Scottish Mining Website

Fatal Accidents in Mines in Scotland - 1911 - compiled from appendices to the reports of the Inspector of Mines and Collieries. Some entries have additional information in the main body of the report (marked "to follow"). Additional details from the main body of the report are given where available. Accidents not listed in these reports have been added from newspaper reports and other sources - information not sourced from the mine inspectors reports is indicated by a shaded gray background
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Date of Accident			Mine	County	Owner or Company	Name	Age	Occupation	Category	Cause of accident & remarks	Extra Details
1911	January	11	Bothwell Castle No 1	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Alexander McComisky	41	Brusher	Miscellaneous underground – by explosives	The deceased had prepared a shot at the road end. Inserting a detonator into a cartridge of Samsonite, he proceeded to carry it in his hands in to his brushing face. He had only gone a few yards, however, when the charge exploded in his hands, shattering both of them. He died on the 1st April.
1911	January	17	Leven No 4	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	John Watson	32	Miner	Other haulage accidents	He strained himself lifting a full hutch on to rails. He died on March 30th.
1911	January	18	Bedlay	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Robert Allan	37	Bottomer	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	When putting a loaded hutch forward to put into the cage at a mid-landing in the shaft he went in front of it and drew into the side the cage was not at. He and the hutch fell into the shaft and forced out two of the iron rods forming the cage seat and he fell to the bottom of the shaft a distance of 480 ft. He should not have been in front of the hutch ; if he had been at the back it is probable the accident would not have occurred.
1911	January	19	Hillhead	Ayr	J & M Craig (Kilmarnock) Ltd	John Todd	70	Bottomer	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	The winding engineman had lowered the cage to the Ell Coal inset and the deceased opened the gate and took the empty hutch off it. He then detached a loaded hutch from the loaded rake standing at the bottom, and pushed it down into what he thought was the cage. In the meantime, however, the cage had been raised up the shaft and deceased and the hutch fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 150 feet. The inset was badly lighted.
1911	January	23	Rosebank No 6	Fife	James Nimms & Son Ltd	Andrew Strachan	38	Miner	Falls of roof	He was working coal from stoops left among old workings. As he was holing the coal a stone fell from the roof of his working place, and broke his back. He died on the 7th October.	Newspaper report
1911	January	24	Valleyfield	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Philip McKenna	38	Sinker	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	He was working on a temporary cage or scaffold suspended from a crab rope, preparatory to the permanent guides being put into the shaft, when he overbalanced himself and fell off the cage and to another scaffold 44 feet below.
1911	January	25	Kinglassie	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	John Dewar	38	Pump Attendant	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	Deceased had finished his shift and relieved by the other pump attendant. He appears to have gone to the shaft and opened a sliding door to be ready to get into the cage, and by some means fallen into the shaft.
1911	January	26	Skellington	Lanark	Darngavil Coal Co Ltd	John Weir	26	Assistant Machineman	Falls of roof	When working at a coal cutter two of the " line " props of the former cut were knocked out by the back end of the machine and a piece of stone from the roof fell upon and killed him. The stone fell from a slip running parallel to the face.
1911	January	26	Rosehall No13	Lanark	R Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd	John Henry Miller	26	Roadsman	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	Caught by the loaded rake on a self-acting incline and killed. It was his duty to water the rails at meetings to reduce the friction owing to the gradient at that part of the road being only 1 in 13, but he should have gone into a manhole when the rakes were running.	Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1911	January	26	Auchinraith	Lanark	Merry & Cunninghame Ltd	Robert Orr	63	Haulageman	Other haulage accidents	He was working at a horizontal pulley at a curve when a full rake was being hauled up an incline : a pulley broke and allowed the rope to fly suddenly to the inside of the road, where the deceased was, The rope hit and dislocated his left ankle. Died on February 2nd.
1911	January	27	Ballochney No 3	Lanark	Ballochney Coal Co	Thomas Dunlavey	28	Pit Sinker	Shaft accidents -things falling from part way down	The kettle was not properly steadied before it was raised from the bottom of a sinking shaft, and, as there were no guiding boards on the lowest buntons, it caught one of them and pulled it out and it fell and hit the deceased on the head.
1911	February	3	Woolmet	Midlothian	Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd	Robert Fairgrieve	29	Miner	Falls of side	He was taking down coal, after firing a shot, when some of it suddenly fell upon and fatally crushed him.
1911	February	3	Meadowhead	Lanark	Peter Cairns	Alexander Tweedle	19	Pit Bottomer	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	He pushed a loaded tub forward at mid-landing, evidently thinking the cage was at the landing, opened the gate with one hand and held it open while he pulled the tub towards him, and as it passed him he got behind it to push it. He and the tub fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 210 feet and he was killed instantly.
1911	February	3	Montgomeryfield	Ayr	A Kenneth & Sons	James Howe	28	Coal Cutter Attendant	Miscellaneous underground – by machinery	Caught and fatally injured by the revolving bar of a coal cutting machine when it was running free as the machine was being moved along the face.	To follow
1911	February	4	Devon	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	Robert Moir	31	Haulage Engineman	On surface – by machinery	When unloosing the end of the hauling rope inside the drum, in order to allow of its being spliced, the engine suddenly moved and he was crushed between the spokes of the drum and an upright post and instantly killed.
1911	February	7	Monkland No 11	Lanark	James Dunlop & Co Ltd	Joseph Harvie	17	Pony Driver	Falls of roof	He left his work and was travelling along the face to look at a watch in the clothing of one of the miners to see what time it was, and when doing so took a wrong turn and went into a place in which there was a piece of stone hanging, and as he was passing under it it fell upon and killed him. The miner had previously attempted to get the stone down with a pinch but failed to do so.
1911	February	7	Ladyha No 2	Ayr	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Martin Watt	52	Waggoner	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	Taking a full wagon from the pit by means of a horse when he was run over and killed. No one saw the accident occur and it is difficult to say how it was caused ; the most probable cause was that he had been riding on the buffer and fell off.
1911	February	13	Polton	Edinburgh	Lothian Coal Co Ltd	James Livingstone	21	Engineer's Labourer	On surface – electricity	When illegally attempting to make a connection to an electric lighting wire for the purpose of playing a practical joke on a fellow workman he was electrocuted.	To follow
1911	February	15	Bothwell Castle No 1	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Edward Storrie	54	Collier	Falls of roof	Deceased was at work throwing loose coal down the wall to his drawer who was at the gate end when a large piece of stone fell from the roof, without any warning, and part of it caught and crushed him severely about the lower part of the body and legs. Died the following day.
1911	February	17	Southrigg No 2	Lanark	United Collieries Ltd	David Russell	36	Pump and Haulage Attendant	Other haulage accidents	Deceased went into a wheel room at the bottom of the shaft to get a plumber block, and when looking for it something fell on his head ; he stooped to avoid it, and in doing so, inadvertently put his leg between the rope and the wheel, and in trying to extricate it his arm also became caught.
1911	February	18	Camps (Limestone)	Edinburgh	Coltness Iron Co Ltd	George Young	27	Blacksmith	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	He was moving a loaded waggon and when he applied the brake it did not stop, and he picked up a crow-bar and placed it in front of the wheels. The bar struck him and knocked him in front of the waggon and the wheels passed over him. Died the following day.	To follow
1911	February	20	Philpstoun No 1 (Oil shale)	Linlithgow	James Ross & Co	Thomas Russell, Senr.	44	Miner	Falls of roof	He was stooping and when finishing the first cut on a stoop preparatory to getting the timber withdrawn some of the roof collapsed and fell and jammed his neck between two props.
1911	February	20	Craighead No 1	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	John Muir	45	Oversman	Shaft accidents – ropes or chains breaking	The coal is dropped from the Main Coal to the Splint Coal Seam, a distance of 16 fathoms, in a shaft in cages, the weight of the coal and hatch descending raises the empty hutch and ascending cage. Deceased got into a hutch for the purpose of examining the shaft, and when the cage was about 18 inches from the top, the rope broke, and he, the hutch and the cage fell to the bottom, and he was killed instantly. The rope, which outwardly appeared to be in good condition, was internally much corroded ; it broke at the top of the hose, where the water, running down the rope, collected and penetrated the strands.	Newspaper Report - Blantyre pages
1911	February	21	Oakbank (Oil shale)	Edinburgh	Oakbank Oil Co Ltd	James Chalmers	about 64	Labourer	On surface – miscellaneous	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.
1911	February	22	Bredisholm No 3	Lanark	United Collieries Ltd	John Campbell	15	Drawer	Other haulage accidents	By some unexplained means he became entangled in the endless rope wheel, which was securely fenced on all accessible sides. He must have climbed over the fence to get where he was.
1911	February	24	Blackrigg No 3	Linlithgow	United Collieries Ltd	Thomas Berresford	16	Miner's Drawer	Falls of roof	He was filling a hutch and was in a bent position when a piece of fireclay fell off the front of the brushing and knocked him down ; as he was falling a further fall took place and caught him on the head fatally injuring him.
