1874
On the afternoon of Tuesday, 14 April 1874, 152 miners started their
night shift at 3:00pm.
The underground explosion occurred at about 8:00pm in Half Moon Tunnel,
which was accessed via Engine Brow and the 600 yard Cannel Tunnel where 61 men
and boys were working.
At about 7:00pm it was noticed that there were slight falls of dirt from
the tunnel roof. Four miners were immediately detailed to make the roof safe,
helped by a steam engine and tenter. It is likely that this was a portable
steam engine and it may be that it was used to pump water away that was
entering the tunnel.
For better illumination, this repair work was conducted with open flame
lamps and at about 7:50pm the roof began to groan and creak. Before long the
pit props, that were shoring up the roof, collapsed. This allowed pockets of
gas above the roof to escape into the tunnel and when this came into contact
with the open flame lamps and steam engine firebox there was a huge explosion.
This set alight the surrounding timber lining of the tunnel and then spread
along it, burning a stable that was in its path.
The ensuing fire burned for another two days. It was still raging 24
hours later and it was not until 2:00am on Friday that it was finally
extinguished. Only seven miners managed to escape from the vicinity of the
explosion but a further 91 men and boys, working in other areas, were affected
by it, many being badly injured in making their escape.
The official explanation of the disaster was an explosion of firedamp,
ignited by fire (open flame) in old workings, caused by a fall of ground (roof)
and inadequate ventilation.
Glossary of miners' occupations:
- Miner: Hewer of coal.
- Waggoner: A worker (sometimes known as a Putter or Drawer) who pushes
coal underground.
- Horse/Pony Driver: Worker, usually a boy or youth, who was in charge
of horses and ponies pulling coal tubs.
- Hooker-on: Worker who attached or detached tubs to or from haulage
ropes on inclines.
- Engine Driver: Engine Tenter or Engine Man. Worker in charge of
underground steam engines used for pumping purposes.
- Door Tenter: Worker, usually a boy or youth, who looked after a door
in a tunnel by opening it to allow coal tubs through and then closing it again.
Necessary for ventilation purposes.
- Dataller: Worker employed to do maintenance work in a mine who was
paid by the day rather than by the hour.
- Furnaceman: Worker who attended to the underground ventilating
furnace.
- Underlooker (Under Manager): Person whose responsibilities were
defined by law, who was the person in charge of underground mining operations
and next in authority to the Manager or Deputy Manager who had overall
responsibilities defined by law.
The roll of the 54 Miners who died is:
- John Bailey (18), Waggoner, of Bethel Place, off West Street,
Dukinfield.
- Henry Beard (34), Waggoner, of 15 Leech Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow and three children.
- Joseph Bickerdyke (35), Miner, of Newton Wood. Left a widow and four
children, brother of Nathaniel below, identified by his father-in-law, Samuel
Moss.
- Nathaniel Alfred Bickerdyke (33), of Newton Wood. Left a widow and
three children, brother of Joseph above, identified by his brother, Israel
Bickerdyke.
- Albert Bowker (12), Pony Driver, of Astley Street, Newton Wood. Son
of Orlando Bowker.
- James Bradshaw (40), Miner, of 19 Birch Lane, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Ann, and four children.
- Albert Bryce (21), Miner, of 4 Whittaker's Court, Dukinfield.
Identified by William Bryce.
- Thomas Brown (31), Miner, of 37 Zetland Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Mary, and two children.
- John Carr (45), Miner, of Meadow Lane, Dukinfield. Died in Ashton
Infirmary, left a widow and eight children, identified by his son, Edward, of
Birch Lane, Dukinfield.
- James Carter (26), Miner, of 24 George Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Amelia, and two children.
- Aaron Cartwright (38), Miner, of 9 Lodge Lane, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Elizabeth, and two children, aged 11 and 14 years.
- William Chadwick (16), Horse Driver, of Wood Street,
Ashton-under-Lyne. Son of Eliza.
