On the morning of Wednesday 18th November 1896, a drama unfolded midway down Stonefield Road. In this era, there were few houses, the area dominated by the Dixons Colliery Pit No 4 but it was at those few houses, where events took place.
At two blocks of houses, just east of Larkfield, three families were dangerously affected by an escape of gas. A map of the area at the time is attached, and I’ve highlighted the homes with a red dot.
The occupants of the tenements known as Bowie’s Land and Pilot Acre (at the turn into the Bowling Club) had on the previous evening detected a smell of gas and had proceeded to advise the nearby Gas Works further along Stonefield Road. Concerned and acting with some diligence, the gas works staff inspected the area but found to evidence of an escape and so the residents all went to bed that evening, thinking whatever had happened had now past.
During the night however, at Pilot Acre, the wife of Shoemaker, Robert Smith became ill and thankfully still awake, she began to wake the others in the household. To her shock, she found they were all suffering from gas poisoning, the father being only semi conscious. A daughter fainted twice and with two children barely conscious. All went outside to the fresh Winter evening air and following medical assistance, they all were revived.
Next door at Bowie’s Land adjoining Pilot Acre, a labourer named Hugh Johnston, his wife and their daughter aged 14 were all affected, but not to the same extent. A Mrs Goodfellow and her two children also suffered from the polluted atmosphere in which they were sleeping.
The Gas Company later upon investigation found a leak in the pipes within the footpath in front of the houses and that the old supply pipes had been broken during road repair work by a steam roller. All parties in this story recovered.
Today, gas pipes are laid much deeper, and of course to much higher safety standards with quality proven materials. Coincidentally, my younger brother now lives at Pilot Acre, his profession…..though nothing to do with this story….gas engineer!