Hebburn Colliery 'A' Pit Explosion, 1889

An improperly stemmed shothole in the Beaumont seam triggered an explosion at Hebburn Colliery's 'A' Pit in the early hours of 4 November 1889, killing six.

Cause

An improperly stemmed shothole, drilled in the lower part of a stone band close to the thin top coal, blew out when fired and ignited gas in the 1st West district of the Beaumont seam.

What happened

At around 1.30am on 4 November 1889, an explosion tore through the 1st West district of the Beaumont seam at Hebburn Colliery's 'A' Pit, then worked by the Tyne Coal Company. Investigators found that a shothole, 1.5 inches in diameter and 3 feet 10 inches deep, had been drilled in the lower part of a stone band close to the thin top coal but left without proper stemming; when fired, the shot blew out rather than breaking the rock as intended, igniting gas in the district and killing six men: shotfirer Andrew Miller, shifters James McQuid and Robert Hopps, stonemen John Bones and William Welsh, and putter Henry Stuart.

Investigation & inquiry

An inquest held by coroner R. W. Cooper over three sittings (14, 20 and 28 November) returned a verdict of accidental death, attributing the explosion to improper shot-firing practice rather than intentional misconduct.

Memorials & commemoration

No dedicated memorial to this specific explosion is known.

Recorded claims

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

• 6 men died: Andrew Miller, James McQuid, Robert Hopps, John Bones, William Welsh and Henry Stuart. ¹
• An improperly stemmed shothole in the Beaumont seam blew out and ignited gas; the inquest returned a verdict of accidental death. ¹
• Durham Mining Museum's own colliery page independently lists this explosion on 4 November 1889 with 6 lives lost. ²

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…drilled in the lower part of a stone band close to the thin top coal, blew out when fired and ignited gas in the 1st West district of the…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…shothole in the Beaumont seam triggered an explosion at Hebburn Colliery's 'A' Pit in the early hours of 4 November 1889, killing six.”
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  The explosion was caused by an ignition of firedamp underground.
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…McQuid and Robert Hopps, stonemen John Bones and William Welsh, and putter Henry Stuart.”
• Shot-firing (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…rock as intended, igniting gas in the district and killing six men: shotfirer Andrew Miller, shifters James McQuid and Robert Hopps, stonemen John…”

Sources

1. (primary) Hebburn Colliery "A" Pit Explosion — Hebburn — 1889 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum — Hebburn Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 3 September 2026 · Last researched: 3 September 2026