1901 Accidents

Fatal Accidents in Mines in Scotland

January to June 1901

- 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.

Go to Accidents for July to December 1901

Accidents occuring during 1900 but reported in 1901 report
Date of Accident			Mine	County	Owner or Company	Name	Occupation	Age	Category	Cause of accident & remarks	Extra Information
1900	April	4	Craighead No 2 Pit	Lanark	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	James Brown	Miner	39	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at working face(injured on 4th April 1900 and died on 23rd February 1901)
1900	July	7	Candie	Stirling	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	Alexander Williamson	Miner	63	Falls of roof	Fall of stone at face. Died 18th April, 1901.

Date of Accident			Mine	County	Owner or Company	Name	Occupation	Age	Category	Cause of accident & remarks	Extra Information
1901	January	8	Foulford	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	James Stott	Wagon shunter	44	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	A labourer was bringing forward two loaded trucks from the back-lye to a dross washer, leaving nine loaded trucks standing trigged in the back-lye. After proceeding some distance he observed that the nine trucks had got away, and were following him. Shouting to a fellow workman to take charge of the two trucks, he ran back to secure the nine, but failed to stop them. They overtook the others, and drove them with some violence against some empty trucks standing in front. Deceased had at the moment gone between two of these to couple them, and was crushed between the buffers. He died five hours afterwards.
1901	January	11	Clyde	Lanark	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	Isaac Collison	Miner	47	Haulage – by trams and tubs	Crushed by a full hutch while drawing in front instead of behind	Newspaper Report
1901	January	11	Limefield (oil shale)	Edinburgh	Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Co Ltd	Richard Sneddon	Miner	32	Underground by explosives	Deceased worked in an upset rising 1 in 2. and in the usual way bored and charged holes for shots at the face, four "yankee" or holing shots were placed at different parts, and over these were two "brairder" shots. When everything was ready deceased began to ignite the fuse of each shot, and apparently he had trouble in getting the fuse of one of the "brairders" to ignite, which caused delay, and one of the shots exploded and he was thrown to the bottom of the upset, a distance of 40 feet, and before help could reach him the remainder of the shots, except one, exploded. The fuse of the unexploded shot, a "brairder," showed signs of a light having been applied to it.	Newspaper Report
1901	January	11	Shields	Lanark	Glasgow Iron & Steel Co Ltd	George Wright	Miner	30	Underground by explosives	While forcing 1 ½ lbs of compressed gunpowder into a shot hole, drilled in sandstone, apparently by means of a steel jumper, the charge exploded.	Newspaper Report
1901	January	12	Bowhill	Fife	Bowhill Coal Co Ltd	John Chalmers	Jigger engineman	33	On surface – miscellaneous	After putting a driving belt upon a pulley, deceased was returning along a gangway underneath the pithead scaffold. At a point where the clear height was 4 ft. 2 in. his head apparently came against an overhead beam, he overbalanced and fell to the ground, a distance of 16 ft., striking the end of a truck as he fell. He sustained injuries which resulted fatally ten hours afterwards.	Newspaper Report
1901	January	15	Bowhill	Fife	Bowhill Coal Co Ltd	Robert Hamilton	Fireman	32	Falls of roof	Deceased men were instantaneously killed by the sudden fall of about 70 tons of roof consisting of rock bands and fakes, intersected by numerous lypes and joints. The road was 9 to 10 feet in width, and the roof was supported by bars 1 foot apart. Part of it hart been repaired and re timbered on the previous night. It was inspected by Hamilton and the oversman about an hour before the accident took place, and considered to be in safe condition.
1901	January	15	Bowhill	Fife	Bowhill Coal Co Ltd	James Black	Wheeler	40	Falls of roof
1901	January	21	Wallyford	Edinburgh	Edinburgh Collieries Ltd	William Hamilton	Sinker	37	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Deceased and other sinkers were enlarging a shaft and a few fathoms below them was a scaffold on which the debris fell. The enlargement was proceeding at a point a short distance below the Great Seam and where a crosscut mine left the shaft to cut the seam. The previous shift had left their work fearing a fall and the contractor and others were in the shaft for the purpose of making it secure when a large quantity of stone fell away above the crosscut, and the two deceased fell with it to the scaffold below, the contractor and others escaping with difficulty	Newspaper Report
1901	January	21	Wallyford	Edinburgh	Edinburgh Collieries Ltd	Patrick Hooligan	Sinker	47	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust		Newspaper Report
1901	January	22	Carmuir	Stirling	Carmuir Coal Co Ltd	Robert Brownlee	Labourer	59	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	Deceased and another were shifting forward some loaded trucks to clear the taillye at a screen, deceased being at the left rear buffer. The truck under the screen being fully loaded, the screenman removed the trig, and permitted it to gravitate forward, meantime giving his attention to trigging up the succeeding empty trucks in the proper position. The loaded truck moved further than he anticipated, overtook the others, and crushed deceased against the buffer, killing him almost instantly.
