Search billions of records on Ancestry.com
   

 

 

 

1898 Accidents - January to June

Notes - The information in this page is mainly compiled from appendices to the reports of the Inspector of Mines and Collieries. Unless stated otherwise, the extra details are from the main body of the report. Many accidents are not listed in these reports and additional names have been added from newspaper reports and other sources - these are indicated by a shaded gray background.

Go to July to December

Information from Appendix to Inspectors Report - 1897 Accidents reported in 1898
 Extra details
Year Month Day Name of Colliery Where situated Owner or Company First Name Surname Occupation Age Category Cause of accident and remarks
1897 May 7 Barrwood No 1 Pit Stirling Wm Baird & Co Ltd Alexr. Drain Brusher 30 Falls of roof Fall of roof at brushing face. Injured on 7th May, 1897, and died on 15th March, 1898.  
1897 October 1 Herbertshire No 3 Stirling R Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd Henry Logie Drawer 27 Falls of roof Fall of roof on drawing road. Injured on 1st October, 1897, and died on 6th March, 1898.  
1897 November 16 Grangemouth Stirling Grangemouth Coal Co Ltd Alex. Marshall Miner 23 Falls of roof Deceased was taking off coal, when the roof fell upon him.  

Information from Appendix to Inspectors Report
 Extra details
Year Month Day Name of Colliery Where situated Owner or Company First Name Surname Occupation Age Category Cause of accident and remarks
1898 January 12 Bardykes Lanark Merry & Cunninghame Ltd Mary Rafferty Stone picker 17 On surface – By machinery While crawling up a shoot from the shaker scree to release a piece of coal her shawl and hair were caught by a revolving shaft. The deceased had crawled up a coal shoot where she had no occasion to go, when her clothes got caught by a revolving shaft.
1898 January 12 Kinneil Linlithgow Kinneil Coal & Coke Co Ltd Joseph Gallacher Waggon trimmer 30 On Surface – On railways and tramways While pushing an empty waggon forward to the screen another moved forward, and deceased was crushed between them. The latter waggon was not trigged.  
1898 January 19 Muiredge Fife Bowman & Co Walter Thomson Drawer 17 Falls of roof Deceased and another were filling a tub at a roadhead. when the roof burst out. Deceased tried to escape past the tub, but was caught and completely buried. The other lad escaped along the face.  
1898 January 19 Westburn No 1 Lanark Westburn Colliery Co John McVey Miner 28 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face where a coal cutting machine worked.  
1898 January 20 Carfin No 7 Pit Lanark Wm Dixon Ltd Robert Thomson Miner 38 Falls of side While drawing props below the head coal, the coal fell upon him.  
1898 January 22 Oakbank (Oil shale) Edinburgh Oakbank Oil Co Ltd Peter Turnbull Drawer 19 Haulage – By ropes and chains breaking While guiding a rake of hutches into a side road off a dook the gabbie broke, and the hutches ran forward and crushed deceased.  
1898 January 24 Broadrigg Lanark John Nimmo & Son Ltd Richard Kinnyson Drawer 15 Haulage – By trams and tubs While deceased was taking out a snibble from his loaded tub at the foot of a road dipping outbye, a runaway tub came down upon him and he was crushed. The drawer in charge of the runaway tub missed his snibble. Newspaper report
1898 January 24 Niddrie Edinburgh Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd David Conachie Miner 40 Falls of roof Deceased was holing coal, when the roof suddenly burst out, killing him almost instantaneously.  
1898 January 25 Broxburn (Oil shale) Linlithgow Broxburn Oil Co Ltd David Ferguson Chain runner 44 Haulage – On inclined and engine planes While ascending an In-going-eye mine on a loaded rake of tubs, deceased's body came in contact with some "crowns" on the roof.  
1898 January 25 Whitehill Edinburgh Lothian Coal Co Ltd John Leadbetter Miner 36 Falls of roof Deceased worked in a stooping place, and while engaged holing, he heard the roof "working" to fall, and before he got clear, he was buried beneath the fallen roof.  
1898 January 26 Tannochside No 3 Pit Lanark Calderbank Steel & Coal Co Ltd Edw. Hotchkis Miner 50 Miscellaneous underground – By explosives While inserting compressed gunpowder into a shothole it ignited. Another man was also injured. Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1898 January 28 Drumpeller Nos 3 and 4 Pits Lanark Summerlee & Mossend Iron & Steel Co Ltd Thomas Ward Brusher 30 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust Explosion of coal dust. A shot of gunpowder, instead of a permitted explosive, was fired in a place which was very dry and dusty, and which had not been watered properly. A special report upon this explosion has already been published.

