Stockton Colliery Disaster 1896

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Stockton, New South Wales, Australia
Surnames/tags: Disasters Mining_Disasters Australia

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Disasters Project | Mining | Australia | Stockton Colliery Disaster 1896

Stockton Colliery Disaster, 1896

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Map Co-ordinates: 32° 54' 54" S and 151° 47' 4" E
GPS Coordinates: Lat: -32.912567 and Long: 151.786264

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Summary

On 2 December 1896, two miners were found dead at the underground ventilation furnace of the Stockton Colliery in New South Wales. The next day, 3 December 1896, twelve miners entered the worked-out No. 3 District of the mine to determine the cause of the gas leak. Four lost their lives underground in the Stockton Colliery when the party encountered noxious gases. In the rescue attempt, a further five men died. Spontaneous combustion had caused the fire that produced the gasses that killed these men. Their deaths highlighted the need for special breathing equipment for rescue operations.

Table 1: The Victims - Age, Marital Status, Occupation, and Residence
(Underscored names have profiles; boldfaced names are connected to the Big Tree. )

Name	Age	Marital Status	Occupation	Residence
George Patrick Curran	60	Married, 6 children	Asst. Furnaceman
Charles Smith	35		Furnaceman
John Cockburn	35	Widower, 2 children	Mine Surveyor
Thomas McAlpine	24	Married, 5 children	Miner
Sydney McAlpine	22	Single	Miner
Benjamin Bailey	21	Single	Surveyor's Assistant	Newcastle
John Charlesworth	26	Married	Miner (Rescuer)
William Simpson Sneddon	32	Married, 4 children	Miner (Rescuer
James Sweeney		Single	Miner (Rescuer)
Daniel Fitzpatrick		Single	Miner (Rescuer)
William Gascoigne	35	Single	Miner (Rescuer)

Research Notes

Sources

• "THE STOCKTON FATALITY", Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW: 1876 - 1954), Fri 4 Dec 1896, Page 6.
• "THE STOCKTON CALAMITY", Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW: 1876 - 1954) Wed 9 Dec 1896, Page 7.
• "STOCKTON COLLIERY DISASTER. CONDITION OF THE MINE", The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 - 1954), Tue 8 Dec 1896, Page 5.
• "THE STOCKTON MINING DISASTER", The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW: 1883 - 1930), Tue 8 Dec 1896, Page 5.
• “STOCKTON COLLIERY - SUBSCRIPTION LISTS OPEN”, The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.: 1872 - 1947), Tue 8 Dec 1896, Page 4.
• "SUFFERING OF THE VICTIMS", The Thames Star (NZ), Vol XXVIII, Issue 8529, 7 Dec 1896, p 3.
• “NSW Final Report on Stockton Colliery Disaster”, NSW Government, Legislative Assembly, Stockton Colliery Disaster, All papers, documents, evidence, and reports of inquiries in connection with the Stockton Colliery Disaster – includes Report of Court of Investigation 4 March 1897 (PDF, 20.35 MB).
• “Stockton Mining Disaster of 1896”, website, www.coalandcommunity.com, Sir Edgeworth David Memorial Museum, accessed 10 June 2023, People and Place | Coal and Community.
• “1896 Stockton Colliery Case Study”, NSW Government, Resources Regulator, Safety, Safety events and education programs, Learning from disasters, Learning from disasters timeline.
• “Monument Australia | Stockton Colliery Disaster”, website, www.monumentaustralia.org.au, accessed 10 June 2023, Home » Themes » Disaster » Industrial.