| Date of Accident | Mine | County | Owner or Company | Name | Age | Occupation | Category | Cause of accident & remarks | Additional Information | ||
| 1907 | January | 4 | Lochore | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | Barclay Gaffney | 37 | Sinker | Shaft accidents – things falling into shaft from surface | The shaft sinking had been completed, and deceased with three other sinkers were engaged putting in the permanent pumps : a service engine was in use to lower the material required, and the cage on being raised to the surface was taken up to the pulley: striking a crossbeam, and causing the chain connecting the rope to cage to break, and cage went back down the shaft; in its descent it wrecked the woodwork surrounding the shaft at the surface, and part of the wood fell down the shaft, and deceased who was standing on a " bunton " was struck and thrown off, falling to the bottom. | One man – a sinker - was killed by material falling down the shaft from the surface : several sinkers were engaged putting in the permanent pipes in a shaft where sinking had been completed, and during the time work was going on the service cage had to make trips in the shaft with material necessary for the operations. The engineman during one of the ascending trips brought the cage up too far, causing it to strike the cross-beams, breaking the coupling chain, and freeing the cage which fell down the shaft, wrecking in its descent the woodwork at the surface, which fell into the dip side of the shaft where the men were at work, and one man was struck and precipitated to the bottom. The speed of the engine, which was temporary, was very slow. |
| 1907 | January | 8 | Gateside | Lanark | Flemington Coal Co Ltd | William Weir | 60 | Labourer | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | When cleaning waggon road under the screens he was run over by the first of three empty waggons which were being brought forward. | |
| 1907 | January | 10 | Oakbank (Oil shale) | Edinburgh | Oakbank Oil Co Ltd | Samuel McCurley | 14 | Filler | Haulage – ropes or chains breaking | Deceased left his working place to go for a drink of water, and when passing the foot of a "cuddie brae," he was crushed by a runaway tub ; the cause of the runaway was the opening of a false link on the chain. | |
| 1907 | January | 11 | East Parkhead | Lanark | Wilson's & Clyde Coal Co Ltd | Thomas Panton | 19 | Washing machine assistant | On surface – by machinery | He went over the fence of the washer engine, apparently to oil a bearing, and got caught by the flywheel. | |
| 1907 | January | 11 | Auldhouseburn | Ayr | Cairntable Gas Coal Co Ltd | Robert Hazel | 17 | Miner | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | When returning from work a runaway race of empty hutches which had not been coupled to the rope at top of dook, ran into them. Another man going to his work was injured. | Newspaper Report |
| Robert Brown | 17 | Drawer | |||||||||
| 1907 | January | 11 | Dykehead No 1 | Lanark | Summerlee Iron Co Ltd | Jas. McGhie | 68 | Miner | Falls of side | Fall of roof in working place. | |
| 1907 | January | 18 | Portland No 5 | Ayr | Portland Colliery Co Ltd | John Wilson | 17 | Drawer | Falls of side | Fall of roof on road while travelling behind a full hutch being drawn by a pony. The pony turned, and the tail chain drew out several centre props, causing the timbering and roof to give way. | Newspaper report |
| 1907 | January | 18 | Auldton | Lanark | Brand & Co | David Cannavon | 15 | Pony Driver | Falls of side | Fall of roof on road while taking in a race of hutches to the workings. | |
| 1907 | January | 18 | Townhill | Fife | West of Fife Coal Co Ltd | Adam Bower | 32 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased had just taken down coal at the working face, which relieved a mass of rock from the roof, and part striking him caused fatal injuries. | |
| 1907 | January | 18 | Elgin & Wellwood | Fife | Thos Spowart & Co Ltd | John Sutherland | 23 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was taking coal off the face, when the roof burst suddenly and in trying to escape he ran right under the falling part, and was killed instantly. | |
| 1907 | January | 23 | Coltness | Lanark | Coltness Iron Co Ltd | John Kerr | 29 | Labourer | On surface – miscellaneous | The waggons at a coal washer were very stiff to move owing to the grease having become hard by the frost, and in order to thaw the grease, deceased poured some naphtha over the box and set the oil on fire ; while the grease was flaming he lifted the can containing about three gallons of naphtha, and commenced to pour some more oil on the box, when the vapour ignited, causing an explosion, and saturated his clothing, which took fire. | A labourer at a coal-washer was pouring naphtha oil on the grease-box of a waggon to thaw the grease, when the flame caught the vapour, and the whole contents of the oil-can exploded, setting fire to his clothing. |
| 1907 | January | 24 | Gartshore No 11 | Dumbarton | Wm Baird & Co Ltd | Jas. McAllister | 20 | Bogie man | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | He appears to have fallen off his bogie and got crushed against a prop. | |
| 1907 | January | 25 | Polton | Edinburgh | Lothian Coal Co Ltd | Joseph Sloane | 21 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was holing his place, and had just finished when the roof suddenly collapsed, and fell upon him ; the holing was on top of seam. | |
