Snaefell Mine

Snaefell Mine

The Great Snaefell Mine 1900.
Location
Great Snaefell Mine Location in Isle of Man
Location	Snaefell, Isle of Man
Country	Isle of Man, British Isles
Coordinates	54°15′46.8″N 004°27′43.2″W / 54.263000°N 4.462000°W / 54.263000; -4.462000
Production
Products	Zinc
History
Opened	1856
Closed	1908
Owner
Company	The Great Snaefell Mining Company Limited
Website	Manx mines - Snaefell Mine

The Great Snaefell Mine, also referred to as the East Snaefell Mine, was a zinc mine located high in the Laxey Valley on the slopes of Snaefell Mountain, in the parish of Lonan, Isle of Man. The mine reached a depth of 1,188 ft (362 m) and is remembered as the scene of the Isle of Man's worst mining disaster in 1897.^[1]

History

Mining for metals on the

Snaefell Mine was situated at the eastern foot of

The mine was worked by a main shaft, which followed the dip of the vein. The shaft was rectangular, and divided into three compartments: the middle one was the ladderway; one other compartment was used for winding ore, and the other compartment for the pump and the compressed air pipes. The ore would be wound up in a rough wooden kibble.^{[citation needed]}

In the shaft the ventilation was natural, driven by the higher temperature underground compared to above ground. The general tendency of the air current was down the shaft to the bottom of the mine, and up through the various winzes (intermediate shafts) to the adit level. The open end of the adit had been connected to a sloping wooden chimney on the hillside, by which means the draught was increased.^{[citation needed]}

The

The cost of extracting ore from the mine continued to plague operations, and in 1883, following continued financial difficulties, the Great Snaefell Mining Company also went into liquidation.[5]

The operation of the mine was then taken on by the newly formed Snaefell Mining Company, which had been registered on 24 December 1883. The principal shareholders were essentially those of the previous company, who had taken advantage of a clause in the company's articles which empowered the directors to sell their shares, to then have them re-sold to a third party, and then transferred to the original shareholders.^[6] A meeting of the shareholders was subsequently held; and the plan arranged was submitted to and adopted by the meeting. The difficulties of this arrangement were eventually overcome, and 6,000 more shares were issued.^[6]

1897 Disaster

By 1897 the Snaefell mine had become increasingly difficult to work, due to insufficient ventilation (the lowest depth of the mine

In early May 1897, dynamite had been used to extend the workings in the lowest part,^[1] and the mine had been inspected by the government inspector, along with the mine captain, on Friday 7 May, to check there was enough ventilation. Their findings were satisfactory.^[7]

Miners had finished their shift on 8 May, and the mine was closed on 9 May.

On 10 May at 6 am, 40 miners reported for the early shift,[1] 34 of these were required for the shift, and began descending into the mine using the ladders which were lashed against the side of the shaft.^[1] When they reached the lower parts of the shaft, they encountered the poisonous fumes, and immediately had breathing difficulties.^[1] They at once began to vacate the shaft. Those at the top got out without too much difficulty, but others arrived at the surface in a state of near collapse, and it soon became apparent that a large number of the miners who had made the descent were unable to return. A rescue party was quickly assembled; however they were beaten back by the noxious air.^[1]

Messengers were despatched for help; and around 40 miners from the

On Wednesday, what had by then become a recovery mission recommenced, consisting of Foxdale miners with a Snaefell miner working as pilot.^[8] At that time six men were still unaccounted for, ten having been recovered the previous day and three on Monday evening. In order to clear the shaft as much as possible before the recovery party descended, every available means of pumping air into the shaft was used. During the morning, the bodies of John Fayle, John Oliver, John James Oliver, John Kewin and Walter Christian were recovered, leaving only the body of Robert Kelly in the mine.^[8]

The air in the shaft was still proving to be restrictive to the rescue. Whilst trying to take an air sample at the 100 fathom level,

Sir, I beg to report as follows on the articles transmitted to me for examination in connection with the Snaefell disaster.

The articles which had been forwarded to the Home Office by Dr Le Neve Foster, H.M. Inspector of Mines, consisted of two dead mice and two samples of air contained in bottles. The bottles were closed by corks, which had been sealed and were found to be perfectly air-tight.

