Ince Hall Arley Pit explosion, 1853

In March 1853 gas exploded at the bottom of the upcast shaft of the Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Company's Arley Pit at Wigan, after the ventilating furnace had been damped down for repairs and relit. About fifty men and boys were killed.

Cause

Gas accumulated in the workings while the furnace was slackened for repairs to the broken guides of the upcast shaft, and was drawn to the relit furnace, where it exploded.

Contributing factors

The seam was known to be very fiery but was worked with naked lights. Thomas Jones, responsible for the ventilation, slackened the furnace without consulting the manager and kept the men down. During the stoppage door boys and others left their posts, and James Darlington, the company's engineer, traced the fouling of the rise workings to doors at the top of the No. 2 Jig being left open.

What happened

The men were leaving early because it was pay day, and about twenty were waiting at the shaft bottom near the furnace when the gas fired a little after one o'clock. The blast went up the upcast, tore up the iron plates at the pit mouth, damaged the cage and the shaft lining, and threw debris into the Leeds and Liverpool Canal; furniture shook in the Britannia and Navigation inns three hundred yards away. Underground, some survivors heard no more than a noise like a door banging. The dead included Joseph Hunt, a fireman, with his son Edward, and three McAllister brothers, the youngest fourteen; the youngest of all was eleven.

Rescue & recovery

Water was poured down the downcast shaft to restore the air, and after one attempt was driven back by afterdamp a party led by Darlington reached the pit eye. By five o'clock twenty-four had been brought out alive. The bodies were laid on straw in outbuildings of the Navigation Inn, and the last survivor, Robert William, who had been three-quarters of a mile from the shaft, came up at half-past three the next morning.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest was held before C. E. Driffield, the county coroner, where Darlington gave his account of the cause.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

On the recommendation of the inspector, Joseph Dickinson, discipline in the pit was tightened and the air almost doubled; the system of working stayed as complicated as before.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

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 1854 inspector's report gives 58 killed in the explosion of 24 March 1853; the Southport Visiter gives upwards of 50 on 23 March. (disputed) ^3,4
• The NMRS account and the inspector's report give 24 March; the Illustrated London News says Wednesday and the Southport Visiter 23 March. (disputed) ^1,2,3,4

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion took place at the bottom of the upcast shaft; the furnace had been relighted after repairs and accumulated gas ignited. ^1,2
• Fifty men and boys were killed. ¹
• The 1854 inspector's report gives 58 killed in the explosion of 24 March 1853; the Southport Visiter gives upwards of 50 on 23 March. (disputed) ^3,4
• The NMRS account and the inspector's report give 24 March; the Illustrated London News says Wednesday and the Southport Visiter 23 March. (disputed) ^1,2,3,4
• After the first explosion discipline appeared to have been amended and the amount of air nearly doubled. ⁴

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (hazard involved)
  Afterdamp drove back the first rescue party.
• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  The explosion vented up the upcast.
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  Accumulated gas exploded at the furnace.
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…than a noise like a door banging. The dead included Joseph Hunt, a fireman, with his son Edward, and three McAllister brothers, the youngest…”
• Naked Light (contributing factor)
  The fiery seam was worked with naked lights.

Sources

1. (secondary) Ince Hall Colliery Explosion - Wigan - 1853 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Wigan, Colliery Accident, 1853 - What the Papers Said — Shropshire Caving & Mining Club
3. (primary) Arley mine explosion 1854 (Southport Visiter, 23 February 1854) — Old Mersey Times
4. (primary) Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Works, Arley Pits Explosion Disaster Report — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 21 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026