Sneyd Colliery explosion, 1904

An explosion of firedamp and coal dust, ignited by a broken safety lamp, fatally injured three men at Sneyd Colliery, Burslem, on 23 August 1904.

Cause

Firedamp and coal dust ignited by a broken safety lamp.

What happened

At half past seven on the evening of 23 August 1904 firedamp and coal dust exploded at Sneyd Colliery, Burslem, ignited by a broken safety lamp. The colliers Daniel Gidman and Orlando Rowley and the loader James Gidman were badly hurt; Daniel Gidman died on 26 August, Rowley on the 27th and James Gidman on the 28th.

Recorded claims

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

• At 7.30 p.m. on 23 August 1904 an explosion of firedamp and coal dust at Sneyd Colliery, Burslem, fatally injured three men, who died between 26 and 28 August. ^1,2,3
• The explosion was ignited by a broken safety lamp. ^1,2,3
• The dead were the colliers Daniel Gidman, 24, and Orlando Rowley, 33, and the loader James Gidman, 20. ^1,2,3
• The colliery belonged to Sneyd Collieries Ltd. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion of firedamp and coal dust, ignited by a broken safety lamp, fatally injured three men at…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…ignited by a broken safety lamp, fatally injured three men at Sneyd Colliery, Burslem, on 23 August 1904.”
• Filler (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…safety lamp. The colliers Daniel Gidman and Orlando Rowley and the loader James Gidman were badly hurt; Daniel Gidman died on 26 August,…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion of firedamp and coal dust, ignited by a broken safety lamp, fatally injured…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion of firedamp and coal dust, ignited by a broken safety lamp, fatally injured three men at Sneyd Colliery, Burslem, on 23 August…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Sneyd Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) 1900s G2: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1900-1909, surnames R, part 6 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026