22nd October 1877

To view a list of names of those killed in the disaster click here

To view the Inspector of Mines report click here

The Story of the Explosion

From "The Annals of Blantyre" by Rev Stewart Wright, 1885
The annals of our parish would certainly not be complete without some allusion to that catastrophe which so recently brought fish out if its obscurity into a sad prominence before the whole world, we mean the Pit Explosion which took place on the morning of 22nd October 1877. Up till then Scotland had been peculiarly fortunate in being exempted from those terrible Colliery accidents which were too often experienced by the mining communities of England and Wales. But now its turn had come; and the records was to be made in a page of its history, of one of the most devastating explosions as had happened in any land. By it, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," 218, if not more, men and boys were killed, leaving behind them, to the mercy of God and man, 106 widows, 300 fatherless children, and about 50 other relatives, such as aged parents, who were more or less dependent upon the dead.

What a gloomy morning that October Monday was. How indelibly it is engraven on our memory. We were dressing at the time,. The window of our room looked over against the pits. A sudden flash darted up from the most distant shaft, accompanied by debris, and a report not very loud; then forthwith there arose from the shaft nearest to us a dense volume of smoke, "the blackness of darkness," which spread itself, a terrible funeral pall, over the surrounding plain. We were soon at the scene of the disaster, whither hundreds of eager and terrified creatures were hurrying, and there for hours we remained, a stricken shepherd amongst a stricken flock. The one shaft was blocked up with ruins, but the other was partially clear; again and again did gallant men descend to rescue, if possible, their buried comrades, but all in vain; the merely succeeded in bringing up a few dead bodies, when they themselves were overpowered by the choke damp and had to be brought up to the surface. Some of them were more dead than alive, and it was with difficulty we succeeded in restoring them. Still, no matter the danger, there were no lack of volunteers, many of them wildly demanding to be lower down, until at last, when the short winters day was drawing to a close, imperative orders were issued that no more lives were to be risked. Then hope fled; and the agonised crowd were left in the darkness and pitiless rain to face the terribleness of its magnitude that not one of the 200 miners and more, that were entombed beneath us, would ever see the light. Nor did they. Day after day for three weeks following, and after laborious exertions, were the bodies found and brought up for internment. With the exception of the Roman Catholics, and there were not many of them, and a few others, all the dead were laid side by side in two long trenches that had been dug in the newly made cemetery. The report of the funerals in one evening, as given in the Herald, was characteristic of them all: - "the scene in the parish burying ground, where the bodies where interred, was very impressive, and by the time that Mr Wright got as far in the service at 'Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust,' many of the onlookers were in tears. Few of them will soon forget the sight - the cold grey twilight, the dark overcast sky, the long deep trench, the silent uncovered multitude, and the solemn tones of the preacher's voice"

A handsome granite monument, in the shape of an obelisk, is now erected over the graves of the poor miners. It has the following inscription: -

"Erected by William Dixon, Ltd, in memory of 240 of their workmen who were killed by explosions in Blantyre Colliery on 22nd October, 1877, and 2nd July, 1879; and many of whom are buried here."

(Click here to see photo of inscription)

Gradually the dead were buried; but the living remained, bereft of their breadwinners. No time was to be lost; starvation must be averted; so on the morning after the disaster, surrounded by widows and orphans, we issued, through the kind reporters, the following appeal: - "We, the undersigned, appeal to the sympathies of the nation on behalf of the mothers, wives, and orphans, who have, in very many cases, been rendered perfectly destitute by the terrible Colliery explosion which has occurred in this district. 218 men and boys have been killed, all the male members of several families had been swept away, and widespread desolation prevails. There is lamentation and bitter weeping. Contributions are earnestly solicited to meet the destitution of the afflicted families"

And what a response came to that appeal! The rich man's thousand and the widow's mite; the noble lady's gift of a hundred mourning dresses, and the orphan girls gift of a few pair of warm, knitted stockings. Here is still before us the pile of letters which we keep with a kind of reverential feeling, for they tell of the noble sympathy and brotherly kindness of whole nation, from our beloved Queen to some of the poorest in her realm. 