1911	February	26	Newcraighall	Midlothian	Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd	James Campbell	17	Driver	Falls of side	When driving in with a tub, upon which props and bars were piled up, the tub seemingly left the rails, the props then caught the side and loosened it, causing a stone to fall upon Campbell, who was evidently riding upon the top of the props.
1911	February	26	Govan No 6	Lanark	Wm Dixon Ltd	Patrick McComisky	37	Brusher	Falls of roof	He was struck on the head by a small piece of falling roof stone. He died 21 days after the occurrence.
1911	February	28	Devon	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	Peter Dawson	28	Brusher	Miscellaneous underground - electricity	Killed by an electric shock	To follow
1911	March	6	Auchengeich	Lanark	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	John McWilliam	15	Picker	On surface – by machinery	He was sitting on the top of the fence to pull the lever of a clutch out to put the picking table out of gear when he lost his balance and fell amongst the toothed wheels, and was instantly killed.
1911	March	6	Bothwell Castle No 2	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Andrew Gray	68	Shanksman	Other haulage accidents	A new wheel, in connection with a band haulage rope in the shaft, had been put in, and as it was giving evidence of heating at the journal, deceased apparently put his hand through the fence to feel the boss, while the wheel was in motion, and his body was drawn in through the fence and he was killed.
1911	March	7	Rosehall No12	Lanark	Robert Addie & Sons (Collieries) Ltd	Robert Lang	38	Brusher	Falls of roof	Deceased was loading loose debris, which had fallen whilst brushing a road. After fixing up temporary timbering, a fall of side and roof occurred, knocking out the timber, and burying him completely underneath ; he was dead when extricated.
1911	March	9	Valleyfield	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	James Jamieson	27	Miner's Drawer	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	A sudden outburst of fire-damp occurred when they were working in the face of a level and displaced a very large quantity of coal, which completely buried and suffocated them.	To follow Newspaper Report
						John Pedan	27
						George Pedan	14
1911	March	10	Bothwell Park	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Carminic Solkin	35	Miner	Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery	He and other seven men got into the cage to ascend the shaft at the end of the shift, and just as the cage started he lost his balance or fainted, and fell out of the cage to the main coal seam, a distance of 64 feet. He did not appear to be much injured beyond suffering from slight shock and a broken arm, but died 12 hours afterwards. He and the other men had got into the cage without the bottomer being present and signalled themselves away. Beyond the vertical bars at the sides, the cage was not protected either at the sides or ends.
1911	March	14	Auldton	Lanark	Brand & Co	George Pollock	25	Joiner	On surface – by machinery	Deceased by some means unknown, got into the dirt elevator, and was carried down and fatally crushed at the part where the scrapers go under the floor. For a distance of 4 feet up from the floor level the elevator was boxed in, and his body passed down and damaged the fencing.
1911	March	14	Haugh No 1	Stirling	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	James Wilson	18	Drawer	Falls of roof	Deceased was at the road head filling a tub, and he was close to a prop which supported the roof at a point 3 feet from the face. A stone suddenly fell from between the prop and the coal, and caught him above the left ankle, fractured the bone and caused a flesh wound further up his leg. Blood poisoning from the wound set in, and he died from it a week later.
1911	March	16	Glencraig	Fife	Wilson's & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	John Proudfoot	38	Miner	Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery	When ascending the shaft with 15 other men at the end of the shift, he either fainted or had a fit and fell on to the bottom of the cage and rolled out at the side of it into the shaft when about 540 feet from the bottom. The ends of the cage were open and the sides were open and the sides were only protected by two bars, one 1 foot 10 inches and the other 2 feet 8 inches from the floor.
1911	March	17	Murdostoun No1	Lanark	Murdostoun Colliery Co Ltd	Hector McNeil	20	Chain Runner	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	While riding up a dook in front of the first hutch of his rake, he appears to have struck his head against the roof, and to have fallen under the hutches The road was a low one, and the space between the top of the hutch and the roof was only 21 inches.	Newspaper report
1911	March	20	Glencraig No 1	Fife	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	William Cox	22	Miner	Falls of side	Fall of coal at working face while holing. He did not appear to be very badly injured, but died the following day.
1911	March	22	Highhouse No 2	Ayr	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	David McClymont	45	Collier	Falls of roof	Deceased was taking off coal loosened by a shot when the roof suddenly fell at an unseen break upon him ; in falling a set of timber supporting it was displaced.
1911	March	22	Blackrigg No 3	Linlithgow	United Collieries Ltd	John Marshall	21	Miner's Drawer	Falls of roof	He was leaning over the top of a tub which he was filling when a large stone fell from the roof immediately above, crushed him against the small coal in the tub, and suffocated him.
1911	March	22	Bedlay	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Thomas McCormick	40	Shot Firer and Stone Mine Driver	Miscellaneous underground – by explosives	He was engaged driving a stone mine from the Haughrigg seam to the Cloven seam, and the shot holes were bored by means of a Floatman Percussion Drill. During the shift several shots had been charged and fired, and three remained to be charged shortly before the accident. The explosive used was Samsonite, and each shot was charged with nine cartridges, and the charge fired by means of a battery. The shots were duly fired by deceased, who was the authorised person. No one was present when the accident occurred, but all the evidence pointed to the fact that, at the time, deceased was picking off the loose material made by one of the shots, when his pick struck some remnants of the unexploded charge, causing it to explode. On the front of the hole pick marks were clearly visible.
1911	March	24	Auchincruive	Ayr	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Samuel Poole	40	Pit Sinker	Shaft accidents – whilst ascending or descending by machinery	He was descending the shaft, standing on the edge of a kibble, and when 30 ft. from the bottom he, by some means, fell off and was fatally injured.
1911	March	25	Portland, Wellington	Ayr	Portland Colliery Co Ltd	John Gray	49	Road Repairer	Falls of side	He was walking on a haulage brae when a piece of side fell from over a roadside pack, and turning over crushed him about the legs and thigh.
1911	March	31	Bowhill	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Alexander Anderson	49	Repairer	Falls of side	While travelling to his working place deceased saw a fall of stone in the roadway and stopped to examine the place, and while doing so a large stone burst off the side and rolled over on to him. When the overman passed an hour before the road was apparently all right. He died on the 29th April at 12.30 a.m.
1911	April	4	Newbattle	Edinburgh	Lothian Coal Co Ltd	John Syme	62	Miner	Falls of roof	He was injured by a fall of roof in his own working place, and died the same day. The maximum distance, stipulated on the notice posted, under Additional Special Rule 6, at which roof supports were to be set had been exceeded by deceased to allow of his throwing down his coal between the row of props more easily. A long stone fell from between the props so set.
1911	April	5	Riddochhill	Linlithgow	Gavin Paul & Sons Ltd	John Rodgers	51	Miner	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	Deceased and other men were being drawn up a dook in a rake of tubs used for the purpose. The manager's instructions were that not more than three men were to ride in one tub, but in that in which deceased was riding there were four. He either attempted to change his position, or put his head up at a place where the roof was low, to see where the rake was on the dook, and his head was caught against the roof. He died two days later.
1911	April	6	Gartshore No 11	Dumbarton	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Richard Dennington	45	Collier	Miscellaneous underground – suffocation by natural gases	He was overcome by deliberately going into a place containing gas, knowing it to be there. The fireman, who had previously fenced this place off was an eye witness, but apparently did not attempt to stop the deceased.	To follow
1911	April	8	Minto	Fife	Lochgelly Iron & Coal Co Ltd	Robert McAlister	36	Pithead Worker	On surface – miscellaneous	He was regulating hutches on a bridge between the creeper and the pits when he lost his footing and fell under the fence, which was broken, on to the rails 27 feet below. He died in hospital two hours later.
1911	April	11	Carmyle No 1	Lanark	James Dunlop & Co Ltd	Robert Nelson	33	Pit Sinker	Shaft accidents -things falling from part way down	Deceased and another man were at work in the bottom of a winding shaft, which was being deepened. They detached the winding rope from the kettle in the shaft bottom and signalled for it to be raised, in order that a second kettle might be lowered from the seam above to allow of some water being got out of the bottom of the shaft more quickly. The rope after being raised swung about, and the shackle pin caught two battens, which formed the "strike " or landing boards for the kettles of water at the seam above, and pulled them up ; they fell down the shaft on to the head of deceased, 6 fathoms below, and killed him. If the signaller on the landing had attended properly to his duty, he should have stopped the rope when it began to swing, and the ''strike " should not have been made so that it could be caught by the shackle pin in the way it was.
1911	April	11	Blairhall	Fife	Coltness Iron Co Ltd	Barney O'Neary	26	Pit Sinker	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	These men were in the shaft, three of them on a scaffold, and the other in the kettle, when, owing to an accident at the winch, the rope came off the drum and allowed the scaffold to fall to the bottom of the shaft, and in falling it caught the man in the kettle and knocked him out of it.	To follow Newspaper Report
						Alexander McCallum	39	Pit Sinker
						Harry Newman	30	Pit Sinker
						John Boyle	43	Pit Sinker
1911	April	17	Leven No 2	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	James Hodge	51	Miner	Falls of side	He was about to fire some shots in the coal when, without warning, a stone 10 feet long by 3 feet wide by 1 foot thick fell on him from the roof of his working place.
