Happened at a shaft in the act of being sunk as an outlet for one adjoining. No 1, the first, reached the "main" coal at a depth of 54 fathoms. The workings in it are yet of a preparatory kind, the principal one being a mine driven towards and under the shaft No. 3 in the act of being sunk, and which eventually will form the course of communication between them. At the time of the accident the sinking pit had reached 37 fathoms from the surface. It appears that at a depth of 16 fathoms a bore-hole was: put down to the mine in the main coal off No. 1 pit, for the purpose of drawing the water off No. 3, and to the bottom of No. 1, where arrangements were made for pumping it. In prosecuting the sinking of No. 3 pit, feeders of firedamp were opened about 30 fathoms from the surface. These feeders have continued to give off gas, more or less, from the time they were first opened. Firedamp also escaped by the bore-hole referred to, if at any time it got choked or the water did not run off freely.
The ventilation was maintained in the ordinary way by a midwall,which at the time of the accident reached to within 22 feet of the bottom of the shaft, and a current of air, beyond the natural ventilation, was produced by the occasional use of a jet of steam placed in the upcast division about seven fathoms from the surface. It appears that from the 8th of July the night shift of men worked with safety lamps, but during the day the workmen could carry on their operations without the aid of lamps.
Blasting operations were carried on without lights, and the shots were fired by applying heated iron rods to the fuse or match. Dynamite was the explosive in use at the time of the accident.
The work was carried on by three shifts of men in the 24 hours, and five men were engaged on each shift. On the day of the accident, 20th July, the afternoon shift commenced at two o'clock, and up to the time of the accident, about six p.m., they had prepared six bore-holes and were making preparations to blast. Two of their number had gone to the surface and by arrangement sent down in the return kettle two hot irons to be used for igniting the fuse attached to each shot. The kettle was lowered properly, and the usual signal was afterwards given from below that they were ready to blast. The engineman acknowledged the signal, and in a few seconds after an explosion took place, which cleared out the midwall in the shaft, and carried away part of the pit-head frame and other woodwork near to the mouth of the pit. The displacement of the midwall, part of which kept the "barring'' in its place, was followed in less than two hours after by the surface forcing in the "barring," and a mass of earth, &c., probably from 3,000 to 4,000 cubic feet, fell down the shaft, completing the wreck and thoroughly shutting off all communication. As explained, previous to the accident the water passed from the sinking shaft by the bore-hole, but after the accident the bore-hole was closed and machinery had to be erected to pump it. To do this and secure the shaft occupied a considerable time.
After access was got to the bottom and the bodies recovered, it was found that of the shot-holes, six in number, which were prepared, three had been exploded, two had been ignited at the fuse, not exploded, and one remained entire, the fuse still showing that it had not been lighted.
This unfortunate occurrence appears to have been occasioned by a small accumulation of gas near the bottom of the shaft; and, as it is understood there were no lights in it at the time, the direct cause of explosion is limited either to the ignition of the fuse or the flame from the blast. There is good reason for supposing that none of the shots were exploded till after the accident, therefore the assumption is that the ignition of the fuse caused the explosion of firedamp. I do not suppose that the gas existed in an explosive state from the bottom up, but rather that a little firedamp passing off at the bore-hole was ignited by a fuse, the flame from which extended to the feeders about five fathoms up.
By general rule No. 8 of the statute after inflammable gas has been found, and for three months after by sub-section 1, it is provided that "A competent person who shall be appointed for the purpose shall, immediately before firing the shot, examine the place where it is to be used, and the places contiguous thereto, and shall not allow the shot to be fired unless he finds it safe to do so, and a shot shall not be fired except by or under the direction of a competent person who shall be appointed for that purpose."
The precautions provided by this important regulation do not appear to have been observed fully in this case.

Newspaper Report - Dunbartonshire accidents

Newspaper Report

NB Name should be McMail. Son James aged 11 also killed