The citizens of Glasgow were not slow to take up the cause of the bereaved. A meeting was called together by the Lord Provost, when an influential committee was appointed to collect subscriptions, and frame rules for the distribution of relief. Through their exertions, the contributions speedily reached magnificent total of £48,246; and under their unwearied superintendence the remaining widows and orphans still receive their allowances. They have never known a moments want, and never will, as long as they continue on this fund. What a blessing it has been; and how earnestly we wish that such a fund was in existence and the wide basis, to meet the destitution arising from accident, serious and fatal, that are continually happening in our mining districts.

Before closing this short record of the explosion, we must not fail to pay a just tribute of praise to the gallant conduct of the miners, as we ourselves witnessed on that calamitous day, and for many days afterwards. Better than any words of ours could do, were they thus spoken of by the reporter of the Daily Telegraph: - "the British miner can fight with as much strength and majesty as the British soldier. If one fall in the imminent deadly breach, another coolly takes his place, and carries on the assault with a sublime unconsciousness of any odds that can be against him. So it was at High Blantyre. When a disabled hero was brought to bank in carefully covered with earth to free him from the influence of the poisonous gas, 10 more were eager to descend into the depths and risk a similar fate, or worse. We are glad to think that there are thousands upon thousands of men these islands who know that they themselves would have done same had they been present. Yet few are able to realise the circumstances amid which the noble Scotchmen proved their bravery and devotion. A battlefield is ghastly enough, and its horrors might well appal those who look upon them. The soldier, however, had all the excitement of personal conflict, and sometimes a burning thirst for revenge, to sustain him; whereas, in the High Blantyre mine, the rescuers struggled against an invisible foe, whose distinctiveness was evidenced on every side in the most horrible forms. The other day we paid a tribute of admiration to Welshman; now it is Scotchmen who claim a like reward. In due time, when the 200 bodies shall have been brought up, and consigned by loving hands to their last resting place, the cause of the disaster will receive attention, a jury will return a verdict, and a government inspector will make his report. But all this has been done often before, and we seem as far off as ever from the ability to protect our miners against the dangers that surround their calling."[From Annals of Blantyre by Stewart Wright, 1885]

Newspaper Reports

The Colliery Accident at High Blantyre 
"High Blantyre, Friday morning - not withstanding the most sanguine expectations that number three shaft would be cleared early this morning, up till 9 o'clock there was still seemingly a considerable amount of wood work to be removed, and no one could tell what obstacles might be met nearer the bottom before an entrance was effected. The only cheering thing during the night was the clear frosty weather, as compared with the dismal rain which has prevailed during the greater part of the week. The arduous work in the shaft went on as usual, kettle after kettle coming to the surface loaded with the immense beams of wood, some of them entire, others shattered to pieces by the explosion. Now and then a few props would come these were considered a good sign as having come from the mine, and therefore it indicating that the lower stratum of the obstruction had been reached. All was quiet about the pit, and in the village most of the houses seemed muffled, as if the inmates were at rest. The feverish excitement of three days ago had subsided in the mournful conviction that no living being would come out of the mine. About 6 o'clock the kettle brought up a cap belonging to one of the lost men; but no trace had been found of the body. Two hours later came a horse's hoof, apparently bearing out the supposition that one of these animals had been blown up in the shaft.

Forenoon - the appearance presented by the Colliery today is very different from that of yesterday, few persons save the men actually employed being visible about the pit heads. Hopes held out in the early morning that number three pit shaft might have been cleared in a few hours have not been realised; but there has been no recurrence of excitement on this subject; and the miners now seem perfectly content to wait until number 3 shaft shall be opened, and the mine declared safe. Shortly after 9 o'clock, Mr Moore, with Messrs Dunlop and Rankin, engineers, descended in the kettle to see what progress was being made with the work; and at 10 o'clock the following notice was posted at the office: -

"Mr Moore and the engineers have just been down No3 pit and examined the work that has been done in clearing it. The progress has been slow, although the work done has been very great, and they are now within about 5 ft of the bottom of the obstruction. If there are no further obstructions, and it is thought there are none, the bottom of No3 shaft will be reached in a few hours, and the pit made safe for access to the bodies."

It was stated by those in charge of the work that when it the remainder of the chief obstruction was got through, it was expected that no further impediment would be found for a good many fathoms. Near the bottom of the shaft there is another slight block, but that, it is anticipated, can be temporarily dealt with in order to reach the place where the bodies are lying.