1911	April	18	Polmaise	Stirling	Archd. Russell Ltd	John Macdonald	22	Miner	Falls of roof	A visible fault and "lype" ran diagonally across the place about 3 feet 6 inches apart, and deceased continued to hole the coal without propping a stone, which, in addition to having the exposed " lype " and fault on either side of it, also had one end exposed, owing to a piece of stone having already fallen out, when the fall occurred and killed him.
1911	April	18	Gilbertfield No 2	Lanark	John Watson Ltd	James McCance	56	Coal Miner	Explosions of fire damp	(6.50am) He was proceeding to his work with several other miners, and when at a part of the roadway where there was a hole in the roof, the naked light, carried by one of the men, ignited some gas, causing an explosion, the force seems to have thrown him against the corner of a loaded tub, which was in the lye, about 90 yards from the seat of the explosion, and his skull was fractured. The fireman stated that he examined the part about 1 ½ hours before, and it was clear of gas ; the barometer was abnormally low.
1911	April	21	Dalmeny (Oil shale)	Linlithgow	Dalmeny Oil Co Ltd	Walter Boa	18	Assistant Chain Runner	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He omitted to see a rake properly coupled up, and was following it up a dook when a coupling slipped off the drawbar of the fourth tub. The jock was either not attached or did not work, and deceased was pinned to the side of the runaway hutches.
1911	April	21	Dechmont	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	Robert Edgar	33	Overman	Miscellaneous underground – suffocation by natural gases	He attempted to reach a screen in order to open it to allow air to pass to clear out accumulated gas, and was overcome with the gas. To do so he had to penetrate through, at least, 40 ft. of the gas on a rising grade of 1 in 2. Brave attempts were made by the manager and others to reach deceased, but all failed, and only when air was led up for part of the way did a workman reach the body. It was very foolhardy on the part of deceased to do as he did, but he was anxious to get the gas cleared out and thought the quickest way was to get the screen opened.	To follow Newspaper Report
1911	April	22	Woolmet	Edinburgh	Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd	Robert Young	48	Brusher	Falls of side	He and his partner were walling stone from brushing when a stone 2 tons in weight, which appeared very strongly supported, fell on to him.	Newspaper Report
1911	April	24	Haugh No 2	Stirling	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	William Maxwell	19	Collier	Falls of roof	A large triangular stone fell from the roof from between two " lypes," running towards one another, and joining at the face. As it was thick the stone would probably sound good ; the place was well timbered.	Newspaper report
1911	April	28	Portland Nursery	Ayr	Portland Colliery Co Ltd	John Connel	28	Fireman	Explosions of fire damp	(1pm) Deceased ignited gas with his open light, which had accumulated in a temporarily stopped working. He committed a breach of General Rule 4 (1) by entering this place before making an examination with a safety lamp, gas having been found in the place within the previous twelve months. (2) This place had been fenced off for inflammable gas. He entered this place with a naked light in contravention of Rule 7. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred at Portland Nursery Pit belonging to Messrs. The Portland Colliery Co., Ltd., on April 28th, causing the death of a fireman. The deceased lost his life by contravening; General Rule 4 (1) by going into a place with a naked light without having previously made an inspection of it with a safety lamp, and thereby igniting an accumulation of gas in it. If he had made an inspection with a locked safety lamp, as he should have done, the accident would in all probability not have occurred. The working place in question was-situated about 1,000 yards from the shaft bottom and ventilated by a current of air which, before entering the particular section, travelled a totally different set of workings in another seam. The seam in which the explosion occurred was worked by the stoop and room method, and the air in each place was conducted up to the face by canvas brattice. Two places were approaching each other and one was stopped owing to gas having been found in it f; the other was at work and almost connected with the one which was stopped. The deceased attempted to get to the face of the latter place to see how far the one which was at work had to go before it holed. He only got a short distance when there was a loud report, and he was only reached after the under-manager came in. He was dead and much burned and otherwise injured by the force of the explosion. On making an inspection of the section in which the explosion occurred I found a large accumulation of gas and came to the conclusion that apart from the deceased having done what he should not have done the ventilation was unsatisfactory and, that until another shaft was sunk the section should; not be worked except to make a connection to the new shaft. I, therefore, informed the owners — (1) That the working of the section in which the explosion occurred should be discontinued until the No 1 shaft was sunk and connected to it for the purpose of securing adequate ventilation, except that two levels, and the necessary places to connect them with the shaft when it reached the seam and not more than three repairers in charge of a fireman to keep the roadways in order, would be allowed. (2) Only safety lamps should be used on the inbye of the lye or siding at the bottom of the stone mine leading to the section (3) The roadways and working places being temporarily stopped should be examined as required by Section 5 (1) of the Coal Mines Act, 1896. (4) The accumulation of gas in the place of accident should be removed at once either by connecting the place meeting it by miners, or by means of a fan; whichever means was adopted the work was to be done under the personal charge of a thoroughly experienced fireman. (5) Dust on the roads should, as far as possible be cleared away, and when this was done the roads to be kept free from it and thoroughly watered (6) Ventilation doors should be duplicated, and made so as to fall to of themselves (71) The Nursery or No 5 Pit should be made the upcast and the new or No 1 shaft ,the downcast, and, in order that no time should be lost a fan capable of producing an adequate ventilation must be erected at the Nursery Pit at once. (8) All safety lamps must be made so that the flame can be lowered for the purpose of testing for gas as some of those in use were not provided with any means by which this could be done. I am glad to report that the owners agreed to carry out my suggestions. It is to be regretted that they had not seen the necessity of doing all I suggested before the accident occurred.
1911	April	30	North Motherwell	Lanark	Merry & Cunninghame Ltd	Robert Compton	39	Fireman	Explosions of fire damp	(9pm) He was making his inspection with two locked safety lamps when an explosion occurred. His lamps were found 68 feet in-bye from his body with a key beside them. There was no evidence to show what caused the explosion, but in his pockets, a pipe, tobacco, and part of a match were found. The safety lamps were in good order, and it is probable the gas extinguished them, and he struck a match to relight them. From the Main Body of report: A fireman was killed by an explosion of gas at North Motherwell Colliery belonging to Messrs Merry and Cunninghame on April 30th. The deceased was the fireman for the Blackband and Virtuewell Seams in No. 3 pit, which are worked entirely with safety lamps. Before descending the shaft he got two safety lamps —a Marsaut and a Davy, fitted with a glass shield—securely locked. He then went down the pit for the. purpose of making his inspection before the shift commenced, and appears to have completed the inspection of the Blackband working, as dates were on all the places in that seam. He then proceeded to the Virtuewell Seam and marked the dates on two places, when an explosion occurred, the report of which was heard by a pump minder not far from the shaft. Two ventilation doors were blown open and the concussion also moved the cover on the pithead. The pump minder telephoned to the overman, and he, the manager and others at once went down, and after removing the afterdamp they found deceased dead, having succumbed to the effects of afterdamp. He was about 68 feet from the two safety lamps, which were lying on the pavement on their sides, bottom to bottom, with his lamp key close to them. There was no direct evidence as to the cause of the explosion. The lamps were intact and were afterwards tested and found in good order. I think the explosion occurred nearer to the coal face than where the lamps were found, and that it was caused by some external light. It is probable that his lamps had been extinguished by gas and that he went out what he thought was a safe, distance, and lighted a match which exploded the gas and burned him, and that he then struggled out of the place as far as he could before he was overcome by the afterdamp. A clay pipe with a partly smoked fill of tobacco in it, a piece of tobacco, and a match without a head; were found in deceased's pocket. It is disappointing and disquieting to find that the deceased fireman, although the mine was worked exclusively with safety lamps had in his possession a pipe, tobacco and part of a match. The management afterwards posted a notice in large print at the lamp cabin drawing attention to the fact that pipes and matches must not be taken beyond the lamp cabin, and gave orders to the lampman to enquire when giving out lamps to both firemen and workmen, whether they have any in their possession.	Newspaper Report - Lanarkshire pages
1911	May	1	Lochore, Mary	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	James Orr	25	Drawer	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	Deceased shouted to the man at the top of the cousie, self-acting incline, 14 feet away, to push the full tub over, without having first properly coupled on the empty tub, with the result that the full one, having nothing to counterbalance it, dashed down and killed him.
1911	May	2	Lumphinnans No 11	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	William McCormick Serve	50	Repairer	Falls of roof	He is said to have been working near to a fall when more material came down and a stone from (this) struck him on the back, but did not stop him from continuing his work. He became ill on the following day, and died on 4th May.
1911	May	3	Redburn No 2	Ayr	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	David Brown	65	Roadsman	Falls of roof	Deceased was making an airway through an old longwall waste working, and, after having tried to get some roof down at a " lype," he, without propping the roof, went under it to hole more rubbish, when it collapsed on him and killed him instantaneously.	Newspaper report [NB Name given is Andrew Blackley]
1911	May	4	Lochhead, Victoria	Fife	Wemyss Coal Co Ltd	Robert McCrae	55	Miner	Falls of roof	The seam of coal is 28 feet thick and is worked in four lifts. The accident happened in the second working; the bottom lift had been worked some time before and the range of faces was over the waste. Deceased was turning back coal when the stone and coal forming the roof fell out between two slips and killed him.