The first fatal explosion occurred in Nos. 3 and 4 pits, Drumpeller, Lanarkshire, and by it a fireman and two brushers lost their lives, while another fireman also lost his life while attempting to enter the workings after the explosion. A special report upon this explosion has already been presented to you and published, and as copies thereof were sent to all the managers in the district, it is unnecessary to enter into the details now. It was conclusively proved that the explosion was one of coal-dust alone, that it was caused by a shot of gunpowder illegally fired in a place which was very dry and dusty, that, although the deceased brushers had been told to water the dust by the manager, the dust was not sufficiently damped, and that the manager failed to see that proper appliances for watering were provided.

See main page
Wm. Chalmers Brusher 40
Robt. Drummond Fireman 36
John Gordon Fireman 48
1898 January 31 Rosebank Fife John Nimmo & Son Ltd Adam Donaldson Oversman 49 In shafts – Miscellaneous Deceased was assisting to redd out an old shaft which had been abandoned 25 years previously. While lifting a stone into the kettle, the point of his finger was lacerated. Blood poisoning resulted, causing his death three weeks afterwards. An oversman assisting in clearing debris out of an old shaft lacerated his hand, and blood poisoning ensued and caused his death. The old shaft was near some houses and appears to have been a receptacle for dead dogs and cats and other rubbish.
1898 February 4 Loudon Ayr Wm Baird & Co Ltd Archd. Gibson Brusher 25 Falls of roof Fall of roof at coal face while knocking out a prop preparatory to brushing.  
1898 February 4 Souterhouse No 1 Pit Lanark Souterhouse Collieries Co James Gillon Roadsman 58 Falls of roof Fall of roof on road while repairing it  
1898 February 5 Ingliston (Oil shale) Edinburgh Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd William Gardner Miner 33 Miscellaneous underground – By explosives While taking gunpowder out of a can with which to charge a shot, a spark fell from deceased's lamp, which was on his cap into the can, igniting the contents and causing an explosion.  
1898 February 5 Neilston Stirling James Wood Ltd Robt. Gourlay Engineman 47 On Surface – Miscellaneous He fell off a scaffold, apparently while tightening up a steam joint.  
1898 February 9 Longrigg Lanark James Nimmo & Co Ltd Alexander Baillie Fireman 20 On Surface – On railways and tramways Deceased attempted to stop some waggons which were moving too fast, by inserting a prop into the spokes of one of the wheels, and the prop not getting sufficiently far into the wheel came round, and striking him, threw him under the moving train. There were plenty pointed sprags at hand. Newspaper report
1898 February 12 Tannochside No 1 Pit Lanark Calderbank Steel & Coal Co Ltd John Grant Miner 45 Falls of roof Fall of roof on horse road while enlarging it. Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1898 February 14 Dunmore Stirling Moyes, Murray & Co James White Miner 39 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face.  
1898 February 14 Gilmilnscroft No 3 Pit Ayr Gauchalland Coal Co George Connell Miner 45 Falls of roof While "redding" through an old road to reach a stoop the roof fell upon him.  
1898 February 15 Donibristle Fife Donibristle Colliery Co George Mitchell Drawer 19 Falls of roof Deceased was filling at a road head, where 2 ft. 9 in. of head coal was being worked backwards. The coal was believed to be hard, and a shot-hole had been drilled to blast it down ; but about 35 cwts. suddenly fell, striking deceased on the head and causing injuries to which he succumbed a week later.  
1898 February 24 Montgomeriefield Ayrshire A. Kenneth & Sons Jas. Robertson Drawer 17 In shafts – ropes and chains breaking While descending the shaft in the cage, the rope slipped over the flange of the drum. The cage dropped, and when the rope "stented," the connection with the cage broke and the cage fell to the bottom of the shaft. The first fatal shaft accident happened at Montgomeriefield Colliery, Ayrshire, and resulted in the death of four boys who were descending the shaft to commence their day's work. The shaft is 80 fathoms deep, and the winding engines are coupled, horizontal, and with two drums 10 feet in diameter. The steel ropes were l 1/8 inches in diameter, and the flanges of the drums projected 4 inches beyond the wood cleading. The rope for the "rise" cage was taken off from below the drum, and when the "rise" cage was at the pithead the rope was coiled round the drum to within an inch of the flange. The cages were doubled decked.
