Parr Colliery firedamp suffocation, 1892

Early on 12 September 1892 three men were suffocated by firedamp at Parr Colliery, St Helens: the colliery's manager, Thomas Sharrock, its fireman, Peter Cooke, and a collier, Thomas Ball.

Cause

Suffocation by firedamp.

What happened

Parr Colliery, at St Helens, belonged to Richard Evans and Co. At 7.15 on the morning of 12 September 1892, in the second hour of the shift, three men were suffocated by firedamp: the manager, Thomas Sharrock, aged 41, the fireman, Peter Cooke, aged 24, and Thomas Ball, a collier of 28. The inspector of mines visited the colliery and attended the inquest.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector made an inspection of the colliery and attended the inquest.

Recorded claims

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

• On 12 September 1892 the manager, a fireman and a collier were suffocated by firedamp at Richard Evans and Co.'s Parr Colliery, St Helens. ^1,2,3
• The dead were Thomas Sharrock, 41, manager, Peter Cooke, 24, fireman, and Thomas Ball, 28, collier. ^1,2
• They were overcome at 7.15 a.m., in the second hour of the shift; an inspection was made and the inquest attended. ^1,3

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…on 12 September 1892 three men were suffocated by firedamp at Parr Colliery, St Helens: the colliery's manager, Thomas Sharrock, its fireman,…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Early on 12 September 1892 three men were suffocated by firedamp at Parr Colliery, St Helens: the colliery's manager, Thomas…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, St Helens: the colliery's manager, Thomas Sharrock, its fireman, Peter Cooke, and a collier, Thomas Ball.”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…fireman, Peter Cooke, aged 24, and Thomas Ball, a collier of 28. The inspector of mines visited the colliery and attended the inquest.”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Parr Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Parr, 12 September 1892 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) 1890s B: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026