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1899 Accidents - July to December

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.

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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
1899 July 3 Durie Fife Fife Coal Co Ltd John Laing Surfaceman 54 On Surface – On railways and tramways While passing between two wagons, deceased appears to have struck his head against a bolt or other projection with fatal result.  
1899 July 3 Woodhall No 1 Pit Lanark Barr & Higgins Thomas Bowes Fireman 26 Miscellaneous underground – By explosives They were found lying dead close to the face of a narrow mine, which was insufficiently ventilated. Apparently they had fired a heavy shot of gelignite, and on returning were overcome by the fumes.

An unusual accident happened in Woodhall No. 1 Pit, and by it a fireman and a miner lost their lives. The miner was engaged in driving a narrow mine through on the face of a level, and on the day of the accident he was being assisted by the fireman, who reported having found fire-damp in the place that morning. Safety lamps were used. A connection with the level was expected to be made that day, and the fireman informed the overman that he would probably remain late to do so. As neither of the men came up the pit several hours after the day shift was over, the night fireman went to their working place to see what was detaining them, and found them both lying dead within a few feet of the face, with a lighted safety-lamp beside the bodies. Owing to the small quantity of air circulating round the bratticing, the air was so foul the day after the accident that it was not safe to venture to the face, but it appears that the deceased had charged a shot hole with a heavy charge of gelignite with the evident intention of trying to blow out the coal and communicate with the level. Apparently they were overcome by the fumes of the explosion on their return after firing the shot.

Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
Thomas Stewart Miner 36
1899 July 4 Kinneil Linlithgow Kinneil Cannel and Coking Coal Co Ltd Daniel McGhee Shaftman 45 Shaft Accidents – Things falling from part way down Deceased was drilling a hole at the bottom of a sinking pit, when something— supposed to be a small piece of stone from an unlined portion of the shaft— struck him on the head, fracturing his skull.  
1899 July 8 Rosehall No 7 Pit Lanark R Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd Daniel McDonald Pony driver 19 Miscellaneous underground – sundries Kicked by the pony he was driving. Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1899 July 13 Coltness Lanark Coltness Iron Co Ltd James Paton Roadsman 55 Falls of roof Deceased was examining the roof where a fall had taken place on a haulage road. As he turned to leave it, a large stone fell at his side, tilted over on him and knocked him down, fracturing his thigh and some of his ribs, one or more of which pierced his lung. He died two days afterwards.  
1899 July 13 Douglas Lanark Coltness Iron Co Ltd Charles Wilson Miner 21 Falls of sides After firing and working off a bursting shot in a 10 ft. room holed across its whole width, deceased appeared to have gone under the holed coal to " better" the holing, preparatory to firing a ut shot. A large block of coal came away suddenly and killed him instantly. No gibs or holing props appeared to have been set.  
1899 July 13 Earnock Lanark John Watson Ltd James McCawley Miner's boy 14 Haulage – On inclined and engine planes Deceased was walking out-bye immediately behind a set of loaded tubs drawn by a horse. On approaching the engine plane a set of loaded tube was allowed to run back upon them owing to a misunderstanding as to a signal. The horse set recoiled upon deceased and crushed him against a prop, causing severe abdominal injuries which terminated fatally half an hour afterwards. Newspaper report - Hamilton pages
1899 July 19 Niddrie Edinburgh Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd William Hood Miner 32 Falls of sides A fall of cannel coal and ironstone took place at the face of a longwall place in a highly inclined seam. The material came away suddenly from a lype and keen parting.  
1899 July 21 Elgin Fife Thos. Spowart & Co Ltd John Bower Miner 48 Falls of roof Fall of blaes from the roof at the face of a longwall level going parallel to a trouble. The roof was lypey.  
1899 July 21 Gilbertfield No 2 Pit Lanark Cambuslang Coal Co Ltd Wm. Thomson Miner 34 Falls of side Fall of coal, owing to want of sprags. Another man was injured.  
