Gilmilnscroft Colliery

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Baxter, James, 22 Aug 1878, aged 50, Collier, Explosion of firedamp

Caddis, James, 18 Jun 1869, aged 45, Collier, Fall of coal at face

Cairns, George, 25 Aug 1917, aged 42, fatally injured in a shot firing accident

Connell, George, 14 Feb 1898, aged 45, Miner, While "redding" through an old road to reach a stoop the roof fell upon him

Crichton, James, 16 May 1901, aged 38, Fireman, While "waffing" gas along with two 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 three men were injured

Curdie, Michael, jnr., 18 Jun 1880, aged 17, Collier, Explosion of firedamp [More information ...]

Curdie, Michael, snr., 18 Jun 1880, aged 43, Collier, Explosion of firedamp [More information ...]

Gilroy, William, 24 Jan 1913, aged 38, Stone Miner, Deceased was engaged boring a hole for a shot with an "Ingersoll" hammer drill, when the drill struck some remnants of gelignite from a former shot, and he was killed instantly. The shot hole was being bored some distance from the position of the former shot, but was dipping at an angle towards it

Grant, John, 18 Mar 1895, 11 a.m., aged 22, Miner, Fall of coal while "stooping"

Hannah, Hugh, 05 Jul 1893, 2.30 p.m., aged 35, Miner, Fall of roof at brushing face

Johnstone, John, 19 May 1912, (accident: 13 May 1912), aged 45, Stone Miner, Deceased and a neighbour were working in a stone drift, and after shots had been fired in a thin coal holing bed, they were clearing the small coal and squaring the holing back. Deceased was working with a pick, and struck part of an undetonated Samsonite cartridge. An explosion "like the shot of a gun" followed, and both men had their eyes filled with dust. Deceased, who had been lying stretched out when the explosion occurred, received a small wound in his right side. He died on the 19th May

Kerr, Andrew, 20 Aug 1910, aged 26, Miner, He was illegally attempting to fire a shot charged with samsonite in a mine to which the Explosives in Coal Mines Order applied with a Bickford's Patent Igniter fuse, when it exploded before he could get away from it, and inflicted fatal injuries. The shot hole was close to the pavement, and he had probably, without being aware of the fact, stepped on the igniter and thus lighted the fuse. It is not known how he became possessed of a detonator. He either illegally brought one to the pit with him or the shot-firer must have dropped one in his place [More information ...]

Kirkland, Joseph, 18 Jan 1890, aged 46, Engineman, He overwound the cage, left his engine to adjust it, when the engine started and he fell down the shaft

McConnell, William, 19 Feb 1900, aged 38, Miner, Fall of coal while holing beneath it. Caused by the want of a sprag

McEwan, James, 24 Nov 1900, aged 14, Drawer, He entered a road adjoining his working place, and on climbing over a fall his naked light ignited fire damp. The fireman stated that he had been redding the fall a short time before the explosion. The deceased ought not to have gone into the road

McGuiness, Andrew, 08 Aug 1889, (accident: 10 Jan 1889), aged 48, Labourer, Struck by the handle of a hand crane while changing the speed (injured on 10th January)

McLauchlan, Walter, 23 Jan 1914, aged 36, Miner, A shot firer and a miner were on the same roadway at the face of which a shot was being fired by electric battery. After the shot exploded a stone projected by it fatally injured the miner. The men were 78 ft. away from the shot but in a direct line. There was an opening which they could have got into and been perfectly safe

McLelland, John, 25 Jun 1924, 2.15 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 65, Repairer, Deceased took a load of dirt with snibbles in each pair of wheels down a hand drawing road, the latter part of which dipped 1 in 6½ in favour of the load. Five minutes later his neighbour found him at the foot of the road in front of and partly under the hutch; he was dead. One snibble was still in the rear wheel, while the other was lying in the road 3½ ft. behind the hutch. It is probable that the hutch stopped where the snibble was afterwards found and that deceased went to the front and took it out of the front wheels, being then overcome by the weight of the hutch and knocked down

Mitchell, David, 30 Aug 1900, aged 19, Miner, When about to draw an empty hutch off the cage he was struck on the head by a stone which fell down the shaft from some place unknown

Moore, James, 23 May 1883, aged 36, Collier, Fall of coal whilst preparing to force it down with powder

Rooney, John, 28 Jun 1887, aged 50, Trimmer, Fell off a waggon

Smith, Robert, 01 Mar 1895, 6.30 p.m., aged 37, Joiner, While repairing the shaft he stepped on a bunton which gave way, and he fell to the bottom