 'A sound came from the gate like a strong wind. I saw a kind of flash and down I went. Immediately it had passed me I rose and tried to get a breath of air, but it was like fire. I put one hand over my mouth and kept opening and shutting my nostrils,bending close to the ground to try to get oxygen, until my legs gave way and I dropped on my side and said 'It's all over.' I then found the ventilation had reversed and air passed over my face. As soon as I got enough oxygen in my lungs I shouted 'Bill,' and after a time he answered. I shouted 'Have you got a light?' He said 'Yes.' I then began to crawl in the direction of the sound of his voice. You could not see anything owing, I suppose, to the smoke and haze after the explosion. Your eyes were useless.'
When he got to Bill, the witness said, they proceeded to get over the tubs as quickly as possible. When they reached 91 level, they met Best, Dunne and Shakespeare, and the witness told Best to telephone quickly as he thought there were some twenty to thirty dead men up there.
John William Burke,, a deputy, speaking of the explosion said, 'I heard a crash - I saw no flame - and I was knocked over. I cannot remember anything after that until I heard Bagley calling my name. We both scrambled out.'
Thomas Willis, an overman, questioned by Mr. Wynne, of the Mines Department, said he assumed the fall of the barometer had something to do with the explosion of gas. The barometer read 29.7 when he went down the pit on Friday night, and 29.3 when he came up at 6 a.m., seven hours later.
Referring to the report of 6 per cent of firedamp in 37 'stopping' on the afternoon before the day of the explosion, Mr. Wynne suggested that would be a serious state of affairs.
The witness: Well, yes.
Mr. Wynne: What steps did you consider should have been taken to make the place safer?. Well, I could not say unless we were to put the regulation cloths at each place and divert the air.
Was that done? - Not on that shift, but arrangements were made for it, I believe.
Mr. Herbert Smith indicated that as the inquiry proceeds he intends to open the question of future policy in the prevention of 'gob fires' in the colliery, and he said he would want to know what was being done to get the bodies out of the pit.
The inquest was adjourned. continued »
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