The Disaster
(Continued)

The Mayor of Bolton advanced money to pay the men who had been thrown out of work by the disaster. The men were paid 5/- per week, wives, 5/- and 1/- a week for each child. The amount paid to the man included all the men in the family whether father or son.

There were a number of cases where the relatives had to attend the pit every day waiting for the bodies of their loved ones. One man was at the pit everyday for two weeks waiting for the body of his son. In these case 20/- a week was paid.

The widows were paid 4/- and 2/- for each child but until they got their compensation they were paid double. In the case of old fathers and mothers, 3/- a week were paid.

A Court met on the 16th and 17th February when the pit had not worked for more than four days a week and sixty cases were dealt with and an average compensation of £249 per man was awarded. The Pretoria Pit Explosion Fund was set up and in April 1912 the Committee decided to pay widows 7/- per week, children 2/- per week and to a father or mother who lost a son, 5/- per week during the rest of their lives. It was not decided at that meeting what should be done in cases where two or more in the family had been lost.

At a meeting of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain in Derby on the 4 th and 5 th of January it was resolved that Messrs. R. Smillie and W. Straker would be appointed to attend the inquiry into the explosion and they later made their report to the Federation.

At the same meeting they passed the following resolution:-
“We strongly protest against this terrible slaughter of our comrades at the Maypole, West Stanley, Whitehaven and Pretoria Pits and this conference moves that the Federation appoints a strong deputation to meet the Home Secretary with a view to urging upon him the absolute necessity of introducing as early as possible such legislation as shall tend to reduce these appalling calamities to a minimum.”

The inquiry into the disaster was conducted by Mr. Samuel Forster Butcher, Coroner and a jury when there were twenty one sittings over fourteen days. Evidence of identification was taken as they were received from the pit and the proceedings to determine the cause of the explosions was opened at the Carneigie Hall, Westhoughton on the 24tth. January 1911. All interested parties were represented.

Reference was made to some mining and places of exploration that were being driven in solid coal in the North and South Plodder. Eccleston’s place was in the North Plodder about 30 yards beyond the last holing and the other which was Brown’s 68 yards on. In the South Plodder there was another pair of such places. Some weeks before Brown’s place had fallen and the manager could not say whether the place was ventilated by brattice or by air-pipes.

Attention was then turned to the presence of coal dust in the mine. Very little went down the shaft from the surface operations but dust was made on the faces where coal cutters were used. Water mains were laid along the main haulage roads and fitted with nozzles at regular intervals from which water came, twice a week.

Wolf Safety lamps were in use in the mine and they had been changed some time earlier from protector Lamps. The lamp was fitted with a re-lighter in the base of the lamp. This re-lighting was done by placing the lamp wick in contact with cotton wool soaked in naphtha and ignited by a strip match being pulled against at rough surface by means of a key inserted in the bottom of the lamp.

Instructions for re-lighting lamps were as follows:-
“A fireman on satisfying himself that it was safe to do so, may relight a lamp at any suitable place, that is, not in THE RETURN AIRWAY.

All other authorised persons shall relight lamps at the appointed stations.

by Order,

(Signed) Alfred J. Tonge,

General Manager.”

A dataller, Paul Garswood, described how he fashioned a key for himself.

The motors of the coal cutter appeared to have been running at the time of the explosion but there was little shot firing in the mine and the system of reporting came in for some criticism at the inquiry.

The Verdict
The jury heard the evidence and were posed a number of questions to answer.

They were retired for six hours before they returned their verdict. The foreman said -

“On behalf of my colleagues and myself I tender the verdict that on the 21st, day of December 1910 at the No.3 Bank Pit, commonly known as the No.3 Pretoria Pit, Westhoughton, in the County of Lancaster and accidental ignition of coal dust and gas occurred in the conveyor face of the North Plodder mine in some manner unknown to the jury but probably from a defective or over heated safety lamp, and produced an explosion. That upon such ignition and explosion followed a large ignition and explosion of coal dust affecting the whole of the coal mines working in the said pit. That the said men (Here a list of the victims was read out), were with others at the time of the said explosions employed in the Yard Mine of the said pit and in consequence of such explosions and resulting afterdamp died there the same day so that the came by their deaths by accident and not otherwise. That Mr. Coroner, is the verdict of the jury.”