A good deal of confusion has prevailed as to the number of miners in the pits, in consequence of several men who were thought to be missing having turned up and reported themselves. From careful enquiries made among the rows and at the pit heads, it is now believed that the following figures, which were supplied at the Colliery Office this morning, represent the exact state of the case. It appears pretty certain that the number of persons who passed down the two pits on the morning of Monday last was 233. It has been definitely ascertained, however, that an oversman named John Pickering, two firemen, named respectively Alexander McCall and John Little, and a pony boy named Thomas Ferguson came up again before the gas was fired; so that, when the accident occurred, there were actually in the mine 229 souls. Of these 27 were got up alive, 13 being an injured, and 14 more or less hurt. On Monday, there were 13 dead bodies recovered; on Tuesday, 4; and on Wednesday, 8 - In all, 25. Of three men badly injured, two died in the Glasgow Infirmary, bringing up the number of dead recovered to 27, and reducing the number left alive to 25. The number destroyed by the explosion would, according to these figures, be 204, the bodies of 177 of whom up to this morning were still in the pit. The following is the list of those saved (29 in number), including the four who came up before the explosion: -

William Welsh senior, William Welsh junior, Owen Brannigan, Thomas Black, Robert Heron, John Jeffrey, Thomas McDonald, Thomas Gallagher, William Duncan, John Hill, Samuel and John Nielsen (brothers), George Watson, Andrew Forrest, William Hill, Hugh Brown, Duncan Macmillan, George Watt, Edward Doherty, P A McCaskie, Michael McKasker, John Sharp, Alexander McCall, John Little, and Thomas Wood, firemen, William Kirkland, Thomas Marton, John Pickering, oversman, and Thomas Ferguson, pony driver.

Thomas McDonald and Owen Brannigan lie in the Glasgow Infirmary, the former dangerously and the latter seriously injured. Off the four bodies got up early on Tuesday morning, one still lies in the blacksmith's shop unidentified. At first it was supposed that the remains were those of the young man named James Rae, who recently came to the district; but this conjecture had proved erroneous, and up to this morning no clue had been got to the identity of the deceased. In the first list of persons supposed to be in the pit, appeared the name of Conn O'Donnell, but it has been ascertained that Conn did not go down the shaft on Monday, though his brother John did, to see about sending up some coal they had won. Another fortunate escape was made by young man named William Thomson, who, for some reason or other, did not go down on Monday; while his brother, whose duties as ostler did not admit of his taking such liberty, was among those who perished.

In consequence of the accident, all work at Colliery has been entirely dislocated, and the men employed at No. 1 and No. 4 pits have been thrown out of employment. The total number employed at the High Blantyre collieries of the firm was, we believe, prior to the accident, about 676, so that over 470 men have been temporarily deprived of their livelihood. On it being represented to Messrs Dixon that considerable distress was consequently beginning to be felt in some families, the firm at once intimated that a payment of 10 shillings to each man of No. 1 and No. 4 pit, as well as those who escaped from No. 2 and No. 3 pits, would be made to enable them to tide over their difficulties. This action has been hailed with gratitude by the miners, and the paying of the gratuity at the cashier's window occasioned considerable stir during the forenoon.

