AP WMS 12(1) s2 f01 v1

Isaac Miller of Wigan talks about witnessing the Maypole Colliery disaster at Abram in 1908. An underground explosion is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of 76 people. Recorded on the 30 October, 1981.

To read more on the Maypole Colliery disaster please see Past Forward Issue 49 Past Forward and Publications (wigan.gov.uk) 

Audio description below:

CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE MAYPOLE DISASTER PLEASE?

Well I went across that night and I was at the pit head opposite where the cage came up and then there was this big bang and the man who was

with me, he said, it's only a steam pipe brasting but he kept running all the same until he got to Park Lane out of the way and we turned

round and looked at it, the debris from the head gear was dropping at our feet so we just carried on up to the... but then this column of

smoke that had gone up was the shape of the shaft right up we see it fall down onto Abram altogether. Well there was nothing else for it

except we saw that and then we just saw Arthur Rushton who was my manager just drawing up in his dog cart at home which was just outside the

colliery, he was just coming back from his holidays in time to see the thing. 

DID YOU SEE ANY OF THE RESCUE WORK? 

I saw some of the first... they were shouting down first of all and then I saw some of the first rescuers going down and they went down Wigan

Junction Colliery to get to the Maypole seams, you see Wigan Junction not far away and you could get down that way into the Maypole and that's

what they did but I didn't see anybody brought up of course. 

WHAT WAS THE GENERAL FEELING AT THAT TIME? 

Well shock, it was some thing unusual a coal explosion at that time, there'd not been one for years. There was a big fund raised for the

disaster of course. 

HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED? 

Seventy three I think it was. 

DID THEY EVER FIND OUT WHAT CAUSED IT? 

Oh they'd been expecting it for some time. I know a friend of mine had been working down there and he left before it went up and he said

he was leaving, he was going to another pit, he said that pit will blow up as sure as shot he said because there was accidents every day

nearly. 

WHY WERE THEY EXPECTING IT TO BLOW UP? 

Well with the collection of gas in the pit. 

WAS THERE A PUBLIC ENQUIRY AFTER THE DISASTER? 

Oh yes there was a public enquiry. 

WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW WHAT THEY FOUND?

Well I don't know exactly what was found but there was an enquiry of course and Arthur Rushton who was the manager he came back just in time

for the explosion and then he was appointed to a different place, he went over to Astley and Tyldesley he was on the strength of business

experiences in that explosion, I think he was very fortunate. 

YOU THINK HE COULD HAVE TAKEN ACTION DO YOU TO PREVENT IT? 

Well I don't know whether he could or not but this friend of mine was working in there, he left, he said, I'm leaving, he says it'll blow up

as sure as shot. 

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