1901	January	23	Loanhead	Edinburgh	Shotts Iron Co Ltd	Robert Notman	Miner	36	Underground – suffocation by natural gases	About the beginning of the year a fire was discovered in the rise workings of the Corbie Craig Coal Seam, and to extinguish it the air current was cut off by means of stoppings. The result was that the workings referred to and the workings of other seams in the same district were filled with gases from the fire and black damp. When the workings were re-opened deceased, who with others was engaged at that work, wandered into another section in search of some tools, and was suffocated.
1901	January	23	Kirkwood	Lanark	Summerlee & Mossend Iron & Steel Co Ltd	Matthew Savage	Miner	37	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	He entered a disused heading which was not fenced off and had not been inspected by the fireman. His naked lamp ignited an accumulation of fire damp	Happened in Kirk wood Colliery, owned by the Summerlee and Mossend Iron and Steel Company, Limited, to a miner who, with an open light, entered a disused heading which was not fenced off and had not been inspected by the fireman. After the explosion the owners were induced to work the seam with safety lamps, but failing to come to an agreement with the miners the working of the seam was stopped for months.
1901	January	25	Burnt Broom	Lanark	Glasgow Coal Co, Ltd	John Murray	Waggon trimmer	25	Surface – on railway, sidings or tramways	While shifting a waggon below the scree he was crushed against a post supporting the scaffold
1901	January	25	Haughhead	Lanark	Haughhead Coal Co Ltd	Patrick Reddy	Miner	38	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	The fireman found gas in two adjoining working places. After, it is said, he cleared out the gas from one place and permitting the miners to commence work in it with naked lights, he and two others were clearing out the gas with safety lamps in the other place when firedamp ignited at the naked light of Reddy, who was in the place from which the fireman said he had expelled the gas. Other 3 men were injured by the explosion	Happened in Haughhead Pit, and by it the fireman and a miner lost their lives, and other three men were injured. In making his morning inspection the fireman found gas in two adjoining long-wall working places. After, it is said, clearing out the gas from one place, and allowing the miners to commence work in it with open lights, he and other two miners began with safety lamps to clear out the gas from the other place, when firedamp ignited at the naked light of one of the miners who had just entered the place from which the fireman said he had expelled the gas. There is no doubt in my mind that the fireman had not cleared away the gas in the place where it was ignited, and he was wrong in permitting any of the workmen to enter these places until the firedamp was entirely dispelled from both. Had there been an adequate amount of ventilation the gas would not have accumulated at the point where it was ignited. Newspaper Report
1901	January	25	Haughhead	Lanark	Haughhead Coal Co Ltd	Graham Perrie	Fireman	43	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust
1901	January	25	Glenbuck, Davie Pit	Ayr	Cairntable Gas Coal Co, Ltd	Wm. Wilson	Miner	21	Falls of roof	Fall of roof in working place while drawing props	Newspaper Report
1901	January	27	Holytown No 8 Pit	Lanark	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	Matthew Mackinnon	Reddsman	38	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Without sanction the fireman allowed the deceased to inspect the workings instead of doing it himself and while doing so with a naked light he ignited fire damp	Happened in Holytown No. 8 Pit. The fire-man, without sanction, took upon himself to delegate his duty of inspecting the workings previous to the commencement of the shift to a reddsman, and while the latter was making the inspection with a naked light instead of a safety lamp he encountered an accumulation of firedamp with the usual result of such folly.