Evening - for some hours of the afternoon, little occurred to relieve the tedium of waiting for the long delayed clearance of the shaft. Some little sensation was caused about 2 o'clock by the doings of a not altogether sober miner, who, while wandering through a field not very far from the pits, broke out into denunciation of the proprietors, which soon attracted a little crowd echoing a parrot like way the cries of the previous day. This would be agitator loudly characterised it as shameful that No. 2 pit should be kept closed when everything was right at the bottom. Continuing in this strain, the fellow seemed to be getting into the good graces of his audience, when unluckily for his popularity, he sought refreshment from a flask produced from his pocket. No sooner had his sympathy been in this way identified with its more immediate motive, than cheering turned to hooting, and, backed up by a policeman, the miners speedily bundled the offender off the ground. Now and then an interesting meeting a friend would occur near the pit offices. A young man, for example, was heard telling his acquaintances how his name had found its way into the list of killed, from the fact that, but for some irregularity, he should have been down No. 2 pit at the time off the explosion. This lad, Doherty by name, was the one of a gang of eight who were working under the direction of a contractor named Peter Carlan, whose working face lay at the extreme end of the pit, about half-a-mile from the foot of the shaft. Carlan descended on Monday morning at the usual time, accompanied by five of his men. All are now, it is supposed, lying dead at the place where they worked, while Doherty and the other two young men (both of them belonging to Springburn) remained above ground, not feeling disposed to turn into work so early in the week. Another fact which soon afterwards became known went, however, to counterbalance the satisfaction felt at the safety of three men being thus secured. This was the inability of anyone to give account of two men, supposed to belong to Carluke, who, it is said, arrived at Blantyre in search of employment so recently as last Saturday night. These men gave the names of William Scott and John Williamson, and are understood to be brothers in law. No entry of their descent into either of the fated pits on the morning of the explosion is recorded in the books; but as nothing has been head of the pair since the accident, there seems too much ground for the belief generally expressed today that they must be in the mine; and in that case two more must be added to the list of victims by the catastrophe. For the report, circulated on apparently trustworthy authority, tended to amplify the official details published with reference to the identity of those killed. Among other deaths accounted for it in the first list, without any name been given, were, it is stated, those of John McKelvie and Thomas McCulloch. The former was a lad 19 years of age, who belonged to Burnbank, Parkhead, but who had for some time been working at No. 2 bottom in connection with the McKillops, whose names are among lost. McKelvies mother is at present lying seriously ill; and so much anxiety is felt regarding the immediate recovery of his remains that two friends of his have been hanging about the pit head all day, hoping every hour that an opportunity might be afforded of descending. As to McCulloch some doubt seems to exist, it not been known whether his death has been reported as that of an unknown man, or whether his disappearance represents another addition to the gross total. In the early part of the week it was not thought certain that he had gone down to work, but this is now looked upon as beyond doubt; and the another young widow has accordingly been left upon the hands of the Relief Committee. This sufferer, it should be noted, is not to be mixed up with the other workmen bearing the same name who have lost their lives, as the families are not connected in any way.

For an hour and a half in the afternoon distressing symptoms of grief were again called forth by the funerals of three men whose remains were recovered before the pits were closed. The first was that of the unidentified body which has lain in the blacksmith's shop since Tuesday morning. This internment had been delayed as long as possible to give opportunity for claiming the corpse; but, before and then it was decided that the funeral could not be put off further, and accordingly the necessary order for immediate removal was obtained from the Procurator Fiscal and the medical man. At half past two a short religious service was conducted over the body by the Rev. Stewart Wright, Minister of the parish, who was accompanied by the Reverend Mr Patterson, of Burnbank Free Church. When the coffin was borne out of the shop, Mr Wright, addressing the men who had gathered round the place, pointed out that as the burial was that of a stranger, it was only fitting that all should show respect for their deceased brother by following the hearse to the grave. In response to this invitation, about 100 of the workmen fell into procession; and when the village streets were reached the troops of mourners were swelled by several women, who by their weeping and other expressions of grief gave to the melancholy spectacle a yet more affecting tone. When the cemetery was reached, and the coffin brought alongside one of the long trenches, the two clergymen placed themselves in position for taking cords and others were forward to take part in the sad duty of lowering of the coffin. Not so seemly however, was the behaviour of the workmen employed in digging the trenches. When requested to allowed 2 or 3 of his men to lend a hand in placing the coffin in the grave, the foreman, we are informed, said his orders (about which there surely must have been some misunderstanding) precluded him from doing so. This awkward scene lasted for several minutes, until, amid the loud protests of the miners, some of the company themselves did what was required. The supposition regarding the identity of the unknown deceased is that he was a new workmen in the pit and had been going under an assumed name. The funeral of the firemen, Wright, who resided in Priestfield Row, also occasioned a considerable display of feeling. When the hearse started from the house door (after service conducted by Mr Wright) every cottage turned out its bereaved and wailing women and children. All along the way to Baillieston, about eight miles distant, groups gathered by the roadside, and as many of the passers by took places behind the hearse, the internment was ultimately made in the presence of a large company. The only other funeral that took place in the course of the day was at Larkhall, in the cemetery of which the remains of James Bolton have been interred. A proposal has, we believe, been made, and very favourably received, for the erection of the monument in Blantyre cemetery, between the two burial trenches, recording the circumstances of the accident.

