Eden Colliery explosion, 1927

At about 6.45 on the morning of 7 November 1927 firedamp exploded near the top of a rise drift from the Busty seam to the Towneley seam at Eden Colliery, Leadgate, killing John Davison, the 74-year-old fore-overman, and the masons Andrew Dickson, 49, and his son Andrew, 17. The Towneley had never been known to give off gas. The inspector traced the flame to a match struck near an oil vessel in a drift that had filled with firedamp after its air was cut off, and the manager, under-manager and a deputy were fined for negligence.

Cause

A match struck in an explosive mixture of firedamp about 35 yards from the face of the main drift, near the oil vessel. Matches and tobacco pipes were found in the pockets of the overman and the elder mason. The gas had accumulated because the air had been allowed to course through the Tilley stenton, cutting off the ventilation of the Towneley drift.

Contributing factors

The drifts lay over an extensive goaf in the Busty which had broken the strata; the Towneley had never been worked at Eden and firedamp was unknown in it; the men were going down at 6 a.m. on an old arrangement after the district had been reduced to a single 8 a.m. shift, and the deputy had made no report on the last shift worked in the drifts; the roads leading to the drift predated the stone-dusting regulations and had not been treated.

What happened

A rise drift was being driven from the Busty seam to win the Towneley, a seam 2 ft 3 in thick in which a heading had gone about 25 yards. The main and back drifts had their own split of air through 12-inch tubes hung from girders, and a compressed-air main ran to within 16 yards of the face. Safety lamps were in use. Owing to the depression some Busty districts had been cut from three coal-getting shifts to one, starting at 8 a.m., but by an oversight a few men, including the two masons working near the top of the main drift, went on descending at 6 a.m. with an old and trusted official, John Davison, who had asked to accompany them. The last shift in the drifts had ended at 7 a.m. on the Saturday, and the deputy had made no report of any inspection. The three went down at 6 a.m. on the Monday, Davison with a flame safety lamp and the masons with electric ones. The explosion came at about 6.45. A first party could get no more than 20 yards past the Tilley stenton up the main drift; at about 9.40 the bodies were found, very badly burned, and carried down to the fresh-air base at the bottom. Analysis of the dust carried by the blast showed 7 to 12 per cent combustible matter. Had the flame reached the untreated Busty roadways, the inspector wrote, the consequences might have been far more disastrous.

Rescue & recovery

A first attempt to enter the drift after the explosion was stopped by the gas about 20 yards beyond the Tilley stenton; the bodies were recovered about three hours later and brought down the drift to the fresh-air base.

Investigation & inquiry

The Mines Inspectorate investigated and its report was published in the 1927 Inspectors' Report, with plans. It found the drift had filled with firedamp back to the weight break once the air was diverted through the stenton, and that the ignition was a struck match.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The manager, under-manager and a deputy were prosecuted for negligence and ordered to pay £32 15s in fines and costs; The Times reported the manager's fine on 28 March 1928.

Changes to practice & legislation

The report drew the general lesson that a drift or heading started off untreated old roadways near a well stone-dusted main road was a standing danger, and that a seam with no history of firedamp could fill with it once its ventilation was interrupted.

Memorials & commemoration

None is recorded; the Dicksons were buried from Leadgate. The Leadgate Village history counts this as the pit's worst disaster.

Recorded claims

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

• John Davison, 74, fore-overman, and Andrew Dickson senior, 49, and junior, 17, masons, were killed by an explosion of firedamp on 7 November 1927. ^1,2
• The inspector traced the ignition to a match struck in firedamp near the oil vessel about 35 yards from the drift face; matches and pipes were found on the overman and the elder mason. ²
• The drift filled with firedamp when the air was allowed to course through the Tilley stenton, cutting off the Towneley seam, in which gas had never before been detected. ²
• The manager, under-manager and a deputy were ordered to pay £32 15s in fines and costs for negligence. ³

Related terminology

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

• Drift (contextual relationship)
  A rise drift from the Busty to the Towneley seam.
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  Firedamp accumulated in the Towneley drift and was ignited by a match.
• Naked Light (direct cause)
  A struck match, with matches and pipes found on two of the dead, despite safety lamps being in use.
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Flame and electric safety lamps were carried; the ignition was not from them.
• Stone Dusting (contributing factor)
  The old Busty roadways leading to the drift predated the stone-dusting regulations and were untreated; the inspector warned of the danger.

Sources

1. (secondary) Eden Colliery — Durham Mining Museum — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Eden Colliery accident, 7 November 1927 — Durham Mining Museum (1927 Inspectors' Report extract) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (observational) Eden Colliery Memories From Sixteen Year Old Boy — Leadgate Village — Leadgate Village

Record created: 12 September 2026 · Last researched: 12 September 2026