- Michael Counley (or Cormley) (29), Miner, of 1 Whittaker's Court,
Zetland Street, Dukinfield. Left a widow, Mary.
- Edward Davies (29), Miner, of Portland Street, Ashton-under-Lyne.
Left a widow, Nancy.
- Samuel John Davies (20), Miner, of 100 Wharf Street, Dukinfield.
Lived with his widowed mother.
- John Downs (22), Miner, of Taylor Street. Left a widow, Kate, and one
child.
- Robert Dugdale (15), Horse Driver, of 39 Birch Lane, Dukinfield. Son
of John Dugdale, he had three brothers.
- Richard Fletcher (26), Miner, of 143 Astley Street, Dukinfield. Left
a widow and two children.
- John Garside (18), Waggoner, of 164 Astley Street, Dukinfield. Son of
Josiah below.
- Josiah 'Siah' Garside (42), Miner, of 164 Astley Street,
Dukinfield. Father of John above, left a widow, Mary, and three
children.
- Thomas Hadfield (27), Miner, of 93 Birch Lane, Dukinfield. Married
with one child.
- James Hallam (29), Miner, of 149 Astley Street, Dukinfield. Son of
James, left a widow, Elizabeth, and three children.
- Nelson Harrison (52), Hooker-on, of 19 Pleasant Street, Dukinfield.
Left a widow, Sarah Ann, and four young children.
- William Hartshorn (20), Engine Driver, of 133 Astley Street,
Dukinfield. Unmarried, son of Ellen and John Hartshorn.
- Walter Hibbert (21), Miner, of 4 Astley Street, Dukinfield.
Identified by his mother, Mary.
- Matthew Higinbotham (or Heginbotham) (35), Miner, of 8 Railway
Street, Dukinfield. Left a widow, Maria, and three children.
- John Hitchen (17), Horse Driver, of 16 Pickford Lane, Dukinfield. Son
of Thomas Hitchen.
- James Dugdale Hodson (13), of Pickford Court,
Dukinfield.
- Ham (Ambrose) Hyde (14), Waggoner, of 22 Hadfield Street. Son of
Ambrose 'Ham' and Jane Hyde.
- John Jackson (15), Door Tenter, of 5 Sack Street, Dukinfield. Son of
Jane.
- Charles Jones (25), of Astley Street, Dukinfield. Left a widow and
one child. Charles entered the pit at 2:00pm on Wednesday, 15 April 1874, at
part of a rescue team, but was overcome by fumes.
- John Kaine (44), Miner, of 61 Wharf Street, Dukinfield. Left a widow,
Ann, and five children, father of Thomas John below.
- Thomas John Kaine (16), Waggoner, of 61 Wharf Street, Dukinfield. Son
of John and Ann above.
- William Henry Knott (16), Waggoner, of Hadfield's Court, Old Street,
Ashton-under-Lyne. Identified by his mother, Martha Whitehead.
- William Lawton (15), Waggoner, of Gaskell Street, Dukinfield. Son of
Samuel Lawton. Another son of Samuel's had drowned in the Peak Forest Canal at
Dukinfield two weeks earlier.
- John Leyland (44), Miner, of Inkerman Street, Flowery Field.
Identified at the inquest by Thomas Thompson.
- George Lindley (16), Waggoner, of 257 Astley Street, Dukinfield. Son
of Henry.
- James Merrick (33), Miner, of 45 Peel Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow and two children.
- John Morgan (20), of 9 St Mark's Street, Dukinfield. Left a widow,
Caroline, and one child.
- Edwin Oliver (12), Horse Driver, of 12 Pickford Lane, Dukinfield. Son
of James Oliver.
- Timothy O'Neil (40), Dataller, of Manchester Road, Hyde. Died in
Ashton Infirmary, left a widow, Margaret, and seven children.