It seems that the engineman brought up in the "rise" cage three men who got off at the low scaffold or ground level, and he thereupon raised the cage to the pithead to let four men who were descending in the "dip" cage get off at the pit bottom. When the engineman began to lower the "rise" cage to the low scaffold he failed to draw the "shuts" or "keps" sufficiently far, and the cage rested upon them. He then raised the cage off the "shuts" and lowered it to the low scaffold, where the four boys stepped upon the top deck. According to the statement of the engineman, the drum had only made one revolution when the accident happened, and he stopped the engine at once. In some unexplained way the rope got over the flange of the drum and ran out four coils which, on tightening, got jammed round the drum shaft. The consequence was that the cage dropped a distance of some 120 feet, and the jerk, when the rope tightened, drew the rivets out of the hose, and the cage thus released fell to the bottom without coming out of the slides. The cross beam of the pithead frame was also broken by the jerk. I was unable to ascertain with certainty the cause of such an unusual accident, but it seems to me that the slack rope, paid out when the engineman failed to draw the "shuts" for the descending cage, had to do with the coils getting over the flange. Montgomeryfield page
Wm. Wallace Drawer 12
George Millar Drawer 17
Alexr. Wallace Drawer 14
1898 February 25 Ross Lanark Thomas Barr William Henderson Miner 13 Falls of roof Killed by a fall of roof stone, liberated by a "lype" and smooth parting, in a place driven along a stoop side in the Main Coal Seam.  
1898 March 3 Wester Gartshore Dumbarton J & A F Wallace David Harper Miner 60 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face.  
1898 March 5 Cornsilloch Lanark Archibald Russell Colin Kerr Miner 27 Falls of roof Deceased was breaking away a place on the rise side of a horse-road. While wedging down a corner, left by the first breaking of coal, a large triangular stone suddenly fell upon him, killing him instantly.  
1898  March 6 Herbertshire No 3 Stirling R Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd Henry Logie Drawer 27 See entry under 1 Oct 1897 in section at top of page
1898 March 9 Earnock Lanark John Watson Ltd Lyle McKerrel Horse driver 23 On Surface – On railways and tramways After uncoupling two moving waggons, deceased appears to have been caught while stepping in between them, and the wheel of the last waggon passed over his leg.  
1898 March 11 Auldhouseburn, Bankhead Pit Ayr Cairntable Gas Coal Co Ltd James Shaw Drawer 20 Miscellaneous underground – irruptions of water A miner holed through on old workings containing water, owing to the failure to keep boreholes in advance in terms of General Rule 13. An irruption of water from old workings took place in Bankhead Pit, Auldhouseburn Colliery and by it three men lost their lives. The Three Feet Seam was being worked, but it is termed the "Seven Feet Seam" in other mines in the locality, as it really consists of the Three and Four Feet Seams in one, with only a few inches of clay separating them. Referring to the accompanying Plan No. 2, Bankhead Pit is the winding and pumping shaft, and the water all gravitates to it. In order to get from the workings to the escape shaft (not shewn on the plan) it was necessary for the workmen to come out to the winding shaft. At the pit bottom there was practically no lodgment for storing water.