It was not till about 3 o'clock this afternoon that the aspect of matters at No. 3 shaft promised any speedy termination of the labours so long carried on there. Near the pit head lay a heap of broken timber about 100 ft long, 20 ft wide, and 4 ft high, sufficiently attesting to the difficulties which the workmen have had to contend with. The wood was mostly the wreckage of the heavy battens of which the walls separating the three compartments of the shaft were constructed. At 3 o'clock the kettle was still bringing up unwieldy fragment of these logs; but at this time it was reported to be every minute expected that the rubbish remaining in the shaft would give way and fall to the bottom. Again, however, the deceptive nature of the obstruction arrested itself; and it was not till near 5 o'clock that the wreckage actually tumbled in. No sooner had this occurred then another obstacle unluckily appeared to impede progress. Hardly had those at the top been made aware, by the crashing of timber, of the success that had been achieved, when the sinkers came up with the report that they had been driven out of the shaft by fire damp. For a short time before the clearance was effected, indications of this had been observed; but doubts were entertained as to the reality of the danger till after the fall of rubbish, when the gas caused the flame in one of the lamps to dance in so threatening a way that the men immediately extinguished their lights. After an interval of 20 minutes had been allowed to elapse, Mr Pickering, oversman, and one of the sinkers went down the shaft. They remained for some little time and on returning to the surface reported that the air was quite clear and proceeding in its natural course down the shaft. Operations were accordingly resumed by a regular squads of sinkers. Mr McDonald, MP, who happened to be on the ground, pointed out the desirability of as few people as possible being near the mouth of the shaft, in case of fire damp communicating with the coals burning in iron gratings at the pit head, and though it was represented that there was no danger of the nature hinted that, orders were given to the police to clear the ground adjoining the mouth of the shaft of all but the workmen employed. Mr Moore, Mr Simpson, Mining Engineer, Glasgow; Mr Duncan, pit manager, Bishopbriggs, and Mr Kirkwood, manager to Hamilton, McCulloch, & Co, afterwards paid a visit to the shaft and preparations were made for their descending the pit. After the party, however, had been duly equipped in waterproof covering, a message was sent up by the sinkers that a body had been come upon amongst the rubbish. This body the miners were ordered to bring up, and at the same time sheeting was sent down in order that it might be properly covered before reaching the surface. Dr Goff, Bothwell, who examined the body after it had been raised to the surface, found that it was greatly disfigured about the face, while the back of the head was reduced to something like pulp, both limbs being broken and the feet slightly burnt. The deceased appears to have been about 14 or 15 years of age, and it is conjectured that having been a drawer in the pit, he was blown up the shaft by the explosion while in the performance of his duty at the mouth of the workings, his head had evidently been mutilated by being violently hurled against the wreck which prevented it from getting further up the shaft. After the face is washed, it is thought the features may be identified by the boy's relatives. As soon as the body had been taken from the pit, the official gentlemen above named were lowered down the shaft, where they remained for fully a quarter of an hour. On returning to the pit head, Mr Moore gave it as his opinion that the obstruction in the shaft had almost disappeared, and that in a very short time it would be found practicable for him and his colleagues to re-enter the pit for further examination. If the workings were found in as good order as seems to be anticipated, the work of removing the bodies will be proceeded with immediately after the inspection. It is known a that there are some 27 bodies at foot of the shaft; and of course these will be first brought out. In the course of the afternoon the sinkers, it is said, got hold of part of the man's body, but before being properly secured it fell to bottom of the pit.

Midnight - though it was reported about half past 8 o'clock by Mr Moore that the shaft was all but cleared, a shift of sinkers who came to the surface about 10 stated that a good deal yet remained to be done before safe communication can be had with the bottom of the mine. Doubts were also expressed as to the condition in which the bottom might be found, and everything pointed to more delay before it any party could be sent down to recover bodies. The night is dark and cold, and pelting showers of rain are a frequent occurrence; but despite the unfavourable weather, a considerable number of miners from the rows hang about barricades awaiting with evident anxiety the scraps of news that from time to time it can be gathered as to what is transpiring below. With thoughtful consideration, Mr John Thomson, the principal manager of the Colliery, ordered one of the huge fires which burned at the pit mouth to be taken outside the barricades for their comfort. At intervals a waggon could be seen gliding almost noiselessly along the railway with a ghastly load of coffins, which were deposited in the shed alongside the engine house.

