Ince Hall Arley Pit explosion, 1854

At half-past two on Saturday 18 February 1854, eleven months after its first disaster, the Arley Pit of the Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Company at Wigan exploded again during a storm, killing 89. Thirty-seven of the dead were burnt; the rest were suffocated by afterdamp.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp near Pilkington's drift in the north workings, ignited, the jury believed, by a shot fired there by John Brown, a fireman. The gas was thought to have come from a sudden outburst, perhaps at a fresh fall of roof in Woodcock's place.

Contributing factors

The seam rose steeply to the shaft, so the return air had to be drawn seventy yards downhill; the inspector judged this positively dangerous, and the balance of the ventilation easily upset by a storm such as was raging that day. Every part of the seam was being worked, with the air depending on doors close to the shafts.

What happened

About 250 men and boys had gone down that morning. The explosion was in the north workings; men in the south were knocked down but escaped. James Murphy felt the air sing in his ears, lost the two boys with him in the smoke and stumbled out. William France and his drawer sheltered behind a door with wet cloths over their mouths until help came; beyond it lay seven or eight dead. Nine men were found sitting together waiting to be rescued. Gerard Fairbrother, a pony driver, died, while his pony was found alive where he had left it. The dead included the head underlooker's sons William and Thomas Dobison, and boys of ten. Samuel McAllister, whose three brothers had died in the explosion of 1853, was brought out alive.

Rescue & recovery

A party went down in the cage within half an hour; James Darlington, the company's engineer, followed and stayed below through the search, and Mr Peace, Lord Balcarres's manager, brought help from his collieries. The first man was drawn up alive at 11.20 that night. The dead were laid in out-houses beside the Navigation Inn.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest jury found that the explosion was ignited at Pilkington's shot, that the gas came from a sudden, accidental outbreak, and that the management and ventilation since the 1853 explosion had been satisfactory; the coroner congratulated the management. The inspector, Joseph Dickinson, wrote that the pits had obtained an unenviable notoriety.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

The jury recommended that gunpowder be discontinued in the working places. In May 1855 Dickinson urged the company to prohibit gunpowder entirely, since two explosions had now come from firing shots, to use lamps that went out in an explosive atmosphere, to sink an air pit to the rise, and to change its system of working.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• Eighty-nine lives were lost; thirty-seven were burnt, eighteen badly, and the rest died of afterdamp. ^1,2
• On Monday, in three out-houses adjoining the Navigation Inn, there lay 87 corpses. ³
• The jury found the explosion occurred close to Pilkington's drifts and was ignited at Pilkington's shot. ¹
• Storms such as raged at the time of this explosion deranged ventilation drawn downhill; the arrangement was positively dangerous. ²
• Samuel McAllister, brought up alive, had had three brothers killed in the explosion of the previous March. ³

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (hazard involved)
  Most victims were suffocated.
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  The fireman fired the shot.
• Outburst (contributing factor)
  A sudden outbreak of gas was blamed.
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…boys with him in the smoke and stumbled out. William France and his drawer sheltered behind a door with wet cloths over their mouths until help…”
• Return Airway (contributing factor)
  Return air was drawn downhill.
• Shot-firing (direct cause)
  A shot fired by the fireman ignited the gas.

Sources

1. (secondary) Ince Hall Colliery Explosion - Wigan - 1854 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Works, Arley Pits Explosion Disaster Report — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Arley mine explosion 1854 (Southport Visiter, 23 February 1854) — Old Mersey Times

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