The first mouse examined was labelled as follows:- Snaefell Mine, No. 1, 13th May. Mouse lowered into the mine in a kibble as far as 130 fathom level, came tip^[clarification needed] alive, but legs paralysed; killed on reaching the surface.

The blood on dilution with water was found to have the pink tint characteristic of carbon monoxide poisoning. Judging roughly by the tint, I estimated that the hemoglobin was about 80 per cent saturated with carbon monoxide. An exact determination could not be made, as the light was failing at the time when the articles for examination were received.

The second mouse was labelled:- Snaefell Mine, No. 2, May 13th, 1897. Mouse taken down into the mine and lowered from the platform at the foot of the 4th ladder below the 115 fathom level to a platform some 25 feet below it. Mouse had suffered and was killed at once.

The blood of this mouse had also the characteristic tint of carbon monoxide poisoning. The saturation of the hemoglobin was exactly determined and found to be 78.3 per cent.

The bottles containing the samples of air were both labelled as follows:-'Sample of air from shaft of Snaefell Mine just above 130 fathom level, 12th May 1897, C. Le Neve Foster.'

The composition of the sample in the first bottle opened was found to be as follows:

Percentage.

Oxygen - 15.48% Carbon dioxide - 4.221% Carbon monoxide - 1.07% Hydrogen - 0.48% Nitrogen and Argon - 78.75%

The gas in the second (larger) bottle had the following composition

Percentage

Oxygen - 15.52% Carbon dioxide - 4.26% Carbon monoxide - 1.10% Nitrogen and Argon - 79.12%

As the second sample was evidently the same in composition as the first, the hydrogen was not determined separately. The carbon monoxide was in each case determined colorimetrically with blood solution, and the hydrogen by passing over a glowing platinum spiral. The carbon dioxide formed by contact with the platinum corresponded exactly to the carbon monoxide known to be present, so that no appreciable proportion of methane or other hydrocarbons can have been present.

The composition of the sample corresponds to a mixture produced by the combustion of wood or other similar material. Inhalation of air of this composition would produce helplessness (in a man) within about seven or eight minutes at most, and would soon cause death. A candle would not burn in such air, but would just do so on the addition of a third of its volume of fresh air. The mixture would then still be intensely poisonous, and would still be if diluted with four times its volume of fresh air. When diluted with nine times its volume of fresh air it would still be capable of rendering a man incapable of walking.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant, JOHN HALDANE.

The Under Secretary of State, Home Department.

— OXFORD, May 19th, 1897.^[9]

The reason for the continued presence of the gas in the lower parts of the mine was found during a further investigation by

Snaefell Mine consisted of a single working shaft mine, and in addition there was a wooden upcast shaft which followed the slope of Snaefell Mountain in order to assist ventilation. The current of air to this shaft, so as to clear the bottom (171 fathom) level, was arranged by closing of doors opening on to shafts from the higher levels.

When the shift had finished work on Saturday 8 May, all the doors on the higher levels should have been closed, so that the fresh air entering should have been sent through the bottom level of the mine. Initially Foster was at a loss to understand why with the aid of the closed doors the atmospheric current, which should have run into the bottom level, had not cleared the shaft so as to make descent below the 115 fathom level possible.

On making another descent on 15 May Dr Le Neve Foster examined all levels as far down as the 74 fathom level, where he found that a doorway had been left wide open. This proved to him that the entire volume of clean air entering the mine turned away at the 74 fathom level, and through that and the levels above returned by the upcast shaft and vented back into the atmosphere.

Continued efforts to retrieve the body of Robert Kelly

Foster conducted further tests with mice which proved that things^{[clarification needed]} were much in the same condition; and it then seemed probable that the door at the 130 fathom level was open, allowing the air going down the main shaft to escape through this level to the succession of intermediate shafts which formed the upcast - without going to the lower levels at all.^[9] Foster was therefore of the opinion that this door should be closed if possible in order that the body of Robert Kelly could be brought up.^[9]

Foster,

It was found on testing the air, day after day, by lowering mice and candles from the surface, that the atmosphere of the mine was improving gradually under the influence of the natural ventilation. However it was not until 7 June that it was finally deemed safe for men to descend to the 130 fathom level and the body of Robert Kelly was finally brought to the surface.[9]