| 1907 | January | 25 | Lumphinnans | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | George Duff | 30 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased apparently was at work at the coal face, when a part of the roof fell upon him, and caused his death. | Newspaper report |
| 1907 | January | 29 | Philpstoun (Oil shale) | Linlithgow | James Ross & Co | James Donnelly | 22 | Miner | Explosions of fire damp or coal dust | See Report |
The fatal explosion occurred in a shale mine [see
plan]. The opening is an in-going-eye from the surface, and
dips 1 in 1.5 on an average. The seam worked is the Broxburn
shale, and system of working is stoop and room, with stoops varying
from 60 feet to 90 feet square, and openings 12 feet wide. In
the vicinity of the place of accident the stoops were irregular
in size owing to the proximity of a large "throw "
running almost east and west. The method of working the shale
is to hole the seam in the centre by " yankeeing,"
next work off the bottoms and lastly bring down the tops. The air current to ventilate the workings passed down the mine to No. 19 level where it split, one portion going to the right and the other portion going to the left, the whole returning to the top of the parallel mine at the top of which was a Guibal fan 22 feet by seven feet, running usually about 36 revolutions per- minute. The air measurements recorded prior to the accident were 17,000 cubic feet per minute to the left, and 19,000 cubic feet per minute to the right. In stooping, it is usual to take the stoops out in lifts of 12 feet to 18 feet to the rise and across the level. Stooping had been in progress at the extreme end of No. 17 South West level for some time, and at the time of the explosion the stoop had almost been wholly extracted - only a small pillar eight feet by six feet remaining - and the weight of the overhead strata above crushed off the top portion of the shale from the pillar so that the roof was unsupported over that area, but the area of the waste was wholly supported by timber set in close order. In order to take away the pillar hurriedly an extra force of men was put on, consisting of the deceased and two drawers, and it was the intention of the officials to begin and withdraw the timber immediately the pillar was out. Work was proceeding as usual when at 11.15 a.m. a violent explosion was heard coming from the direction of No. 17 level. The force threw open trap-doors at the side of the mine, shale dust was raised in clouds on the level roads and small stones thrown about, stoppings were thrown out, and props displaced, causing many falls, and the lights of the men at work in various parts of the mine were extinguished. Naturally there was much confusion. Soon many men arrived at the level, and search parties were formed, and proceeded in the level road, but were forced back by the deadly after-damp. After several attempts the rescue by No 17 level was abandoned and an attempt by No 18 level made, which was happily successful. Donelly and Fleming were found alive, and at once conveyed to the mine where artificial respiration was applied, but it availed nothing as both succumbed. A search was afterwards made for Lindsay, and after prolonged searching he was found to the rise in the waste of the extracted stoop, quite dead, and very severely burned. Had there been proper directions given by the person in charge, to send the rescue party by No 18 level at first instead of making so many futile attempts by No. 17 level, where the whole volume of the after damp was passing, the lives of the men – Donnelly and Fleming would, in all probability, have been saved. It was unfortunate that, owing to illness, the Under-Manager - who is a most capable and experienced official – was not able to be present. The explosion was caused by the naked light of Lindsay firing gas in the vicinity of where his body was found, and this gas had been liberated from the roof, which had been showing signs of falling during the morning. The system of allowing the whole area of the stoop to rest on timber lent itself to the liberation of a larger quantity of gas at one time than was possible under the usual method of withdrawing the timber as soon as each lift was extracted, but it is only fair to say that the roof is sometimes hard to break, and it was hoped that by extracting the whole stoop, and afterwards withdrawing the timber, the roof would fall across the stooped area. Gas had not been seen in the Section prior to the accident, and it presumably came of the “throw.” There did not appear to be any valid reason for Lindsay going into the stooped ground. Newspaper report |
| Alexander Fleming, jun. | 21 | Miner | |||||||||
| David Lindsay | 19 | Miner | |||||||||
| 1907 | February | 5 | Michael | Fife | Wemyss Coal Co Ltd | Ebenezer Johnstone | 14 | Drawer | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | Deceased was pushing a loaded tub down a short brae against an empty on other end of rope, when the ascending empty tub left the rails, causing the loaded one to up end, and his head was crushed between the end of tub and roof, which was low at the part. | |
| 1907 | February | 7 | Little Raith | Fife | Lochgelly Iron & Coal Co Ltd | Mark Churchill | 55 | Labourer | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | Deceased, with some other workmen, was engaged moving forward some empty waggons, and wag pushing at the buffer of the rear waggon when some loaded waggons moving behind came slowly down and the front one crushed him between its buffer and the buffer of the empty waggon. | |
