Bitchburn Colliery

1877 - Yard and Main seam abandoned

Birtley, William, 28 May 1864, aged 28, Deputy, killed by a fall of stone

Breen, Patrick, 28 Apr 1863, aged 21, Putter, crushed between tub and prop

Dodd, William, 13 May 1862, aged 25, Hewer, crushed by top coal falling upon them [More information ...]

Elliott, James, 03 Feb 1854, aged 23, At about 5.30 on the morning of Friday, 3 February, the brakesman of an engine drawing tubs out of a drift thought something was wrong as the engine was pulling heavily. He stopped it and went with another man into the drift mouth to investigate; there, they found 23 year old James Elliott wedged between the timber and some tubs — he was dead. His skull and upper jaw had been fractured and his left thigh lacerated from the hip joint to the knee. Elliott had only worked at the pit for five weeks, and it was supposed that he had gone in early without his lamp and been run over by a tub

Hoy, Peter, 21 Oct 1849, (accident: 20 Oct 1849), aged 30, Cinder Filler, He was walking in front of a truck moving down an incline. He was pushing cinders onto the rail with his foot in an attempt to slow down the truck, when it struck his leg and passed over his body. He suffered terrible injuries both thighs were broken, as was his arm and the little finger on his right hand. He died 24 hours after being taken home. The surgeon who attended him wanted to amputate his arm, but Hoy's Irish workmates refused to allow him to carry out the operation.

Kelley, James, 16 Apr 1850, he was employed at Bitchburn Colliery to take small coal in tubs up an incline to the coke ovens; on 16 April, while riding on the front of a tub with Bernard Hardy following behind holding on, it struck an incline plate, jumped off the way and fell off the platform; Kelly fell on the ground and the tub hit him on the head killing him instantly

Knott, George, 04 Dec 1873, aged 28, Hewer, killed by a fall of coal

Murphy, James, 15 Oct 1849, aged 38, Labourer, run over on railway line

Naisbett, Thomas, 25 May 1903, aged 14, Driver, he was driving a set of three full tubs from a drift to the screens, over a bridge, when they got off the way and fell over the bridge; one of the tubs caught him and caused fatal injuries

O'Neil, Mary Ann, 18 Jan 1856, aged 5, [Not Employed], run over by tubs on the colliery incline

Race, John, 13 May 1862, aged 17, Horse Putter, crushed by top coal falling upon them [More information ...]

Raynor, Suvion, 20 Oct 1890, aged 18, Landing Boy, fall of stone in landing, which crushed his head against the top of a tub

Redman, Thomas, 22 Jul 1859, aged 25, Hewer, killed by a fall of coal

Roddiss, William, 14 Sep 1908, aged 48, Hewer, he was turning away a wall, and had only advanced two or three feet. The bord out of which he was turning the wall had holed into the goaf. The goaf was an old one, and was filled tight with dirt. The wall was properly crossed off, i.e., a plank had been set to take the ends of those in the bord at the turn away, with four props beneath it. The planks in the bord were six inches apart only. There were two pairs of gears set in the wall. The places were 5½ to 6 feet wide. The roof was clay and shale. The man was setting a prop, when the roof above the crossing timber collapsed and fell in, partially burying him. He was fast by the head, and before he could be released was smothered

Rodiss, David, 15 Feb 1904, aged 18, Hewer, died in mine from fatty degeneration of the heart

Stephenson, Henry, 16 Nov 1882, aged 32, Hewer, severe sprain while lifting a tub; died from strangulation of the bowels in consequence

Watson, John, 13 May 1862, aged 22, Hewer, crushed by top coal falling upon them [More information ...]