1878 Accidents January to June

1878 Fatal 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 - William Alexander for the Western District of Scotland and Ralph Moore for the Eastern District of Scotland. 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	Owners name	Person(s) killed	Occupation	Age	Category (if given)	Cause of death and remarks	Extra details
1878	January	14	Cowdenbeath	Beath, FIF	Cowdenbeath Coal Co.	Alex. Black	Truck greaser	75	Miscellaneous on surface	Run over by wagons
1878	January	17	Dalzell	Dalzell, LKS	J McAndrew & Co	William Gatenbier	Collier	15	Falls of sides	At “stooping” while holing. Insufficient sprags
1878	January	21	Donibristle	Aberdour, FIF	Grieve & Nasmyth	William Muir	Collier	17	Falls of Roof	At face while filling a tub (coal roof). Stoop and room
1878	January	21	Muiredge	Wemyss, FIF	Bowman & Co	Alex. Brown	Collier	27	Falls of sides	At face while passing in front. Long wall
1878	January	23	Dunnikier	Kirkcaldy, FIF	Walter Herd	James Knight	Collier	41	Falls of Roof	At face. Long wall	Newspaper report
1878	January	26	Drumpeller, No 4	Coatbridge, LKS	Henderson & Dimmack	Patrick Griffen	Collier	25	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of coal
1878	January	31	Braehead, No 6	Lugar	Eglinton Iron Co	John Carlin	Collier	50	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	January	31	Lanemark, No 1	N Cumnock	Lanemark Coal Co	Alex. McStephney	Collier	19	Miscellaneous Underground	Run over by hutch upon an incline
1878	February	11	Bankhead	Sanquhar	Misses Whigham	Archd. Crichton	Collier	29	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	February	20	Blantyre	Blantyre, LKS	Wm Dixon Ltd	Patrick Ragan	Brusher	33	Falls of Roof	At face of “brushing”. Long wall
1878	February	21	Southfield	Lesmahagow, LKS	Nitshill & Lesmahagow Coal Co.	Gavin Hamilton	Wagoner	--	Miscellaneous on surface	Squeezed between a wagon and pit-bank wall
1878	February	26	Bogleshole, No 4	Tollcross	James Dunlop & Co	Andrew Jamieson	Collier	53	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	February	28	Dalharco No 2	Dalmellington	Dalmellington Iron Co	Alex. M. Cracken	Collier	45	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of coal
1878	March	4	Whiterigg	New Monkland, LKS	Wm Black & sons	Henry Parks	Sinker	--	In shafts – miscellaneous	Giving way while putting in barring
1878	March	5	Bathville	Bathgate, Linlithgow	James Wood	John Brown	Joiner	73	Miscellaneous on surface	Crushed between 2 wagons while attempting to cross the line
1878	March	5	Blantyre	Blantyre, LKS	Wm Dixon Ltd	Thos Murdoch	Collier	50	In shafts- overwinding		Six men were killed by one accident. An engineman took the cage, upon which they were ascending, up to the pulley. He appears to have shut off the steam and so far decreased the speed, for the rope did not break, and the cage, although broken, remained attached to it. The six men, however, had either jumped off or slid off the cage, and fell to the bottom. One man remained on, and was removed uninjured. The engineman was tried at the Glasgow Assizes for neglect of duty, but a verdict of " not proven " was returned. Newspaper Reports
						Robt. Murdoch	Collier	20
						Pat. Houghnie	Collier	36
						Martin Houghnie	Collier	16
						Pat Hopkins	Collier	20
						Mich Currie	Collier	40
1878	March	6	Bogside	Kilwinning	Eg. Iron Co	William Burns	Collier	35	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	March	6	Caprington, No 31	Kilmarnock	W. S. Cunningham	Adam Sawyers	Collier	41	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	March	8	Barrwood, No 2 pit	Kilsyth	Wm Baird & Co	James Wardrope	Collier	52	Explosions of fire-damp	By fire in shaft and explosion of fire damp	See Main Site
						Walter Ralston	Collier	30
						Robert White	Collier	24
						George Young	Collier	34
						James Wardrope jun	Collier	16
						William Cameron	Collier	44
						James Cameron	Collier	15
						James Gould	Collier	45
						David Wardrope	Collier	20
						James Ross	Collier	15
						David Gould	Collier	19
						Alex Ross	Collier	40
						David Fleming	Engine boy	17
						Walter Cowan	Incline man	32
						Edward Hardie	Collier	38
						Alex Burns	Bottomer	34
						John Miller	Collier	35
1878	March	13	Drumclair	Slamannan, STI	James Nimmo & Co	William Baxter	Brusher	36	Falls of Roof	At face while taking down loose “brushing”. Long wall
1878	March	16	Langbyres	Shotts, LKS	Barr & Higgins	Alex. Keith	Collier	21	Falls of Roof	While “brushing” 2 feet from face. Long wall
1878	March	18	Auchinharvie, No 5	Saltcoats	M Cunningham	John Finlay	Brusher	51	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	March	19	Dykehead	Hamilton, LKS	Summerlee Iron Co	John Chapel	Collier	24	In shafts – miscellaneous	Crushed by descending cage while attempting to cross the bottom. There was a road by the side	Newspaper report
1878	March	20	Drumshangie	New Monkland, LKS	Dumshangie Coal Co	Andrew Burns	Collier	--	Falls of Roof	At face. Stoop and room
