Snowdown Colliery boiler explosion, 1910

A boiler exploded at the pit top of Snowdown Colliery, Kent, on 22 August 1910, bringing down a wall that crushed the boiler fireman and his assistant.

Cause

A boiler explosion at the pit top; the two men were crushed by a falling wall.

What happened

On 22 August 1910, while Snowdown Colliery in Kent was still being sunk, two years before it reached coal, a boiler exploded at the pit top. The boiler fireman, Edward Thomas Kettle, 36, and his assistant, Charles Causer, 19, were crushed by a falling wall and killed.

Recorded claims

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

• On 22 August 1910 two men were killed at the surface of Snowdown Colliery. ^1,2,3
• The dead were Edward Thomas Kettle, 36, boiler fireman, and Charles Causer, 19, assistant boiler fireman. ^1,2,3
• A boiler exploded at the pit top. ^2,3
• The two men were crushed by a wall falling. ^4,1
• The colliery was owned by Snowdown Colliery Ltd. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Colliery in Kent was still being sunk, two years before it reached coal, a boiler exploded at the pit top. The boiler fireman, Edward Thomas…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A boiler exploded at the pit top of Snowdown Colliery, Kent, on 22 August 1910, bringing down a wall that crushed the…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…on 22 August 1910, bringing down a wall that crushed the boiler fireman and his assistant.”
• Heapstead (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A boiler exploded at the pit top of Snowdown Colliery, Kent, on 22 August 1910, bringing down a wall…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Snowdown, 22 August 1910 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Edward Thomas Kettle, Snowdown, 1910 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Charles Causer, Snowdown, 1910 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) Durham Mining Museum — Snowdown Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026