Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 15 October 1872

Alarming Colliery Fire Darfield Main.

Great Destruction of Property.

700 Men Out Of Employment.

One of the most disastrous fires which has yet occurred in this district has broken out in the Darfield Main Colliery, near Barnsley.

The pit belongs to Messrs. Moxon Bros, and Co., of Pontefract, and finds employment for no less than 700 men. It is situated a few miles below Wombwell, and is one of the largest collieries in the South Yorkshire district, having been worked for about thirteen years. The workings have been carried to a considerable extent, and the more distant of them are upwards of mile from the mouth of the pit.

On Sunday night the only man in the pit was the furnaceman, and he noticed that, few minutes before ten o’clock, the “wind” had changed. This indicated that something was wrong, and that the ventilation had changed. The air which had run through the pit had usually descended by the drawing-shaft, and had then, after traversing the workings, escaped by the cupola. The furnace which was kept burning the bottom of the cupola was, however, seen to be drawing” towards the workings, and the fireman then knew that serious interruption to the air courses had taken place. The ventilation the pit had been entirely reversed, and the air, instead of coming from the down-cast shaft was seen to be drawing towards it.

The fireman at once went and apprised Mr. B. Wilson, the underground manager, of these circumstances, and that gentleman, accompanied by his son, immediately proceeded to make an inspection of the place. They found that the tubbing which surrounds the cupola shaft had in consequence of an extraordinary pressure of water given way, and that vast quantities of the water were then pouring into the pit. The “tubbings” had burst, and the water was then allowed to pour unchecked down the cupola and into the pit, the effect being that the furnaces were reversed, and the current of air, instead of flowing freely, was intercepted, and taken towards the drawing shaft.

In its course from the one shaft to the other the fire came into contact with a number of corves laden with coal, and these were quickly flames. In spite of the efforts of Mr. Wilson the flames advanced quickly, and in a few minutes afterwards the separation doors were caught. These offered but little obstacle to the spread of the fire, and after burning them up the flames spread the direction of the down shaft, and fired about corves which had been laden and which were waiting to be taken to the surface.

Mr. Wilson, assisted by several of the men, attempted to put out the flames, but they were unsuccessful and the party then decided on having two of the separations opened in order that the pressure of air might be diminished. Men were sent to open two of the separation doors, and they succeeded doing so, but the fire in the pit was found to be raging to an extraordinary extent. It rapidly spread to the drawing-shaft, and caught the woodwork which lines the shaft. The flames were so intense that they quickly enveloped the working the pit shaft, and the men were compelled to leave the pit. It was then found that the pit was altogether on fire, and that the coal had become ignited. The flames rushed up the pit shaft, and roaring out of the top of were seen for miles around.

The wood-work which lines the shaft was charred and burnt, and before the pit can be worked again it will have to be entirely renewed. The head gear of the pit will also have to be replaced, as it is entirely consumed, and drawing apparatus has thus been completely demolished. When the “tubbing” which surrounds the cupola had burst enormous quantities of water were poured down the cupola, and this caused the reversion of air which occasioned the damage, but when the drawing shaft fired the “tubbing” in it also gave way, and thousands of gallons of water were precipitated down the shaft—again restoring it to its proper courses.

The flames, thus driven back, obtained a renewed hold of the coal which was standing at the shaft’s mouth in corves, and burnt so fiercely that it was at once decided to close up the pit’s mouths; The drawing shaft was “sealed up,” and the cupola was filled up to the depth of about 40 yards. Should the water, however, continue to rush down the cupola shaft, the earth which has been deposited the bottom of it will be washed away, and fresh air would then be let into the workings. This is what the manager of the pit has endeavoured to guard against, but the continued downpour of water into the pit makes it difficult to effectually close the workings. At the time when the accident occurred the men were not at work in the colliery, but would have resumed operations in a few hours. Fortunately they were all out when the catastrophe was first discovered.

There is no likelihood of their being able to resume work for many weeks to come. About 40 horses which were down the pit the have been smothered, the pit having been hermetically sealed up, no means were left which they could be rescued or kept alive. It was supposed by four o’clock yesterday afternoon they would all dead.

The workmen are all thrown out of employment though there can be no doubt that the colliers will be able to obtain work elsewhere in the course of a few days. The seam which has been got is called the Barnsley seam. It is about feet thick, and usual output at this colliery has averaged 4,000 tons per week.