1878	March	26	Longlee	Dalserf, LKS	Lesmahagow & Longlee Coal Co	Thomas Creggan	Collier	22	Falls of sides	At “stooping” while holing. Insufficient sprags
1878	March	30	Niddrie	Liberton, Edinburgh	Benhar Coal Co Ltd	William Currie	Stone miner	35	Sundries underground	Struck by stones from a shot which exploded while he was stemming it
1878	April	10	Springside, No 10	Dreghorn	A Kenneth & Sons	Robert Hay	Collier	26	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of coal
1878	April	12	Lathallan	Kilconquhar, FIF	Thos Brown & Sons	Alex. Nicholson	Collier	50	Falls of Roof	At face. Long wall
1878	April	12	Netherjohnstone	Dalzell, LKS	Glasgow Iron Co	Thos. McConnuskie	Roadsman	30	In shafts – falling from part way down	Fell down a “blind” pit while he and others were lifting water from it with windlass and kettles
1878	April	20	Cadzow	Hamilton, LKS	Cadzow Coal Co Ltd	Thos Gilmour	Drawer	20	By tubs and trams	Crushed between loaded tubs and centre prop on a double road while “snibbling” the tubs
1878	April	23	Boghead	Bathgate, Linlithgow	James Russell & Sons	Francis Bonar	Collier	15	Falls of Roof	At face. Long wall
1878	April	23	Galston Colliery	Galston	J Horne & Sons	Hugh Richmond	Pony driver	16	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	April	25	Craigneuk	Dalzell, LKS	Merry & Cunningham	Henry Harris	Sinker	40	In shafts – things falling from part way down	Struck by a piece of wood which formed part of, and fell from, a movable scaffold at splint coal
1878	May	1	Knockterra	Cumnock	Eg. Iron Co	Patrick Cairns	Hillman	21	Above Ground	Was run over by a waggon he was in the act of shifting
1878	May	6	Bellsdyke	New Monkland, LKS	Bellsdyke Coal Co	John McWilliams	Bottomer	68	In shafts – miscellaneous	Crushed by cage. Mistake of signals
1878	May	10	Salsburgh	Shotts, LKS	Coltness Iron Co.	John McMeekin	Miner	43	In Ironstone mines	Fall of roof (sandstone) at face. Long wall
1878	May	17	Bent	Hamilton, LKS	Bent Colliery Co Ltd	Andrew Russell	Roadsman	--	Falls of Roof	On main road while repairing it. Stoop and room
1878	May	24	Auchenraith	Blantyre, LKS	Merry & Cunningham	John Mellon	Collier	44	Falls of sides	At face while holing in a 12 feet room. Want of sprags
1878	May	24	Spitallhill No 2	Cambuslang	Clyde Coal Co Ltd	Richard Shannon	Labourer	38	Above Ground	By a crane getting unexpectedly into motion
1878	June	3	Fence	Lesmahagow, LKS	Nitshill & Lesmahagow Coal Co.	Hector Coulter	Brusher	--	Sundries underground	While unramming a shot which had missed fire it exploded
1878	June	3	Leven	Wemyss, FIF	Fife Coal Co Ltd	John Johnstone	Sinker	--	In shafts – things falling from part way down	Knocked off the scaffold by bucket door falling while fixing it. Sinking pit.
1878	June	6	Hallhill	Baillieston	Springhill Coal Co	William Guthrie	Collier	37	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof
1878	June	7	Roughrigg	New Monkland, LKS	Robert Forrester	Robert Carson	Collier	37	Falls of Roof	At face. Long wall
1878	June	10	Loudon, No 1	Galston	Eg. Iron Co	Robt Wilson	Pony driver	14	Miscellaneous Underground	Had fallen before a train of loaded hutches which he was in charge of
1878	June	13	Braidholm	Lesmahagow, LKS	Nitshill & Lesmahagow Coal Co.	Robert Yuill	Brusher	50	Falls of sides	In a road while drilling a hole to blast it. Long wall
1878	June	17	Ayr Colliery	Ayr	J T Gordon	John Kerr	Collier	20	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of coal
1878	June	19	Garrion Gill	Cambusnethan, LKS	Coltness Iron Co.	Thos McQueen	Surfaceman	63	By machinery on surface	Crushed by a pulley which he was oiling while in motion
1878	June	22	Pollok Colliery	Pollokshaws	John Wilson	James Whitehill	Fireman	43	Explosions of fire-damp	Explosion of fire damp. Injured on 10th, died on 22nd	Happened to a fireman who, at the time of the accident, it is understood, was examining the mine before allowing the workmen to enter to their work, when he exploded a small quantity of firedamp which had collected in a part of the air-course a little above the ordinary level of the roof. The amount of firedamp was trifling, and the injuries which caused death 12 days after were at the time not considered serious. It was stated that this was the first time firedamp had been discovered in the mine, and that at the time of the explosion the deceased was making his examination with an open light.
1878	June	25	Caprington, No 37	Kilmarnock	W. S. Cunningham	John Miller	Roadsman	74	Fall of Roof & Sides	Fall of roof while engaged securing it
1878	June	25	Garrion Gill	Cambusnethan, LKS	Coltness Iron Co.	Hugh Aird	Pit-head man	33	Miscellaneous on surface	Crushed between 2 wagons while shifting them at the screens. Died 9th October
1878	June	28	Blackstone No 1	Cumnock	Eg. Iron Co	John Hughes	Miner	34	In ironstone/fire clay mines	Fall of roof

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Last Updated 21st October 2007