Usworth Colliery explosion, 1850

A large blower of gas burst from the Bensham seam in Wellington Pit, Usworth, on the morning of 5 June 1850 and ignited at a candle, killing twelve men and a boy. Nearly 160 people were underground, working by naked light, and the damage to the workings was slight.

Cause

A blower of gas burst from the Bensham seam, throwing out large masses of coal, and ignited at a candle. The jury found that Robert Storey and twelve others died from the firing of Usworth pit from a blower which moved the coal from the workings and ignited at a candle, and that there was no want of ventilation or care to their knowledge.

Contributing factors

Nearly 160 people were at work with naked lights. The pit was 1,080 feet deep with a ventilating current of 60,000 cubic feet a minute.

What happened

Wellington Pit, Usworth, was owned by Messrs Jonasson and Elliott. The pit fired at a little before nine o'clock on 5 June 1850, and the effects of the explosion were confined to one part of the mine. The deputy William Mould, underground at the time, felt a sudden slight shock and afterwards found that the pit had fired in its easternmost part. He came to a door that had been blown down and to a 'galloway' standing across the way, with several men beside it in strong afterdamp; some were got out alive. There were eight in that part of the mine, all of whom had come from the same station and met the afterdamp, and all who were dead there had been killed by it and were not burnt; five bodies taken from the place where the gas fired were slightly burnt. The air was pure enough to travel in about half an hour after the explosion.

Mould said the shock did not put out his candle, which went out when he reached the afterdamp, and that he had examined the place where the gas fired and found that a blower had come off.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner's jury, after hearing the evidence and the coroner's summing-up, returned the verdict that Robert Storey and twelve others came to their deaths by the firing of the pit from a blower which moved the coal and ignited at a candle, and that there was no want of ventilation or care to their knowledge.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion in Wellington Pit, Usworth, on 5 June 1850 killed twelve men and a boy. ^1,2
• A blower of gas burst from the Bensham seam, throwing out large masses of coal, and ignited at a candle. ^1,2
• Nearly 160 people were down the pit at the time, working by naked light, but the effects of the explosion were confined to one part of the mine. ^1,2
• The coroner's jury found that thirteen men died from the firing of the pit by a blower which ignited at a candle, and that there was no want of ventilation or care to its knowledge. ¹

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 narrative: “…standing across the way, with several men beside it in strong afterdamp; some were got out alive. There were eight in that part of the mine,…”
• Blower (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “A large blower of gas burst from the Bensham seam in Wellington Pit, Usworth, on…”
• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…of gas burst from the Bensham seam, throwing out large masses of coal, and ignited at a candle. The jury found that Robert Storey and…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…effects of the explosion were confined to one part of the mine. The deputy William Mould, underground at the time, felt a sudden slight shock…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…twelve men and a boy. Nearly 160 people were underground, working by naked light, and the damage to the workings was slight.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Wellington Pit Underground Fire - Unsworth - 1850 (NMRS) — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Colliery Disaster, Usworth, Wellington Pit, 1850 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 30 September 2026 · Last researched: 30 September 2026