MineArchiveSpital Tongues Colliery boiler explosion, 1852
On 4 June 1852 a boiler burst at Spital Tongues Colliery, Newcastle, killing the engineman, John Campbell Burrell, and the fireman, Edward Moody, and throwing fragments that seriously injured two women.
| Date | 4 June 1852 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Spital Tongues Colliery |
| Region | Tyne and Wear |
| Primary type | Machinery |
| Associated types | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 2 (John Campbell Burrell, engineman, and Edward Moody, fireman.) |
| Injuries | Two women seriously injured by flying fragments of the boiler. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A colliery boiler burst.
What happened
Spital Tongues Colliery lay on the north-western edge of Newcastle, its coal carried to the Tyne through the Victoria Tunnel. On 4 June 1852 one of its boilers exploded, killing the engineman, John Campbell Burrell, and the fireman, Edward Moody. Pieces of the boiler were thrown in all directions; some struck two women nearby, who were seriously injured.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 4 June 1852 a boiler explosion at Spital Tongues Colliery, near Newcastle, killed the engineman and the fireman. 1,2
- The dead were John Campbell Burrell, engineman, and Edward Moody, fireman. 2
- Fragments of the boiler were thrown in all directions, and pieces struck two women and seriously injured them. 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: “…Tongues Colliery lay on the north-western edge of Newcastle, its coal carried to the Tyne through the Victoria Tunnel. On 4 June 1852 one…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 4 June 1852 a boiler burst at Spital Tongues Colliery, Newcastle, killing the engineman, John Campbell Burrell, and the…” - Fireman (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Newcastle, killing the engineman, John Campbell Burrell, and the fireman, Edward Moody, and throwing fragments that seriously injured two…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
T. Fordyce's 1867 register of remarkable events in Northumberland and Durham, with the contemporary account.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Local Records; or, Historical Register of Remarkable Events, vol. 3 (T. Fordyce, 1867) — Internet Archive
- (primary) Colliery Accident 1852: Spital Tongues, 4 June 1852 — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026