I am sorry, Geoff. I can only tell you what it was described as in the old Times Newspaper where I saw it reported. The Times headline was "Fatal Colliery Explosion" (North & South Shields Gazette), under a heading of "News from South Shields". Further on in the article it goes on to say "The colliery of Little Usworth, near Washington, was on Wednesday last (June 5th 1850), the scene of one of those fearful casualties which are unfortunately too common in mining districts." Therefore I assume that you are correct in surmising that the link with South Shields is merely through the Gazette rather than being geographical. It goes on to describe the disaster in detail including the deaths of four pit ponies, the deaths of 11 men and 2 children and the injuries of the other men (who "are not expected to recover"). It states that not much damage appeared to have been done to the actual mine, and that: " A few hours after it happened a person not knowing the facts might have passed the spot without discovering that anything had been wrong." It remarks on the coincidence that it was exactly (to the very day apparently, according to the reporter - though I cannot verify this) that "Hebburn pit fired, when 33 individuals perished; and that on both occasions, the state of the atmosphere was similar, very close and sultry, and surcharged with the electric fluid." The article is numbered CS134906568 and is copyright 1850, The Times. I have a photocopy of the article. I also have a copy of another article from The Times detailing the 1839 disaster at St Hilda's Colliery, South Shields. (The Times, Tuesday, Jul 02, 1839; pg. 5; Issue 17083; col E) "Coal-Pit Explosion At South Shields.-Great Loss Of Life." (Details from the Tyne Pilot). I hope I have made myself clearer with this message and apologise if I caused confusion. I just thought someone might have an interest in one of the names from the list. Best wishes Liz ----- Original Message ----- From: <GNicresearch@aol.com> To: <ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, May 01, 2004 7:16 PM Subject: [ENG-DUR] Re: Colliery disaster - place > In a message dated 01/05/2004 14:35:21 GMT Daylight Time, tobycat@cwgsy.net > writes: > > Forgot to say that the colliery where the disaster took place (in my > previous message to the list) was Little Usworth near Washington. > > Now I am confused! First you say it was a South Shields Colliery disaster, > then you say it was at Usworth, some nine miles from South Shields. Which is > correct and, if it is Usworth, where, other than its being reported in a > South Shields newspaper, does South Shields come into it? > . > Incidentally, the colliery in Little Usworth township was Usworth Colliery, > which did not officially close until c1970, though for its last few years it > was simply a man-access pit for the mining complex based on Wardley > Colliery, where all the coal was raised. The site is now part of an industrial > estate in Sulgrave Village of Washington. The disaster usually quoted in respect > of Usworth was the explosion of 1885, though there was indeed a "lesser" (!) > disaster in 1850, when the pit was only a few years old. For South Shields > (St Hilda's) Colliery, the shaft tower of which still stands as an industrial > monument, the usual disaster quoted is that of 1839, about which Doug Smith > published a booklet a few years ago, called "Killed by Candle". > . > Usworth was probably unique in the NE coalfield in that it was financed with > Jewish money. David Jonassohn, a Sunderland merchant, bought an estate in > Usworth, which included Usworth House, later known as Usworth Hall, in the > 1840s. He sunk Usworth Colliery more or less straight away, and ran it for > several years before selling it to the Bowes/Palmers company. Officially owned by > Bowes, at one time it had the brother of Sir Charles Mark Palmer as Colliery > Manager. In its latter days it was owned by the Washington Coal Company and > managed for them by an agent. In the nineteenth century Usworth had a > reputation for militancy and men from it were prominent in the formation of the > Durham Miners' Association. I have considerable information about Usworth > Colliery, about its history and about the disaster of 1885, which I gathered for > a talk I gave on the subject to Sunderland Antiquarians some five or six > years ago. Not only that, but only last night I was talking, in Usworth Club > (CIU, built n the site of the manager's house) with two ex-Usworth miners, one > disabled from a roof fall there and the other a retired Deputy Overman! > . > Geoff Nicholson > . > 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU > Ask for details of NBL/DUR family history research in depth > by THE local expert, working for YOU. > > > > ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== > query board for Durham gen web > http://www.britishislesgenweb.org/cgi-bin/data/durham.cgi > >