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  Oakbank (Oil Shale)  Index  Oakbank (Oil Shale)  
/ Index \

Oakbank (Oil Shale)


  Summary Description Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Location: Mid Calder
11½ miles [18 km] WSW of Edinburgh
Map Ref: (Sheet 65 Falkirk and Linlithgow) NT078671, 55° 53' 18" N, 3° 28' 27" W
Opened:
Closed:
Owners: Oakbank Oil Co.
Oakbank Oil Co., Ltd.
Output: 1894 - Oil Shale.
1896 - Oil Shale.
1899 - Oil Shale.
1900 - Oil shale.
1905 - Oil Shale.
1910 - Oil shale.
Employment: 1894 - 334 (287 below, 47 surface)
1896 - 355 (302 below, 53 surface)
1899 - 369 (315 below, 54 surface)
1900 - 323 (269 below, 54 surface)
1905 - 341 (290 below, 51 surface)
1910 - 120 (98 below, 22 surface)
Seams Worked: 1905 - New, Wild
1910 - Broxburn
Notes:

Current Status - Page under construction! and is far, far from complete!



  Description Summary Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Description


  Disasters Summary Description Names Local Collieries Credits  

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found


  Names Summary Description Disasters Local Collieries Credits  

Names of those killed at this colliery

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

In Memoriam
  Individal page   

Bird, John, 11 May 1887, aged 27, Miner, Fall of roof. At face

  Individal page   

Callender, John, 28 May 1897, (accident: 27 May 1897), aged 14, Miner, Deceased, who worked with his father, had just commenced his shift. He was "backening out" shale brought down by a shot fired on the previous day, when a large piece of midstone fell from the face, causing injuries which terminated fatally on the following day

  Individal page   

Chalmers, James, 21 Feb 1911, aged 64, Labourer, He was between two heaps of old wood wagon soles when some of them slipped or were displaced by a high wind and he was either fatally crushed or suffocated

  Individal page   

Dick, Peter, 08 May 1908, aged 43, Shaftsman, An old lodgement in the shaft, 22 fathoms up from the bottom was being repaired, and deceased pushed a loaded tub forward into the open shaft, evidently thinking the cage was there, and both were precipitated to the bottom

  Individal page   

Gibb, Robert, 22 Nov 1886, aged 24, Miner, Suffocated by steam while endeavouring to pass through a road where steam pipes were laid

  Individal page   

Haddow, James, 29 Aug 1901, aged 38, Miner, Deceased bored a hole for a shot to a depth of 3 feet 7 inches, and inserted the contents of two 1 lb cartridges of gunpowder into it ; in beginning to stem, the gunpowder exploded and he was badly burnt and succumbed subsequently to his injuries. Deceased's cap with lamp attached was found near the hole, and the probabilities are the explosion was caused by a spark from the lamp

  Individal page   

Harper, Robert, 10 Jul 1907, aged 44, Miner, Deceased was passing out from the face, in order to go to his can, for a charge to fire a shot, when the top shale above suddenly fell upon him

  Individal page   

Lowe, John, 14 Oct 1901, aged 51, Miner, Deceased was taking out a stoop in a seam 6 ft. 6 ins. in thickness, and had reduced it to a pillar about 12 ft. square. The left corner had been holed and left ungibbed for three days, when, as the shale did not break, deceased set a gib under it, extended the holing, and bored and charged a shot hole. While drawing the gib preparatory to lighting the shot, the shale suddenly fell from an unseen lype and killed him instantaneously

  Individal page   

McCurley, Samuel, 10 Jan 1907, aged 14, Filler, 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

  Individal page   

Smiles, John, 06 Apr 1887, Miner, Shot went off prematurely

  Individal page   

Turnbull, Peter, 22 Jan 1898, aged 19, Drawer, While guiding a rake of hutches into a side road off a dook the gabbie broke, and the hutches ran forward and crushed deceased

  Individal page   

Watson, John, 21 Sep 1905, aged 27, Drawer, Deceased was left by the faceman to fill and draw shale which had been dug, and while filling a tub the top shale suddenly fell and crushed him fatally. The shale fell away from "foul skins" due to the presence of a "hitch" and which were partly seen. There were no sprags up to the top shale

  Individal page   

Williamson, Alexander, 11 Sep 1895, 7 a.m., aged 55, Pithead foreman, Rope broke

  Individal page   

Young, Alexander, 19 Mar 1894, 9.45 a.m., aged 39, Miner, Fall of midstone

 
  14 names found

If you know of any fatalities missing from the above list then please contact us with the details and we will add them to our database.

Those names marked with image, have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the image symbol next to the name to see the web page.

More information  more information on some of the fatalities shown above


  Local Collieries Summary Description Disasters Names Credits  

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

Colliery Map  a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Oakbank (Oil Shale)

Nearby Collieries  list of collieries/pits etc. near to Oakbank (Oil Shale)


  Credits Summary Description Disasters Names Local Collieries  

Credits

Sources:

  • 1894 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
  • 1896 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, also available online at Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd
  • 1897 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8819), East Scotland District (No. 1) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
  • 1898 Mines Inspectors Report (C 9264), East Scotland District (No. 1) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
  • 1899 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
  • 1900 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
  • 1901 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 1062), East Scotland District (No. 1) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
  • 1905 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
  • 1905 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2910), East Scotland District (No. 1) by Robert McLaren, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
  • 1907 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 4045), East Scotland District (No. 1) by Robert McLaren, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
  • 1908 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 4672), East Scotland District (No. 1) by Robert McLaren, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
  • 1910 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
  • 1911 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 6237), Scotland District (No. 1) by W. Walker, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
  • OS Grid Reference from Adit Now website

  Summary Description Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Related Links:

None found

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