The West Wallsend-Killingworth Colliery 

Explosion of 1910

Death toll: 1 pit horse 

Cause: Fire/explosion

The West Wallsend-Killingworth Colliery is remembered as one of the most violent mine explosions in the North. It was a  'near miss'. Although much damage was done and the surface workings almost totally destroyed, no people were injured in this incident. This was because the mine workings had been shut down for two months. 

"A strange, loud rumbling, like the muffled roar of a hundred cannons, was heard, and men living in the vicinity of the colliery,... witnessed a sight which they are not likely to forget. From the mouth of the shaft a compact pillar of 'what appeared to be dense black smoke shot straight ahead into the clear morning sky to a height of over 1000 ft." (see article).

Resources:

"MINE EXPLOSION." The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) 8 Dec 1910: 9. Web. 12 Jun 2013 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15200876>.

 Killingworth Colliery, NSW, 8 December 1910