1899 July 22 Niddrie Edinburgh Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd Samuel Watson Miner 24 Falls of sides Deceased appeared to have been knocking out the gibs in a seam 5 ft. thick, dipping at 60°, and worked longwall, when a block of coal 8 ft. in length and averaging 3 ft. 6 ins. in width suddenly fell from a foul cleavage plane and killed him instantly.  
1899 July 26 Chapel Lanark Chapel Coal Co Ltd Thomas Hay Bottomer 40 Shaft Accidents – Falling from part way down Deceased was acting as assistant bottomer at a mid working, 25 fathoms above pit bottom. The bottomer and he had taken the empty tubs off a cage, and the former had closed the gate fencing the shaft, signalled for the cage to be raised, and told deceased to pass round to the other side of the shaft to be in readiness to receive the descending cage. Deceased turned away to do so, and by some means slipped into, and fell down the shaft, and was instantly killed. The fencing, gates, and signalling apparatus were said to be in order, and the bottomer and engineman agreed that all the gates were closed when the cage was raised from the landing. The gates were hung to close automatically, but subsequent examination showed that one of them tended to rebound from its stop from 6 to 20 ins., the signal in engine-house meanwhile indicating that it was closed.  
1899 July 29 Dysart Fife Earl of Rosslyn's Collieries Ltd Robert Cunningham Miner 45 Falls of roof While cutting up into the head coal by the side of an old room, the head coal suddenly fell.  
1899 August 8 Glenclelland No 1 Pit Lanark Kerr & Mitchell Wm. Schneider Miner 36 Shaft Accidents – Whilst ascending or descending by machinery While descending the shaft on the lower deck of the cage he put out his head to listen to a companion speaking, and got jammed between the cage and the pit mouth. It was his first day at the pit. Newspaper report
1899 August 9 Craighead No 1 Pit Lanark Wm Baird & Co Ltd Thomas White Miner 31 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face. Several props were knocked out by the fall.  
1899 August 15 Wester Gartshore Dumbarton J & A F Wallace Patrick Colligan Brusher 50 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust Safety lamps were in use. The deceased worked alone when the explosion occurred. A tobacco pipe was afterwards found close to his working place, where a hurdle screen was erected to prevent gas from a feeder from accumulating. The fatal explosion in Wester Gartshore Colliery was also apparently caused by a contravention of the regulations. Safety lamps alone are used, and when the explosion happened the deceased was working alone in a place which gave off fire-damp. A tobacco pipe was afterwards found close to where he was working, and it is doubtful if there was sufficient ventilation to clear away the gas accumulated in a cavity in the roadway.
1899 August 17 Neilsland Lanark John Watson Ltd Thos. McKinnon Miner 24 Falls of roof A roadway was being widened and brushed for an inclined plane, and while deceased was taking a piece of coal off one side thereof suddenly fell.  
1899 August 18 Fauldhead Pit Dumfries J I McConnell James Bone Miner 30 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face. Caused by want of propping.  
1899 September 8 Holytown No 8 Pit Lanark James Nimmo & Co Ltd James Wilson Bottomer 66 Shaft Accidents – Falling from part way down He opened the gate at a mid-working when the cage was not there, and apparently pushed a loaded hutch into the open shaft and fell with it to the bottom. The bottomer was alone at the mid-working, and it appears that being under the impression that the cage was there, he opened the gate and pushed a loaded hutch into the open shaft and fell with it to the bottom. At the time of the accident the engineman was in the act of raising two miners from another mid-working, these miners in the absence of the bottomer having, contrary to the regulations, given the signals to the engineman.
1899 September 8 Motherwell Lanark John Watson Ltd Donald Campbell Contractor sinker 52 Miscellaneous underground – By explosives Deceased had a contract for deepening a pit, and kept a chest in an upper seam in which were explosives, both gunpowder and gelignite. While engaged at the chest, he appears to have had his lamp in his bonnet, and a spark from it ignited the gunpowder.  
