Walker Colliery explosion, 1887

An explosion in the Brockwell seam of Walker Colliery's Ann Pit on 24 October 1887 killed eight men, six at once and two who were found alive but died later. The inspector concluded that a shot had raised coal dust carrying a little firedamp, and that the coal dust alone would probably have carried the flame.

Cause

A shot fired in the north district raised a cloud of coal dust with some firedamp, which the shot's flame ignited.

Contributing factors

Dry, dusty haulage roads with stationary air; slack ventilation and high temperatures the men had complained of; too few officials for the work, and a manager in post only a week.

What happened

Walker Colliery, on the Tyne, belonged to the Walker Coal Company. Its Ann Pit, eleven and a half feet across, served the Low Main, Beaumont and Brockwell seams, with a Guibal fan on the Jane Pit exhausting the air. The Brockwell, at 206 fathoms, gave off firedamp freely and its coal was dry and dusty. On the evening of 24 October 1887, 23 men were in the seam; the explosion was confined to the north district, where six men at their working places and two waiting with the master shifter for a shot to be fired were caught without warning. The flame was stopped by falling coal dust in the wagonway and by the wet ground near the staple.

Rescue & recovery

Two men were found alive but died later; a third, named Hall, was rescued and survived.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest the men's complaints of slack air and heat were heard, though no gas had been found. The inspector, Mr Willis, found that powder gas from the shot had raised a dust cloud containing some firedamp, and noted that more work than officials made management slow to answer complaints.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

Unknown.

Memorials & commemoration

A monument erected by the colliery in Christ Church churchyard, Walker, a square column with an urn, lists the eight with their ages and also commemorates John Dixon, killed in another accident that August.

People

8 of the 8 who died are named in the archive; the rest are not named in the sources read for this record.

• Joseph Cockburn (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Stoneman, 40.
• Henry Defty (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Shifter, 36; found alive but died later.
• Anthony Hogg (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Stoneman, 26 (NMRS) or 25 (DMM).
• John Hylton (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Stoneman, 37 (NMRS) or 27 (DMM).
• James McMullen (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Stoneman, 31.
• John Pickard (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Master shifter, 56.
• William Richardson (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Stoneman, 35 (NMRS) or 36 (DMM).
• Robert Laverick Wilson (d. 1887) · victim, 1887 — Stoneman, 28; found alive but died later.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Ages differ between sources: NMRS gives Anthony Hogg 26, John Hylton 37 and William Richardson 35; DMM gives 25, 27 and 36. (disputed) ^2,1

Recorded claims

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

• Six men were killed and two later died at their homes. ¹
• DMM records the cause as an explosion of coal dust, firedamp and air. ²
• The explosion occurred at 1,200 feet, about 540 feet from the shaft bottom, at the Ann Pit. ³
• The inspector found that powder gas from the shot raised dust containing some firedamp and that the coal dust alone would probably have transmitted the flame. ¹
• A monument at Christ Church, Walker, commemorates the eight and John Dixon. ³
• Ages differ between sources: NMRS gives Anthony Hogg 26, John Hylton 37 and William Richardson 35; DMM gives 25, 27 and 36. (disputed) ^2,1

Related terminology

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

• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Guibal fan on the Jane Pit exhausting the air. The Brockwell, at 206 fathoms, gave off firedamp freely and its coal was dry and dusty. On the…”
• Firedamp (contributing factor)
  Some firedamp in the dust cloud.
• Guibal Fan (relevant method/equipment)
  A Guibal fan on the Jane Pit ventilated the mine.
• Shot-firing (direct cause)
  The shot's flame ignited the cloud it raised.
• Stoneman (contextual relationship)
  Most of the dead were stonemen.

Sources

1. (secondary) Walker Colliery Explosion – Walker – 1887 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Walker Colliery (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Christ Church, monument to Walker Colliery disaster (HER 13244) — Tyne and Wear Historic Environment Record (Sitelines)

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026