1901	January	30	Candie	Stirling	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	John Dick	Coal cleaner	17	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	Deceased was picking stones in a truck which was being loaded at a screen, the lower end of which was supported by a beam which crossed the road 5 ½ inches above the lip of the truck. The screenman went to shift the truck forward, and warned deceased of his intention, but it was not clear that the latter heard or understood him. He was then standing on the lip of the truck, clear of the screen, but got down into the truck, which in moving forward caught and crushed his head against the cross-beam referred to. He succumbed eight days later.
1901	February	4	Balbardie	Linlithgow	Balbardie Colliery Co	Alexander Reid	Miner	23	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Deceased and his neighbour were brushing a level road when a stone fell off the side and killed him instantly
1901	February	6	North Motherwell	Lanark	Merry & Cunninghame, Ltd	Peter Young	Miner	20	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at face of working face in Ell Coal stooping section. The fall was 12 feet by 11 ½ feet and 3 ½ feet high, and was caused by a want of props.
1901	February	7	Newcraighall	Edinburgh	Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd	Robert Tagg	Engineer	30	Haulage – on machinery	Deceased was engaged with several others erecting a pump underground, and when placing a cylinder in position the support on which it hung slipped from its place, and, in falling, struck him on the head. He died from his injury 11 days afterwards.
1901	February	9	Redding	Stirling	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	John McAulay	Miner	27	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	Deceased and some others were riding on a tank locomotive which was about to lift some carriages in which the miners were to be conveyed to their work. Owing to the darkness, the driver failed to see that the carriages had been left standing nearer to the point from which he was approaching than wan usual. He applied his brake and reversed the locomotive at the usual place, but owing to the skidding of the wheels he failed to pull up in time. Deceased, who was sitting on the front footplate, was killed instantaneously. The men had no authority to ride upon the locomotive ; but it appeared to have been permitted to become an established practice.
1901	February	15	Hill of Beath	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Patrick McRoberts	oncostman	30	Underground fires	Suffocated by gases from an underground fire.	See Report.
						James McFarlane	oncostman	44
						Andrew Nasmyth	Fireman	34
						Robert Birrell	Oversman	33
						Alexander Carr	oncostman	43
						Martin McTearn	oncostman	36
						James Reid	Miner	35
1901	February	16	Wemyss	Fife	Wemyss Coal Co Ltd	Alexander Christie	Miner	64	Falls of roof	Deceased was building a pillar in a long wall level in a seam 7 feet in thickness, when about 15 cwts. of coal and stone fell from between two parallel lypes and killed him instantly. There were no gibs under the coal, and the nearest rance was 12 feet distant.
1901	February	20	Haugh No 2 Pit	Stirling	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	Patrick Haggerty	Drawer	19	Haulage – on inclined and engine planes	Run over by hutches on a self acting incline. He was taking an empty hutch along a line of rails parallel to the incline and apparently thinking that the hutches were running into him, he stepped aside in front of the descending full hutches
1901	February	23	Craighead No 2 Pit	Lanark	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	James Brown	See entry under 4th April 1900 at top of page
1901	February	25	Limerigg	Stirling	John Nimmo & Son Ltd	Robert Guinney	Pit bottomer	67	Shaft accidents – falling from part way down	Deceased was engaged at a mid-working, and when about to put a loaded tub on the cage it moved up, and he and the tub were precipitated to the bottom, a distance of 44 fathoms. When the cage was in its position at the mid-working the engineman neglected to pin down his brake, and the weight of the opposite cage with empty tub and rope caused it to descend, at the same time causing the cage at mid-working to ascend, thus leaving the shaft unprotected.
1901	February	25	Gilbertfield No 2 Pit	Lanark	Cambuslang Coal Co Ltd	Patrick Kilrain	Pony driver	18	Haulage – by trams and tubs	He seems to have fallen off the front of a “race” of full hutches and was run over
1901	March	2	Oxenford	Edinburgh	A White & Co	John Donaldson	Miner	39	Falls of roof	Deceased was engaged with another workman withdrawing props after the coal stoop had been extracted, when a fall took place and he was partly buried, attempts were made to rescue him, but other falls occurring he was completely buried.
1901	March	4	Limefield (oil shale)	Edinburgh	Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Co Ltd	Thomas Sneddon	Miner	20	Falls of roof	Fall of top shale from the roof near the face of a level.
