Browsing through nineteenth century newspapers and looking at this wooden box for storing dynamite, you may think that explosives were not handled with the care they demand. However, you would be mistaken. Outside of underground mining, most accidents were due to carelessness or misuse. The invention of dynamite by Alfred Nobel in 1871 changed the […]
Imagine spending hours underground every day, working in a dark, damp, confined space, and breathing powdered coal dust that also coats your hair, skin and clothing. Add to that a constant, risk of physical injury, cave-ins, and the threat of explosions caused by any burning substance coming into contact with the methane gas seeping out […]
Herbie Watkins heard rumblings below ground that made him run for his life. It was 5.15 am on 7 December 1910 and he was alone on site maintaining the temporarily closed West Wallsend-Killingworth Colliery. Luckily, Watkins was at a safe distance when the catastrophic explosion punctured the early morning silence, waking residents of the surrounding […]
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