Rainford Colliery shaft fire, 1869

In January 1869 the ventilating furnace at Rainford Colliery set fire to the coal pillars left to support the shafts, which were being deepened. Seven men preparing to put the fire out with water were fatally burned when the flame turned on them. The next night two enginemen fell to their deaths when the scaffold over the shaft gave way.

Cause

The ventilating furnace in the upcast shaft ignited the coal pillars left to support the shafts; a roof fall interrupted the ventilation and turned the flame on the men fighting the fire.

Contributing factors

The scaffold over the closed shaft was destroyed by the heat of the steam sent down to smother the fire, so the two enginemen stepped on to nothing.

What happened

The Seven Feet and Rushy Park seams at Rainford had been worked out except for the pillars left around the shafts, which were being sunk on to the Arley. At about noon one Thursday the sinkers saw smoke coming from the Seven Feet mouthing and found the shaft pillars alight, apparently set off by the ventilating furnace in the upcast. Arrangements were made to bring water to the fire by a siphon in the downcast and along an airway between the shafts. Eight men went to help. Seven sat down a short distance from the burning coal while the eighth went to the downcast. A fall of roof upset the ventilation, the air current suddenly turned, and the flame swept back over the seven, who all died of their burns over the following days.

Both shafts were then closed just below the pit bank, and steam was turned down the downcast to smother the fire. The enginemen Thomas Burrow (or Barrow) and Thomas Whalley were left in charge overnight. Early the next morning steam and smoke came up the downcast, showing the ventilation had reversed. The two went to an archway just below the bank, but the scaffold they expected had been destroyed by the heat, and they fell 60 to 70 yards into the fire. The shafts were then boarded and sanded over with steam still going in, and the bodies could not be recovered.

Rescue & recovery

The seven burned men were brought up and treated by Mr Turbin of Rainford and Mr Gaskell of St Helens; the shafts were later sealed with boards and sand while steam was injected, and the bodies of the enginemen were not recovered.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest at the Junction Hotel, Rainford, heard the underlooker Enoch Cheetham and was adjourned for a month before taking the enginemen's deaths. Accidental death was returned, the jury saying they did not know why the scaffold was not there. The inspector, Peter Higson, supervised the work at the pit.

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 fire is dated 16 January 1869. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• The heat of the ventilating furnace ignited the unworked coal left to support the shafts. ^1,2
• Seven men preparing to put the fire out with water were burned so severely that they died. ^1,2
• Two enginemen fell to the bottom of the pit when the scaffold over the shaft, destroyed by the heat of the steam, gave way. ^1,3
• The fire is dated 8 January 1869 in the inspector's report. ²
• The fire is dated 16 January 1869. (disputed) ¹

Related terminology

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

• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “The ventilating furnace in the upcast shaft ignited the coal pillars left to support the shafts; a roof fall…”
• Heapstead (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…the following days. Both shafts were then closed just below the pit bank, and steam was turned down the downcast to smother the fire. The…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…upcast shaft ignited the coal pillars left to support the shafts; a roof fall interrupted the ventilation and turned the flame on the men fighting…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 10 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Rainford Colliery set fire to the coal pillars left to support the shafts, which were being deepened. Seven men preparing to put the fire out…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…were being sunk on to the Arley. At about noon one Thursday the sinkers saw smoke coming from the Seven Feet mouthing and found the shaft…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Rainford Colliery Fire & Explosion - Rainford - 1869 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Disasters - Names: Rainford, 8th January 1869 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Disasters - Names: Rainford, 9th January 1869 — Durham Mining Museum

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