1899 September 11 Daldowie No 1 Pit Lanark Dunn Brothers Wm. McGauchan Miner 53 Shaft Accidents – Ropes and chains breaking While descending a blind pit in a cage the rope parted from the hose and the cage fell. Riding in the cage was prohibited, but the prohibition was not attended to by the workmen.  
1899 September 14 Herdshill Lanark Coltness Iron Co Ltd James Walker Miner 49 Haulage – Sundries Deceased and a fellow - workman were kneeling side by side sumping a holing. The latter's pick swung through, meeting with less resistance than he had anticipated, and struck deceased on the outer side of the left knee. The injury was considered trifling, and he continued to work for some hours. Blood poisoning supervened, resulting in his death five days afterwards.  
1899 September 21 Benarty Fife Lochore and Capeldrae Cannel Coal Co Ltd Cornelius Duffy Drawer 26 Haulage – By ropes and chains breaking Deceased had hung on an empty tub at the foot of a short wheel brae, and shouted to the drawer above to "shove over." As the tubs started the empty one became derailed, and the consequent jerk caused the chain to snap. The loaded tub ran down upon deceased, fracturing his thigh and causing injuries to which he succumbed five hours afterwards.  
1899 October 4 Douglas Lanark Coltness Iron Co Ltd Patrick Callachin Labourer 42 On Surface – Miscellaneous Deceased was engaged cutting out a seat for a coal washing machine, when a fall of clay took place and fatally crushed him against a cart standing near.  
1899 October 4 Grasshill No 1 Pit Ayr Wm Baird & Co Ltd George Dalziel Engineman 47 On Surface – Miscellaneous When cleaning and oiling beam pumping engine while at rest, he slipped and fell backwards, a distance of nine feet.  
1899 October 5 Dalquhandy Lanark Waddell and Son James Jeffery Miner's boy 14 Haulage – By trams and tubs Deceased was in front of a loaded tub in coming down a dipping road ; he attempted to stop it by stiffening his body so that it acted as a stay, and the pressure of the tub caused a compound fracture of the left leg from which he died a few hours later. Going in front of a loaded tub on an inclined road is prohibited by Additional Special Rule 5.  
1899 October 5 Niddrie Edinburgh Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd Hugh Roberts Pumping engineman 50 Haulage – Sundries Deceased had charge of an under-ground pumping engine situated near to a winding incline, which had a dip of 59 degrees To oblige a contractor, he had volunteered to "hang on" some loaded tubs on a carriage on this incline, and whilst so doing he fell down the incline, a distance of about 70 fathoms, and was instantaneously killed.  
1899 October 9 Cobbinshaw (Oil shale) Edinburgh Caledonian Mineral Oil Co Ltd Walter Robertson Miner 42 On Surface – Miscellaneous While assisting to place in position the shaft of a pumping engine, it canted and crushed his foot. Lock-jaw supervened.  
1899 October 10 Hamilton Palace No 1 Pit Lanark Bent Colliery Co Ltd Wm. Armour, jun. Miner 14 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust The fireman lit the fuse of a shot of compressed gunpowder. No sooner was the fuse lit than it ignited firedamp, and he, the deceased, and another miner were all injured by the explosion. The shot afterwards went off. The fatal explosion in Hamilton Palace Colliery happened in a seam where safety lamps alone are used. The fireman, who was the shot-firer, was about to fire two shots of compressed gunpowder in the coal face about 16 inches from the roof, in a heading 10 1/2 feet wide and 7 feet high. The roof was unbroken, and there was no place where gas could lurk unknown to the shot-firer, yet when he kindled the fuse of one of the shots, the sparks from it ignited fire-damp and caused an explosion which injured himself, the miner, and his boy, the latter fatally. It is apparent that the fireman either failed to make the prescribed inspection before firing the shot, or, if he made it, he found an accumulation of fire-damp and fired the shot before having cleared it away, contrary to the regulations. Newspaper report - Bothwellhaugh pages
1899 October 16 Bowhill Fife Bowhill Coal Co Ltd James Smith Miner 25 Falls of sides Deceased was engaged cleaning up his place of some debris, when the coal suddenly burst out and crushed him against a tub at the roadhead.  
