Mary Emma1
Micklefield St. Mary's, Yorkshire, Memorial for the Colliery Disaster of 1896
A devastating explosion which claimed the lives of 63 men whose names are inscribed on the memorial
The explosion took place about 7.15 a.m., within twenty minutes of the 98 men going down.
Of these, 35, including one who came out just before the explosion, survived.
The remaining 63 were killed including a man named Whitaker who was recovered alive from the mine but later died in Leeds Infirmary.
All the officials on the day shift were killed and this included the undermanager W Radford and every deputy.
The bodies of these men were found in the cabin near the bottom of the shaft where it looked as though they
were filling in the report books.
Two bodies were found on the East Level between the shaft bottom and the entrance to the Black Bed Drift.
The falls of roof were very heavy and all the evidence pointed to the blast going from East to West.
A small explosion had disturbed the coal dust that
had gathered on props, bars and roofs and sides and which fired at the flame of the explosion.
Several bodies were found at the bottom of the New North Road.
It was believed that many of the men had never reached their working places In the Old North Road.
There were 23 horses in the pit at the time of the disaster. Fourteen of these were in the stables and of these two were found to be alive with those on each side of them
dead as was the horsekeeper. Two other ponies were later got out alive, one near the No.2 South Bord and the other nearly two weeks later down the No.1 Dip.
Micklefield St. Mary's, Yorkshire, Memorial for the Colliery Disaster of 1896
A devastating explosion which claimed the lives of 63 men whose names are inscribed on the memorial
The explosion took place about 7.15 a.m., within twenty minutes of the 98 men going down.
Of these, 35, including one who came out just before the explosion, survived.
The remaining 63 were killed including a man named Whitaker who was recovered alive from the mine but later died in Leeds Infirmary.
All the officials on the day shift were killed and this included the undermanager W Radford and every deputy.
The bodies of these men were found in the cabin near the bottom of the shaft where it looked as though they
were filling in the report books.
Two bodies were found on the East Level between the shaft bottom and the entrance to the Black Bed Drift.
The falls of roof were very heavy and all the evidence pointed to the blast going from East to West.
A small explosion had disturbed the coal dust that
had gathered on props, bars and roofs and sides and which fired at the flame of the explosion.
Several bodies were found at the bottom of the New North Road.
It was believed that many of the men had never reached their working places In the Old North Road.
There were 23 horses in the pit at the time of the disaster. Fourteen of these were in the stables and of these two were found to be alive with those on each side of them
dead as was the horsekeeper. Two other ponies were later got out alive, one near the No.2 South Bord and the other nearly two weeks later down the No.1 Dip.