The adjoining colliery of Crossflat was abandoned in 1882, and the Cairntable Gas Coal Company, Ltd., the owners of Auldhouseburn Colliery, recently acquired this mineral property. On 2nd June, 1897, they wrote to the Secretary of State asking if they could be provided with a copy of the plan of Crossflat workings lodged in the Home Office, and received a reply in the affirmative, but they meanwhile obtained a copy of the workings from the engineer who usually surveyed Crossflat Colliery. On this plan, however, were printed the following significant words : "Not guaranteed as having been surveyed when the pit was stopped." In spite of this they did not take any steps to secure a copy of the Home Office plan, on which were shewn workings not shewn on the plan in their possession. Plan No. 2 shows the relative position of the workings of the two collieries at the time of the accident, according to the plans in the owner's possession, with the addition of the shaded portion of Crossflat workings, which is taken from the Home Office plan. The enlarged Plan No. 3 shows the actual relative position of the workings at the point where the water broke in.
Some time previous to the accident a bore was put through on Crossflat workings at the point C, and the waste water was drained off to that level. The working places 3, 4, 5 and 6 were all within forty yards of the old workings, but only in the place 5 were any bore-holes kept in advance, or to the sides, in terms of General Rule 13, while this place was driven 12 feet wide instead of being restricted to not more than 8 feet wide. The place 6 was no less than 18 feet wide, and was driven to within 25 feet of the waste water without any bore-holes whatever. The level A on Plan No. 3 (place 5 on Plan No. 2) had flank bore-holes, as shewn by letters B, but no holes in advance had been bored for some time previous to the outburst.
On the morning of the accident, the miner working in the place A had holed in the clay in the middle of the seam to within 21 inches of the waste water without having suspected any danger, when he observed water beginning to come through, and shortly after the water burst through the clay, making a hole which ultimately measured 3 feet 7 inches by 15 inches. The alarm was raised, and the workmen rushed towards the pit bottom. Out of 45 persons in the pit all managed to get up the shaft except 19, whose retreat was cut off by the water rising rapidly in the shaft to a height of 12 feet. The imprisoned men, with the exception of those who were drowned, retired to the rise workings, and it was the next day ere the water was lowered sufficiently far to permit them to ascend the shaft. The bodies of the deceased were found close to the pit bottom, and they seem to have been drowned in their effort to get up the shaft.
The manager, by direction of the Crown authorities, was charged with culpable homicide, but was acquitted by the jury. Newspaper report - Auldhouseburn page
John Hazel Miner 33
Wm. Gemmell Miner 47
1898 March 15 Barrwood No 1 Pit Stirling Wm Baird & Co Ltd Alexr. Drain See entry under 7 May 1897 in section at top of page
1898 March 18 Cowdenbeath Fife Fife Coal Co Ltd George Durham Labourer 65 On Surface – On railways and tramways Deceased was shifting a truck at a coal washing machine, and in running after it to reach the brake, crossed on to the adjoining engine road, immediately in front of a locomotive, which knocked him down and passed over his legs. He had previously been warned of the approach of the locomotive, but appeared to have forgotten it.  
1898 March 25 Glenvault Mine (Fire clay mine) Dumbarton George Turnbull & Co Adam Taylor overman 44 Miscellaneous underground – By explosives A spark off his naked light ignited 14 lbs. of gunpowder illegally stored in the mine.  
1898 March 31 Kinneil Linlithgow Kinneil Coal & Coke Co Ltd Charles Sneddon Miner 43 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust This accident occurred in a dry and dusty section, giving off gas. Protector Marsaut lamps were used, and blasting with permitted explosives was practised. Only four persons were employed in the section, and the fireman was the only person authorized to fire shots. Sneddon, it was alleged by the Hamiltons, fired a shot at the face, in contravention of General Rule 12 (f). A violent explosion resulted, causing the immediate death of Sneddon and injuries to the Hamiltons, to which Hamilton, Jun., succumbed on the same evening, and Hamilton, Sen., eleven days afterwards. The only fatal fire-damp explosion occurred at Kinneil Colliery, Linlithgowshire, on the 31st March, and caused the loss of three lives and injury to one person. The explosion was primarily caused by a gross violation of the General and Special Rules on the part of two of the persons who lost their lives.