1899 October 16 Prestongrange Haddington Summerlee & Mossend Iron & Steel Co Ltd Henry William Sims Ashwheeler 32 On Surface – Miscellaneous Deceased had been assisting one of the boiler furnacemen to trim forward the dross or "gum," which was stored in a large hopper erected in front of the stoke hole. He was seen leaving the hopper, but appears to have re-entered it unobserved, and to have slid down amongst the gum towards one of the shoots, from which it was shovelled into the furnaces. About an hour afterwards, his body gravitated to the shoot, and was discovered by one of the furnacemen. Death was due to suffocation.  
1899 October 19 Bent Lanark Bent Colliery Co Ltd Peter Burns O'Brien Miner 23 Falls of roof Fall of roof-stone at the face of longwall. A small trouble crossed the strata at the point, and appears to have relieved the stone.  
1899 October 19 Murdostoun Lanark John McAndrew & Co David Hall Miner 21 Falls of sides Deceased was backening out coal at a longwall face, when a stone 9 ft. by 2 ft. by 1 ft. came away suddenly from a lype and fell upon him, fracturing his skull. The fireman had passed him fifteen minutes previously, and had instructed him to secure one end of the stone which was then unsupported ; but deceased had apparently delayed doing so.  
1899 October 20 Dalquharran Colliery Ayr J C Kennedy Robert Forrest Brigade fireman 45 Miscellaneous underground – By underground fire While attempting to put out an underground fire he was overcome by the fumes. Other men who were beside him were hardly affected.  
1899 October 21 Broomrigg No 3 Pit Stirling Banknock Coal Co Ltd James McPhee Miner 51 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working place. The stone was not propped, although it fell from between two parallel lipes which previously were exposed to view, and a cross lipe.  
1899 October 24 Carfin No 7 Pit Lanark Wm Dixon Ltd James Thomson Stone picker 14 On surface – By machinery While amusing himself his foot got caught between the pulley and belt of a conveyor.  
1899 October 25 Motherwell Lanark John Watson Ltd Joseph Dalby Stone miner 26 Miscellaneous underground – By explosives While carrying gunpowder to the face with his lamp on his bonnet, a spark ignited the powder.  
1899 October 26 Calderbank No 1 Pit Lanark Glasgow Iron & Steel Co Ltd Michael Hurll Brusher 27 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust The deceased was brushing a road head, and had gone along the working face when his naked light ignited some fire-damp coming from a borehole extending from the surface. The borehole had been struck during the day, and the miner working in the place ignited gas, which he reported to the fireman. It was said that the deceased was told not to go along the working face.  
1899 October 31 Polbeth (Oil shale) Edinburgh Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd John McKenzie Miner 33 Falls of roof Deceased was breaking up some shale at a heading-face, when a stone, 4 ft. 9 ins. by 2 ft. 9 ins. at extremes, and 9 ins. thick at centre, suddenly fell upon him from between two props, causing internal injuries which terminated fataly on the following day.  
1899 November 2 Kelty Fife Fife Coal Co Ltd James Hodge Miner 29 Haulage – On inclined and engine planes Deceased and other workmen were proceeding homewards after completion of shift, and while travelling on inclined plane the wheeler at top sent away a loaded rake; on the opposite end of the rope no empty tubs were attached, and the rake ran down at a high speed, and overtaking deceased struck him in passing.  
1899 November 3 Dysart Fife Earl of Rosslyn's Collieries Ltd Andrew Crystal Miner 61 Falls of roof Deceased was taking bottom coal off the side of a stoop, when the roof-coal suddenly fell. There were no props up to the roof.  
