A Full Account of the Dreadful Explosion of Wallsend Colliery by which 101 Human Beings Perished!

An account of a devastating mining disaster, celebrating the 175th anniversary of The London Library
Although (shallow) coal mining dates back as far as the 13th century, it was the development of the steam engine which began a huge increase in the amount of coal raised from the ground. Mining was difficult and there was constant danger from collapse, flooding and the presence of explosive gas. 

This account of the devastating explosion on the afternoon of 18th June 1835 makes powerf…