Oaks Colliery Disaster · AditNow Community

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simonrl
51% (Neutral)
Administration Topic Starter

8 years ago

Interesting article on the Beeb about the Oaks Colliery explosion.

"BBC News" wrote:
In December 1866 a colliery in Barnsley was ripped apart by a series of explosions over two days, killing at least 361 men and boys, in what remains England's worst mining disaster. The events of this largely forgotten tragedy and its devastating effect on the community have been recreated in a new film.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-41187124

my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

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droid
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

8 years ago

The tragedy was that the Oaks was known to be gassy. There was an earlier serious explosion, and the Barnsley Main seam was notorious for gas and spontaneous combustion.

There were plenty of warnings.
Like the railway industry at the time, most were ignored or trivialised.