[Coquet]

This is the text from the Alnwick & C. Gazette regarding the Newburgh explosion on the 16th August 1914.


FATAL ACCIDENT AT NEWBURGH PIT.

A serious accident occurred at Newburgh Colliery on Sunday night whereby one man was killed and two injured.
The accident was supposed to have been caused through an explosion of gas, and the chargeman, Samuel Ainsley, was instantaneously killed, part of his head having been blown away. The other men who were with Ainsley were Stephen Hume, of Radcliffe, and D. Pringle, of Walkworth. The former received injuries about the head and body, and was admitted on Monday to the Royal Infirmary, Newcastle where he died the next morning. He was badly burned and had sustained a broken arm.

On Monday Mr. Chas. Percy, coroner for North Northumberland, opened an inquest on the body of Samuel Ainsley, 52 years of age, but after evidence of identification was taken the inquiry was adjourned.

Pringle’s injuries were not of a serious character, he having received slight wounds about the head. Ainsley was 52 years of age, and leaves a widow. He belonged to Amble.
At the inquest held at Newcastle Infirmary on Wednesday night concerning the death of Stephen Hume (32), evidence of identification was given, after which the inquiry was adjourned until September 2nd.
The adjourned inquest on the body of Samuel Ainsley was held at the Court House, Amble, on Thursday before Mr. Chas. Percy, coroner for North Northumberland.

Ralph Ainsley said that deceased was his brother, a chargeman at Newburgh Colliery, 52 years of age. He died on the 16th August from injuries received the same day while working in Newburgh Colliery.

William Pringle living at Warkworth a stoneman in the Colliery deposed that about 10-40 pm he was down the pit, going in to work with the deceased and Stephen Hume. They met the deceased at the Bank head, and he took them to show them where to start. When they got to the place deceased told them to get his tools. He went for them, and when about 15 yards from them one explosion of gas occurred. He was hurt by it, but not seriously. He could not get back for fumes, so went straight on to the mothergate and then to the bank head. Just as he got to the bank head he met George Hume carrying Stephen Hume away insensible. He saw Ainsley shortly afterwards. He was quite dead, having been killed by the accident. Hume died at Newcastle Infirmary on the 18th inst. He (witness) had worked in the Colliery for about 10 years. The district where the explosion occurred had always been considered safe for gas. He had a safety lamp, Hume an open lamp, and Ainsley a safety lamp. He saw nothing suspicious until just about a second before the accident. The air suddenly seemed to rush past him. There seemed to be plenty of ventilation. There was a fence on the narrow board entry and a door above the wheel on the bank head, which was open.

George Elliott, Chargeman said that at 10-30 about the time of the accident, he was at the bottom of Bailey’s Drift bank. He heard a rush of air and then a loud explosion, but he could not locate the sound. He went straight up the bank with his safety lamp lighted. He met the two Humes bringing their brother out. They were carrying him. After speaking to them he went forward to the place of the accident. The fumes were bad. He heard Ainsley moan. They had three lights; two went out through the bad air. They kept the third light further back and then they got Ainsley out. He died in about a minute. He had never known the district to be dangerous. The explosion of gas was in his opinion evidently loud. Ainsley would have to examine about 18 places that night. Just above the wheel the door, since the accident, had been put on in order to get ventilation to the face of the coal and drive the fumes out quicker. He was up the narrow board about a week before the accident. The place was all right then. There was a fall in the Narrow Board but it was not blocking the air way. There was a good air coming up the Narrow Board directly after the accident. They had safety lamps for examination purposes, not locked. He knew the lamps for examination purposes should be locked. It was against regulations if they were not but he made no protest. He had a new type of lamp unlocked, which it was not possible to open by mistake. He found Ainsley’s lamp about four or five yards inside where the fence had been, and Hume’s lamp was just outside the fence.
Alan Musket Morrison manager for Broomhill Collieries Company Ltd said he examined the place of the accident about one and a half hours after it had occurred. He found the fence was blown off, and Hume’s lamp about two yards from where the fence had been. It had been an open light. He thought Hume’s open lamp had ignited the gas, of which the place must have been full. He did not know the part to be dangerous because of gas. It was not considered to be so. It was permissible for Hume to have his light open. The explosion was quite local, and a radius of 50 yards would cover it. The pit had been intermittent in its working owing to the war.
The jury found that Samuel Ainsley had been accidentally killed on the 16th August through an accidental explosion of gas in Newburgh Pit while he was working there. The Jury impanelled were Messrs. John T. Duncan (foreman), John H. Smith, John Winter, T. Moscrop, Matthew Douglas, Thomas Wade, William Besford, Wm. Dunn, William Coulson, James G. Young, Robert Short.