| 1907 | February | 8 | Donibristle | Fife | Donibristle Colliery Co Ltd | Alexander Innes | 45 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was at work at the coal face, when a large stone fell from the roof upon him, causing injuries to which he succumbed two days later. | |
| 1907 | February | 12 | Dalbeath | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | Mary Rae | 14 | Pithead-worker | On surface – miscellaneous | Deceased was spreading the "duff " on top of a hopper when the surface foreman, unaware of her position, pulled open the schute or sliding door to fill a waggon beneath, and she fell down among the fine material and was suffocated. | A girl was spreading " duff" on top of a hopper when, unknown to her, the valve at the bottom was opened and she fell through and was suffocated. |
| 1907 | February | 14 | Dunnikier | Fife | Walter Herd & Son Ltd | Andrew Galloway | 24 | Miner | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | Deceased was travelling up an incline towards his working place, when he was met by an empty runaway tub which injured him, and he died 22 days later. His drawer, in turning an empty tub on the plates at the incline, allowed it to go over to the rails, and it ran down. | |
| 1907 | February | 21 | Whitehill | Edinburgh | Lothian Coal Co Ltd | William Aitken | 26 | Loco. Guard | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | Deceased stood with the coupling-pole in his hand to couple on some loaded waggons to a train, which the locomotive was pushing in front, and just as the train approached he appeared to suddenly change his mind and stepped between, and was crushed by the buffers. | |
| 1907 | February | 22 | Dunnikier | Fife | Walter Herd & Son Ltd | James Griffiths | 47 | Pumping Engineman | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | Deceased was walking up a dook, and was overtaken by a loaded rake of tubs being drawn up, and seriously injured, the injuries terminating fatally on 21st May, 1907. He apparently did not think the rake was so close upon him, as he had plenty of room to step aside and allow it to pass. | |
| 1907 | February | 23 | Twechar | Dumbarton | Wm Baird & Co Ltd | Thos. Humphreys | 40 | Brusher | Falls of side | Fall of roof in working place after knocking out a prop to put in a building. | |
| 1907 | February | 25 | Broomrigg No 3 | Stirling | Banknock Colliery Co Ltd | James Lees | 45 | Fireman | Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery | When descending the shaft the cage left the slides and he was fatally injured. | |
| 1907 | February | 28 | Balgonie | Fife | Charles B Balfour | Charles Smith | 24 | Labourer | On surface – miscellaneous | Deceased was inside a cylindrical water softening apparatus cleaning out the wood fibre, which lay to a depth of six feet below the top of the tank, when the iron plate supporting this fibre gave way and he was precipitated into some hot water below which had not been drawn off. The plate was supported by two bolts, which appeared to be insufficient to sustain the weight. | |
| 1907 | March | 6 | Wallyford | Edinburgh | Edinburgh Collieries Co Ltd | Andrew Rutherford | 37 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was breaking up a projecting stone in the side of a self-acting incline, when the timber supporting the roof gave way, and the roof fell upon him ; he died from his injuries on 23rd December, 1907. | |
| 1907 | March | 8 | Bridgeness | Linlithgow | Bridgeness Coal Co | Robert Downie | 23 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased took off some projecting coal, and as soon as it came away, a large stone fell from between two parallel lypes, and killed him instantly ; the fireman was close by at the time and had a narrow escape. The lypes were unseen prior to the accident. | |
| 1907 | March | 9 | Ross No 1 | Lanark | Thos Barr's Trustees | Alex. Paterson | 56 | Overman | Miscellaneous underground – sundries | When walking out to the pit bottom he struck his head against a crown and cut it. Blood-poisoning set in and he died on 26th March. | |
| 1907 | March | 11 | Muiredge | Fife | Wemyss Coal Co Ltd | John Johnstone | 17 | Drawer | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | The place of accident was a cut chain brae. The tubs stopped on the brae, and deceased went up to ascertain what was the cause, and the tubs started to run before he was clear of the brae, while they were in motion, the wheel became detached from the wheel tree, allowing the tubs to run free, and deceased was caught by the runaway tubs. | |
| 1907 | March | 11 | Polmaise No 4 & 2 | Stirling | Archd. Russell Ltd | Thos. Carruthers | 51 | Labourer | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | He appears to have been mounting one of four waggons to disload props when a Caledonian Railway locomotive moved them, and he was crushed between the buffers. | |
| 1907 | March | 12 | Allanton | Lanark | Wm Barr & Sons | Jas. Cowan | 56 | Reddsman | Falls of side | Fall of roof in working place while securing it. | |
