Story
Born in Birstall on 17th October 1842, Samuel was the oldest of two sons born to Emmanuel Clough (1813-1870), a blacksmith, and Susan Brook (1815-1865), who married in Tong, near Bradford on 17th August 1836. By 1861, Samuel had followed in his father’s footsteps and was working as a Blacksmith, whilst his younger brother William was a coal miner. The early death of both his parents saw Samuel move away, and he changed career to train as a coal pit engineer. He married Cecilia Fawcett Robinson (1844-1919) in Helme, Meltham on 29th October 1872, and moved to Micklefield to work as the chief engineer at Peckfield colliery. Samuel and Cecilia had no children of their own, but were successful enough to always keep a local girl employed at their home as a servant.
Samuel was present at the first fatality at Peckfield Colliery. William Martin, a colliery carpenter, aged 38, was killed on Tuesday 27 November 1877, a year after the pit opened. William was part of a team of nine men supervised by Samuel who were installing a new boiler. The boiler was lowered into the pit by a rope, operated by steam, and Martin was one of three men at the pit top ensuring that the rope ran smoothly. At 2:20 pm, the shackle of rope caught the end of a batten. Martin climbed a fence and called to Samuel to stop the rope. Martin tried to raise it, to free it, when the fence gave way. Martin caught hold of the balk and swung for a couple of seconds before falling 175 yards down the 14 foot wide shaft. Samuel found his body in water at the pit bottom.
As soon as the explosion occurred on 30th April 1896, the senior colliery banksman on surface duties, John Riches, ran from the pit top to inform the pit manager Charles Houfton, and Samuel Clough. When Garforth Colliery Manager, Robert Routledge arrived at the pit to join the rescue attempts, he noted:
“I found Mr C Houfton and Clough the engineer on the top of the no.2 or upcast shaft. The covering of this had been very much damaged; also the steam pipes which brought the steam from the boilers to the fan engine, consequent the fan was standing. Joseph Lillyman the night deputy and two men descended the upcast or No.2 and found they could not get within 18 feet of the bottom as the wrought iron pipes which carried the compressed air down had been partly blown across the pit. Mr C Houfton and Clough the engineer went down and with a little manoeuvring they got the cage past this obstruction and got down to the Beeston Seam.“
With both lift-shafts completely destroyed and inoperable at 7:20am, it is testament to Samuel’s courage, expertise and determination that before mid-day, he had cleared No.2 shaft to enable the night deputies to attempt a first unsuccessful rescue attempt, then a second, and the first survivors were back on the surface.
Samuel continued to live in Micklefield and work at Peckfield Colliery until his retirement around 1912, after which, Samuel and Cecilia moved to Menston. Samuel passed away in May 1919 at the age of 76. His wife passed away the same month.
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30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 