In May 2026, we remember a sad connection between Yorkshire and Cumbria: the Wellington Pit Disaster, at Whitehaven which claimed 136 lives.

On 11th May 1910 at around 7.40 pm an explosion of fire-damp and coal-dust at the Wellington Pit of the Whitehaven Collieries, which directly caused 52 deaths, and indirectly through the fire burning out of control, a further 84 deaths, and by a resultant fall of stone caused 2 deaths.

40 of the deaths were boys and young men between 15 and 25 years old; 95 were between 25 and 65 years old and one was over 65 (cited in the Borough of Whitehaven Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1910).

On the night of the explosion, hundreds gathered at the pit, while an exploration party went down, to explore the workings which extended under the sea on the coastal pit. There was significant damage to the main haulage road and smoke and fumes from a large underground fire would take a significant amount of time to reach and tackle.

Night slipped into day, and in the morning H.M. Inspector of Mines for West Cumberland, William Leck (1856-1932,  OBE in 1918) descended to assist the exploration party but underground a huge fire continued to burn.

Between 3 and 4 p.m. H.M. Chief Inspector of Mines for the Northern District, John Boland Atkinson (1851-1918) together with Henry Arnold Abbott (1869-1938) Junior Inspector for the the Newcastle-upon-Tyne District, assessed progress and together with with the Colliery Manager Mr Robert Steel (1870-1928) and the Assistant General Manager Mr Robert Curwen Richmond Blair (R.R. Blair, 1879-1916) descended once more.

Inspector Atkinson determined that efforts to date, although almost super-human, were not likely to make progress against the burgeoning fire,and ordered all rescuers out of the pit, as surely no-one could have survived in the conditions underground. A meeting followed where it was urged that a final attempt should be made by two parties of specialist rescuers who had been telegraphed earlier in the day: one from Elswick works of Armstrong, Whitworth & Company, and another from Yorkshire.

Rescue or Recovery?

The Yorkshire connection came in the form of the demonstration team belonging to the newly-formed Mining Engineering Company Ltd, (Meco) of Sheffield, most prominently John Henry Thorne and James Littlewood.

Established the year before under the guiding light of George Blake Walker (1854-1920), from Wharncliffe Silkstone Colliery, it specialised in the emerging technology of rescue apparatus as well as mining power tools.

After 11.20pm on 12th May, the rescue party descended the shaft, but by 2.30 a.m. the following morning they had to conclude operations and ascend the shaft.

On arriving at the colliery, the manager had explained the conditions and showed a plan of the workings and the task to be tackled underground. Arriving at the point where previous parties had carried forward brattice cloth to control the ventilation, they first went into the return airway and found it full of dense fumes.

They then went to feel the heat of fumes at the end of the brattice cloth as Mr. J.B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines, thought it was impossible for them to stand the heat. Nevertheless they decided to try, and so put on their rescue apparatus and passed into the fumes which were so thick that their lamps only showed objects a few inches in front of them.

Proceeding along the roadway and communicating with each other, they encountered a few falls of roof and displaced bars, and found the electric signal wires too hot to touch. Going forward about 150 yards, they heard the roof and sides giving way, so decided to return.

Reaching safety, the party waiting for them said they were glad to see them as they were powerless to help and were surprised they had been able to stay so long. The metal of the rescue equipment was too hot to touch from the heat of the blaze, although the wearers had not experienced any difficulty in breathing as they went ahead.

No further rescue work would be possible as the fire was walled in to try extinguish it, but the equipment would be used in later exploration and recovery work.

On Sunday 23rd May, Mr. Steel, the Manager, Mr. Blair, the Assistant General Manager, Mr. Henry the Underground Manager, along with Meco’s J.H. Thorne, went to ascertain the condition of the return airway, each wearing apparatus.

After travelling a short distance in the return airway they found a large quantity of gas which put out the light in the safety lamp, also the bird they had taken died in a few minutes. They travelled a distance of 600 yards in this unbreathable atmosphere and then returned. This was the first time Whitehaven Colliery officials Messrs. Steel, Blair and Henry had worn the apparatus and travelled a distance of 1,200 yards ın an unbreathable atmosphere.

On 12th July It was decided to make an attempt to reach the underground haulage friction gear, to ascertairn whether the fire was extinguished or otherwise. Messrs.
Steel, Blair and Meco’s J. Littlewood put on apparatus, went through the doors in the stoppings, and proceeded on their journey. John Henry Thorne started off 15 minutes later.

After going about 800 yards Mr. Steel decided to return as the heat was so intense. He was met by Thorne about 600 yards from the stoppings, who told him to walk back slowly, and he would go forward to meet the other two.

Messrs. Blair and Littlewood went over 900 yards from the stopping, where they found a large fall of roof near the haulage friction gear. They saw no sign of fire but the heat was still intense and the ground itself being very hot.

Although the disaster remained, the work of the rescue parties contributed to the recovery and investigation into the tragedy. After being sealed for several months, the recovery of Wellington proceeded in the Autumn and Winter of 1910, with the bodies of the victims finally recovered in December of that year.

Whitehaven

Gone! nor a single cry reaches our ears.
Shall we not render our tribute of tears?

Husband and brother, and father and son, Swept to Eternity. God’s will be done.

Oh, was it carelessness kindled the fire,
Which wrought the havoc so awful and dire?

If so, let the lesson for us be the deeper,
For each in the mine is his “brother’s keeper.”

Written by George Blake Walker, agent of the Wharncliffe Silkstone Colliery 12/5/1910
Published in the Tankersley Parish Magazine.