Swan Lane Colliery explosion, 1868

On 'reckoning Monday', 17 August 1868, when only day men were in Swan Lane Colliery, Hindley Green, the collier Charles Abbott fired gas with his naked light in an unbratticed working place in the Four Feet. Two men who went in after him died in the afterdamp. The owner was fined for neglecting the first general rule.

Date	17 August 1868
Mine	Swan Lane Colliery
Region	Greater Manchester
Primary type	Explosion
Associated types	Rescue
Fatalities	3 (Charles Abbott (35), jigger or collier, killed by the explosion; Joseph Phinee (35), fireman, and John Reevers or Reeve (30), collier, suffocated going to his rescue.)
Injuries	The underground manager and several men and boys scorched or overcome.
Context	During active mining

Cause

Gas accumulated in an unbratticed rise working place over the weekend and was fired by a naked light.

Contributing factors

The inspector found no brattice to clear the place, stoppings not replaced before the rescuers went in, a conspicuous absence of discipline and ineffective management.

What happened

The Saturday had been pay day, and the colliers kept Monday as a holiday, so the manager used it to send five or six day-wage men down for repairs. Charles Abbott was sent to the top of a jig-brow in the Four Feet to alter the signal wire. He went on into his own working place beyond, where, for want of brattice, gas had gathered since Saturday, and his naked light fired it.

Six men and boys walking behind him threw themselves down and escaped, scorched. The underground manager, a brother of the owner, and two others went into the foul air to bring Abbott out. The two men were suffocated in the afterdamp, and the manager was rescued, insensible for many hours, and recovered.

Rescue & recovery

The underground manager and two men went into the afterdamp to reach Abbott; both men died and the manager was rescued unconscious.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector reported the inquiry was disturbed by a noisy crowd round the inquest room, apparently trying to influence it.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The owner, Edward Johnson of St Helens, was prosecuted for neglecting the first general rule of the Mines Act and fined £5.

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 Swan Lane Colliery on Monday 17 August 1868 killed three men. ^1,2
Charles Abbott fired gas with a naked light in a working place where, for want of brattice, it had accumulated. ^1,2
Two men who went into the afterdamp to rescue him were suffocated; the underground manager was rescued. ^1,3
The owner was prosecuted under the first general rule and fined £5. ¹
The colliery belonged to Edward Johnson of St Helens. ^2,3

Related terminology

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

Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…place in the Four Feet. Two men who went in after him died in the afterdamp. The owner was fined for neglecting the first general rule.”
Bad Air (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…manager, a brother of the owner, and two others went into the foul air to bring Abbott out. The two men were suffocated in the afterdamp,…”
Brattice (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…He went on into his own working place beyond, where, for want of brattice, gas had gathered since Saturday, and his naked light fired it. Six…”
Haulage (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…men down for repairs. Charles Abbott was sent to the top of a jig-brow in the Four Feet to alter the signal wire. He went on into his own…”
Naked Light (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Hindley Green, the collier Charles Abbott fired gas with his naked light in an unbratticed working place in the Four Feet. Two men who went…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Swan Lane, 17 August 1868 (Durham Mining Museum) (reference)

The three killed and the inspector's report of the explosion and prosecution.

View source

Sources

(primary) Disasters - Names: Swan Lane, 17th August 1868 — Durham Mining Museum
(primary) Colliery explosion at Hindley: loss of three lives (Wrexham Advertiser, 22 August 1868) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
(primary) Fatal colliery explosion (Monmouthshire Merlin, 22 August 1868) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

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