South Hetton Colliery explosion, 1869

A deputy overman and a hewer were killed at South Hetton Colliery on 29 January 1869 when a blown-out shot fired gas that had gathered behind the face of a place the deputy had been told not to let be worked.

Cause

A shot blew out its stemming without bringing down the coal and ignited firedamp that had accumulated a few yards back from the face, where a fall of top coal had released a feeder of water and gas.

Contributing factors

The barometer had fallen sharply and the under-viewer had sent a special warning to take extra care. The deputy, Christopher Webster, had been told not to let the place be worked until the feeder exhausted itself, but let the hewer, Thomas Routledge, work there. The examination before firing was probably made only near the face.

What happened

South Hetton Colliery was worked with safety lamps in 1869, but because firedamp had hardly ever been seen in that district of the Main Coal seam, and the ventilation was good, deputy overmen were allowed to fire shots for the hewers once they had examined the place and found it clear. About 7,000 cubic feet of air a minute passed through the district, twice what was thought sufficient, and some of the men had complained the current was too strong.

A few yards from the face of one place a fall of top coal had opened a feeder of water, which evidently brought gas with it. On 29 January the barometer fell fast and the under-viewer warned the deputy, Christopher Webster, to take extra care; Webster had also been told to keep the place idle while the feeder drained. Against those instructions he let the hewer Thomas Routledge work in it, and fired a shot there. The shot blew out its stemming without bringing down the coal and fired gas lying further back. Both men were killed. Afterwards Webster said he had examined the place and found no gas before he fired; Routledge said he had examined it himself but had not seen Webster do so.

Investigation & inquiry

John J. Atkinson, inspector for South Durham, described it as the only explosion of firedamp in the mines of his district in 1869. He judged that the gas had gathered several yards back from the face where the water came off, beyond the part examined, and was lit by the blown-out shot. He thought the district could probably have been worked safely with naked lights, but agreed that lamps were the safer course even where hard coal needed powder, provided only competent men fired shots. He proposed that the general rules under the new Mines Inspection Act should forbid gunpowder in broken or pillar workings in mines known to give off firedamp, a view he said most of the inspectors at a recent annual meeting shared.

Recorded claims

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

• Two men, the deputy Christopher Webster and the hewer Thomas Routledge, were killed by an explosion of firedamp on 29 January 1869. ^1,2,3
• A shot blew out its stemming without bringing down the coal and ignited firedamp that had gathered behind the face. ²
• The deputy had been told not to let the place be worked while a feeder of water drained, but allowed the hewer to work there. ²
• The colliery was worked by Forster and Co. ^2,3
• The inspector proposed forbidding gunpowder in broken or pillar workings in mines known to give off firedamp. ²

Related terminology

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

• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “A deputy overman and a hewer were killed at South Hetton Colliery on 29…”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “A deputy overman and a hewer were killed at South Hetton Colliery on 29 January 1869 when a…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “A deputy overman and a hewer were killed at South Hetton Colliery on 29 January 1869…”
• Stemming (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A shot blew out its stemming without bringing down the coal and ignited firedamp that had…”
• Viewer (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the contributing factors: “The barometer had fallen sharply and the under-viewer had sent a special warning to take extra care. The deputy,…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: South Hetton Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Colliery Accident 1869 (South Hetton) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) 1860s W2: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026