Mesnes Colliery explosion, 1873

Shortly before noon on 21 November 1873 gas from the old goaf fired in the Yard seam of the Mesnes Colliery, the Barebones Pit, in Wigan, a pit still worked with candles. Three men and four boys died; the inquest jury blamed a collier's candle and called for locked lamps wherever lamps were used.

Cause

Firedamp from the old goaf around the pillar that George Yates and James Hodson were taking out in Fidler's level, fired at a naked light. The inspector traced a second ignition in the Park Lane shunt, where gas next the roof, disturbed by the concussion, was fired by the open lights.

Contributing factors

The fresh air reached the workmen by a tortuous route through the old goaves, carrying their gases with it, and there was no barrier between the colliery and the old workings of Barton's pit next door. The pit was worked with candles in both whole and pillar working until the morning of the explosion, when unlocked lamps were given to some colliers.

What happened

Mesnes had worked for many years and had a large area of goaf. Its upcast was sunk 150 yards to the Yard seam and its downcast some seventy yards deeper to the Smith seam; about 74 men and boys were in each seam. That morning Yates and Hodson had asked the underlooker, Joseph Orrell, for brattice against gas in their place, and he found gas at the roof but saw it clear when the brattice was put up.

Shortly before noon the pit fired. Apart from some smoke at the surface there was little sign of what had happened, and the shafts and winding gear were undamaged. Exploring parties under the manager, Joseph Moss, and Joseph Barton of a neighbouring pit found burned colliers making for the pit eye and sent them up to waiting surgeons. Along the east road, at the Park Lane shunt, a man and two boys lay dead, and two boys were found in a narrow brow to the north; Yates and Hodson, badly burned, reached the pit eye and died a few days later. Men in the Smith seam knew only that the ventilation had been interrupted. All the bodies were out by three o'clock.

Rescue & recovery

Help came from neighbouring collieries, among them men from the Norley Collieries, Barley Brook, Ince Hall, Worsley Mesnes and Rylands and Sons. Little afterdamp was found and the workings were barely damaged. Three surgeons, Fisher, Unwin and Stewart, treated the burned men at the surface before cabs took them home.

Investigation & inquiry

Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector, examined the mine the next day. At the adjourned inquest before the Wigan borough coroner, Mr Darlington, the manager said the explosion began in Yates and Hodson's place and that no powder was used there, though the NMRS account reports evidence that a shot had been fired; the fireman Robert Bolton said each collier was expected to test his place with a lamp before going in with a naked light; a police officer reported that Hodson, before he died, said he had been using a candle. The coroner warned managers against relying on good ventilation in place of care and forethought. The jury returned accidental death in each case, finding that Hodson caused the accident by disobeying the underlooker and using a candle instead of a lamp.

Changes to practice & legislation

The jury added that in all cases where lamps were used in mines they should be locked.

Recorded claims

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

• Shortly before noon on 21 November 1873 an explosion of firedamp in the Yard seam of W. and J. Turner's Mesnes Colliery, the Barebones Pit, in Wigan, killed three men and four boys. ^1,2
• The inspector, Thomas Bell, believed the explosion began in Yates and Hodson's place in Fidler's level, from gas out of the old goaf, and that its concussion disturbed gas in the Park Lane shunt, where open lights fired it. ²
• Bell found gas in nearly every working place of the district, with candles, matches, loose powder, fuse and iron rammers, and the air taken by a tortuous route through the old goaves to the workmen. ²
• The jury returned accidental death, finding that Hodson caused the explosion by disobeying the underlooker and using a candle instead of a lamp, and added that wherever lamps were used in mines they should be locked. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s rescue and recovery: “…Barley Brook, Ince Hall, Worsley Mesnes and Rylands and Sons. Little afterdamp was found and the workings were barely damaged. Three surgeons,…”
• Brattice (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…Yates and Hodson had asked the underlooker, Joseph Orrell, for brattice against gas in their place, and he found gas at the roof but saw it…”
• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Shortly before noon on 21 November 1873 gas from the old goaf fired in the Yard seam of the Mesnes Colliery, the Barebones Pit, in…”
• Locked Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…boys died; the inquest jury blamed a collier's candle and called for locked lamps wherever lamps were used.”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…Yates and James Hodson were taking out in Fidler's level, fired at a naked light. The inspector traced a second ignition in the Park Lane shunt,…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Menses Colliery (Barebones Pit) Explosion, Wigan, 1873 (NMRS accidents and disasters) — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery disaster, 21 November 1873: Menses, Barebones Pit (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026