Carr House Colliery inrush, 1913

Water from old flooded headings of the neighbouring Aldwarke Main Colliery burst into a narrow heading in the Parkgate seam at Car House Colliery, Rotherham, on 16 June 1913, drowning eight men. Boreholes had been drilled ahead of the face, but the plans were a few feet out and the barrier left was only three feet.

Cause

A narrow heading driven to tap water in old Aldwarke Main dips came within three feet of them; the barrier gave way under a head of 319 feet (138 lb per square inch).

Contributing factors

Rise-side flank holes bored parallel to the line of the old headings, so they missed them; the colliery plans placed the Aldwarke dips a few feet too low.

What happened

Car House belonged to John Brown and Company, which also owned Aldwarke Main. The Parkgate seam, 4 ft 6 in thick at 410 yards, dipped about one in four and a half. Twenty years earlier two headings driven from Aldwarke had filled with water, and a narrow heading was being driven from Car House's No. 1 Minimum Level to tap it, with boreholes kept ahead and flank holes to each side. On the evening of Monday 16 June the collier John Banns saw water trickling at the face, fetched the deputy George Ackroyd, and heard a 'clucking noise' before the water broke in; Banns shouted 'Run for your lives' and escaped with the pump lad, but eight men were drowned.

Rescue & recovery

Inspectors C. L. Robinson, T. H. Mottram and Herbert Danby went down at once but found no hope of rescue. Extra pumps were installed, and collapsed roads had to be reopened at great danger; the last body was not recovered until 30 July, about six weeks later.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest, before the coroner J. Kenyon Parker at the West Riding Court, Rotherham, lasted two days. When the inspectors reached the heading on 26 July they found the Aldwarke dips about three feet above it rather than below, and that the boreholes had missed them by inches. The jury found drowning by an inrush from the Aldwarke workings because the boreholes missed them, the system of boreholes being insufficient through an error of judgement, not negligence.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

Mottram's report said old water-filled workings should be approached from a road at right angles, so a single long borehole could tap them without risk.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

People

8 of the 8 who died are named in the archive; the rest are not named in the sources read for this record.

• George Ackroyd (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Deputy, 30.
• John Banns · survivor, 1913 — Miner working the heading; saw the water, raised the alarm and escaped.
• George William Cooke (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Miner, 33.
• Thomas H. Mottram · inspector, 1913 — H.M. Inspector of Mines who reported on the inrush.
• Peter Nightingale (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Trammer, 21.
• Samson Nightingale (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Trammer, 23.
• Charles Palmer (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Trammer, 32.
• Alfred Preston (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Trammer, 39.
• Robert Rogers (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Miner, 49.
• John Edward Stacey (d. 1913) · victim, 1913 — Trammer, 25.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The inrush happened at about 8 p.m. on 16 June 1913. (disputed) ¹
• DMM dates all eight deaths 17 June 1913, 'drowned by an inrush of water'. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The inrush happened at about 8 p.m. on 16 June 1913. (disputed) ¹
• DMM dates all eight deaths 17 June 1913, 'drowned by an inrush of water'. (disputed) ²
• The Aldwarke dips were about three feet above the Car House heading, not below, leaving a barrier of about three feet. ¹
• The jury found the system of boreholes insufficient through an error of judgement and not negligence. ¹
• The last of the eight bodies was recovered on 30 July, about six weeks after the accident. ¹

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Water from old flooded headings of the neighbouring Aldwarke Main Colliery burst into a narrow heading in the Parkgate seam at Car House…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  The deputy George Ackroyd was among the drowned.
• Inrush (direct cause)
  Water from old Aldwarke Main headings broke into the heading.
• Level (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…and a narrow heading was being driven from Car House's No. 1 Minimum Level to tap it, with boreholes kept ahead and flank holes to each side.…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Carr House Colliery Inrush – Rotherham – 1913 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Car House Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026