1911	May	4	Burnockhill No 1	Ayr	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	James Crawford	20	Assistant Bottomer	Shaft accidents – miscellaneous	He attempted to cross the bottom of the pit through the cage after it had been signalled away. He was caught and crushed between the cage and the side of the shaft.
1911	May	5	Bothwell Park	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Daniel Murdoch	23	Repairer	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	A narrow place was being driven, with a rising grade of 1 in 12, over a hitch 20 ft. up, in order to connect with a road above for the purpose of ventilation ; a shot hole was bored to a depth of 5 ft, and a heavy charge of Samsonite, consisting of 42 lbs., was inserted and fired for the purpose of blowing through. Deceased went up to the place to ascertain if the shot had done as was expected and was overcome by the fumes, as also was another man who had gone with him : a third man who followed saw these men fall and made an effort to get them out, but failed, and in a weak condition he managed to get assistance after travelling 700 ft. in the dark. There was no need for deceased to go up except that he was anxious to know if the shot had blown through. Had the shot blown through the smoke would have cleared away at once, as there was a good air current passing.	To follow Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1911	May	5	Bowhill	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	David Robertson	66	Air Compressor Engineman	On surface – miscellaneous	An explosion occurred in a receiver in connection with an air compressor when he was above it. The engine house was set on fire and when the body was recovered it was in a charred condition ; his injuries were, however, of so serious a nature that it is probable he was killed instantly by the violence of the explosion.	To follow
1911	May	8	Hillhouserigg	Lanark	Baton Collieries Ltd	Charles Rogers	27	Miner	Falls of roof	Deceased had just gone into one of his working places to strip machine cut coal left over from the day shift. He was alone at time of accident, but from the position in which he was discovered, it is thought he sat down to rest, when a large stone suddenly fell on him, causing death instantly.
1911	May	11	Baton	Lanark	Baton Collieries Ltd	Thomas McIntyre	34	Winding Engineman	On surface – by machinery	He tried to start a single cylinder pumping engine which had stopped on centres by levering one of the spokes of the flywheel doun. The engine started and a spoke crushed him,
1911	May	15	Herdshill	Lanark	Coltness Iron Co Ltd	William Hamilton	--	Miner	Falls of roof	He received a knock on the back of the head with a small piece of stone from brushing; little was thought of the injury at the time, but he died on the 25th.
1911	May	17	Little Raith	Fife	Lochgelly Iron & Coal Co Ltd	Thomas Love	43	Brusher	Falls of roof	Deceased had fired a shot in the brushing and went back to see the result. He appears to have been using a pick to pull down some hanging stone when a large stone, which had been exposed and freed at one end by the shot, having brought down some of the stone supporting it, fell upon and killed him.	Newspaper report - Beath pages
1911	May	23	Canderrigg No 4	Lanark	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	James Heeps	17	Drawer	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He apparently stumbled whilst going along a haulage road. When picked up immediately afterwards he was dead. There were no external signs of injury.
1911	May	24	Wallyford	Edinburgh	Edinburgh Collieries Co Ltd	George Aithie	43	Miner	Falls of roof	When getting coal at the working face, a piece of stone about 5 feet by 2 feet 6 inches by 9 inches thick fell from the roof and killed him instantly. There were two weight breakers, one on each side of it, and a slippery " lype" at one of the other ends, and when the accident occurred, the other end was a loose one; there was also a smooth parting above it, so the only support the stone had was the coal, which he was extracting, and as soon as he weakened this sufficiently the stone fell with little or no warning, and brought some coal with it. One of the weight breaks was distinctly visible, and the stone should, therefore, have been supported.
1911	May	27	Broomrigg	Stirling	Banknock Colliery Co Ltd	Robert Waugh, Senr.	59	Miner	Falls of roof	A stone fell from between two slips or joints in the roof and killed him.	Newspaper report
1911	May	30	Lochhead	Fife	Wemyss Coal Co Ltd	Andrew Williamson	16	Miner's Filler	Falls of roof	When he and another man were pushing a full hutch out from the face a large piece of coal fell from the roof without warning and killed him.
1911	June	1	Auchengeich	Lanark	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	Henry Johnstone	20	Miner	Miscellaneous underground - electricity	The south section of the coking coal seam was holed by means of a Bar coal cutter, and the motive power was electricity, three-phase current of 440 volts. The cable conveying the current was armoured throughout, and was 580 yards long to the gate end box, and from the gate end box the trailing cable was also armoured. The system of earthing was common to all the electrical plant in use in the mine, and the various machines were connected right to the surface, where there was a copper plate buried in the earth. At the time of the accident the current was on up to the gate end box, where it was switched off, and during the shift a bad leak took place and the armouring became alive, as the leak did not go to the surface, the result being that the current travelled along the outer covering, through the gate end box, and on to the trailing cable, which was coiled up at the side of deceased's drawing road. He came out with a loaded tub to the entrance of the main road, and on stepping on to the cable to pass his tub, he got the full shock, and falling on the cable lay there for at least 20 minutes, and when found was quite dead. Searching investigation was made to find out why the current did not run to earth, and it was only discovered, after every attempt had been made to find out the cause, that a labourer, while he was engaged in cutting a trench in the vicinity of the copper wire, leading to the copper plate, had cut the wire, thinking it was an old piece, which had been thrown among the debris he was removing.	To follow
1911	June	1	Ferniegare No 2	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	William Kinney	32	Repairer	Falls of roof	Deceased and another man were engaged widening a part of the main haulage road ; two shots had been fired, and while taking off the loose material a stone fell from the roof. The stone which fell had a prop under it, and the prop was thrown out when the stone fell.
1911	June	5	Fortrigg	Lanark	Baton Collieries Ltd	Robert Morris	20	Brusher	Falls of roof	The deceased was withdrawing the timber in a road, preparatory to blasting down the brushing, when a piece of fakey rock, 5 feet by 5 feet 8 inches thick fell from the brushing and killed him. No appliance was used to take out the timber, and as he was withdrawing it, another was drilling a hole in the stone above.	Newspaper report - Shotts pages
1911	June	5	Wallyford No 3	Edinburgh	Edinburgh Collieries Co Ltd	James Craig	16	Pithead Boy	On surface – by machinery	He went to the top of an elevator in connection with a coal washer, and was caught by one of the buckets as he was leaning over a tank. The machinery should have been stopped before the boy was allowed to go to the top of the elevator. The management were not aware that he was allowed to go at all, but the man at the bottom appears to have allowed him to do so to oil the machinery.	Newspaper Report
1911	June	5	Allanshaw	Lanark	Allanshaw Coal Co	John Espie	43	Miner	Other haulage accidents	Died on 16th July as a result of injuries received by slipping on a haulage pulley in an underground road when returning from work.
1911	June	7	Sheriffyards	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	William Mitchell	17	Drawer	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	Filling coal into a hutch at the face when he was accidentally struck in the abdomen by his father's pick. Died the following day.
1911	June	7	Dumbreck	Stirling	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Robert Allan	18	Labourer	On surface – miscellaneous	Another labourer was pushing an empty hutch on to the cage of a surface hoist at the pithead level and pushed it too far ; it ran through the cage and fell to the ground and caught deceased who was waiting to put a full hutch on to the cage when it came down. Died on September 26th.
1911	June	7	Twechar No 1	Dumbarton	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Robert Burns	55	Roadsman	Explosions of fire damp	(8.30am) In taking a short cut from one seam to another, the deceased went into some old workings where he ignited a small quantity of gas with his naked light. He died on 13th June. From the Main Body of report: An explosion of gas at Twechar Colliery, belonging to Messrs Wm Baird & Co., Ltd., on June 7th caused the death of a roadsman five days later. This accident was caused by the deceased travelling and igniting gas with his naked light in an old road which had not been visited for more than three years. The deceased had no work in the road or cause to be in it, but had been actually warned by a contractor not to enter it. A new airway was being driven through an old waste to meet an existing airway and he was attempting to travel from one to the other when he got into an old road in which there was an accumulation of gas and which was 400 yards from where his duties would probably take him.
1911	June	9	Blairenbathie	Kinross	Fife Coal Co Ltd	James Ross	30	Jigger Engineman	On surface – by machinery	He was standing on a staging applying resin to one of the pulley wheels, to prevent the belt slipping, while it was in motion, when his hand was caught by the belt, and carried on to the revolving wheel, and he was thrown on to the jigging screen close to ; the oscillating motion of the screen caused him to pass under a beam 8 ½ inches above it with the result that his spine was fractured and he was internally injured. He died on the 14th.
1911	June	11	Govan No 5	Lanark	William Dixon Ltd	James Milligan	51	Bottomer	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	Deceased and another workman were being lowered on the cage to a mid working in which was placed a pump. The engineman failed to stop at the proper landing and went several feet further. Deceased, thinking that the cage had stopped at the place for getting off, stepped from the cage into an open space of 3 feet and went down the shaft, falling a distance of 32 fathoms. The engineman contravened Special Rule 27 by failing to stop at the proper landing.
