Springs Colliery explosion, 1871

Shortly before 11 p.m. on 15 November 1871 firedamp exploded in the Arley mine at John Scowcroft and Co.'s Springs Pit, Hindley Green, after a shot was fired to bring down roof while enlarging a pony road. Six men and boys were killed on the north-east side, the fireman was badly burned, and eleven ponies died.

Cause

Firedamp, probably released suddenly from the floor of an old road, was ignited by a shot fired to bring down roof while enlarging a pony road in the Arley mine.

Contributing factors

Blasting for road-making was still allowed in a gassy seam while men were at work.

What happened

Springs Pit, one of the Hindley Green collieries, worked the Arley, a seam known for explosions. The shaft had been sunk to the rise for good ventilation, and blasting had stopped for getting coal but was still used to bring down roof and enlarge roads. Most of the 150 men had left at 5 p.m. At 8 p.m. a night shift of 21 went down, including two metalmen making a pony road on the north-east side, with a fireman, William or Francis Fairclough, appointed to see shots were fired properly.

A shot fired shortly after 11 p.m. was followed by a violent explosion that devastated the north-east side. The blast was heard in Hindley a mile and a half away and wedged the cage at the shaft bottom. Once the cage was freed the underlooker, Peter Meadows, led an exploring party down. They found six dead and Fairclough alive but badly burned. The men on the west side knew nothing until told, and the bodies were not all recovered until 11 a.m. next day.

Rescue & recovery

Exploring parties led by the underlooker Peter Meadows went down once the jammed cage was freed; the fireman was brought out alive and the dead were recovered the next morning.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest before Mr Driffield at the Victoria Inn was adjourned until the injured fireman could give evidence. The inspector, Peter Higson, could not say whether the gas came from a goaf subsidence or from the strata.

Changes to practice & legislation

The inspector concluded that blasting in any mine giving off gas should be strictly prohibited while workpeople were below, and done only when necessary in their absence by competent persons employed for that purpose.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion of firedamp at Springs Colliery, Hindley Green, shortly before 11 p.m. on 15 November 1871 killed six. ^1,2,3
• A shot fired to bring down roof while making a pony road ignited gas in the Arley mine. ^1,3
• The colliery belonged to John Scowcroft and Co. Ltd. ^1,2
• The inspector concluded that blasting should be prohibited in gassy mines while workpeople were below. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the narrative: “…The blast was heard in Hindley a mile and a half away and wedged the cage at the shaft bottom. Once the cage was freed the underlooker, Peter…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…pony road. Six men and boys were killed on the north-east side, the fireman was badly burned, and eleven ponies died.”
• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…inspector, Peter Higson, could not say whether the gas came from a goaf subsidence or from the strata.”
• Shot-firing (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the contributing factors: “Blasting for road-making was still allowed in a gassy seam while men were at…”
• Subsidence (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…Peter Higson, could not say whether the gas came from a goaf subsidence or from the strata.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Hindley Green Colliery Springs Pit Explosion - Wigan - 1871 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Another colliery explosion at Wigan: six colliers killed (Wrexham Advertiser, 18 November 1871) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) Hindley Green Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

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