Inquest

An inquest was opened at the Snaefell Mine on the afternoon of Wednesday 12 May, presided over by the Coroner, Samuel Harris. The bodies, except that of Robert Kelly, were identified by Captain Kewley following which they were released for burial.^[8]

Cause of accident

It had been ascertained that carbonic oxide^{[clarification needed]} occurred in certain rocks and minerals,^[9] however such gas had never been found as a natural constituent of the atmosphere of mines.^[9] It was evident, therefore, that the deaths of the victims of the Snaefell disaster was due to carbon monoxide (CO), produced by timber burning in the mine. The next point for consideration was how the timber became ignited; and this involved two possible explanations:

1. A lighted candle stuck up against one of the timber supports.
2. The spontaneous combustion of cotton waste impregnated with oil, which had been in use by the men who were working rock drills.

The inspection of the mine revealed that the seat of the fire was at the 130 fathom level, where men had been engaged in putting in fresh timber, and not in the 171 fathom level, or in the levels above it, where machine drills were being employed. Thus, one can reasonably dismiss explanation 2 and conclude that the cause was explanation 1.^[9]

The timber in parts of the 130 fathom level was very dry, and would easily have caught fire. It would follow therefore as to how the ignition of the timber could escape the knowledge of the men during the shift.

At the time of the accident, it was common practice for miners to have a safety helmet with a candle held in its clay socket. Once nearly burnt out, the miner would stick up the end against the side of his working place^{[clarification needed]}, whether timbered or not, take a fresh candle from his bundle, and light it from the flame of the old one.^[9] He would then blow out the flame of the candle end, with the intention of using it as a "snuff" for igniting the fuse of some future explosive.^[9] Careless miners would sometimes leave a candle end to burn away of itself, whilst in other cases the snuffing out could be imperfectly performed and the wick could go on smouldering, and eventually ignite inflammable material with which it was in contact.^[9] So it is quite easy to account for the ignition, and some facts ascertained at the inquest fully confirmed this belief.^[9] At the inquest, Captain Reddicliffe stated that he thought he could recollect no fewer than five similar occurrences in the Laxey Mine and two at other mines.^[9]

Once started upon a timber prop, the fire would have naturally spread to the adjacent supports, and would have continued to burn as long as plenty of air was available. When the combustion of the supporting frames so weakened them that they gave way under the weight of the waste material lying on them it would have caused a block at that level; the timber then burning in a sort of cul-de-sac, would not have received all the oxygen necessary for the complete combustion of the carbon; the result was that CO was generated in addition to CO₂.

List of those killed

Honours

A meeting of the general committee of the Snaefell Mine Disaster Fund, presided over by the

Following the disaster mining resumed, however the yield from the mine continued to decline. Following a substantial rock fall in the shaft in 1908 it was decided that the clearance of the debris would prove to be uneconomical and the mine was closed.[11]

Re-opening

Although none of the mine workings were re-opened, in 1955 it was thought that re-processing the spoil from the mines could extract a further yield of ore.^[12] A company, Metalliferous Holdings Ltd, had been formed employing 22 men in the undertaking working around the clock.^[12] Spoil residue was tipped into an automatic sieve and in turn fed into an 80-ton Ball mill which the company had sourced from the Gold Coast.^[12] The process saw the spoil crushed by steel balls and chemicals and then passed on to the flotation tanks where it was conditioned by more chemicals, automatically skimmed, and finally dried off into powder.^[12] Spoil was also brought to Snaefell from the former Foxdale Mines.

The venture was an initial success with the result that a Canadian mining company, Amanda Mines Ltd, proposed a merger with Metalliferous Holdings Ltd.^[13] An audit had found that approximately 400,000 tons of lead-zinc spoil was situated at the former pit heads at Laxey and Foxdale.^[13] At the end of May 1956 Amanda Mines took over Metalliferous Holdings Ltd with Metalliferous Holdings becoming a subsidiary of Amanda Mines. The operation yielded £60,000 in 1956.^[13] Production ceased in July 1958 as a consequence of a fall in the price of lead.^[14]

Gallery

See also

• Snaefell Wheel
• Laxey Wheel
• Great Laxey Mine
• Great Laxey Mine Railway

References

Sources

Bibliography