1901	March	7	Kelty	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	John Bell Heggie	oncostman	53	Haulage – on inclined and engine planes	Deceased and several others were building brick side walls in a dook about 1,000 yards in length, having an average dip of 1 in 5. The dook was laid with a double road throughout, and was worked temporarily as a self-acting incline, the descending tubs, loaded with building materials, pulling up the empties. No blocks were used at dook head. The dook head men, having left a loaded tub standing double snibbled at the top of the incline, brought forward a second one, which was allowed to buffer against the standing tub. The impact carried both tubs on to the incline, where the two snibbles were unable to hold them, and they ran away. Deceased, who was about 400 yards down, was struck by the tubs, and sustained injuries which terminated fatally about an hour afterwards.
1901	March	11	Blair No 2 Pit (ironstone)	Ayr	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	John Smith	Miner	19	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at working face. Caused apparently by want of props
1901	March	11	East Plean	Stirling	Plean Colliery Co	James Gemmell	Miner	40	Falls of side	Fall of stone from the side of working face
1901	March	14	Devon	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	Thomas McEwan	Pin boy	16	On surface – by machinery	Deceased had been endeavouring to unhook a miner's pin or token from a nail underneath the body of a loaded tub. While crossing in front of the tub, his foot was caught by the creeper chain which dragged him down, fracturing and tearing off the leg below the knee. He succumbed to his injuries on the following morning.
1901	March	14	Neilsland	Lanark	Archd. Russell	Wm. Murphy	Pony driver	19	Falls of side	Fall of side on horse road	Newspaper Report
1901	March	14	Niddrie	Edinburgh	Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd	John Scott	Miner	25	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Deceased had gone to the dip side of his face and withdrawn his sprags and in returning he passed between the face and a prop when the coal from which the sprags had been withdrawn came away and fatally crushed him against the prop
1901	March	15	Fordell	Fife	Fordell Trustees	William Duncan	Labourer	72	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	While moving an empty wagon he allowed it to move too quickly down an incline, and, after following it for a considerable distance, attempting to put on the brake, he became exhausted and fell. Died on 4th August, never having resumed work.
1901	March	18	Belhaven	Lanark	United Collieries Ltd	James Swan	Wagon shifter	45	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	While shifting a wagon below the screen he was jammed against a post supporting the scaffold.	Newspaper report
1901	March	18	Swinhill	Lanark	Darngavil Coal Co Ltd	Adam Pow	Miner	29	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at working face.
1901	March	19	Dysart	Fife	Earl of Rosslyn's Collieries Ltd	James Leslie	Miner	22	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Deceased was about to take down some head coal which had been shorn on both sides. While cutting out the bridge in front of the rise side shearings the head coal suddenly came down, part of it falling upon the deceased and causing injuries to which he succumbed while being taking outbye
1901	March	21	Bentrigg	Lanark	Larkhall Collieries Ltd	John Ireland	Miner	43	Shaft accidents – miscellaneous	When clearing out a shaft from the bottom a rush of clay and mud engulfed him.
1901	March	29	Dalquhandy	Lanark	Waddell & Son	James Gloag	Miner	42	Falls of side	Fall of coal
1901	April	1	Blair No 9 Pit	Ayr	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	James Cooper	Drawer	37	Haulage – on inclined and engine planes	While drawing in front of seven empty hutches which he was attempting to take down a road he was overpowered and crushed against the end of the road
1901	April	8	Devon	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	Andrew Harrower	Miner	17	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Deceased worked in a place 17 feet wide going to the rise in in a seam 4 ½ feet thick. The coal had been holed and a shot fired which did not bring it down, and they appear to have been improving the holing previous to firing another shot when the coal came over
1901	April	8	Devon	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	James Harrower	Miner	23	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust
1901	April	8	Daldowie	Lanark	Glasgow Coal Co, Ltd	Hugh Morrison	Brusher	42	Underground by explosives	A spark from his lamp which was, contrary to the regulations, on his cap ignited compressed gunpowder in his case which he had opened
1901	April	11	Cultrigg	Linlithgow	Barr & Thornton	John Carruthers	Drawer	15	Shaft accidents – miscellaneous	Deceased had just descended a shaft 35 fathoms in depth, where no bottomer was employed. He signalled the cage clear, and a moment later, as it had not been raised, attempted to cross upon it to the other side of the shaft. As he was entering it, the cage was raised, he was caught between it and the side of the shaft, was dragged up for some distance, and fell back into the bottom, being killed instantly.
