Happened at a new colliery to two of the officials, the manager and his assistant, and it is difficult to conceive a more glaring case of thoughtlessness and indiscretion. On descending they went straight into a mine, the ventilation of which had been entirely cut off by the assistant's own direction, and in consequence of their having with them open lights a quantity of gas was ignited, by which they were severely burned, and both died from the effects thereof.

Newspaper report - Old Monkland accidents

A fatal explosion of fire-damp at Uddingston Colliery led to the loss of two lives, one of whom was suffocated by choke-damp while endeavouring to rescue the other. A miner had holed on a disused place which had contained a small quantity of gas, it ignited at his naked light and he was killed by the explosion. The men who were working 20 yards from him saw no flame nor were their lights blown out. They felt the wind which it raised and made for the shaft. It was found that the deceased was missing, and some of the workmen volunteered to search for him and made two unsuccessful attempts. At the third attempt the volunteer deceased was there, and before they had reached as far as on the previous attempts he fell overcome with the after damp. A party then went by another road following the air current, and about half an hour afterwards both bodies were found. I thought at the time that the overman might have known the situation of the waste which the miner holed upon, and especially that he might have seen that the after damp was being carried by the current into the place where the volunteer fell.

[NB Actually 19 September 1876]

Newspaper report- Bothwell pages

The accident was the bursting of a steam boiler. Unfortunately seven girls were sheltering themselves at the fire doors at the time, and they were injured with the flying bricks. The engineman and 4 of the girls were killed, and five other persons injured. Had the girls been at work more of them would have escaped. The boiler was one of a range of three which supplied steam to a pumping engine, and also a winding engine; it was of the ordinary egg-shape, 25 feet long, 6 feet diameter, and had been working at a pressure of 30lbs on the square inch for upwards of 23 years. It was furnished with all the fittings required by the statute and there was nothing to indicate weakness or that it had too little water in it. In addition to the examination made by myself, the Procurator Fiscal had two engineers, and these gentlemen made a careful examination and drew up an exhaustive report, but the Lord Advocate did not see fit to take proceedings against any one, and I do not see how he could. I am inclined to think that colliery steam boilers of this type should not be used for more than 10 or 15 years; they are often fed with impure water, perhaps often short of water, and may get harder usage than the manager or owner can be aware of. The owner removed the other two boilers. He has since insured his boilers with one of the insurance companies. These companies require a certain uniformity of practice in fittings and strengths, and undertake, for so much per annum, to send practical boiler makers to examine the boilers and give directions as to repairs. I think they do much good.

Newspaper reports - Fordell 1876

Newspaper report - Old Monkland pages

[NB Name actually John Fannan]