"Nunnery Colliery enjoys a unique reputation for a superabundance of water, but a very serious disaster has occurred. Twelve months ago the pumping stations at Nunnery and Soaphouse pits were supplemented by the erection of a pumping engine at Manor pit, near the Intake road. In recent weeks the weekly readings from all stations showed that the manor pump was having to cope with double the quantity. This may have been caused by excessive rains. On Saturday morning the level of water in Crookes Croft pit - now Greave's brewery - had risen to within 10 yards of the surface - 30 ft higher than ever known before. Mr Bainbridge and others, including Mr Taylor (local inspector for Midland railway) entered the arched tunnels beneath the Midland Station (built about 1866). At the time they were being built, the workmen broke into some old coal workings associated with Ponds colliery and the water ran through the cavity with great force, causing considerable damage to Manor Pit. Bainbridge feared that the remedial works implemented in 1866 may have given way. Upon inspection, they found water estimated to be about 2,500 gpm pouring down an aperture, 7ft x 2ft in size, at a different location about 40 yards further downstream from the 1866 breach. The stream was soon diverted by means of a temporary dam. Last week the water in Nunnery pit was 5 feet deep extending for 600 yards along the level. The flowing water had also eroded part of the foundations for one arch wall. The temporary dam reduced the flow to Crookes Croft shaft, and yesterday morning the water level was 3 feet lower. Nunnery has recently been pumping at 3,500 gpm, day and night, to keep up with the water flow."
On Tues Feb 27: "It is thought that the vibrations of trains passing through the station has caused progressive failure of the thin roof over very shallow workings near the outcrop of the coal." ... "In consequence of the precautions taken on Saturday and Sunday, no more water is going through the cavity under the Midland Station railway arches. The water at the Crookes Croft pit, under Messrs Greaves Brewery, shows a decrease of 4ft since Saturday, but the water has extended from 600 to 800 yards along the level of Manor pit. To overcome the quantity of water in the Nunnery Colliery all the pumping machinery will have to work night and day."
On March 3: "Threatened inundation of the Nunnery Collieries - for some time past the officials at Nunnery collieries have been troubled with an unusually large quantity of water at each of the pumping stations, i.e., at Nunnery, Manor and the old Soaphouse pumping engine. During the last three weeks a much larger volume has been seen than the in the previous wet seasons and for 6 months or so the Manor and Soap House pits the water has been greater than ever prefviously known. Manor pit has been idle since Christmas, but the pumps at the other two pits have been coping. Daily water levels have been taken at Greaves Brewery, which stands on the site of the old Crookes Croft pit, used as a pumping station by the late Mr Dunn when he was a proprietor of the Sheffield Collieries. On Saturday morning it was reported to Mr Emerson Bainbridge, managing director or the Nunnery Collieries, that the water in the Crookes Croft pit had increased. In previous years this had not risen higher than 15 yards from the surface, but in the last few days it reached 10 ft from the shaft top. Mr Bainbridge made arrangements to inspect the arches under the Midland railway station, which is built over the river Sheaf. Whilst it was being erected in 1866 The men engaged in constructing the arches found that the water, which had been a problem, suddenly disappeared - into an old heading in the Silkstone seam. Although it did not run into the workings for more than a few hours, the railway company had to pay a large amount of damages to the lessee of the collieries. The leak was plugged with a cement wall. This worked until recently, when during the new inspection the sound of falling water was heard, indicating that the river bed had given away - with the river flowing down an 8ft deep cavity. Steps were taken to divert the flow of water. By Monday the water standing in the manor Pit level had increased to 800 yards. The cavity beneath the station is close to one of 3 archways upon which a portion of the station stands. It is supposed that excavations for the foundation of one of the arches reached the outcrop of the coal and the vibrations from passing trains has caused the collapse of the roof of some workings."