Prestongrange Colliery

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Adam, James, 06 Jun 1924, 9.15 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 20, Roadsman, He was waiting in a refuge hole at the foot of a self acting incline up which he had just sent three empty tubs. As the full tubs came opposite to him he stepped out to be ready to detach the rope when two of the empty tubs, which had become detached, ran back on the other line of rails. He was caught and killed instantly. No cause for the tubs becoming detached was found

Archibald, Thomas, 13 Nov 1868, aged 14, Drawer, The roof fell on him while pushig his tub out main road

Boyd, William, 14 Nov 1914, aged 19, Pony Driver on surface, Deceased was crossing the colliery sidings close to the washery and screening plant, which were at work. He failed to notice a train of 15 empty wagons which were being pushed by a locomotive into the sidings, and was knocked down and so severely injured that he died seven hours later

Brown, William, 09 May 1910, aged 21, Pony Driver, His foot got caught in loop of tail chain, and he was dragged behind the pony. His head collided with a railway point shifter and a fence of a bridge crossing the railway

Campbell, Richard, 31 Dec 1889, aged 19, Miner, Fall of stone

Campbell, Thomas, 06 Oct 1910, aged 48, Stone Mine Driver, A mine was being driven, rising 1 in 5, through a 30 feet up-throw fault which was closely timbered, when a fall occurred and swung out at least ten set of timber. The deceased two men and another were buried, and, although extricated alive, Campbell and Gorman afterwards succumbed to their injuries [More information ...]

Caton, Joseph, 31 Dec 1901, Labourer, While leaving his work he was run over by a train of wagons pushed by a locomotive engine

Chapman, Alexander, 02 May 1877, aged 40, Collier, Fall of coal. At face. Longwall

Clark, James, 17 Jun 1913, aged 39, Road Repairer, Deceased was engaged, along with a number of other men, in repairing the main haulage road, when a large piece of sandstone fell off the side, and so injured him that he died in half an hour

Cooper, James, 23 Oct 1914, aged 32, Miner, The deceased men were straightening the line of the upper portion of a conveyor face, when, without warning, the roof above them, and over an area of 9 feet 8 inches by 6 feet, and of a thickness of 5 feet 10 inches collapsed, and buried them. The roof was found to be cut on three sides by keen lypes, and on the fourth by a waste break. Johnstone was killed instantly, but Cooper lived for 2½ hours [More information ...]

Craig, William, 24 Feb 1905, aged 20, Sinker, The shaft was enlarged for the purpose of pumping and winding coal from a seam 35 fathoms from the bottom ; the permanent set of pumps was practically completed to the top lift 50 fathoms from surface, and the scaffold at the place was removed on the morning of the accident by deceased and two other sinkers. On descending in the cage two hours later, deceased signalled to stop at the top lift and jumped to alight on the scaffold, forgetting for the moment that it had been removed, and was precipitated down the shaft

Curran, James, 10 Mar 1910, aged 37, Brusher, He was travelling down the haulage road when the chain attached to a tub slipped at a pulley, and the tub ran back and fatally injured him

Darroch, Alexander, 27 Jan 1910, aged 53, Haulageman, Struck by haulage rope and killed which was thrown across the road owing to some empty hutches having upset

Dawson, Francis, 05 May 1900, aged 21, Brusher, Deceased and three others were brushing a level in a 3 ft. 6 in. seam, which was being opened up to work long wall. He knocked out a prop at the mouth of a branch road in order to get down some stones wherewith to complete a roadside building, when a heavy fall took place, part of which slipped forward and struck him, knocking him down and killing him instantly

Gallagher, Patrick, 04 Dec 1902, aged 15, Assistant bottomer, Deceased attended to a hoist, used to raise and lower tubs for the speedier loading and discharging the cages at the shaft bottom. While discharging his duties a nozzle broke and hoist cage caught his head and killed him instantaneously

Goodwin, George, 22 Mar 1897, aged 45, Manager, Deceased was riding down a dook on a bogie behind an empty descending rake, when four empty tubs ran away from the top of the dook and overtook him

Gordon, Thomas, 31 Oct 1864, aged 12, Collier, Fall of coal

Gorman, Thomas, 06 Oct 1910, aged 24, Stone Mine Driver, A mine was being driven, rising 1 in 5, through a 30 feet up-throw fault which was closely timbered, when a fall occurred and swung out at least ten set of timber. The deceased two men and another were buried, and, although extricated alive, Campbell and Gorman afterwards succumbed to their injuries [More information ...]

Gunn, Edward, 14 Oct 1922, 9 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 26, Drawer, A large stone fell off the face of the brushing in a newly brushed roadhead, and, in falling, struck Gunn (who had just completed filling a hutch with coal) on the back of the head and fractured his skull. He died half-an-hour later.

Harline, Robert, 14 May 1898, aged 17, Brusher, Deceased had just turned out a loaded tub on a haulage road, at a point where some men were redding a water course. A bar suddenly broke, and the roof came in over a length of 25 ft., swinging out a number of other bars, and completely burying deceased

Heap, Borthwick, 02 Jul 1909, aged 14, Haulage-boy, Deceased was detaching a chain from two loaded tubs which were running forward by gravity at a haulage landing. He had forgotten that other two tubs were already standing, and his head was caught between the tubs. He was instantly killed

Johnston, James, 23 Oct 1914, aged 36, Miner, The deceased men were straightening the line of the upper portion of a conveyor face, when, without warning, the roof above them, and over an area of 9 feet 8 inches by 6 feet, and of a thickness of 5 feet 10 inches collapsed, and buried them. The roof was found to be cut on three sides by keen lypes, and on the fourth by a waste break. Johnstone was killed instantly, but Cooper lived for 2½ hours [More information ...]

