William Pit No. 6 Drift explosion, 1907

At about 1.50 p.m. on 26 November 1907 an explosion in No. 6 or 'Taffy's' Drift, a stone drift being driven under the sea at the Whitehaven Colliery Company's William Pit, killed five men and injured seven.

Cause

Gas at the face of the drift fired during shotfiring. The shotfirer, Alfred Burns, had gone back to recharge a hole that had not done its work; the drift was ventilated only by a hand fan and iron pipes, and a door at its foot was reported jammed open.

Contributing factors

Gas gathered at the face whenever the fan man was absent, as on Sundays, and it was usual to run the fan before work rather than make the examination the Act required. A runaway set of tubs had drawn most of the face men to the bottom of the drift.

What happened

The drift was being driven by a contractor to straighten the haulage road to the Lowca and Countess districts, about 200 yards below the sea bed. Shortly before the explosion six loaded tubs, not attached to the incline rope, ran away and crashed at the foot of the drift, and the chargeman and most of the face men went down to clear them. Two of them, Joseph Kennedy and William Vincent Fitzsimmons, were killed by the blast among the tubs. At the face, Burns, William Hanlon and James Rowe were found badly burned beside a battery with its handle still on. Panic spread among the men waiting for the riding set, most of whom lost their lights.

Rescue & recovery

The drift was full of afterdamp. The explorers rehung the canvas and replaced the doors, were delayed by smoke from a burning sleeper, and reached the bodies at the face about 7.20 p.m. the next day.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest sat on 27 and 28 November, 3 December and 7 January 1908 and found that the men died by an explosion of gas, how caused not shown, and that ventilation was insufficient. R. A. S. Redmayne, Chief Inspector of Mines, reported breaches of the Coal Mines Regulation Acts of 1887 and 1896.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

Unknown.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• Five men were killed and seven injured in No. 6 or Taffy's Drift. ¹
• Explosion, firedamp, ignition caused by shot firing, 26 November 1907, 1.50 p.m.; the five are named with their jobs. ²
• The jury found insufficient ventilation; the inquiry found breaches of the Coal Mines Regulation Acts 1887 and 1896. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  The deputy's examinations were at issue.
• Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named 8 times in this record, first in the summary: “…1.50 p.m. on 26 November 1907 an explosion in No. 6 or 'Taffy's' Drift, a stone drift being driven under the sea at the Whitehaven Colliery…”
• Endless Rope Haulage (contextual relationship)
  The drift served the endless rope road.
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  Gas at the drift face ignited.
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…rather than make the examination the Act required. A runaway set of tubs had drawn most of the face men to the bottom of the drift.”

Sources

1. (secondary) William Pit Explosion - Whitehaven - 1907 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) William Colliery, Whitehaven — Durham Mining Museum — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 22 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026