The explosion took place in a section of the Six Feet coal, where only the persons killed and injured by the explosion were employed. The mode of working is longwall. The seam yields fire-damp in considerable quantity, and the workings are dry and dusty. The main roadway leading from the section was dry, but not sufficiently dusty to carry forward the explosion. The miners used locked safety lamps of the Marsaut type. Shots were supposed to be fired only by the firemen, who had been appointed shot-firers. Some fire-damp having been found on several occasions lying near the face of the brushing in a road not in use, shot-firing had been stopped in the section by the Manager's order. Notwithstanding this prohibition, two of the miners prepared and fired a shot in the coal. The evidence pointed to the gas having been ignited by the flame of a lucifer match used in lighting the fuse of the shot, rather than to flame accompanying the explosion of the shot. The explosive used in the pit was Nobel's gelignite, a permitted explosive, and some of this was found in the section after the explosion. Lucifer matches were found in the pockets of the deceased men.
The explosion was principally due to fire-damp, but was assisted to some extent by coal dust, which was observed in a coked state on timber in the section after explosion.
Judging from what was observed after the; explosion, and from the fact that fire-damp was reported on several occasions before the explosion, the ventilation appears to have been inadequate.
The discipline was very slack ; I consider the firing of a shot by a miner in a section where shot-firing was prohibited, and where if any shot was to be fired it should only have been fired by the properly appointed competent person, one of the most dangerous breaches of discipline possible. That the discipline in the mine was bad has been proved by miners continuing to take lucifer matches and pipes into the pit after the explosion ; no fewer than 24 miners from Kinneil Colliery have been fined since the explosion for these offences.
At the time of the explosion, the shots were fired by the authorized shot-firers in the Six Feet seam by fuze and safety lighters. This method was, in the Manager's view, in accordance with section 2 (6) of the Explosives in Coal Mines Order, as he was of opinion that it was “equally secure against the ignition of inflammable gas or coal dust" as electrical firing.
Two kinds of safety lighters were in use.
(1) Bickford's patent safety lighter, which consists of a tube of sheet tin closed at one end and containing a source of heat, which is set free on compressing the closed end with a pair of pinchers. The open end of the tube is placed on the fuze and securely fixed by a nip from the pinchers.
('2) Norres' patent safety fuze lighters, a German invention, which consists of a tube of brown paper, in which a cap containing inflammable material is fixed, and through the closed end of which a wire passes to the outside of the tube. The tube was placed on the end of the fuze and held there by one hand while the wire was pulled by the other, and by friction ignited the inflammable material in the cap, which in turn ignited the fuze.
Along with both safety igniters white tape asbestos lined fuze was used.
It is questionable whether these methods are as safe as electrical firing, and the owners of the colliery have substituted electrical firing. Newspaper report - Furnaceyard page
Alexander Hamilton, sen. Miner 46
Alexander Hamilton, jun. Miner 18
1898 April 1 Portland No 7 Pit Ayr Wm Baird & Co Ltd Wm. McDonald Miner 22 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face.  