1899 November 7 Drumsmudden No 1 Pit Ayr Daunellington Iron Co Ltd [Dalmellington Iron Co Ltd?] James Lundie Miner 22 Falls of side Fall of coal and stone from working face while holing.  
1899 November 14 Fordell Fife Fordell Trustees John Todd Miner 35 Shaft Accidents – Whilst ascending or descending by machinery Deceased, carrying some of his tools, was ascending the shaft along with two other miners, and he fell off the cage.  
1899 November 15 Allanshaw Lanark Allanshaw Coal Co Joseph Murray reddsman 40 Falls of roof While engaged taking down stone to increase the height of a horse road, a mass of blaes suddenly fell.  
1899 November 15 Meiklehill No 5 Pit Dumbarton James Wood Ltd John Jarvie Roadsman 45 Miscellaneous underground – On inclined and engine planes While sitting in front of a "race" of hutches being drawn up a dook he fell off and was run over.  
1899 November 17 Glengywn No 1 Pit Ayr Wm Baird & Co Ltd John Devlin Brusher 55 Falls of roof Fall of roof while enlarging a road.  
1899 November 17 Leven Fife Fife Coal Co Ltd Robert McKinlay Miner 32 Falls of roof Deceased was in the act of putting a prop up to the roof, which he knew to be bad, when it suddenly fell and completely buried him.  
1899 November 17 Rosehall No 3 Pit Lanark R Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd Samuel McEwan Pitheadman 32 Shaft Accidents – Falling from part way down The shaft was being deepened, and in some unexplained manner he pushed a hutch of timber into the open shaft at a mid working and fell with it to the bottom. The shaft was in course of being deepened. The deceased acted as bottomer, or rather as pit-headman at a mid-working to which the debris was raised in hutches slung to the rope. In some unexplained manner he pushed a hutch of timber into the shaft and fell after it. Newspaper report
1899 November 22 Whitehill Edinburgh Lothian Coal Co Ltd David Bain Miner 19 Falls of roof Deceased was taking some coal off a longwall face, when the sandstone roof suddenly fell in over an area 25 ft 0ins. by 4 ft. 6 ins., swinging out some props as it fell. A portion of it fell upon deceased, fracturing his collarbone and suffocating him. A fellow workman narrowly escaped with his life. Newspaper report
1899 November 30 Cam'nethan Lanark Thomas Barr's Trustees William Young Chainman 15 On Surface – On railways and tramways The surface hutch road passes under a road by means of an archway, and deceased, while riding on the full rake, seems to have been caught at the archway and dragged some distance.  
1899 November 30 Whitehill Edinburgh Lothian Coal Co Ltd James Lang Cranefooter 15 Haulage – By ropes and chains breaking Deceased was hanger-on at the foot of a wheel brae. 60 fathoms in length, and having a gradient of 1 in 5. The road was double throughout, and the tubs were raised and lowered by an overhead endless rope passing round horizontal pulleys at top and bottom. The brake was attached to the bottom pulley and was under the charge of deceased. The tubs were run in sets of two, and were attached to the rope by a coupling chain coiled four times round the rope, and hooked back upon itself immediately behind the coils. The security of the attachment could only be tested when the load got on the incline, and therefore beyond the control of the drawer hanging it on. The attachment of two loaded tubs slipped on the rope, the tubs ran away and struck deceased killing him instantly. He had only commenced to work in the mine on the previous day. Newspaper report
1899 December 1 Dalziel No 1 Pit Lanark Wishaw Coal Co Ltd George Henderson Miner 24 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working face. He had just returned after firing a shot which seems to have knocked out some props.  
1899 December 2 Kinneil Linlithgow Kinneil Cannel and Coking Coal Co Ltd William Phillips Screenman 47 On Surface – On railways and tramways Crushed between wagons.  
1899 December 2 Souterhouse No 1 Pit Lanark Souterhouse Collieries Co John Duffy Miner 37 Falls of side Fall of coal and stone at stoops. Caused by failing to set sprags.  