Mackie, Richard, 09 Oct 1895, 12 noon, aged 18, Banksman, Crushed by truck

McConnell, Hugh, 07 Dec 1910, (accident: 01 Dec 1910, 12 noon), aged 63, Fireman, A pair of headings had been driven in a new seam beyond a fault to prove it, and then stopped. The manager told the deceased he wanted to go into these places prior to their being restarted, and instructed him to go in and examine them and he would follow him. McConnell went and took his safety lamp and a naked light with him, and the latter ignited some gas which had accumulated beyond a door which had been damaged, and of which he was aware, by some runaway hutches. A canvas screen had been put up beyond the door, as there was not room for double doors, but as it did not reach to the pavement, practically all the air was short circuiting, and none was passing to the faces of the headings, which were about 400 yards in advance of where the door was damaged. Died on the 7th

McLachlan, George, Nov 1909, (accident: 05 Aug 1909), aged 27, Drawer, While re-railing a loaded tub he sprained his back, and died as a result three months afterwards

McLaughlin, Joseph, 28 Oct 1908, aged 19, Chain-runner, Deceased was coming up a dook on a rake of tubs, when he fell off and was struck by the tubs

McPhillips, James, 20 Feb 1912, aged 20, Driver, A fall had occurred in an unwooded part of a haulage road, which was 15 feet high. Deceased and three others were clearing it when a second fall covered him over, and firmly wedged his foot without seriously injuring him. As the other three men were endeavouring to get his leg free a third fall occurred which suffocated him and seriously injured one of the others

Nisbett, John, 23 May 1910, aged 55, Fireman, Crushed by a loaded hutch which had run over a brae head.

Ritchie, A., 17 Dec 1867, aged 23, Labourer, The engineman left his engine while the deceased was adjusting a hutch on the cage 10 feet below the surface, and it crept away and squeezed him to death against the beams. Neglect of engineman

Ritchie, James, 06 Feb 1903, aged 14, Haulage assistant, Deceased was attempting to prevent some tubs, which had been struck by a horse-rake, from fouling a crossing, when the leading tub left the rails and crushed him against a brick wall

Russell, James, 03 Jun 1907, aged 15, Haulage-boy, 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 crushed between the moving tub and the last tub of the train

Russell, James, 04 Nov 1924, 1.15 p.m., 7th hour of shift, aged 20, Assistant Bencher, He was found lying dead on the empty tub track of a double tracked overhead endless haulage road. His body was lying immediately outbye the only two low roof girders in the whole length of the road. It was most probable that he was riding on a full tub of the train that had been hauled out just previously, and was caught by those girders. Death was due to dislocation and fracture of the spinal column. It was an understood rule that not even haulage attendants were allowed to ride on tubs

Selkirk, James, 27 Mar 1889, aged 30, Fireman, Fall of coal

Simpson, Thomas, 08 May 1912, (accident: 22 Apr 1912), aged 22, Coal Miner, The injured man and his brother were working in a place splitting a pillar, and it was just about holed. He fired a shot, which blew through into an old level and left a hole 2 feet by 2 feet in the face, and he, for some reason, crept through this hole into the old level, when a stone from the roof, shaken by the shot, fell upon and injured him. Died 8th May

Sims, Henry William, 16 Oct 1899, aged 32, Ashwheeler, Deceased had been assisting one of the boiler furnacemen to trim forward the dross or "gum," which was stored in a large hopper erected in front of the stoke hole. He was seen leaving the hopper, but appears to have re-entered it unobserved, and to have slid down amongst the gum towards one of the shoots, from which it was shovelled into the furnaces. About an hour afterwards, his body gravitated to the shoot, and was discovered by one of the furnacemen. Death was due to suffocation

Sneddon, George, 28 May 1877, aged 51, Oversman, Explosion of firedamp. Want of sufficient ventilation

Sneddon, R., 24 Oct 1868, aged 60, Collier, He was underholing, and the coal rolled over upon him. Seam 52 inches worked longwall

Somers, Henry, 29 Apr 1910, (accident: 28 Apr 1910), aged 15, Haulage Boy, His duty was to pick up the chains on an endless rope haulage which had been detached from the loaded hutches and were lying between that set of rails close to him and attach them to the empty hutches as required. In doing this he failed to notice that the hook end of chain he had attached to hutch had caught another chain which was caught under the rail and when it tightened it was jammed, the hook straightened and freed itself but instead of remaining where he was he attempted to run in-bye and was caught between the hutch and a wall. Died the following day

Stafford, Joseph, 28 Sep 1904, aged 24, Brusher, While engaged cutting "needle" holes in the side walls for crowns the roof suddenly fell on him

Storrie, Archibald, 08 Jun 1908, aged 55, Miner, Deceased had blasted the coal in one side of a "room," and was afterwards holing when part suddenly fell and crushed him

Vardon, John, 03 Feb 1897, aged 40, Miner, Deceased was engaged making a cage-seat, and a hole for a shot was bored to a depth of 3 feet. The charge was to consist of seven cartridges of gelignite, and while he was inserting the fourth an explosion occurred. The cartridges, which apparently were frozen, were being pushed back with the wooden handle of a "mash"

Wallace, James, 23 Apr 1902, aged 34, Reddsman, Deceased and another workman were engaged laying rails along a roadway, and while passing outbye to get material necessary for the work, a mass of stone fell over from roadside on him

Walters, William, 18 Nov 1902, aged 14, Haulage Attendant, Deceased by some means fell in front of a moving loaded tub, and was pushed in front of it for a considerable distance, and before he was released, a runaway tub crashed against the tub under which the boy lay, causing it to pass over him. The place of accident was at a steep part of the roadway

Watson, Alexander, 24 Dec 1857, Collier, Fall of coal at face of workings