1898 April 2 Kenmuirhill No 4 Lanark Dunn Brothers John Mallon Bottomer 20 In shafts – falling from part way down Thinking the cage was at the mid-working he opened the gate, pushed a hutch into the open shaft and fell after it. The indicator in the engine-house was not in order. The second shaft accident which resulted fatally took place at Kenmuirhill Colliery, through the bottomer at a mid-working opening the gate guarding the shaft when the cage was not there, and pushing an empty hutch into the open shaft and falling after it. It transpired that the indicator, required by the Special Rules to be placed in the engine house and connected with the gate at the mid-working, had not been in operation for weeks previous to the accident. Apparently the bottomer unwittingly contravened the Special Rules by opening the gate when the cage was not at the mid-working, but by the neglect of the officials the engineman was not able to comply with the regulations, which required him to signal to the bottomer should the gate be opened when the cage is not at the mid-working.
1898 April 11 Fergushill No 22 Ayr Archd. Finnie & Son James Richmond Miner 49 Falls of side Fall of "falling" at the working face, owing to the want of sprags.  
1898 April 12 Clydesdale Lanark United Collieries Ltd James Gardner Bottomer 20 In shafts – falling from part way down Deceased, who was bottomer at a mid-working, raised the gate which fenced the shaft in order to signal to the engine-man to stop an ascending cage and place it at the landing. The cage was stopped a short distance above the landing, and immediately set back to it; but in the interval deceased had pushed a tub into the shaft and fallen with it. Had he signalled for the cage with his signal bell, and only raised the gate after the cage had been placed at the landing, the accident would have been prevented. Newspaper report
1898 April 13 Mossband Lanark Linridge Coal Co Archibald McLean Brusher 30 Falls of roof Deceased was widening and brushing a horse-road through a longwall waste. In pulling down some stowage, he relieved a stone which fell upon his back, causing injuries to which he succumbed eleven days afterwards.  
1898 April 14 Hill of Beath Fife Fife Coal Co Ltd John Fren Waggon greaser 70 On Surface – On railways and tramways Run over by train of waggons.  
1898 April 19 Dumbreck Stirling Wm Baird & Co Ltd John Diver Brusher 34 Falls of roof While putting in a building he knocked out a prop, when a loose stone supported by the prop fell upon him.  
1898 April 19 Longrigg Lanark James Nimmo & Co Ltd John Campbell Miner 35 Falls of roof Deceased appeared to have been holing at a long wall road head, to have heard the roof "working," and to have been in the act of making his escape, when he was caught and killed instantly by a large stone which fell from a keen clayey lype.  
1898 April 22 Allanton Lanark Morningside Coal Co Ltd Archibald Scott Drawer 17 Haulage – On inclined and engine planes A set of ten loaded loaded tubs was being lifted from a level at its junction with the engine dook. The two loading tubs were very lightly loaded, and deceased was assisting the dook runner to guide them round the curve. When the strain came on the rope the tubs were pulled off the rails towards the inside of curve and struck deceased, causing injuries to which he succumbed four days afterwards.  
1898 April 22 Gateside Dumfries J I McConnell Alexr. Stitt Drawer 15 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working place.  
1898 April 22 Shields Lanark Glasgow Iron & Steel Co Ltd John Brady Brusher 27 Falls of side Fall of side at the working face.  
1898 April 23 Ayr Colliery, Sundrum No 3 Pit Ayr George Taylor & Co Joseph Nimms Miner 17 Falls of side Fall of coal.  
1898 April 28 Carfin No 6 Pit Lanark Wm Dixon Ltd Chas Lafferty Boiler fireman 36 On Surface – Miscellaneous Fall of stone wall in front of boilers owing to the pressure of the dross heaped up behind it.  
1898 May 2 Niddrie Edinburgh Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd James Blyth Drawer 19 Haulage – On inclined and engine planes Deceased was ascending an incline, the average dip of which was 60o. He sat on a carriage with his back towards the roof, and on approaching the lowest part appeared to have leant backwards or raised his head, which came in contact with the roof, and he was knocked backwards over the carriage and fell to the bottom of the incline, a distance of about 135 fathoms.  