| 1907 | March | 14 | Prestonlinks | Haddington | Edinburgh Collieries Ltd | James Hoggan | 59 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased and his step-son were working as usual at the face, when the roof suddenly gave signs of falling, and both ran in opposite directions, but were overtaken and buried beneath a huge fall. The roof had been well supported by props, but the fall threw all the props out. | |
| 1907 | March | 15 | Dalmeny (Oil shale) | Linlithgow | Dalmeny Oil Co Ltd | William Branders | 59 | Miner | Falls of side | Deceased was taking shale off the rise side of his place, when a large piece fell away from between lypes, and striking him he was killed instantly. | |
| 1907 | March | 15 | Aitken | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | James Dickson | 42 | Labourer | On surface – miscellaneous | In order to take away the debris to the redd bing with the least possible delay as it is raised from the shaft, an aerial ropeway was erected, and close by the pit was a large hopper with a capacity to hold 90 tons of debris. By means of "shoots," the debris was filled into buckets, and the buckets were carried by a rope to the redd bing. While the work of filling the buckets was in progress the structure collapsed, and deceased was buried among the debris. The cause of the collapse was due to a cross-beam of wood breaking at a part which was defective, but which could not be observed. | |
| 1907 | March | 16 | Tannochside No 1 | Lanark | Archd. Russell Ltd | Thos. McGuigan | 32 | Boiler fireman | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | In some unexplained manner he was run over by the front waggon of two which he was shunting. | |
| 1907 | March | 18 | Dalzell & Broomside | Lanark | Wishaw Coal Co Ltd | James Brown | 40 | Bogie-man | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | The haulage road is worked by endless rope system, and the rakes are hauled by bogies, on which the bogie-men sit to control the speed by means of the rope clamp. During the shift the rope suddenly stopped, and on an. examination, a loaded rake was found upset at a part of the road, where there is a turn, and an underground wheel for the rope to pass round, and some distance inbye deceased was found on the loaded roadway quite dead, he appeared to have fallen off the bogie and was crushed between the tubs as they moved outbye and the stoop side. | |
| 1907 | March | 19 | Altonhill | Ayr | J & R Howie | Hugh Hannah | 22 | Miner | Falls of side | Fall of roof in working place. | |
| 1907 | March | 20 | Bent | Lanark | Bent Colliery Co Ltd | Robert Gourlay | 38 | Waggon shifter | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | He held up a 6-feet prop to prevent two moving waggons from buffer locking other two. The prop was knocked aside and he was crushed between the waggons. | |
| 1907 | March | 25 | Lochhead | Fife | Wemyss Coal Co Ltd | Stuart Band | 18 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was filling coal, which he had taken down from the roof into a tub, when some more coal fell, which struck him on the head and killed him instantly. | |
| 1907 | March | 25 | Blantyre Ferme | Lanark | A G Moore & Co | Charles Smith | 30 | Drawer | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | While illegally drawing in front of his hutch going down an incline the snibble broke, and he was knocked down by the hutch and crushed against a prop. | |
| 1907 | March | 25 | Earlseat | Fife | Wemyss Coal Co Ltd | George Hutchison | 44 | Miner | Falls of side | Deceased was lying holing under the head coal, when it suddenly burst and fell upon him. The head coal was “ranced” but the "burst" threw the rance out. | |
| 1907 | March | 25 | Gartshore No 2 | Dumbarton | Wm Baird & Co Ltd | Chas. Higney | 18 | Drawer | Falls of side | Fall of roof in working place. | |
| 1907 | March | 26 | Riddochhill | Linlithgow | Gavin Paul & Sons Ltd | John Walker | 54 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was taking down some roof blaes, when a piece suddenly fell and threw him against a prop, causing injuries to which he succumbed eight days later. | |
| 1907 | March | 28 | Dunnikier | Fife | Walter Herd & Son Ltd | Lewis Park | 30 | Wheeler | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | The tubs on a self-acting incline, became derailed, and deceased and the hanger-on at the foot re-railed them. Owing to some obstruction on the rails the tubs did not at first move, and afterwards they went away, just as deceased was leaning over them, and he was crushed against the roof which was low at the part. | |
| 1907 | March | 29 | Highhouse No 2 | Ayr | Wm Baird & Co Ltd | Robert Devine | 35 | Brusher | Falls of side | When redding through an old drift and preparing to secure the roof, which he knew to be unsafe, the roof fell on him. | |
| 1907 | March | 29 | Simpsonland No 1 | Lanark | United Collieries Ltd | James Bell | 44 | Miner | Falls of side | Fall of coal while holing. Sprags were said to have been set to the undercut coal. | |
| 1907 | April | 1 | Lumphinnans | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | James McCallum | 15 | Drawer | Falls of side | Deceased was filling a tub, when a mass of coal fell off the face and crushed him, causing death six days later. | |
| 1907 | April | 2 | Bowhill | Fife | Bowhill Coal Co Ltd | John Ross | 21 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was engaged taking down coal, when the roof suddenly collapsed, and he was badly injured ; he died from his injuries 19 days later. The roof fell away by two parallel lypes, which were unseen. | |