1901	April	12	Chapel	Lanark	Chapel Coal Co Ltd	Annie Reynolds	Coal cleaner	17	On surface – by machinery	The shoot which conveyed the nuts from the picking table to a hopper underneath had become choked, owing to the hopper being full. Deceased placed her foot upon the nuts, and was pushing them down, when it was caught by the plates of the picking table ; her leg was drawn in and the lower part of her body was severely crushed, resulting in her death three hours afterwards.
1901	April	15	Donibristle	Fife	Donibristle Coal Co	William Archibald	Miner	50	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Deceased was taking off coal from the side of a stoop when the coal suddenly gave a burst; to escape injury he threw himself back and his head came into violent contact with a rail. He died from his injuries 4 days afterwards
1901	April	15	Daldowie	Lanark	Glasgow Coal Co, Ltd	William Dick	Miner	61	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at working face.
1901	April	16	Banknock Victoria Pit	Stirling	Young's Collieries Ltd	Thomas Millar	Miner	47	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at working face.
1901	April	16	Philpstoun (Oil shale)	Linlithgow	James Ross & Co	Magnus Dickson	Miner	24	Haulage – on inclined and engine planes	The mine dips from the surface, with an inclination averaging 1 in 3 ¾. An empty tub had been placed on the level scaffold at mine mouth, close to a block set to guard the incline. The block was 2 ins. thick, and crossed one rail only. Three other empties were pushed forward, and buffered against the one referred to, driving it over the block, and sending it down the incline. Deceased was at the moment travelling up the incline, and was struck by the runaway tub while he was endeavouring to reach a manhole, receiving injuries which terminated fatally fifteen minutes afterwards.
1901	April	18	Candie	Stirling	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	Alexander Williamson	See entry under 7th July 1900 at top of page
1901	April	23	Craighead No 2 Pit	Lanark	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	John McKay	Drawer	21	Falls of roof	Fall of roof on road while taking in an empty hutch	NB Deceased most likely Jonas Giga. Newspaper Report
1901	April	23	Drumpellar Nos 3&4 Pits	Lanark	Summerlee & Mossend Iron & Steel Co Ltd	Richard Nisbet	Miner	48	Haulage – on inclined and engine planes	While illegally riding in an empty hutch attached to a race of full hutches coming down a haulage road they ran off the rails and his spine was broken
1901	April	25	Newbattle	Edinburgh	Lothian Coal Co Ltd	Robert Beveridge	Miner	69	Haulage – on inclined and engine planes	Deceased was travelling down a self-acting incline 160 fms. in length, and having an average dip of 1 in 5. He was informed that a ''wreck" had taken place shortly before, owing to the ascending and descending sets colliding, but appeared to think he could get down the brae before the traffic was resumed. He had gone down about 70 fms. when the repairers, having set the tubs on the rails, signalled to the wheeler, and the tubs were set in motion. Deceased appears to have been tripped by the ropes, or struck by the empty tubs. He fell amongst them, and was crushed against the roof, sustaining injuries to which he succumbed while on the way to pit bottom. The repairers had not observed his light in the road, and believed he had been in the dark.
1901	April	30	Lumphinnans	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Walter Brown	Miner	34	Falls of roof	Deceased was taking off coal at the face, when the roof fell on him.
1901	May	3	Dechmont No 1 Pit	Lanark	Archd. Russell	John McAllister	Repairer	26	Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery	The rope came off the pithead pulley just as the cage with 8 men in it reached the pithead. When the cage dropped the deceased either jumped off or fell from the cage down the shaft. A gland clamped to the rope with a small pulley attached, left on by inadvertence by men working in the shaft, was the cause of the rope coming out of the groove in the pulley	Newspaper Report
1901	May	3	Knownoble	Lanark	Kerr & Mitchell	Peter McArdale	Miner	39	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	Deceased was brushing a road in a long wall working. The brushing which consisted of blaes, fire clay and ironstone balls was too soft to require blasting and was usually taken down with the pick. He appeared to have shorn it all along one side, and to have been relieving a ball on the other side when a mass of fireclay fell upon him causing spinal and other injuries which resulted in his death 6 months later
1901	May	6	Monkland	Lanark	Jas Dunlop & Co (1900) Ltd	Hugh Sloan	Miner	25	Falls of roof	Fall from roof at face of long wall in upper Drumgray seam. The fall was 20 ft. long. 3 ft. wide, and 1 ft. thick and came away from a crack and swung some timber.
