COLLIERY SCRAP BOOK 1 ACCIDENTS AND INCIENTS IN ST. HELENS COLLIERIES ALEXANDRA, ASHTONS GREEN, BISPHAM HALL, BOLD, BLACKBROOK, BROAD OAK, CITY COLLIERY (WINDLE), CLOCK FACE. Compiled by IAN WINSTANLEY These notes have been compiled from St. Helens, and Wigan Newspapers, magazine and perodical articles and official and unoffical sources. They are ‘notes’ and any errors, inaccuracies and mistakes are mine. Ian Winstanley, Jan. 2001. Coal Mining History ResourceCentre With Compliments The Coal Mining History Resource Centre, Picks Publishing and Ian Winstanley reserves the copyright. Ian Winstanley. 83, Greenfields Crescent, Tel & Fax;- (01942) 723675. Ashton-in-Makerfield, Mobile:- (0798) 9624461 Wigan. WN4 8QY. E-mail:- [email protected] Lancashire. England Web site:- http://www.cmhrc.pwp.blueyomder.co.uk © Ian Winstanley 2001 Copyright reserved by Ian Winstanley, Picks Publishing and The Coal Mining History Resource Centre. NO PART OF THIS WORK MAY BE PHOTOCOPIED. COPIES OF THE WHOLE DOCUMENT ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE ABOVE ADDRESS £10.00 incl. p&p. KEY PR Prescot Reporter. WO Wigan Observer WE Wigan Examiner St.HSTD St. Helens Standard St.HN&A. St.Helens Newspaper and Advertiser. WO Wigan Observer CG Colliery Guardian MIR Mines Inspectors Report CONTENTS ALEXANDRA COLLIERY. 1 ASHTONS GREEN 7 BISPHAM HALL. 22 BOLD 23 BLACKBROOK 79 BROAD OAK 84 CITY COLLIERY (WINDLE). 84 CLOCK FACE. 85 ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SURNAMES 93 ALEXANDRA COLLIERY. Situated on the corner of Alexandra Street and St. John Street. This colliery was sunk in 1867 by Pilkington Bros. The St. Helens Standard records that on 4th. November 1867:- ‘A new pit was sunk and in honour of the Princes of Wales was called the Alexandra Pit’. The Princess of Wales visited the colliery during the sinking. The colliery was mentioned in the Inspector’s Reports for 1873, 1888 and 1894. The earliest reference to the colliery is the Diary Of Roger Whyte 1833. Whyte was employed by the Pilkingtons to prospect for coal close to Dentons Green and coal was got in February. 1845 but the colliery did not work for long. Pilkingtons then sunk a pit in Eccleston in the early 1850’s and purchased the remains of the St. Helens colliery in 1857. In 1863 a shaft was sunk to the Rushy Park seam. The Alexandra colliery was situated at the corner of Alexandra Street and St. John Street. The colliery was sunk in 1867 by Pilkington Brothers. There was an earlier colliery on the site and it was mentioned by Roger Whyte in his diary in 1833. Whyte was employed by Pilkingtons to prospect for coal close to Dentons Green and coal was extracted in February, 1845 but this colliery did not work for long. 1st. May 1866. Joseph Webster, aged 51 years, was getting timber when a stone inflicted a wound above his knee. He did not consider it dangerous at the time but some weeks later the wound suppurated and he died in hospital on the 17th. July. (MIR). 4th. November, 1867. A NEW PIT SUNK. A new pit was sunk in honour of the Princess of Wales and called ‘Alexandra Pit’. The Princess visited the colliery during the sinking.' (St.HStd.) 25th. April, 1867. Thomas Aspinall aged 62 years, a collier, was killed as he was pulling back and the roof came in bodily capping props as it did so. The fall was caused by some slips in the roof. (MIR). 20th. March, 1869. BREAKING OF RULES. At St. Helens Court, James Welding was charged with descending on top of the cage which was against the Colliery Rules at the Crop Pit of the Alexandra Colliery. Mr. Marsh prosecuted and William Hobden, the manager of the underground pit read the Rules. George Rothwell, the fireman said that on that Saturday evening, it was his duty to see that the men came out of the pit by seven and no one was allowed to ascend before that time. Water was being wound at the time and Mathias Goulding, the engineer in charge of the winding engine, gave evidence that he knew the defendant. He lowered the cage a little lower than usual to let it go into the dib hole. he then heard four knocks and then raised the cage to the place where the men got on. He the heard three knocks and raised the cage to the surface. When the cage stopped at the surface, he saw the man on the top of the cage. William Swift, the banksman also gave evidence. The case was found proved and the accused was fined 20/- (£1) plus costs. (St.HStd). 