fire·damp

(fīr′dămp′)

1. A combustible gas, chiefly methane, often occurring in mines in association with bituminous coal.

2. The explosive mixture of firedamp and air.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

firedamp

(ˈfaɪəˌdæmp)

(Mining & Quarrying) a mixture of hydrocarbons, chiefly methane, formed in coal mines. It forms explosive mixtures with air. See also afterdamp

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fire•damp

(ˈfaɪ^ərˌdæmp)

n.

a combustible gas dangerously explosive when mixed with atmospheric air.

[1670–80]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

firedamp - a mixture of gases (mostly methane) that form in coal mines and become explosive when mixed with air

gas - a fluid in the gaseous state having neither independent shape nor volume and being able to expand indefinitely

Translations

sújtólég

grisou

firedamp

[ˈfaɪədæmp] N → grisú m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

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References in classic literature

I ha' fell into a pit that ha' been wi' th' Firedamp crueller than battle.

View in context

An accident report published after a public inquiry held in the autumn of 1960 concluded that the disaster was caused by an ignition of firedamp [a flammable gas found in coal mines] at around 10.45am in the western district of the old coal seam.

New school opens 'under the gaze of the Guardian'

It was at 10.45am that day, June 28, 1960, that a spark lit the gasses, known as firedamp, taking the lives of 45 men.

'After the explosion, I carried out the bodies of men I had been drinking with a week earlier'; One of the worst mining disasters in Wales' history happened 59 years ago at the Arael Griffin Colliery in Six Bells

It was at 10.45am that day, June 28, 1960, that a spark lit the gases, known as firedamp, taking the lives of 45 men.

'HORROR WILL STAY FOREVER' The horror of a blast which ripped through a mine killing 45 men is still felt 59 years later. LEWIS SMITH speaks to two men who were there

The Durham Mining Museum website notes the disaster was the result of "explosion, firedamp propagated by coal dust, cause of ignition uncertain".

A tragedy that claimed 168 lives; NOSTALGIA DAVE MORTON recalls the people and places of the North East CHECK US OUT ONLINE AT WWW.CHRONICLELIVE.CO.UK/NEWS/HISTORY EMAIL: david.morton.editorial@ncjmedia.co.uk TELEPHONE: 0191 2016437 WRITE TO: Dave Morton, ncjMedia, Eldon Court, Percy Street, Newcastle, NE1 7JB. @DaveSMorton Newcastle Chronicle - History Photosales - 0191 201 6000

At the time mentioned there was a loud report, and a tremor which was felt for miles around." It was later found the explosion had been caused by firedamp - gases found in coal mines - ignited by a naked light near the face of the main west heading.

As the war raged overseas, a disaster at home; 100 years ago today a North East community was shattered by a blast at Woodhorn Colliery which took the lives of 13 miners. DAVE MORTON and MIKE KELLY report

Stanton, Dodd and the rest of the men were unable to advance further because of "firedamp" - a deadly, odourless cocktail of chemicals, including methane, that collects in the coal seams and can trigger a blast.

Scapegoat for disaster; One the worst pit explosions the Midlands ever saw killed 14 miners deep underground - but it also left a terrible cloud over the reputation of the man in charge that day, one his family is still trying to rectify. Mike Lockley reveals the fight for justice

As subsided, you could the miners' fear, their hunger, and smell the deadly firedamp gas as was running out to bring them to safety.

bookclub; Rescue Ian And the winner is.

Stephenson had been experimenting for several years with candles close to firedamp emissions in the Killingworth mine.

George Stephenson 200th anniversary of his safety lamp to be celebrated; The Literary and Philosophical Society in Newcastle stages events to mark first demonstration on December 5, 1815

He was all too well aware of the poor working conditions that the miners had to deal with, and the casualties that took place due to firedamp explosions.

This year marks two centuries since George Stephenson invented the Geordie lamp, writes IMechE assistant archivist Sarah Broadhurst

The Dennis shaft produced softer industrial coal but was prone to firedamp.

80 years on, we remember the pit blast victims; GRESFORD COLLIERY DISASTER ANNIVERSARY