1899 December 6 Kinneil Linlithgow Kinneil Cannel and Coking Coal Co Ltd Andrew Miller Brusher 31 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust Deceased were brushing a branch road in a section of the mine which was dry and somewhat dusty, in which fire-damp had frequently been seen and reported, and which was worked with safety lamps. The night fireman having absented himself from work, the oversman, in the temporary absence of the certificated manager, took it upon himself to appoint a contractor from another section as fireman and shot-firer. The man so appointed failed to make any inspection of the scene of the accident, and arranged with the deceased that they should light their own shots. They did so, and an explosion took place, resulting in the death of both men. The third fatal explosion of fire-damp, causing the loss of two lives, took place at Kinneil Colliery, Furnaceyard Pit, in the same section of the Six Feet Seam workings as the explosion of 31st March 1898 described in my last year's Report, when three men lost their lives, and as on that occasion disclosed a lamentable state of matters.
The principal breaches of the Mines Acts in connection with the explosion were :—
(1) There was no manager or under-manager exercising daily personal supervision of the mine.
(2) The brushers were firing their own shots.
(3) No inspection was made by a fireman.
The two men who lost their lives were the only persons working in the section at the time of the explosion, and consequently no direct evidence as to the cause of the explosion was available. In the explosion of 1898 a survivor was able to prove the firing of a shot as the proximate cause. But in the present case it was clear that three or more shots had been fired, and it appeared to me that the most probable cause of the explosion was the firing of the last shot. Some, if not all the shots, had been fired by fuse and Bickford's Patent Lighter, a system described in my last year's Report, and which, as I there stated, I understood the Company had discarded in favour of electrical firing. It appears, however, that after a trial of electrical firing it had been given up and the old system returned to ; this return to the use of the patent lighter was not known to the owners, and the manager did not inform me of it.
The explosion was not an extensive one, and had the deceased men not attempted to escape with the air current they might have survived.
The manager was absent on his honeymoon at the time of the explosion. He stated he had arranged with an under-manager at another pit, owned by the same Company, to exercise daily personal supervision during his absence, but this the under-manager did not understand, and did not in fact take any charge of the pit in which the explosion took place. In any case the duty is placed by the Act on the owner or agent to nominate in writing an under-manager, and therefore the owners were liable and were proceeded against, and on pleading guilty were fined £12.
The manager was charged with a contravention of Section 2(&) of the Explosives in Coal Mines Order, in respect that shots were not fired by means of electricity, or some means equally secure against the ignition of fire-damp or coal dust, but the case against him broke down owing to a defect in the complaint.
William Russell Brusher 43
1899 December 6 Tannochside No 1 Pit Lanark Archd. Russell James Taylor Waggon shifter 54 On Surface – On railways and tramways While bringing forward an empty waggon he appears to have been crushed by other two waggons which, unobserved, had run forward by gravitation. Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1899 December 8 Cadder No 15 Pit (Ironstone Mine) Lanark Carron Co James Pringle Bencher 21 Miscellaneous underground – By ropes and chains breaking While walking up a dook close behind a "race" of full hutches, a coupling broke and the hutches ran back on him.  
1899 December 9 Loanhead Edinburgh Shotts Iron Co Ltd Thomas Frame Miner 56 Falls of sides Deceased was taking down some coal in a seam having a dip of 45°, when a stone estimated to weigh about a cwt. fell suddenly from the coal head and struck him on the side, fracturing one of his ribs and puncturing his lung. He did not consider himself seriously injured,and remained at work for about seven hours. He died three day a afterwards. Newspaper report
1899 December 14 North Motherwell Colliery Lanark Merry & Cunninghame Ltd John Meikle Foreman 40 On Surface – Miscellaneous When tipping a hutch of frozen debris over the refuse heap the hutch fell over and he fell with it.  
1899 December 19 Cadzow Lanark Cadzow Coal Co Ltd Peter Corrigan Miner 40 Haulage – By trams and tubs When bringing a loaded hutch from the face of a low stooping place, deceased was in front of it, and was crushed against the timber.  