| 1907 | April | 2 | Lumphinnans | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | George Auld | 19 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was taking down coal, which, when it fell relieved the roof, and it came away on him, causing instant death. | |
| 1907 | April | 3 | Cowdenbeath | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | William Brown | 70 | Wood-cutter | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | Deceased was crossing the lines of rails of the sidings, when unobserved a train of waggons being pushed by a locomotive came upon him and he was run down. | |
| 1907 | April | 3 | Wester Queenslie No 2 | Lanark | Steel Company of Scotland Ltd | James Williamson | 31 | Brusher | Explosions of fire damp or coal dust | Upon entering a road in which the fireman had found gas and which was fenced off, his naked light ignited the gas. Another man was injured by the explosion. | One of these was caused by the deceased entering with a naked light a place which was fenced off and in which the fireman had found fire-damp. |
| 1907 | April | 4 | Bankton | Haddington | Edinburgh Collieries Ltd | William Masterton | 17 | Apprentice Surveyor | Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery | Deceased and the surveyor had been engaged levelling in a mid seam, and on arriving at the shaft the signal was given for them to be raised to the surface. When all was ready they stepped on to the cage, and as soon as the cage began to ascend, deceased, who carried the levelling staff in one hand, apparently lost his balance, and before he could regain it, he fell off the cage into the shaft. | An apprentice mining engineer went on to the cage, along with the surveyor, at a mid-working, carrying a levelling staff and just as the cage moved upward, he overbalanced and fell into the shaft. |
| 1907 | April | 9 | Cobbinshaw (oil shale) | Edinburgh | Tarbrax Oil Co | John Devlin | 38 | Miner | Miscellaneous underground – by explosives | The fireman in making his inspection for the back shift found deceased lying dead about 12 feet from his working face. An examination of the place showed that a shot had been fired, and all the appearances pointed to the deceased having gone back on a shot. | |
| 1907 | April | 10 | Shaws No 2 | Lanark | United Collieries Ltd | John Gaffney | 23 | Pithead labourer | On surface – miscellaneous | While uncoupling a hutch on a gangway 20 feet high he fell to the ground by stumbling and slipping beneath the railing. He died on 28th November | |
| 1907 | April | 12 | Houldsworth | Ayr | Dalmellington Iron Co Ltd | John Robertson | 31 | Locomotive Guard | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | When pinching forward waggons others moved forward behind and crushed him. | |
| 1907 | April | 13 | Ross | Lanark | Thos Barr's Trustees | Alexander Taylor | 47 | Overman | Falls of side | Fall of roof in working place while starting a coal-cutting machine. | Newspaper report |
| 1907 | April | 16 | Dundonald | Fife | Dundonald Coal Co | David Wilson | 38 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased, with others, was repairing and timbering a brae under the directions of a fireman, when the timber previously set suddenly collapsed, and part of the roof fell upon him, and he was killed instantly. | |
| 1907 | April | 16 | Bowhill | Fife | Bowhill Coal Co Ltd | Thomas Nicol | 32 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was clearing away coal to make room for a prop, when a stone fell from the roof and striking him he was killed instantly. | |
| 1907 | April | 16 | Ross | Lanark | Thos Barr's Trustees | John Nisbet | 38 | Brushing contractor | Miscellaneous underground – by explosives | He lit the fuses of three gelignite shots. Thinking all had gone off he returned too soon, when one of the shots went off on him. | |
| 1907 | April | 17 | Polkemmet | Linlithgow | United Collieries Ltd | Thomas McConnell | 37 | Miner | Falls of side | Deceased was holing his coal in a stooping place, when it suddenly fell over the sprags, and crushed him ; he died from his injuries seven days later. | |
| 1907 | April | 18 | Cowdenbeath No 10 | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | Joseph Shearer | 16 | Drawer | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | Deceased hung an empty tub on the rope, and a miner at the top pushed over his loaded tub, and while tubs were in motion the wheel tree broke and loaded tub crashed into the empty tub at bottom of brae, which struck deceased and killed him. | |
| 1907 | April | 19 | Devon | Clackmannan | Alloa Coal Co Ltd | Thomas Dawson | 44 | Fireman | Falls of side | Deceased was repairing the rails, on a horse road at a part where a "dyke" was crossed, when a stone fell away from the side, and fatally injured him ; he died two days later. | |
| 1907 | April | 25 | Greenhill | Lanark | Greenhill Colliery Co Ltd | William Graham | 14 | Dirt-picker | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | Deceased's work was to pick the dirt from the coal, and for this purpose he had to go inside the waggon ; the boy was leaning over the end of the waggon in which he was picking the dirt, when it was moved forward, and his head was crushed against the supporting rail of a shelter structure above. | |
