Story
Fred was originally from Epworth in Lincolnshire, and was the son of Joseph Atkinson (1840-1911) and Elizabeth Robinson (1842-1929) who married in 1861. Fred was the first of their eight children, and was born 1st April 1862. After Fred was born, the family moved to Kirstall, then Wortley where Joseph worked as a forge labourer in the Cliff’s brick-making business, before he followed his employer over to Micklefield, where the Cliffs had built the Colliery, using the bricks forged by Joseph. Joseph started working as a pit labourer as soon as the Colliery opened in 1876, and Fred would have quickly joined his father at the colliery, as he was 12 years-old when they moved to Micklefield. By 1881, Fred was working as a Banksman. Joseph’s family moved to 12 Bland’s Cottages, but Fred moved out after he married William Varley’s daughter Jane Harrison on 18th June 1885 in Sherburn. William and Jane had three daughters (Ethel, Maud and Bertha). After Bertha was born on 19th March 1888, the family left England, and joined Fred’s brother Robert John Atkinson, who had moved to Scranton in Pennsylvania, USA in 1885. Another of Fred’s younger siblings, Joseph Atkinson also moved to America in April 1889, and in the article below had a farewell party at his sister Clara’s house, along with her husband, John Sutton, who would be killed in the pit disaster that Frederick barely survived:
Fred and Jane had three sons while based in America, before all Atkinson siblings came back to England in 1895. Fred and Jane returned to Micklefield, where Fred resumed work at the Colliery.
On the day of the disaster, Fred was working as a Mechanic and Fitter, and his main job was to operate a pump at the bottom of the main shaft on the Beeston Bed, 175 yards below the surface. If Fred had been working there at the time of the explosion, he would have been killed instantly. Fortunately, he had ventured down to the No.4 Dip, which was the Black Bed: another coal seam which was 240 yards below the surface. Fred wanted to examine the pumps in the Black Bed. At the time of the explosion, Fred was standing on a platform supervising the work of three miners when he heard a terrific clap and he was thrown from the platform into a mass of dislodged coal. Fred was knocked unconscious. When he came round, he began to crawl towards the upcast shaft. He was both half-gassed and dazed, possibly concussed. He described seeing a heap of dead bodies, who were the other miners in the Black Bed who had in fact been knocked unconscious by the effects of the afterdamp gas, but were still alive. Fred found that his progress towards the upcast shaft was being hindered by coal which had fallen from roofs, and the fact that all the lights had been blown out. As the men in the Black Bed regained consciousness, Fred could remember finding other men who were trying to feel their way out, and then seeing the lights of ‘the rescue party’, who were suffering from afterdamp. In fact, these were the men of the Black Bed, who had managed to create a little light, and were carrying Fred up the stone drift, since the lifts were no longer working, and were taking him towards the Main Shaft. Eventually, suffering from afterdamp poisoning and exhaustion, the Black Bed miners, led by the deputy, Robert Henry Nevins had to leave Fred behind to save themselves, as they could no longer carry him.
Whilst gathered at the bottom of the shaft awaiting rescue, the Black Bed miners were violently sick, and were the first to be recovered to the top, once the lift had been sufficiently repaired. When Nevins was recovered to the surface, he could barely talk, but managed to communicate to the rescue parties where they had left Fred Atkinson in the hope he could still be saved.
Fred’s father Joseph had been ill at home, so had not been to the Colliery for a fortnight, but when he heard the explosion, Joseph ran the half mile to the pit. Knowing that Fred worked at the bottom of the main shaft, Joseph would have feared the worse, and after the youngest survivor, Fred Nutton had been brought out alive, Joseph heard a report that his son had died. Joseph, who was stood with Fred’s wife Jane, could just say: My poor lad, dead!”, and Jane reportedly just bowed her head.
Although Fred had been left behind because he could no longer walk, he had not given up, and he had managed to crawl his way a little further. He was found by the first rescue party and brought out alive. Fred was taken to a cabin, and began to recover after drinking some brandy. He was told: “Cum’on, get dahn lad. Yer missus is in a bad way.” Fred wanted to walk over to her, but he had to be partly helped over. His wife Jane spotted him, and immediately ran forward to him. Reporters said she took him by the hand, and they walked home together. Jane’s father, William Varey was killed in the disaster.
Fred’s father Joseph stated to a reporter that “the colliery has always been considered safe; in fact, one of the safest in Yorkshire. No mine could be better ventilated. I have worked there for 23 years, and this is the first explosion that has occurred. For a week or so I have been “playing,” owing to illness. I was in bed this morning – it would be about 20 minutes past seven – when I heard a loud report of an explosion. The noise was distinct at my house which is about half a mile from the colliery. I at once got out of bed, opened the window, and looked out. I then saw volumes of black smoke and dust coming out of the pit mouth. The report and the smoke told me that something serious was up. I dressed at once, and went as fast as I could in the direction of the pit. Hundreds of people were running in the same way, and there was a big crowd at the pit mouth – all anxious about the safety of relatives and friends and acquaintances. The shaft was cut to pieces, and it was seen that the work of rescue would have to be by what is known as No.2 shaft. My eldest lad was reported dead, but, thank God, he came out alive.” Joseph decided not to return to mining. He became Caretaker at the Micklefield Institute, until passing away in 1911. Fred also chose not to return to mining. His family left Micklefield and moved to 107 Poppleton Road, York, where Fred worked as an Electric Light Engineer. Jane passed away in 1926, and Fred in 1932.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 