1901	May	7	Espieside	Lanark	James Wood, Ltd	William Stewart	Roadsman	33	Falls of roof	Fall of roof on drawing road while repairing it. Another man was injured.
1901	May	8	Farme	Lanark	Farme Coal Co, Ltd	Robert Falls	Brusher	40	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at brushing face
1901	May	15	Loganlea	Edinburgh	Loganlea Coal Co Ltd	James McFarlane	Pony driver	15	Haulage – by trams and tubs	Deceased appeared to have been riding outbye on the first of a set of loaded tubs, and to have fallen in front of them, probably owing to his head having come in contact with a haulage rope roller, which was hung from the roof. He was found lying underneath the leading tub. His skull had been fractured.
1901	May	16	Gilmilnscroft No 3 Pit	Ayr	Gauchalland Coal Co	James Crichton	Fireman	38	Explosions of fire damp or coal dust	While “waffling” gas along with 2 roadsmen and a miner from a working place in which he had found an accumulation when making his inspection, an explosion happened. It was said that another man came in with a naked light and this ignited the gas, but this seems uncertain. Other 3 men were injured	Took place in No. 3 Pit, Gilmilnscroft Colliery, Ayrshire, and resulted in the death of the fireman and the injury of three other workmen. A level crosscut mine, 145 yards in length, was driven from the Main to the Major seam, and at the time of the explosion a heading, 20 yards in length, was driven in the coal, and a level at right angles to it for about the same distance was driven from the end of the mine. A wooden rhone, 2 1/2 feet by 2 feet in section, was led in to the end of the mine, and from that point bratticing was led to the face of the two working places. The ventilating current, such as it was, went in the mine, round the bratticing to the heading face, thence to the level face, and back through the wooden rhone. The coal gave off firedamp freely, and consequently safety lamps were used. The lamp station was at the outer end of the mine, and this was also the station appointed by the manager in terms of General Rule 4. It appears that on the morning of the explosion the fireman found at the face of the heading an accumulation of gas which the ordinary ventilation was unable to clear away, and he got the assistance of two miners and a roadsman to assist him to endeavour to "waff" it out by means of pieces of brattice cloth. Leaving their lamps at the foot of the heading, they were trying by waving or "waffing" the brattice cloth to dislodge the gas from the heading when another roadsman came in carrying, it was stated by one of the miners, although it was not afterwards proved against him, a naked light on his cap. Just as he reached the foot of the heading the explosion took place. The presence of firedamp had been reported in this working place daily for five weeks, and the miners working on the previous night shift had to be withdrawn on account of the gas accumulating. Every morning for some time the fireman got the assistance of the workmen to remove by "waffing" the gas which the ventilating current in accordance with General Rule 1 ought to have prevented from accumulating. The safety lamps were lighted below-ground instead of on the surface, contrary to Special Rule 86. The fireman who was appointed to perform the duties required by General Rule 10 (i) delegated these duties to another man, and contravened Special Rule 38 by failing to prevent the workmen from entering their working place until a report had been made that it was safe. The workmen also contravened General Rule 4 by passing the station before the workings beyond it had been stated by the fireman to be safe. The investigation of this explosion revealed an utter disregard of the regulations by all concerned, from the manager downwards. With your sanction the manager was charged with failing to provide adequate ventilation in terms of General Rule 1, and after a trial which extended into the third day he was convicted and fined £15. An appeal against the conviction was intimated, but the case was not carried farther. The overman was convicted under Special Rule 2 of failing to see that the safety lamps were lighted, &c. on the surface in terms of Special Rule 86, and the manager was also charged with the same offence, but the charge against him was withdrawn. The roadsman who came in to the foot of the heading at the time of the explosion was charged with having a naked light in a place where safety lamps were used, contrary to Special Rule 87 (5), but the sheriff found the charge "not proven."
1901	May	18	Earnock	Lanark	John Watson Ltd	John Richmond	Miner	23	Falls of roof	Fall of roof in working place.
1901	May	20	South Broadrigg	Linlithgow	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	John McCabe	Drawer	13	Falls of roof	The roof fell on deceased while he was filling a hutch with coal at the working face. The roof is a treacherous fire-clay.	Newspaper Report
1901	May	21	Cowdenbeath	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Daniel Bain	Joiner	23	On surface – by machinery	While engaged erecting a fence around a fan engine while it was in motion he was caught by the crank.