1911	June	12	Whistleberry	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	Alexander Stevenson	42	Miner	Falls of side	Deceased was taking down coal at the face when a large fall of coal occurred and displaced several props supporting the top or head coal, and he was caught by the fall of coal and fatally injured.
1911	June	13	Shawfield No 2	Lanark	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	James Dobson	21	Bogieman	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was acting as a bogieman for the first time and was thrown off the bogie and run over the first time he was left to do the work alone. There was no evidence to show how he was thrown off. Died June 20th.
1911	June	18	Broomhouse	Lanark	Haughhead Coal Co Ltd	John Robertson	63	Joiner	Shaft accidents – miscellaneous	Deceased with others was doing repairs at a shaft, which was covered in for the purposes of ventilation. Part of the covering had been removed, and the wood being used to enclose the portion removed was lying in pieces on the top of the flat cover, over the mouth of the shaft. The cage was raised for some purpose, and this caused one of these pieces to fall off; it struck the deceased's head and cut it. The injury was very slight, but erysipelas supervening, he died 15 days later.
1911	June	23	Bardykes	Lanark	Summerlee Iron Co Ltd	Robert Black	35	Brusher	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was walking behind a rake of hutches drawn by a horse when the horse stumbled and fell; the last hutch became uncoupled and ran back, and before he could get clear he was crushed against the side of the roadway.	Newspaper Report
1911	June	26	Cadder No 17	Lanark	Carron Co	Thomas McGuvie	28	Brusher	Falls of roof	While taking down brushing, a large stone fell from the face on to his head, killing him instantly.
1911	July	1	Bothwell Park	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	John Morrison	47	Labourer	On surface – miscellaneous	He was engaged with others lowering a pithead pulley from the frame by means of a hand crane, and while the jib was going out the shoes holding the sole or seat broke, and the crane swung round and crushed him against the pithead building. There was no flaw to be seen in the soles, which were made of cast iron.	Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1911	July	1	Carfin No 3	Lanark	United Collieries Ltd	David Crombie	19	Pony driver	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	He apparently thought the cage was at a mid-landing, and opened the gate, protecting the shaft, pushed his hutch into the shaft and fell with it 40 fathoms to the low bottom. The lighting of the mid-landing -was not adequate.
1911	July	7	Roslin	Edinburgh	Shotts Iron Co Ltd	John Foster	23	Miner	Other haulage accidents	When putting a full hutch on a carriage on an incline with a dip of 60 degrees, the brakesman moved the carriage before getting a signal to do so, and as a result the deceased and the hutch fell to the bottom of the incline, a distance of 170 feet.
1911	July	10	Bothwell Castle No 4	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	William Moreland	55	Brusher	Falls of roof	Deceased was apparently either making preparations for the seat of his building on the right hand side of the place, or about to set up his breakers, when the roof suddenly fell upon him. The place had stood for about two months and during the time the roof had broken, and it fell away between a break and some “lypes”
1911	July	10	Deans No 5 (oil shale)	Linlithgow	Pumpherston Oil Co Ltd	Alexander Carnwath	19	Filler	Falls of roof	A stone mine was being driven down at a gradient of 1 in 2 ½ to a seam below. These men were working at the face when between three or four tons of stone fell from between two slips and killed Carnwath, and so severely injured Provan that he died the following day.
1911	July	10	Deans No 5 (oil shale)	Linlithgow	Pumpherston Oil Co Ltd	John Provan	45	Mining Contractor	Falls of roof
1911	July	12	Bowhill	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Sam. Jack	33	Repairer	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	He slipped when lifting a girder, and strained his knee. He died from tubercular disease of the knee on the 18th June, 1912.
1911	July	12	Bankton	Haddington	Edinburgh Collieries Co Ltd	John McLean	48	Brusher	Falls of roof	Fall of roof in face while he was building a wall after firing a brushing shot.
1911	July	13	Ingliston No 36 (Oil shale)	Edinburgh	Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd	Robert Moffat	20	Miner's Drawer	Other haulage accidents	Internal strain while moving hutches. He was a light delicate man, and not physically fit for the work he was employed at. The officials and miner should not have allowed him to be so employed. He died on 29th July.
1911	July	14	Blackhill	Lanark	Summerlee Iron Co Ltd	Stanley Moore	17	Drawer	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was assisting to bench a loaded hutch at the top of a steep incline and it got over without the rope being attached to it. He appears not to have been able to loosen his hold of the hutch, and, in consequence, was carried down the incline behind it and severely injured. Died 14 days later.
1911	July	15	Chapel No 2	Lanark	Chapel Coal Co Ltd	David Robertson	58	Oncostman	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	He was killed by falling 14 fathoms down the No. 2 shaft, while about to begin altering and renewing a landing.
1911	July	16	Largo Beath	Fife	East of Fife Coal Co Ltd	Andrew Paton Scott	43	Joiner	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	The back wheels of a tub dropped between the plates and the cage at the bottom of the shaft, after it had been filled in the sump and raised there. Deceased raised it up with a bar and then threw it down in the cage to help to push the tub away. Forgetting the bar, he, and three other men then rode up. in the cage. The end of the bar projected beyond the cage, and it caught a bunton, which knocked the bar out of the cage, and in being jerked out it caught Scott between the legs, inflicting injuries, which proved fatal on September 1st.
1911	July	18	Rosshill (Oil shale)	Linlithgow	Dalmeny Oil Co Ltd	Peter Ronaldson	18	Hanger-on	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	Crushed between hutches when trying to snatch a chain out of the way of some hutches on a dook bench where empty hutches were standing. Died on the 21st.
1911	July	22	Gateside	Dumfries	Sanquhar & Kirkconnel Collieries Ltd	James Murdoch	19	Miner	Falls of roof	When going into his working place from a turning plate a stone fell from between two "lypes" and killed him.
1911	July	24	Wallyford	Edinburgh	Edinburgh Collieries Co Ltd	Thomas Sandilands	51	Haulage Roadsman	Haulage – ropes or chains breaking	Owing to a broken endless rope on the dook, he was probably caught by the runaway tubs when trying to signal the engineman to stop. On steep inclines, which require watching, it is desirable to have two wires into likely refuge holes, to prevent a haulage roadsman having to leave a place of safety to " stop." In this case, however, there is no evidence that deceased was in any refuge hole.
1911	July	26	Aitken	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Alexander Laird	28	Oversman	Falls of roof	He was watching a new coal-cutting machine being prepared for its first cut when a fall of blaes from the roof, caused by a breaking poll, caused his death by suffocating him.
1911	July	27	Loudoun No 3	Ayr	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	William McCulloch	33	Collier	Falls of roof	Deceased was engaged taking off coal from the face when the roof suddenly collapsed and fell away from a "pot bottom" and breaks.
1911	August	1	Kinneil	Linlithgow	Kinneil Cannel & Coking Coal Co Ltd	Alexander Graham	38	Pony Driver	Other haulage accidents	While snibbling a full rake, his middle finger of right hand was jammed between snibble and wheel; blood poisoning supervened and he died on 12th,
1911	August	3	Bardykes	Lanark	Summerlee Iron Co Ltd	Joseph Malasky	29	Miner	Falls of roof	Whilst taking down coal a fall of coal occurred, which fatally injured him.
1911	August	7	Birkrigg	Lanark	Darngavil Coal Co Ltd	Thomas Lockhart	18	Miner	Falls of roof	He was at work at the face when a stone fell away off the side of the road and fatally crushed him. The stone came away from a break which was unseen, and in falling threw out two props supporting it.
1911	August	8	Dunnikier No 1	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	William Glass	24	Chain Runner	Other haulage accidents	He was on the chain in front of the rake of 10 hutches when the drawbar hook of the second bent, and allowed nine to run back. The jerk, caused by the weight being taken off, no doubt threw Glass off, as he was found badly injured. He died four hours later.
1911	August	12	Tannochside No 3	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	John Chalmers	41	Under Manager	Falls of roof	He was pinching down a large stone from the roof when it came away. It knocked out the timbering under which he was standing which allowed the roof to fall on top of him.	Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1911	August	14	Rosehall No13	Lanark	R Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd	James Graham	63	Fireman	Falls of roof	Deceased was buried by a fall of roof, whilst setting a hurdle screen. The fall took place from between two " lypes" in the roof.
1911	August	15	Afton No 1	Ayr	New Cumnock Collieries Ltd	Edward Hunter	15	Pony Driver	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	When taking a rake of hutches, along a road with a slight inclination, to the shaft he was crushed, by his pony jibbing against the hutches. A door, which should have been open, was closed.
1911	August	17	Ferniegare No 2	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	Robert McCutcheon	27	Machineman	Falls of roof	Whilst attending coal cutter a large fall of roof occurred ; part of it fell on to deceased (and fractured his spine), across the bridle of the machine.
1911	August	18	Donibristle, Marion	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Michael Digman	24	Drawer	Falls of roof	Fall of roof in main drawing road. He was drawing out a full hutch, and when turning a corner lost control of it; he failed to get a snibble in, and the tub ran down the road and knocked out some timber, which caused the fall, which killed him.