- James Reynolds (24), Miner, of 16 Crescent Road, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, identified by his uncle Samuel Laxford.
- John Roberts (44), Miner, of 5 Peel Court, Dukinfield. Left a widow,
Catherine.
- John Shockledge (22), Waggoner, of Ogden Square, Oxford Road,
Dukinfield. Left a widow, son of William John.
- John Statham (32), Miner, of 12 Park Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Elizabeth, and two children.
- John Swindells (45), Dataller, of King Street, Dukinfield. Died in
Ashton Infirmary, identified by his widow Martha, they had a son,
Edward.
- Law Taylor (30), Miner, of 141 Wharf Street, Dukinfield. Left a widow
and four children, identified by his brother, Paul.
- Robert Thomas (26), Waggoner, of 83 Wharf Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Sarah Ann, and one child.
- Robert Walker (41), Miner, of 14 Leech Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow and three children.
- Samuel Wardle (24), Miner, of 1 Furnace Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Ellen, and two children.
- Henry Watkinson (23), of 47 Church Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow.
- James Welsby (30), Miner, of 2 Highfield Street, Dukinfield. Left a
widow, Mary, and a daughter.
- Benjamin Williams (28), Miner, of Crescent Road, Dukinfield. Left a
widow and five children, identified by his father-in-law Samuel
Laxford.
- George Wright (25), Miner, of 16 Church Street, Ashton-under-Lyne.
Left a widow, Mary Ann, and two children.
A facsimile of the Memorial Service Notice, with reference notes,
for the Miners who lost their lives in the Astley Deep Pit Disaster may be seen
by clicking the Enter button below. The Notice is in PDF/Adobe Reader
file format so after viewing return to this page by clicking on the
Back Arrow.
The roll of 18 miners who were injured or entombed is:
- James Butterworth, Furnaceman, of 4 Hill Street, Dukinfield.
Married.
- David Chadwick.
- Samuel 'Squire' Clayton, of Kay Street,
Dukinfield.
- George Dean, (14), (Unspecified) Driver, of Park Street,
Dukinfield.
- Henry Fielding.
- Joseph Fletcher.
- George Harrison, Hooker-on, of 347 Astley Street,
Dukinfield.
- Thomas Hitchen, of Astley Street, Dukinfield.
- John William Kellett, (20), a Waggoner, of Astley
Street.
- Matthew Lee, of Leech Street, Dukinfield.
- Allen Hulme, of Oxford Road, Dukinfield.
- Charles Hulme, of Astley Street, Dukinfield.
- John 'Nepplin' Lees.
- Joseph Normanton (15), (Unspecified) Driver, of Oxford Road,
Dukinfield.
- Matthew Robinson.
- Samuel Timbs.
- John 'Jack' Walker, of Leech Street,
Dukinfield.
- John Thomas Wood, Waggoner, of Parkside, Dukinfield.
Rescuers had to work in short shifts because of the dangerous working
conditions. The names of only a few of these are known:
- David Holmes, Underlooker.
- Abraham Elce (or Else), Underlooker.
- James Harrison, Manager.
- George Harrison.
- Elijah Swann.
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Description and
Location:
A blue plaque commemorating the 54 men and boys who died in Astley
Deep Pit on Tuesday, 14 April 1874 as a result of an underground
explosion.
Woodbury Crescent, Dukinfield.
Inscription:
TAMESIDE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
THE ASTLEY DEEP
PIT DISASTER
14th April 1874
This plaque is located over the shaft
where an appalling
gas explosion occurred in Astley's Deep Pit,
once
reputed to be the world's deepest coal mine.
A previously burnt
tunnel was temporarily being repaired when
the roof collapsed and pockets of
unknown gas were
ignited by open flame lamps.
The explosion killed 54
men and boys, making this
Tameside's worst mining disaster.
Unveiled
by The Mayor of Tameside,
Councillor Brian Wild JP
on 10th May 2001.
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