| 1907 | April | 30 | Wallyford | Edinburgh | Edinburgh Collieries Ltd | Thomas Gilroy | 14 | Dirt-picker | On surface – railways, sidings or tramways | Deceased, unknown to anyone, left his work at the picking table and crossed the lines of rails, and on coming back he crossed under the waggons at the screens just as the trimmer was moving his waggons, and he was crushed. | |
| 1907 | May | 2 | Wester Gartshore | Dumbarton | J & A F Wallace | John Wishart | 30 | Fireman | Explosions of fire damp or coal dust | While making his inspection firedamp extinguished his lamp. In striking a match to relight it he ignited the gas. | Of the seven fatal explosions, four resulted in the death of firemen, men who were supposed to be capable of looking after their own safety as well as the safety of the workmen. Three of these occurred while the man who lost his life was making his inspection with a naked light instead of a safety lamp, while the fourth was caused by the victim striking a match to relight his safety lamp which had been extinguished by fire-damp while making his inspection. |
| 1907 | May | 6 | Grangemouth | Stirling | Grangemouth Coal Co Ltd | James Finnigan | 33 | Miner | Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery | Deceased and another miner were descending the shaft in the cage, when an iron strap, which had become detached from the wooden pump rod, and was projecting into the cage space, caught the cage bottom, causing it to tilt, and deceased was thrown out and fell down the shaft, a distance of about 32 fathoms. | |
| 1907 | May | 9 | Cowdenbeath | Fife | Fife Coal Co Ltd | Robert Frail | 19 | Drawer | Falls of roof | The roof fell and threw out some timber, and deceased was injured and subsequently died. The timber was not properly set and roof would not in all likelihood have fallen if the timber had been put up as it ought to have been. | |
| 1907 | May | 13 | Townhill | Fife | West of Fife Coal Co Ltd | George Henderson | 42 | Boiler fireman | On surface – boiler explosions | See Report |
A boiler exploded at No. 6 Pit, Townhill, Fife, whereby one man
was killed. There were four boilers in the range, all of the
cylindrical egg-end type, of different sizes, coupled together,
with a working pressure of 45 lbs. per square inch. On the morning of the accident – Monday - the furnaceman, who should have turned out to do day shift duty, failed to turn out, and the furnaceman, George Henderson, who had worked his long turn, agreed to remain on duty. His duties were to keep up steam and attend to the water in the boilers. Each boiler in the range was fitted with a float, in addition to a glass water-gauge, but for some time prior to the accident there had been no glass in the water-gauge of the boiler which exploded. The pit appeared to be short of boiler power, and consequently there was difficulty in keeping up a regular supply of steam. About 4.30 p.m. one boiler - the outside one of the range - suddenly exploded, and divided into three parts, one part, the largest, going a distance of fully 70 yards, and wrecking the chimney in its passage, a second part going in the opposite direction, and destroying the pithead scaffold, and a third part went against the wall of the stoke hole. Deceased was found on the stairs at the stoke hole. An examination of the parts showed that the cause was overheating due to shortness of water. The Board of Trade Commissioners, after hearing evidence, concluded that: - (1) "If a new glass water-gauge had been fitted to the boiler, so that Henderson could, by a glance, have ascertained the level of the water, or, (2) if Henderson had not been allowed to work for nearly 36 hours on end, the explosion would not have occurred." There was no reason why the glass should not have been fitted into the water-gauge, immediately after it had broken, and the engineman was seriously at fault in not having this done. At every pit the furnaceman has to work a long turn to change the shifts, and during the Sunday and Sunday night the work is comparatively light as compared with the winding shift. It is quite a common thing for a workman to stand an extra shift, in order to oblige his neighbour, without any hardship except that a few hours sleep are lost, but the most important reason is that if a man did not occasionally work an extra shift, when a particular man fails to turn out to his work, the operations would cease for the day to the loss of all concerned. The deceased man volunteered to do the work, and considering the easy shifts he had on the two shifts previous, he was quite able for the work. I do not think the manager was in any way to blame. |
| 1907 | May | 15 | Carronhall | Stirling | Carron Co | John Sneddon, jun. | 16 | Drawer | Falls of roof | Deceased was filling coal into a tub at the face, when the roof fell upon him. The roof was insufficiently propped. | |
| 1907 | May | 15 | Blantyre No 3 | Lanark | Wm Dixon Ltd | Wm. Smith | 16 | Drawer | Falls of side | Fall of roof on road, caused by his hutch going off the rails and knocking out a prop. | |
| 1907 | May | 15 | Greenhill | Lanark | Greenhill Colliery Co Ltd | Matthew Ewing | 45 | Contractor | Falls of roof | Deceased was driving a road through the waste, and while engaged picking the " stowed " debris the roof fell upon him. | |
| 1907 | May | 16 | Kippsbyre | Lanark | Strain Bros | James Smith | 43 | Pitheadman | Shaft accidents – miscellaneous | When the cage arrived at the surface, deceased found the tub fast by reason of the coupling link having caught on the cage, and he got round behind to relieve it, and shouted to the engineman to raise, but the latter took it to mean that all was right and began to lower, deceased was carried down the shaft and seriously injured. He succumbed to his injuries eight months after. |