1911	August	19	Meiklehill No 2	Dumbarton	Woodilee Coal & Coke Co Ltd	James Benson	16	Pony Driver	Explosions of fire damp	(10.30am) Whilst working in a return airroad, a quantity of gas was driven off an old waste and it ignited at his open light. The oversman should have seen that the pit was clear of men before allowing gas to be driven off from an old disused working. He died late the same night. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred in the main coal seam of Meiklehill Colliery, belonging to the Woodilee Coal Co. Ltd, on August 19th, and caused the death of a pony driver and injury to another boy. The accident was due to two boys being allowed to be in the return airway with naked lights when a large; waste was, by diverting the air current, being cleared of gas, which had accumulated during a period of 19 years. The manager had discussed with his officials how the clearing of the waste should be done, but stated he had not given any instructions that it should be carried out. The under-manager, however, instructed the, overman, to proceed with the work and the latter sent a note to the fireman to clear the gas out, and he proceeded to do so, but in the meantime the overman sent the two boys to clean the road which is the return from the waste in question. The overman's explanation was that when he sent the boys, one of whom was his own son, into the return airway he forgot that the gas was being cleared out. Where the boys, were working when the explosion occurred is beyond the station, under General Rule 4 of the Coal Mines Act, 1887, but no inspection had been made of it by a competent person within two hours of their commencing work as required by the rule. It is incredible to me that officials with any sense of their duty and responsibility under the Coal Mines Act and Special Rules, or of the most primitive and obvious precautions necessary to be taken for the safety of the persons employed could act in the way these did. It shows there was little, if any, supervision on the part of the manager, and that officials deputed their duties to others without even giving instructions that the necessary precautions should be taken. The overman, who was dismissed and left the country, was, no doubt, the greatest offender, but, I think, when an important and dangerous operation, such as was being undertaken in this instance is to be carried out, all the officials from the manager downwards should be in the pit at the time to direct and watch the operations. If this had been done, this accident would not have occurred. On reporting the matter to you, you directed proceedings should be taken against the responsible persons, but by the time the complaint could be served, the overman had emigrated, and, in consequence, the manager and under-manager were prosecuted. The sheriff, however, held that the charges against the manager had not been proved, and they were only competent against the overman. Those against the under-manager were therefore withdrawn.
1911	August	21	Motherwell No 4	Lanark	John Watson Ltd	Michael Watters	25	General Repairer	Falls of roof	He and another man were setting props on a road under a bar on which stone was resting, and when driving one of them up to tighten it the bar swung out and displaced other three bars, and the stone and lagging above them fell out and caught him.
1911	September	3	East Plean No 4	Stirling	Plean Colliery Co Ltd	William Duncan	14	Wheeler	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was at the bottom of brae waiting for it to run when the pin of the muzzle attached to the descending end of the cousie chain jerked out and two full hutches ran down the brae and struck Duncan.
1911	September	4	Allanton	Lanark	Wm Barr & Sons (Coalmasters) Ltd	William Marshall	25	Miner	Falls of roof	Deceased was shovelling coal to the roadhead to fill a tub when the roof suddenly fell upon him. In falling the stone carried away two props which were set under it.	Newspaper report - Dalserf pages
1911	September	4	Auchlochan	Lanark	Caprington & Auchlochan Collieries	Daniel Watson	36	Washing Foreman	On surface – miscellaneous	He was assisting another man to push a roll of washing riddle over the front of a loft when one of the wires caught his jacket, knocked him off his balance and drew him over on to the floor 11 feet below. He received injuries to his head from which he died on the 13th.
1911	September	12	Devon	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	Thomas Watt	--	Repairer	Other haulage accidents	He was braking a full hutch down a cousie brae, when the empty hutch caught the timber ; the resulting jerk pulled out the wheel tree, which struck him behind the ear and fractured his skull. He died on 4th October.
1911	September	13	Arthur	Fife	Lochgelly Iron & Coal Co Ltd	James Adamson	59	Oncostman	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	Crushed by tubs owing to his misjudging the distance in which he had to work, when endeavouring to release them from the clip attachment to the rope.
1911	September	13	Pennyvenie No 2	Ayr	Dalmellington Iron Co Ltd	William Millar	15	Chain Runner	Miscellaneous underground – by machinery	Deceased went into a haulage motor room, and for some reason, probably to see for himself how an indicator or clutch gearing worked, he went through the machinery fencing and was caught by a gear wheel, when the haulage, which was at that time at rest, started.
1911	September	14	Earnock	Lanark	John Watson Ltd	James Campbell	26	Pony Driver	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	He got one of his fingers slightly cut by catching it against a buckle on the harness of his horse ; blood poisoning supervened, and he died on 4th July, 1912.
1911	September	15	Herbertshire	Stirling	Robert Addie & Sons Collieries Ltd	John McColl	65	Roadsman	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was following a rake down an engine brae. The rake was lowered too far and in consequence was pulled up about a hutch length. Deceased was found on the top of the second hutch seriously injured. Died on the 18th.
1911	September	22	East Plean No 4	Stirling	Plean Colliery Co Ltd	William Bryce	26	Miner	Explosions of fire damp	(9am) The ventilating brattice was taken down to allow of a pump being lowered in a dook, thus short-circuiting the air. The oversman and men with him then went to have some food, and on returning ignited some gas, which had accumulated, with their naked lights. Bryce died on 24th September at 9.30 a.m. From the Main Body of report: An explosion of gas occurred at East Plean Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Plean Colliery Co., Ltd., on September 22nd, by which a repairer was killed and six men more or less seriously injured. The explosion occurred in the Glenside Main Dook of the main coal seam. A pair of dooks or dip headings were being driven down to connect them with another pair of headings known as the Stone Mine Dooks, which had been driven through a large fault to win the coal on the low side. The Glenside Dook had been driven a distance of 1,640 feet and 100 feet below a level known as No. 15. Levels or crosscuts were driven to connect the back dook at intervals of 100 feet, fourteen of these levels had holed and the fifteenth was nearly so, being 131 feet in. The air travelled down the back dook and then up through No. 14 level and, conducted by means of brattice cloth, ventilated the face of No. 15 level and the Main Dook, and then returned up the latter road. The face of the Main Dook was not being worked owing to water having accumulated in it, and its was therefore decided to lower a small electric pump, which was placed by the dook side, opposite No. 15 level. In order to pull this pump up and place it on the rails, a portion of the brattice cloth was taken down and blocks were attached to the pump. The overman was in charge; he and the other six men, then sat down by the roadside and had breakfast, after which two of them went into No. 15 level, but had only gone a short distance when gas was ignited at their naked lights and they were all burned more or less severely. Owing to the place being naturally wet there was, beyond the brattice cloth being knocked down in places, no evidence of violence and no damage was done. The fire-damp apparently came from a break in the roof caused by a slight crush, on the upper side, and 86 feet from the entrance of the No. 15 level. There was a strong feeder coming from this break twenty-four hours afterwards, and, although the brattice had been replaced the face could only be reached by keeping a safety lamp close to the floor or pavement. The cause of the gas accumulating was that by pulling the brattice cloth down just above No 15 level the air was short circuited and the faces of the level and dook were, in consequence, left unventilated. It was stated by the officials that gas had not been previously seen in the level nor in either of the dooks but it had been detected occasionally in the workings off some of the upper levels. The back dook had been standing for about a week, and small feeders were on the day after the accident, bubbling through the water which had accumulated at the face. The fireman stated that when there was no water in the place gas could not be found, and for that reason the presence of the feeders of gas had not been reported in his book. Fire-damp had been found in the upper levels off the Glenside Dook, and seeing it was getting deeper and approaching a place in which an ignition of fire damp had previously occurred, I think the management, should have foreseen that sooner or later there was likely to see such a quantity of gas as would make the use of naked lights dangerous, and should have substituted safety lamps for them. Safety lamp were adopted in these dooks, and the workings off them, after I made strong representations to the owners. The fact that these dooks were worked with naked lights, although I think ordinary prudence should have shown that safety lamps were necessary, was not the actual cause of the explosion ; it was due to gross carelessness in breaking the canvas brattice and thus cutting the air current off No. 15 level and the dook. Not only was this done, but after doing it the men had a meal, and thus allowed time for gas to accumulate before they went back. The overman in my opinion, was very greatly to blame, and it says little for his pitmanship or idea of discipline that he allowed such a stupid thing to be done.
1911	September	22	Bothwell Castle No 4	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	John Dawson	--	Miner	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	When pushing a tub out his working place, he struck his head against the roof and cut it. He died a few days afterwards.
1911	September	23	Milnquarter (Fire clay)	Stirling	John G Stein & Co	Clark Reid	42	Miner	Falls of side	When holding a drill for his mate to strike, a piece of clay fell out from the side above him at a " lype " and killed him. The fireman who examined the place was close to him at the time.