17th. July, 1869. FATAL ACCIDENT. On Monday a serious accident took pace at the colliery in Thatto Heath. Two lives were lost and there was injury to three others in the Rushy Park Mine. It appears that the men were employed on repairing roads. Monday was pay day and the men were making use of overtime to prop the roof under the directions of Joseph Hobden, the fireman. At 7 a.m., all was going well but the accident occurred at 8 a.m. They were excavating to fix some props when a large mass of earth fell without warning and buried the men. The underlooker and the fireman were quickly on the spot and removed the injured to the surface where Dr. Gaskell gave them prompt attention. The dead were Robert Rylance of 3, Liverpool Road and Peter Ashall, a dataller of 33, Park Road. Both were married men with large families. The injured were Robert Leyland and Thomas Holden, both colliers, and John Miller, a pony boy. The inquest was held under the direction of Mr. Grimes, Deputy Coroner at Smithy Brow. The jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death.' 4th. April, 1868 (PR). Man Killed In Colliery. On Saturday night or early Sunday morning, an aged man named George Parr who was engaged as a furnaceman at the Cross Pit of Messrs. Pilkington was killed. At 9 p.m. on Saturday he descended the pit for the night and was the only man down the pit. When he got to the bottom he gave the signal ‘All right’ and the cage ascended. On Sunday morning his body was found at the bottom of the shaft under the cage and very badly crushed and appeared to have been dead some hours. During the night the cage went up and down the shaft every ten minutes to balance a pumping bucket. It is supposed that the cage, in one of its descents, crushed the man under it. He was about 68 years of age and a widower. 7th. November, 1868. (PR) Accident At St. Helens Colliery, Three Killed. The Alexandra colliery was ventilated by two shafts with a furnace suspended half way down one of them. At the beginning of the previous week the chain which suspended the furnace broke and live coal set fire to the coal at the shaft bottom bit it was much later that it was found to be on fire and the smoke permeated the air in the pit. The underground manager, John Campbell, Mr. William Naylor ,the underlooker and William Foster, a wagoner went into the pit to warn the workmen to come out. They went through the smoke to where the atmosphere was better and warned the men working there. They got out of the pit safely. The party went further into the pit and as they did not return there was great anxiety for their safety. Their bodies were recovered the following Tuesday. 11th. July, 1868. (St.HN&A) Breach of Colliery Rules. Thomas Manley was summoned for a breach of rules at the Alexandra colliery where only safety lamps were used. the accused did not appear and the underlooker stated that on the 25th June he as told by Peter Marsh that the accused was smoking n the stables and had taken the to off his lamp. Peter Marsh was about 11 years of age and had never been to school and showed the most deplorable ignorance in court. The chairman considered the case and found that he had reason to doubt the boy’s evidence and they found that they could not convict on the gross ignorance the boy had displayed. 17th. July. 1869. (PR). Colliery Accident At St. Helens. On Monday morning an accident took place at Pilkington’s Alexandra colliery in which two men were crushed to death and three others were badly injured. Part of the working had for some time required timbering. This could not be done without stopping the work of the mine so it was decided to do the work on a Monday as it was reckoning day Robert, Rylance, Peter Ashall and Thomas Hopton and Robert Leyland and John Mellor, a boy were to do the work and they were in the charge of Joseph Hopton, fireman. They started about 7 a.m. and everything seem satisfactory for about half an hour when they needed some timber and the fireman went to the shaft to find some. The roof suddenly weighted and became displaced Rylance and Ashall were caught and immediately crushed to death. The remaining three got out alive but were very badly bruised about the body but were able to leave the mine and go home. 4th. November 1867. The local press recorded the fact that a new pit was sunk and in honour of the Princes of Wales was to be called the Alexandra Pit. (St.HStd) 25th. April 1887. Thomas Aspinall aged 62 years, a collier was killed as he was pulling back and the roof came in bodily capping props as it did so.