When the cage arrived at the surface the pitheadman was unable to get the tub off, and he went round to opposite end to ascertain the cause. While engaged releasing the coupling of the tub from the guard of the cage he shouted to the engineman to raise the cage ; the engineman took it to mean that all was right, and having received the ascent signal from the bottom, he set his engine in motion, and the pitheadman was carried down the shaft to the bottom and crushed between the end of the tub and side of shaft, receiving injury to his spine which resulted in his death about nine months afterwards. The shaft was upcast and closed in so that the engineman had no view, but there was a speaking tube between pithead and engine-house, which, had it been used, would have prevented the accident. [NB This entry is from the 1908 report] |
| 1907 | May | 16 | Clydeside | Lanark | United Collieries Ltd | George Currie | 24 | Pithead labourer | Shaft accidents – falling into shaft from surface | Whilst pushing a full hutch away from the shaft mouth he slipped and fell back on the top of the descending cage as it was leaving the pithead. | |
| 1907 | May | 17 | Auchingeich | Lanark | James Nimmo & Co Ltd | Robert Addie | 55 | Miner | Falls of side | Fall of roof at working face, owing to want of propping. No notice as to the specified distance for propping was posted up. | |
| 1907 | May | 20 | Shotts | Lanark | Shotts Iron Co Ltd | James McAllister | 48 | Miner | Falls of side | Deceased appeared to be withdrawing his sprags when the face fell across the greater part of his working place, and he failed to get clear, and was crushed by the mass. | |
| 1907 | May | 21 | Newcraighall | Edinburgh | Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd | James Downie | 32 | Drawer | Falls of roof | Deceased worked in a heading and the tubs were hauled on the self acting incline principle ; the usual custom was for the drawer to follow up the ascending empty tub, and on meeting the descending load tub to take hold of it and go down the heading; deceased as usual met the loaded tub and followed behind, when it ran away and at the terminus it crashed into the side throwing out some timber, causing the roof to fall, and he was buried beneath it. | |
| 1907 | May | 30 | Newbattle | Edinburgh | Lothian Coal Co Ltd | Sinclair Aitken | 45 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased was "backening" coal from the rise side of his place, when the roof suddenly fell out from between lypes, and he was crushed beneath it. | |
| 1907 | June | 3 | Prestongrange | Haddington | Summerlee Iron Co Ltd | James Russell | 15 | Haulage-boy | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | Deceased's duties were to attach and detach tubs to the haulage rope, and it appeared that in detaching the clip from a moving tub he was too near a train of tubs and before he got the clip out he was crashed between the moving tub and the last tub of the train. | |
| 1907 | June | 10 | Garthamlock No 6 | Lanark | Steel Company of Scotland Ltd | John Porter | 35 | Leading Sinker | Miscellaneous underground – by explosives | Owing to a defective steam crane used as a winding engine for a sinking pit and to the hook getting disconnected from the kettle, the engineman could not raise them in time, and four shots of gelignite went off on them. Another man was injured. | A most unusual kind of blasting accident occurred in Garthamlock No. 6 Pit, and by it two men were killed and one injured. This is a new shaft, 13 feet in diameter, in course of being sunk, and at the time of the accident it was only 20 feet deep. The winding engine for the time being was an ordinary steam jib crane, and on the afternoon shift of the day in question there were five sinkers at work. It appears that they had charged eight shot holes bored in whinstone in the bottom of the shaft., using in all 34 cartridges of gelignite. Thereafter two of the men were raised to the surface in the kettle, leaving the other three men to light the tape fuses of the shots. When the fuses were lighted the men were being raised in the kettle, but they had not been raised more than six feet, when the kettle suddenly dropped to the pit bottom again. The engineman again began to wind up, but unfortunately the hook had become detached from the kettle and he continued winding until the hook reached the surface. Before he could again lower the hook four shots in the bottom of the shaft went off, the men there having managed to pull out four of the fuses. The engineman stated that he had just begun to wind up the three men in the kettle when, unnoticed by him, the clutch by which the pinion wheel on the crank shaft is thrown out and in gear, worked itself out of gear, the consequence being that the drum was disconnected from the engine, and the kettle with the men in it dropped down the pit. There was a break on the drum, but apparently the engineman had not time to put it in operation to stop the descent of the kettle, which, in striking the bottom, either by the shock or by the hook turning upside down, caused the thimble locking the guard to slip off and allow the ring attached to the bow of the kettle to get disconnected from the hook. As regards the primary cause of the accident, viz., the getting out of gear of the driving pinion wheel, the clutch is worked by means of a lever handle working over a quadrant in which there were two shallow notches, the lever being supposed to rest in one when the clutch was in gear, and in the other when out of gear. Unfortunately, these notches had become so rounded off by wear that the vibration of the engine would allow the lever to work out of the notch and move along the quadrant until the pinion wheel got out of gear, and, evidently, this is what occurred and was the cause of the accident. The crane ought not to have been used as a winding engine until this defect had been remedied. |