1911	September	23	Bothwell Park No1	Lanark	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Sam Clyde	26	Repairer	Falls of roof	He was loading up debris from the roadside, when a fall of roof occurred, part of the roof stone fell on to his back, fracturing his spine.	Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1911	September	27	Loanhead, Burghlee No 3	Edinburgh	Shotts Iron Co Ltd	William Cossar	36	Miner	Miscellaneous underground – suffocation by natural gases	While engaged in driving an airway, he returned 1 ½ hours after firing two shots of gelignite and ¼ hour later was found dead in his working place. He was probably poisoned by carbon monoxide.	To follow
1911	September	30	Knowton	Lanark	Barr & Thornton	James King	30	Coal Cutting Machineman	Miscellaneous underground – by machinery	He was putting wedges under the skids of the machine to keep it level, when the sleeve of his vest got entangled in the rope by which the machine was hauled along the face, and before the current could be switched off, his arm was carried round the drum, and his neck was broken.	Newspaper report
1911	October	2	Hauldhead	Dumfries	Sanquhar & Kirkconnel Collieries Ltd	William Black	25	Drawer	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was taking a rake of tubs up an inclined part of a haulage road, and heard what he thought was a rake of empties coming down. He stepped in front of his own rake, and was walking there, when the tubs which he had heard, and which proved to be a rake of runaway loaded tubs, crashed into him and his rake, and injured him so badly that he died the same day.
1911	October	2	Deans No 2 (oil shale)	Linlithgow	Pumpherston Oil Co Ltd	William Jamieson	18	Chainer	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was probably in the act of putting a derailed hutch on the road when the rake moved and crushed him. No signal was given before or after the rake stopped and the engineman restarted without a signal not expecting anyone would be near.
1911	October	3	Tannochside No 3	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	James McAlpine	40	Miner	Falls of roof	While he was passing along the face a piece of coal suddenly burst out,and striking a prop knocked it out, causing the roof to fall upon him. The stone fell away from a keen parting, which was unseen.	Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1911	October	4	Hamilton Palace	Lanark	Bent Colliery Co Ltd	Adam Barr	72	Oncostman	Shaft accidents – overwinding	He and other seven men were being lowered in the shaft to their work, when the winding engineman failed to check the speed of the descending cage sufficiently, and it struck the cage violently. The ascending cage was taken up against the pulley, but fortunately no one was in it. Deceased died on the 7th October, and all the other men were more or less injured. From the Main Body of report: Overwinding - An accident occurred from this cause at Hamilton Palace Colliery belonging to Messrs. The Bent Coal Company, Limited, on October 4th, causing the death of an oncostman and injuries of a more or less serious nature to seven men who were in the descending cage. The depth from the surface to the seam to which these men were being lowered is 95 fathoms. Nothing was wrong in any way with the winding engine or gear and the accident was solely due to a mistake on the part of the winding engineman. He had previously been employed at a shaft 160 fathoms in depth, and, I think, in a moment of forgetfulness, he allowed the engine to run as if he had been at the deeper shaft. Neither a detaching hook nor an automatic controlling device to prevent overspeed was in use. If the latter had been in operation with this engine, there is little doubt, I think, that the overspeed control would have been brought into operation by the steam being automatically cut off, and the brakes applied On the cage reaching the predetermined point.in the shaft, and the cage would, in consequence, have been brought to a standstill, .and the accident prevented.	Newspaper report - Bothwellhaugh pages
1911	October	6	Govan No 6	Lanark	William Dixon Ltd	Archibald Smith	15	Message-boy	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	The boy left the place where he was sitting and went towards a line of rails where a loaded waggon was being run out from the screen, and was crushed between the buffers of the moving waggon and one which stood stationary.	Newspaper Report
1911	October	6	Bent	Lanark	Bent Colliery Co Ltd	John Stevenson	35	Brusher	Miscellaneous underground – by explosives	He bored a hole for a shot in the brushing and left the place to have some food. During his absence the shot firer came into the place, and after charging the hole with four cartridges of Arkite, about 1 ½ lbs., he lit the fuse and passed along the face. In the place below two shots were charged, and the fuse also lit, prior to deceased's hole being charged. Deceased was unaware that two shots had been lit in the place below, and when the two shots exploded he thought his was one of them and proceeded to the face ; when 35 feet away his shot went off, and he was struck on the head with some flying debris.	Newspaper Report - Hamilton pages
1911	October	7				Andrew Strachan				See entry under 23 January 1911
1911	October	10	Dechmont No 3	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	Neil Crow	27	Strapper	Explosions of fire damp	(3.30pm) A fireman improperly took two men into a section of the Upper Ell Coal Seam before he had inspected it. On arriving within a 100 yards of the face, he left the men behind and commenced to inspect the roadway and working faces, but found, owing to gas being present in the right-hand side of the section, the men could not get in. He tightened up the canvas doors, which caused a portion of the face to be cleared. In the meantime two other men had come into the section and joined those already there. The fireman left these four men where they were and went out of the pit. An explosion afterwards occurred, but what was the cause of it is not quite clear. All the men had safety lamps, and the glass of one was afterwards found broken, but whether this had occurred before the ignition of the gas, or it was broken by the force of the explosion, is doubtful. If the broken glass was not the cause, a match must have been struck by one of the men. Crow died on 16th at 1.20a.m. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred at Dechmont No. 3 Colliery belonging to Messrs. Archibald Russell. Ltd., on 15th October, causing the death of a strapper and injury to four other workmen. The explosion occurred in the Rise Section of the Upper Ell Coal Seam. This seam is reached by a crosscut stone mine driven to the dip from the Splint Coal Seam at No. 3 shaft bottom. The holing of the coal in this section is done by means of coal cutting machines actuated by electricity. The air current to ventilate the section was taken from No. 3 shaft and a split was taken from the main current at the bottom of the stone mine, a distance of 335 yards from the shaft, and after it had travelled the faces in the rise and a level section it was taken to the Pyotshaw Seam and to the upcast shaft at Dechmont No. 2 Colliery where there is a Guibal fan 30 feet in diameter. The quantity of air passing into the section was measured the day after the explosion, when it was found to be 7,500 cubic feet per minute. The fan had been stopped at 7a.m. for repairs on Saturday, the 14th October, and was not restarted until 9 p.m. on that day. Some repairs were necessary on the level road and some work in a new air course at No. 3 Pit was also done, and while these were being effected a temporary fan at No. 3 Pit was kept at work by which air was forced into the workings. During the period the main fan was stopped, fire-damp accumulated in; the section in which the explosion occurred. Owing to work having been suspended on Saturday, it was arranged by the contractor that a shift should come on on Sunday afternoon in order to have everything ready for the coal cutting shift at 10 p.m., and to that end the strippers descended the pit at 1 p.m. and were met by the overman, who is also the under-manager, at the shaft bottom.; he told them to go in-bye to where the fireman was at work with others doing some repairs on the main road and tell him to go to the section and make an inspection of the faces. They did so and the fireman took them with him up a self-acting incline leading to the section. He left the men about 100 yards behind him and commenced to make his inspection on the right-hand side. On reaching the first road above the level he was unable to proceed further owing to fire-damp being present and, he therefore, returned and made his way along the level on the left-hand side, which he found clear until he got within 18 feet of the face of the heading on that side when he again found firedamp. He then returned to where he had left the men, and examining the canvas door fixed between the intake and return to cause the air to travel round the faces, he found movement of the strata had disturbed, an upright prop on the low sideband that air was, in consequence, escaping at it. It was only the sheet between the intake and return airways; after tightening it up he again examined the face of the heading on the left hand side, and found the gas was being cleared out, and, at that time got 10 feet nearer to the face than he had previously been able to do. In the meantime two coal cutting machinemen came up the level and he informed the four men that they could not get to the faces and that they must wait an hour, when he thought the gas would be cleared. Instead of withdrawing the men as he should have done, and as ordinary prudence should have suggested as the only safe thing to do, he left them where they were and proceeded to the shaft as his shift was finished. On his way out he met the fireman in the succeeding shift and informed him of the gas. The on-coming fireman proceeded towards the section, and, in order to clear away the gas more quickly, resolved to short circuit the return air by raising two canvas sheets on the self- acting incline, and on coming to the first he lifted it up, although the men were on the in-bye side of it, and was about to do the same to the second when the explosion occurred and he was thrown down by the force of it. While the gas was being dispersed it had, by some means become ignited. The oversman who was near the shaft felt the force of the blast, and at once hurried in towards where the men were and met them coming out. He found that the trousers of the man who subsequently died were burning, and extinguished the flame. After seeing that this man and the others were in safe keeping and proceeded with the manager to the place where the explosion occurred and found some brattice cloth on fire near where the canvas screen had been between the intake and return airways, and this they extinguished at once. There was considerable violence from the explosion, several falls of roof were caused, props were blown out, props lying by the side of the roadway, a wooden tool box was badly damaged, all the canvas stoppings and doors were thrown down and an empty tub was blown down the self-acting incline, a distance of 22 yards, although neither the coal on a full hutch nor the hutch close to it were moved. The men had seven safety lamps of the "Ackroyd & Best" type, all of which had single gauzes, but three of them were provided with a gauze cap—the other four were not so provided. These lamps and their gauzes, with the exception that the glass of one was broken, were found locked and in good order. The electric current was not on, and, as far as could be ascertained, it had not been switched on or used for any purpose. One of the theories of the cause of the explosion advanced was that one of the men was using a naked light for some illegal purpose and that the broken glass of the safety lamp was caused by the lamp being thrown by the force of the explosion against the side of the road, but whilst this might be so I was able to satisfy myself that the broken lamp glass was not the cause. If the cause of its being broken was the force of the explosion think some of the other lamps would also have been similarly damaged. It is quite possible the lamp in question had been burning in gas and the heat resulting therefrom broke the glass and caused the explosion. The accident would not have occurred if ordinary precautions had been taken and the provisions of the General and Special Rules had been complied with. The men themselves went past the meeting station under General Rule 4 to find the fireman, and the latter took them in with him instead of leaving the men at the station until he had made his inspection and found it was safe for them to be admitted into the section, and made his report as required by General Rule 4. But, having illegally taken them in, he should at once have withdrawn them under General Rule 7 and Special Rule 38. Instead of doing this, he actually left them where the gas was, and returned to the surface. The fireman of the in-coming shift did not appear to realise the serious state of affairs, because he began to lift a screen when men were in the section, a most improper proceeding. It is apparent that the officials in question did not appreciate or realise the danger of the accumulation of gas or they would not have acted as they did. Their action says very little for the discipline at the mine. The fireman who left the men in beyond the station, although danger from gas existed, was prosecuted, and the sheriff convicted and admonished him. Diagram
1911	October	11	Earnock	Lanark	John Watson Ltd	David Archibald	45	Repairer	Falls of roof	He was engaged withdrawing props after a stoop had been extracted when the roof suddenly fell, and before he could clear himself, he was caught and crushed under it.	Newspaper Report - Hamilton pages
1911	October	11	Greenfield	Lanark	Archd. Russell Ltd	James McDowall	55	Waggon Shifter	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	Deceased had put in empty waggons to his screen, and was on his way to his place to trim, and while walking on the line, some waggons being brought to the screen alongside his own overtook him and threw him in front.	Newspaper Report - Hamilton pages
1911	October	11	Skellyton	Lanark	Darngavil Coal Co Ltd	David Spence	43	Brusher	Falls of roof	He was stowing the debris made from a brushing shot, when the roof fell upon him ; the stone came away from some "lypes," which were unseen.