1898 May 3 Craighead Lanark Wm Baird & Co Ltd Mark McGeachie Drawer 23 Falls of roof Fall at road head of coal which formed the brushing.  
1898 May 6 Dumbreck Stirling Wm Baird & Co Ltd Andrew Bell Loco. Guard 20 On Surface – On railways and tramways While illegally spragging a waggon with a plank, 5 1/2 feet long, it knocked him in front of the wheel, which ran over him.  
1898 May 9 Castlehill Lanark Shotts Iron Co Ltd James Edgar Wagon shifter 26 In shafts – falling into shaft from surface Coal was being filled from a bing, and deceased was placing the loaded tube upon the winding cage at pit mouth, in order that they might be raised to the upper scaffold for screening purposes. Immediately after sending away the cage with a loaded tub, he pushed another tub forward and fell with it to pit bottom, a distance of 30 fathoms. The shaft was fenced with a hinged gate, which deceased neglected to close after placing the tub on the cage.  
1898 May 10 Birkenshaw Lanark Larkhall Brickfields Ltd Robert Vallance Miner 24 Falls of roof Killed by a fall of roof stone in a district of long wall workings, in the Virtuewell Seam, recently re-started.  
1898 May 10 Little Raith Fife Lochgelly Iron & Coal Co Ltd William Burden Pony driver 14 Haulage – By trams and tubs Deceased was found lying under the first tub of a loaded rake which he was taking outbye. His cap and lamp were found some distance back near to a broken crown on the roof, and it is supposed his head had struck said crown, stunning him, and causing him to fall off the first tub on which he sat.  
1898 May 14 Prestongrange Haddington Summerlee & Mossend Iron & Steel Co Ltd Robert Harline Brusher 17 Falls of roof Deceased had just turned out a loaded tub on a haulage road, at a point where some men were redding a water course. A bar suddenly broke, and the roof came in over a length of 25 ft., swinging out a number of other bars, and completely burying deceased.  
1898 May 17 Nethercroy No 1 Pit Dumbarton Carron Co Alexr. Barrie Miner 52 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face.  
1898 May 18 Birkrigg Lanark Darngavil Coal Co Ltd Robert Rae Manager 30 In shafts – ropes and chains breaking The winding rope broke while deceased was ascending the shaft, and he was precipitated to the bottom, a distance of 40 fathoms. The rope was made of steel wire, was 34 ins. circumference, and had been in use since September 1894. The shaft is 67 fathoms deep, and the rope broke 6 fathoms from the cage. Water constantly ran down the rope, which caused internal corrosion. A series of tests were made with the broken ends of the rope, and the average breaking strain was found to be 18 tons, but the torsional strain was very little. By the breakage of a rope a manager lost his life. In this case, as in a similar case last year, the rope when tested did not show a great diminution of tensile strength, but the torsional strength was far below what it should be, and it seems probable that the breakage was due to a sudden torsional strain.
1898 May 18 Quarter Lanark Colin Dunlop & Co Harry Smith Labourer 72 On Surface – On railways and tramways Deceased was employed cleaning bricks on the side of the railway leading to the colliery, and it is supposed he was struck by the locomotive engine as it passed.  
1898 May 20 Blackston Renfrew Wm Black & Sons Ltd Alexr. Freeman Boiler fireman 42 On surface – By machinery While starting an unfenced donkey engine with his foot it got caught by the flywheel.  
1898 May 28 Kelty Fife Fife Coal Co Ltd Euphemia Brown Pithead worker 13 On surface – By machinery While a boy was lowering a hoist cage, which had risen too far, a tub containing an iron pipe was pushed on to it, and the cage fell away suddenly before the hutch was secured, the hutch fell off and struck the deceased girls, who were sitting on a box near foot of hoist.  
Agnes Bain Pithead worker 13