1899 December 19 Haugh No 2 Pit Stirling Wm Baird & Co Ltd Gabriel Bullock Miner 60 Falls of roof Fall of roof at working place. Caused by failure to put up props as directed by the fireman.  
1899 December 19 Newbattle Edinburgh Lothian Coal Co Ltd Peter Currie Miner 39 Falls of roof Deceased was taking some coal off a long-wall face when the roof suddenly fell away from an unseen lype and a keen top parting, swinging out some props as it fell. A large stone fell upon his shoulders and back, pressing his face into the dross at his feet and causing suffocation.  
1899 December 21 Bowhill Fife Bowhill Coal Co Ltd David Black Miner 37 Falls of roof Deceased and another miner were breaking away a new seam from one side of a shaft when the roof fell.  
1899 December 21 Castlecary Mine (Limestone Mine) Dumbarton Castlecary Fire-clay Co John White Miner 37 Falls of roof Fall of roof while redding a large fall on road.  
1899 December 22 Loanhead Edinburgh Shotts Iron Co Ltd William Moffat Pithead runner 17 On Surface – On railways and tramways Deceased was getting into a truck to shovel out some snow, when it was struck and driven forward by some other empty trucks, which were being run forward to the screen. He was driven under and crushed against an overhead gangway, receiving injuries which terminated fatally on the same day.  
1899 December 25 Longriggend Lanark James Nimmo & Co Ltd Robert Ferguson Fireman 22 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust Deceased was making the statutory examination of the working places, &c. before the miners commenced work, when he ignited some fire-damp, and was suffocated by the after-damp. A Davy lamp was found near to his body ; its bottom was screwed on but not locked, and a hole 3/16 in. in diameter was discovered in the crown of the inner gauze. An ordinary miner's open lamp was found hooked to his cap a few yards off. Ventilation was induced by a furnace which was said to have been under deceased's charge during the whole of the previous day. Two days after the accident the current was unable to turn the vanes of an anemometer in an airway 3 ft. by 2 ft. 2 in. The fourth fatal explosion of fire-damp took place in a colliery worked with open lights, but in which as fire-damp was occasionally seen the fireman's examination before the entry of the miners required to be made with a safety lamp. This necessary precaution appears to have been rendered nugatory by the fireman carrying an open light as well.
1899 December 27 Hattonrigg No 3 and 4 Pits Lanark Summerlee & Mossend Iron & Steel Co Ltd Edward Callacher Brusher 59 Falls of roof Fall of roof at brushing face while taking it down. Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1899 December 27 Ingliston (Oil shale) Edinburgh Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd Hugh Erskine Miner 39 Explosions of fire damp or coal dust Deceased and two others worked in a room which was stripping a fault. When making his statutory inspection, the fireman found a quantity of gas at the face, and warned the miners not to enter the place until he had cleared it out. He entered the place alone, and proceeded to waft out the gas with a piece of canvas. Deceased went in in the dark to speak to him, and the two others shortly afterwards lifted a canvas screen and entered the place with naked lights. A violent explosion occurred, whereby the whole four were severely burned. Deceased succumbed eight days afterward. The last fatal fire-damp explosion took place in an oil shale mine, and disclosed carelessness on the part of both fireman and miners in the presence of a known quantity of gas. The fireman discovered gas when making his first inspection, but appears to have allowed the miners to approach the place with open lights while he was attempting to remove it.
1899 December 28 Hamilton Palace No 1 Pit Lanark Bent Colliery Co Ltd Wm. Brunton Miner 28 Miscellaneous underground – By trams and tubs While acting as pony driver he fell in front of his "race," and was run over by the front hutch.  
1899 December 29 Dysart Fife Earl of Rosslyn's Collieries Ltd David Pow Miner 33 Falls of sides A mass of coal and stone fell upon him from the side of a room.  

 

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