| Thos. Emmet | 44 | Sinker | |||||||||
| 1907 | June | 10 | Newcraighall | Edinburgh | Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd | John Pinkerton | 21 | Bencher | Other haulage accidents | Deceased's duties were to attend to the tubs at an incline top and run them by means of a wheel with brake attached. A rake was set in motion, and on the roadway the descending loaded tubs collided with the ascending empty tubs, the result being that the wheel and apparatus connected with it were thrown out and deceased was struck with wheel tree, and instantly killed. | |
| 1907 | June | 12 | Hawkhill | Fife | Kincardine Coal Co Ltd | David Hunter | 14 | Pithead-boy | Shaft accidents – falling into shaft from surface | Deceased was employed to put empty tubs on the cages, and after loading a cage he climbed on top of fence to watch it descend, and overbalancing fell down the shaft, and landed on the cover, and was firmly fixed between the bridle chains. | |
| 1907 | June | 13 | Kepplehill | Lanark | Kepplehill Coal Co Ltd | Alexander McArthur | 21 | Bottomer | Shaft accidents – miscellaneous | Deceased was putting a loaded tub on the cage when it left the rails, and he went on to the cage to put it right, when the cage was raised, and he was fatally crushed at the door-heads. No signal to raise was given and the engineman was at fault in taking up the cage. | |
| 1907 | June | 13 | Carfin No 6 | Lanark | Wm Dixon Ltd | John Madden | 49 | Bricklayer's labourer | Miscellaneous underground – sundries | He pricked his finger with his lamp pricker which was stuck in his cap. Blood-poisoning resulted and he died sixteen days after the occurrence. | |
| 1907 | June | 14 | Bannockburn No 1 | Stirling | Alloa Coal Co Ltd | Duncan Macgregor | 21 | Repairer | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | When he was working on a dook a drawer let go a full hutch, which ran over him. | |
| 1907 | June | 14 | Hopetoun (oil shale) | Linlithgow | Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd | William Robertson | 45 | Miner | Falls of roof | Deceased and another miner were engaged withdrawing the props where a stoop had been extracted and were just retiring when the roof fell, and deceased was crushed beneath the debris. | |
| 1907 | June | 17 | Bothwell Castle No 3 | Lanark | Wm Baird & Co Ltd | Robert Strang | 23 | Roadsman | Falls of side | Fall of roof on haulage road while working on it. | |
| 1907 | June | 18 | Dundonald | Fife | Dundonald Coal Co | James Taylor | 35 | Fireman | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | Deceased was acting temporarily as bogieman, on an endless rope haulageway, and he appears either to have jumped off or fallen off the bogie at a narrow part of the roadway and was run over. | |
| 1907 | June | 20 | Earnock No 1 | Lanark | John Watson Ltd | John Colligan | 42 | Night fireman | Falls of side | While inspecting a road head, after firing a brushing shot, a stone from the side fell on him. He died from blood-poisoning. | |
| 1907 | June | 20 | Carmyle No 1 | Lanark | James Dunlop & Co Ltd | Wm. Barrowman | 30 | Fireman | Explosions of fire damp or coal dust | While dislodging an accumulation of gas with a naked light the gas ignited at his lamp. | Of the seven fatal explosions, four resulted in the death of firemen, men who were supposed to be capable of looking after their own safety as well as the safety of the workmen. Three of these occurred while the man who lost his life was making his inspection with a naked light instead of a safety lamp, while the fourth was caused by the victim striking a match to relight his safety lamp which had been extinguished by fire-damp while making his inspection. |
| 1907 | June | 21 | Twechar No 1 | Dumbarton | Wm Baird & Co Ltd | Hector Adair | 18 | Pony driver | Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs | He seems to have fallen off a race of hutches, which ran over him. | |
| 1907 | June | 22 | Denbeath | Fife | Wemyss Coal Co Ltd | Thomas Bernard | 48 | Fireman-Engineer | Miscellaneous underground – sundries | Deceased was superintending the erection of an electrically-driven air-compressor to be used for the purpose of underground shaft sinking; the receiver was guaranteed to stand a pressure of 100 lbs. per square inch. The receiver had been fitted to the compressor and before finally putting the machine in use, a test was ordered. The pressure was gradually put on and when 90 lbs. had been reached the end of the receiver blew out, and it struck deceased and killed him instantly. The ends of the receiver were electrically welded, and it was due to a defect in the welding that the end blew out: the thickness of the metal was 1/4 inch, but at part which blew the welding was only 1/16 inch. | |