1898 May 31 Carronrigg Stirling A. G. Moore & Co. Janet Prow Hutch runner 16 On surface – By machinery Caught by the spur wheels of the haulage engine after crawling through the fencing with other girls to take a meal. The deceased with other girls went into the dook engine-house, and went inside the fencing of the engine to take their meal, as it seems they were in the habit of doing. She fell among the moving parts of the machinery, and was killed instantaneously. The under manager was working the engine at the time, and he ought not to have permitted the girls to go inside the fencing.
1898 June 5 Banknock Colliery, Broomrigg No 3 Pit Stirling Banknock Coal Co Ltd Wm. John Howell Boiler fireman 29 In shafts – falling into shaft from surface In some unexplained manner he fell down the shaft.  
1898 June 6 Pathhead Ayr James Gray Samuel McCall Miner 44 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face.  
1898 June 10 Barncluith Lanark Archibald Russell William Fleming Miner 16 Falls of roof Deceased was engaged holing, when the coal suddenly burst off for a distance of 15 ft., the tail end striking him, and killing him instantaneously. The fall extended into adjoining place.  
1898 June 10 Dechmont Lanark Dechmont Colliery Co Ltd John McMenemay Drawer 17 Falls of roof Fall of roof on drawing road while passing along it with an empty hutch.  
1898 June 10 Harthill Lanark James Wood Ltd David Robb Stone picker 14 On Surface – Miscellaneous Deceased was a stone picker, and in coming from the table he stumbled, and fell down the ladder to the railway, a distance of about 8 feet.  
1898 June 10 Hopetoun (Oil shale) Linlithgow Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd David Menzies Miner 48 Miscellaneous underground – By explosives Deceased bored a hole near the bottom of the shale for a "yankee" shot, charged it and ignited the fuse: after the shot exploded, he went back and found it had blown out, and he immediately recharged it, and when the second charge was put back it exploded. Some flame had evidently been left at the back of the hole from the first charge. Gunpowder was used for both charges.  
1898 June 14 Gauchalland No 4 Ayr Gauchalland Coal Co John Scott Miner 42 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face through failing to secure it with crowns as instructed by the manager.  
1898 June 18 Bredisholm No 3 Lanark United Collieries Ltd John Walsh Pitheadman 36 On surface – By machinery After re-hosing the winding-rope he was steadying it until the engineman lifted the cage. The cage was raised suddenly, and caused him to fall between the cage and the pithead frame where he was crushed.  
1898 June 20 Gauchalland No 2 Ayr Gauchalland Coal Co Wm. Abbott reddsman 56 Falls of roof Fall of roof at his working face through failure to secure it when ordered by the fireman.  
1898 June 20 Neilsland Lanark John Watson Ltd John Doyle Miner 48 Falls of side Deceased while engaged lifting bottom coal, heard the head coal "work "; he was about to get out of harm's way, but before he got clear the coal fell on him.  
1898 June 22 Gauchalland No 7 Ayr Gauchalland Coal Co James Wallace Pony driver 26 Miscellaneous underground – By trams and tubs While illegally riding between hutches drawn by a pony, upon going through a screen he got caught by the lintel.  
1898 June 28 Newbattle Edinburgh Lothian Coal Co Ltd James Pryde Miner 62 On Surface – On railways and tramways Deceased attempted to climb into one of a train of railway vans, while in motion, for the purpose of being conveyed to his work. He fell, and two of the vans passed over his legs, causing injuries which resulted fatally.  
1898 June 29 Bothwell Park Lanark Wm Baird & Co Ltd James Phee Brusher 34 Falls of side While repairing a road, a stone fell from the side. Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1898 June 29 Cults (Limestone) Fife James Martin John Laing Miner 26 Metalliferous Mines While lighting the fuse of a shot, charged with loose gunpowder, it exploded. The cause of the premature explosion could not be ascertained.  

 

Go to July to December deaths

Return to Scottish Mining

Last Updated 6th September 2008

 

 

 

© Scottish Mining Villages 2005-2008