1901	May	23	Banknock Cannerton Pit	Stirling	Young's Collieries Ltd	John Tripney	Miner	55	Falls of side	Fall of coal
1901	May	24	Lassodie	Fife	Thomas Spowart & Co Ltd	William Taylor	Brusher	37	Falls of side	Deceased and another workman were engaged brushing a heading road when the roof suddenly fell.	Newspaper report
1901	May	24	Kelty	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	James Gray	Brusher	48	Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery	Deceased and fifteen workmen were being raised to the surface after the day's work was done, and by some unexplained cause he fell off the cage. The space between the end of the shaft and the cage was insufficient to allow him to fall into the shaft and he was dragged up to a "ring" and forced into its space and when the cage passed he dropped to the bottom a distance of 134 fathoms.	Newspaper report
1901	May	28	Glencraig	Fife	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	John Bell	Drawer	17	Haulage – by ropes and chains breaking	Deceased was a drawer, but assisted at the foot of a cut-chain brae. Having put an empty tub on one end of the chain, a loaded tub was pushed over, and it ran away, and before he could get clear he was caught and so severely crushed against the wall side that he died six hours afterwards. The cause of the tub running away was the opening of a "false" link in the chain.
1901	May	29	Hallside	Lanark	James Dunlop & Co Ltd	Michael Docherty	Brusher	28	Falls of roof	Fall of roof while travelling along a working face not in use
1901	June	2	Bothwell Park No 1 pit	Lanark	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	James Bunyan	shanksman	26	Shaft accidents – miscellaneous	He went into the cage seat to clean it when the cage came down on him
1901	June	3	South Broadrigg	Linlithgow	John Nimmo & Son Ltd	Thomas Marshall	Miner	53	Falls of side	Deceased was breaking away a place in a. stoop and room working, in a seam 3 ft. thick, having a roof of fakey fireclay. He had fired a bursting and a cut shot in the coal, and, finding that they had shaken the overhanging fireclay, he proceeded to secure it with a prop. While setting the prop the fireclay fell upon him, causing injuries which resulted fatally two days afterwards.
1901	June	4	Northrigg	Linlithgow	James Wood, Ltd	Gavin Tudhope	Pit bottomer	23	Shaft accidents – miscellaneous	Deceased leaned over a gate, fencing the shaft at a mid-working, to cry to the bottom of the shaft 13 fathoms below, when one of the cages running in the shaft came down and caught his head. He appears either to have thought the cages were not running or thought he was in a safe position.
1901	June	12	Douglas Park No 1 Pit	Lanark	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	James Dickson	Miner	18	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at working face.	Newspaper Report
1901	June	15	Cousland (oil shale)	Linlithgow	Pumpherston Oil Co Ltd	Robert Stirling	Miner	30	Underground by explosives	Deceased had six shots charged and ready to fire at the face of an upset, and he appears to have attempted to light all the shots at once, with the result that one exploded before he had lit them all.
1901	June	17	Neilsland	Lanark	John Watson Ltd	David Gallacher	Pump attendant	38	Underground by machinery	Caught by pump machinery
1901	June	19	Herbertshire No 2 Pit	Stirling	R Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd	John Caldwell	Brusher	27	Falls of side	Fall of side at working face. A prop was being got ready to set beneath it
1901	June	21	Bothwell Park No 1 pit	Lanark	Wm. Baird & Co, Ltd	Walter Grant	Roadsman	18	Underground by machinery	While holding up a haulage rope while another man cut a notch in a crown, the haulage engine was started and his arm was drawn in round a pulley
1901	June	25	Westfield (Limestone)	Edinburgh	William Baird & Co Ltd	James Watson	Miner	27	Metalliferous Mines	After firing a shot in a thick seam of limestone he returned and was cuaght by the fall of a large block loosened by the shot	Newspaper Report
1901	June	28	Gilbertfield No 2 Pit	Lanark	Cambuslang Coal Co Ltd	Wm Livingstone	Miner	30	Falls of roof	Fall of roof at working face.

Go to Accidents for July to December 1901

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Last Updated 3rd May 2007