Workington should make sure the town’s mining heritage is not forgotten, writes Patrick Robertson.
Local miners, through their welfare trust, sponsored community and welfare centres, hospitals, and educational facilities in the area.
We should ensure this community spirit and generosity of the miners is not lost. However, as time has passed, the collective memory and sense of identity linked to coal mining has begun to fade.
Many people in the area no longer have direct familial links to coal mining and are unaware of its role in Workington’s story. My generation will be one of the last to have worked in the industry and it will not be long before Workington’s mining history passes out of living memory.
Our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of our miners should be able to celebrate their mining ancestors and feel pride in their achievements and struggles.
Whitehaven proudly remembers and celebrates the community’s past mining heritage with numerous memorials placed around the town.
In Workington we have the cherished facility of the Helena Thompson Museum and community venue, which pays tribute to our combined iron and steel industries, shipping, mining and sporting heritage and to the mine owners, the Curwen family of Workington Hall. It’s well worth a visit.
On July 28, it will be 187 years since 27 men and boys were killed while working in the Isabella Mine in Workington. They have no marker or memorial – perhaps this might be a fitting time to remember all our community’s mining dead and heritage and erect a suitable memorial.
During the evening of July 28 1837, Workington Colliery, on the coast of Cumberland, was inundated by the sea, and the Isabella, Union, and Lady pits submerged.
The Main Band workings had been carried to 1,500 yards under the sea, and rising rapidly towards it, until only 7.3m of the cover to the sea floor thought to be strata, the rest being shale. A considerable robbing or removal of the coal pillars under the sea was carried on; proceeding the inundation, the danger of which was a matter of common talk about the town.
Disaster was foretold by many. Several of the colliers left the work, correspondence on the subject took place between those on the spot and the mine overseer Mr Dunn, who, on account of the imminence of the danger, submitted the matter to a north of England coal-owner, and induced him to write to Mr Curwen, the owner of Workington Colliery, drawing his attention to the risk that was being run. But no steps were taken, till eventually a crush ensued, and the sea burst in.
Twenty-eight horses also perished but it was fortunate that the disaster took place when it did, at the hour of changing the shift when there were comparatively few in the pit.
Several of the survivors were within 300 yards of the place where the water broke in and it had the effect of changing the air and going suddenly very cold and many of them took the warning and started to try to get out of the pit.
The air current was so great as they ascended the inclined plane that they had great difficulty in keeping their footing. The force was so great that a man named Bland who tried to get down to help found he could not get an air door open as he was returning. He persevered and at last removed the board. The rush of air was so great that it carried him out of the pit.
The place where the water broke in was nearly a mile-and-a-half from the shaft between Salterbeck and Harrington and about 40 or 50 yards below the low water mark.
The three pits were filled with water by 10.30pm, about an hour-and-a-half from the time the roof gave way. The hole was very large. A vessel sailed over the opening on Saturday and the captain supposes the aperture to be little short of an acre in extent from the discoloration there was in the water.
