Pretoria Pit Disaster
Encyclopedia
The Pretoria Pit disaster was a mining accident
that occurred on 21 December 1910, when there was an underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit
, known as the Pretoria Pit, in Over Hulton
, Westhoughton
, then in the historic county of Lancashire
, in North West
England.
in 1910. On the morning of 21 December, approximately 900 workers arrived for the day shift. They were working five coal seams of the Manchester Coalfield
; the Trencherbone, Plodder, Yard, Three-Quarters and Arley mines.
That day 345 workers descended the No 3 pit shaft to work in the Plodder, Yard and Three Quarters mines. Of those, only four survived to be brought to the surface. One died immediately and one next day. The two survivors were Joseph Staveley and William Davenport. In addition one man died in the Arley Mine of No. 4 Pit and one rescuer died in No. 3 pit, giving a total of 344 fatalities. The men who were working the other mines in the pit worked from No.4 shaft were unharmed.
A statue opposite Westhoughton church by Jane Robbins was unveiled on 19 December 2010 almost 100 years after the disaster.
On 19 December 2008, an account of the Pretoria Pit disaster was discovered, written anonymously by a man who accompanied the rescue team.
The locomotive which brought the coal from the pit to Westhoughton is kept in the compound of the local recycling company.
A play, 'Sleep, Comrade Sleep', was written and performed in 2005 by the staff and students of Westhoughton High School and reprised for the centennial in 2010.
Mining accident
A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
that occurred on 21 December 1910, when there was an underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit
Hulton Colliery Company
The Hulton Colliery Company was a coal mining company operating on the Lancashire Coalfield from the mid 19th century in Over Hulton and Westhoughton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
, known as the Pretoria Pit, in Over Hulton
Over Hulton
Over Hulton is a suburb of Westhoughton within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester,England.It lies south west of Bolton.-History:...
, Westhoughton
Westhoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, then in the historic county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, in North West
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
England.
Background
There were approximately 2500 workers employed by the Hulton Colliery CompanyHulton Colliery Company
The Hulton Colliery Company was a coal mining company operating on the Lancashire Coalfield from the mid 19th century in Over Hulton and Westhoughton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
in 1910. On the morning of 21 December, approximately 900 workers arrived for the day shift. They were working five coal seams of the Manchester Coalfield
Manchester Coalfield
The Manchester Coalfield is part of the South East Lancashire Coalfield. Its coal seams were laid down in the Carboniferous period and some easily accessible seams were worked on a small scale from the Middle Ages and extensively from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th...
; the Trencherbone, Plodder, Yard, Three-Quarters and Arley mines.
Explosion
At 7:50am, there was an explosion in the Plodder Mine, which was thought to have been caused by an accumulation of gas from a roof collapse the previous day.That day 345 workers descended the No 3 pit shaft to work in the Plodder, Yard and Three Quarters mines. Of those, only four survived to be brought to the surface. One died immediately and one next day. The two survivors were Joseph Staveley and William Davenport. In addition one man died in the Arley Mine of No. 4 Pit and one rescuer died in No. 3 pit, giving a total of 344 fatalities. The men who were working the other mines in the pit worked from No.4 shaft were unharmed.
Aftermath
This was the second worst mining accident in England, and the third worst in Britain. Many of the fatalities were from the same family. The worst affected was the Tyldesley family in which Mrs Miriam Tyldesley lost her husband, four sons and two brothers. A relief fund was established for the families and dependants and a total of £145,000 was raised. John Baxter was the last recipient of payments from the Hulton Colliery Explosion (1910) Relief Fund when he died in January 1973 (The Westhoughton Journal 26 Jan 1973). The fund was dissolved in 1975 and the remaining assets transferred to other miner's relief funds. In 1911, dependants were compensated and given annuities from a number of sources (including the fund). All the victims were members of Permanent Relief Societies to which they paid contributions weekly and most had private life insurance with friendly societies and all were covered by the Workmen’s Compensation Act 1906 which brought together all (except the private insurance) the compensation to produce a lump sum and annuity for the dependants.Memorials
There is a memorial to the victims in Westhoughton cemetery. A memorial service is held there each year and a selection of artifacts from the disaster is displayed in Westhoughton Central Library.A statue opposite Westhoughton church by Jane Robbins was unveiled on 19 December 2010 almost 100 years after the disaster.
On 19 December 2008, an account of the Pretoria Pit disaster was discovered, written anonymously by a man who accompanied the rescue team.
The locomotive which brought the coal from the pit to Westhoughton is kept in the compound of the local recycling company.
A play, 'Sleep, Comrade Sleep', was written and performed in 2005 by the staff and students of Westhoughton High School and reprised for the centennial in 2010.