Tankersley Colliery explosion, 1871

On 25 November 1871 a sudden outburst of firedamp from the floor of the Silkstone seam at Newton, Chambers and Co.'s Tankersley pit, near Thorncliffe, fired as two colliers hurried out after a warning that the goaf was weighting. Thomas Dickinson and William Shepherd died; the boy sent to warn them survived his burns.

Cause

A sudden outburst of firedamp from the floor of the Silkstone seam, fired, it was presumed, at a Davy lamp as the men hurried out.

Contributing factors

Weighting of a large goaf; Davy lamps, which the inspector judged less safe than Stephenson lamps against such outbursts.

What happened

The fire-trier had been round in the night and early morning and found the ventilation very good and no gas. In No. 2 bank, on the south side of the dip workings, the goaf nearby had begun to weight, and the men there were levelling floor that the pressure had pushed up. When the weight increased they came out, and sent a hurrier named Mellor to Dickinson and Shepherd, working in the leading bank beyond, to tell them to come out too, as they had been instructed.

As the three were coming down the gate the gas, which had burst from the floor of No. 2 bank, fired, and all three were burned. Mellor alone survived. The men had Davy lamps; it was supposed, though it could not be proved, that in their hurry they had tried to blow their lights out and one had thrown his lamp down. The outburst was not large and was carried straight out through the return to the Newbiggin shaft rather than backing into the pit.

Investigation & inquiry

H.M. Inspector Frank N. Wardell gave evidence at the inquest. He found no blame: the pit had been examined that morning and found free of gas, and the men had locked safety lamps.

Changes to practice & legislation

Wardell recommended that Stephenson lamps replace Davy lamps throughout the pit, holding that in mines subject to sudden outbursts they were a necessity.

Recorded claims

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

• On 25 November 1871 an outburst of firedamp exploded in the Silkstone seam of Newton, Chambers and Co.'s Tankersley pit, killing two colliers, Thomas Dickinson and William Shepherd. ^1,2,3
• The gas burst from the floor of No. 2 bank as the goaf nearby began to weight, and fired as the men were coming out after a warning. ³
• A hurrier named Mellor, sent to warn the two men, was burned with them but survived. ³
• The inspector, Frank Wardell, found no blame, since the pit had been examined that morning and the men had locked safety lamps, and recommended Stephenson lamps in place of Davy lamps throughout the pit. ³

Related terminology

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

• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 25 November 1871 a sudden outburst of firedamp from the floor of the Silkstone seam at Newton, Chambers and Co.'s…”
• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…fired as two colliers hurried out after a warning that the goaf was weighting. Thomas Dickinson and William Shepherd died; the boy…”
• Outburst (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 25 November 1871 a sudden outburst of firedamp from the floor of the Silkstone seam at Newton, Chambers…”
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…had pushed up. When the weight increased they came out, and sent a hurrier named Mellor to Dickinson and Shepherd, working in the leading bank…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the cause: “…from the floor of the Silkstone seam, fired, it was presumed, at a Davy lamp as the men hurried out.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Tankersley Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) 1870s S: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (primary) Colliery Accident: Tankersley, 25 November 1871 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 1 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026