In regard to the body of the boy recovered in the shaft, it may be mentioned that hardly a thread of clothing was found upon it, the flame of the explosion having evidently burned it up. On the body been laid out grave doubts were expressed as to whether identification was possible, what remained of the features having been distorted in the hideous way. A scrap of clothing found sticking to the flesh was in these circumstances carefully preserved.

A somewhat alarming incident occurred just as one of the official examinations of the shaft made in the course of the evening was commencing. A man at the offside of the pit head, who had been trimming a paraffin lamp, accidentally allowed a quantity of the burning oil to come in contact with some inflammable material, which it immediately set on fire. A rush was made to the spot by a number of workmen, as it was feared that flames might take hold of the wooden screen around the shaft; and after some difficulty, the fire was extinguished. Considerable commotion was created at the pit head by the incident.

One am - the work of clearing the rubbish in No. 3 pit still proceeds. A fresh squad has just gone down and it is anticipated that they will finish it. Several doctors at the pit mouth in case of accident to the exploring party.

Glasgow, 1:30am - the two miners, McDonald and Brannigan, lying in the Royal Infirmary here, continue to improve, and are in a fair way of recovery.

The relief fund  - A private meeting of the local relief committee was held this afternoon - the Reverend Stewart Wright in the chair - when the resolution was adopted expressing willingness to amalgamate with the general committee when formed and to co-operate with them in every way. Afterwards at the meeting in public the committee appointed a deputation to attend a public meeting on Monday with the view of reporting what was proposed to be done. It was stated that already sums amounting in all to between £1,400 and £1500 had been intimated. A relief committee was appointed for the purpose of investigating the circumstances of each of the sufferers.

The sub-committee of the Iron and Coal Masters met yesterday afternoon at Glasgow, when it was resolved to communicate with the trade generally by circular, requesting subscriptions.

At the meeting of the Lord Provost's committee of Edinburgh Town Council held yesterday, the Lord Provost, acting as trustee for the administration of a balance of about £1,200 assigned to the district now in question from the Hartley Colliery Fund, indicated, we understand, the opinion that the whole of that amount should be at once applied to the present case. The committee we believe, resolved to recommend to the town council on Tuesday next that an Edinburgh subscription list be headed with 100 Guineas from the corporation.

Robbing the dead at Blantyre  - Yesterday Thomas Gibbin, a labourer, having no fixed place of residence, was judicially examined before Sheriff Bernie at Hamilton Sheriff Court, and committed to prison pending further inquiries, on a charge of stealing a tobacco box and an ounce of tobacco from a dead"[Scotsman 27th October 1877]

Left:  Disaster memorial erected on the centenary in 1977. Click on image to view inscription

Hamilton – Ejection of the Blantyre Widows - Yesterday, in the Hamilton Sheriff Court - Sheriff Birnie presiding - thirty-four summonses at the instance of William Dixon (Limited) Blantyre collieries against the widows of several of the men killed in the explosion of October last, to eject them from their houses, were disposed of. A large number of them appeared, and pleaded that the amount they were receiving from the Relief Fund was insufficient to enable them to support their families and to pay their rent as well. The Sheriff gave them till the fifth to leave the houses. [Scotsman 17 May 1878]

The Blantyre Accident Fund - The fourth general meeting of the subscribers to the Blantyre Accident fund was held at Glasgow yesterday afternoon. Mr John White of Overtoun occupied the chair. It appeared from the report that at present there were 319 persons on the fund, of whom 69 were widows, 37 other adults, and 213 children; while 170 children were also being educated. Owing to misconduct, three widows had been deprived in tho meantime of their allowances. During the time the fund had been in existence £15,525 had been expended, while £38,223 remained available for future use. It was urged by the Rev. Mr Wright, Blantyre, that it would be extremely desirable to form a permanent relief fund for the widows and children of those injured in the pits of the West of Scotland. The motion was unanimously adopted. [Scotsman 15 November 1881]