1911	October	12	Ellismuir	Lanark	United Collieries Ltd	William Kerr	41	Oversman	Falls of roof	He was clearing passage over a fall on the face, when a piece of stone fell from the roof on to his head, and neck; suffocation took place before he could be extricated.
1911	October	12	Earlseat	Fife	Wemyss Coal Co Ltd	Andrew Graham	54	Tub Repairer	On surface – by machinery	The machinery having been stopped at 1.50 p.m. deceased thought that work had ceased for the day, as the shift finishes at 2 p.m. He, therefore, and as usual, went through a fence to clean the dross from the end of a picking table. On more coal coming out, the engine-driver started the machinery, and deceased was dragged round a pulley by one of the belts.
1911	October	16	Dalmeny (Oil shale)	Linlithgow	Dalmeny Oil Co Ltd	Robert Grieve	30	Drawer	Explosions of fire damp	(12 noon) Grieve was working with two other men, A. Walker, contractor, and A. Connolly, miner. They were stooping or removing pillars on the lower side of a small area of waste, which had been worked out and the roof allowed to fall. The roof had fallen up through 40 feet of strata, and in doing so had passed through two seams of shale, and Grieve apparently went up into the waste to slide this fallen shale down into the roadway, where Walker and Connolly where working, when his naked light ignited firedamp which had been allowed to accumulate, severely burning him and Connolly, who was close to him. The deceased (Gilhooley), Livingstone, a fireman, and William Lees, who were going to see what was the matter, were also severely burned by the second flame, which extended about 200 feet into a main level above. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred at Dalmeny Shale Mine, belonging to the Dalmeny Oil Co. Ltd., on the 16th October, causing the death of two miners and seriously injuring five others. The Broxburn Shale, about 8 ft. 6 ins. thick, was being extracted by means of the stoop and room method. Immediately above this shale are two other seams, the Curley, 6 ft. 8 ins. thick, 10 ft. above, and the New Shale, 8 ft. thick, 6 ft. above the Curley, the total height from the pavement of the Broxburn to the top of the New Shale being 39 ft. The workings were opened out from a main level called Gilhooley's, roads were driven and pillars formed both to the dip and rise. The workings from a main dook holed into those to the dip of the level above, and all the shale from below it was then taken down to this dook and this necessitated a re-arrangement of the ventilation. A brattice cloth stopping was put in the Main Level to force all the air down the old dook, and the top end of the upset into this level was also closed with a double brattice cloth, which prevented any air returning into the level. If fixed at all, this; brattice should have been at the lower end of the upset, as in the position it was placed it formed a receptacle for gas from the workings below. The pillars were then split and a small area of waste laid down below Gilhooley's Level. The waste had fallen up through the Curley Shale above the Broxburn Seam to a great height, this waste must have contained a large quantity of gas as it was exploding in the safety lamp there shortly after the explosion, and, later on, at the upper end, about 30 feet below the top of the fall. The Curley Shale is of good quality, and any loose pieces found lying in the waste or which have rolled down into the roadway are worth filling. The fire-damp, which caused the explosion, came from this waste. The greatest force was shown at the mouth of the upset into the level, the brattice sheet being blown up on to the top of the endless rope tension wheel frame, which was damaged whilst the pipes on the floor were also disarranged, there being evidence at this point only, of considerable force. The brattice sheet on the level, which forced the air down the old dook, was also blown towards this upset, there having, apparently, been two explosions with an interval of several seconds. It was on this level (Gilhooley's) that the contractor, a motor boy and a fireman were burnt, while the dugger at the bottom of No. 3 Brae incline was knocked down. There were three men working at the bottom of the waste, and, of these, two were burnt. All the indications point to the ignition having taken place at the lower end of the waste. The contractor, motor-boy and fireman were sitting in the lye or siding on the main level when they heard the first report; after shouting up No. 3 Brae, they went inbye to ascertain what was the matter, and the contractor (since deceased) lifted the sheet to go down the upset, evidently thinking the trouble was below ; in doing so he met the full force of the second blast. Before he died, he said he had ignited the gas when he lifted the sheet, but I am confident this was not the case. The three men, one of whom afterwards died, were filling the fallen shale from in front of the roadway on the lower side of the waste. A pick was found up in the waste close to some large pieces of good Curley Shale, which were lying in front of the roadway. The contractor at that place said it was not his pick, as all were marked, and he had strict orders not to go into the waste. On producing his picks, however, it was found that only one had his mark, three had that of another man, and four were unmarked. He described the explosion as follows: "I heard a muffled sound, and guessing what it was shouted "Drop." I stopped and the flame flashed over me; I ran forward and had pulled out Grieve (one of the men killed) whose shirt was burning, and taken it off, and was pulling him down the road when a second sheet of flame came. I was about 15 yards further down when this happened, and think it was about the same quantity of flame—it did not burn any of us, as we were all lying down." The deceased man evidently went up into the waste to slide the fallen shale down on to the roadway where the contractor and a miner were working, when the naked light in his cap ignited the firedamp. Since the explosion this section and the one above have been exclusively worked with electric lamps, which owing to the better light, the management consider much more satisfactory than the ordinary safety lamps. The accident, in my opinion, was caused by one of the deceased men going on to the top of a fall in the waste to-get shale with his naked light. It was a dangerous thing to do, but I do not blame him as much as the contractor, by whose instructions he evidently did so. Places such as these should not be worked with naked lights, and this accident was primarily due to this precaution of having electric lamps in use before the accident occurred not having been taken.
1911	October	16	Dalmeny (Oil shale)	Linlithgow	Dalmeny Oil Co Ltd	Frank Gihooley	34	Miner	Explosions of fire damp
1911	October	17	Polmaise Nos 1 & 2	Stirling	Archd. Russell Ltd	George Richardson	24	Miner	Falls of roof	While engaged in holing at the coal face a large stone fell from the roof on to him, and fractured his spine. He died on 31st October.
1911	October	19	Murdostoun	Lanark	Murdostoun Colliery Co Ltd	Peter McGhee	44	Miner	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	Alleged to have died from the effects of a blow from the handle of his boring machine. The handle came back with a jerk, owing, possibly, to the ratchet slipping, and struck the deceased in the chest. The doctor certified that death was due to cerebral haemorrhage.
1911	October	26	Annandale No 11	Ayr	Caprington & Auchlochan Collieries	John Rae, junior	22	Repairer	Explosions of fire damp	(10.30pm) Deceased was on the night shift, and received his orders by note left by day fireman on the surface. He was sent to an abandoned road to lift rails, and on reaching the face ignited gas with his naked light, and was so badly burned that he died at 10.20 p.m. on the 4th November. The place had not been inspected by the back shift or night shift fireman, who allowed him to go into it. Deceased and others knew the place had not been inspected. From the Main Body of report: A repairer was fatally injured by an explosion of firedamp in the Turf Seam of Annandale Colliery belonging to Messrs. The Auchlochan & Caprington Colliery, Ltd., on October 26th. He and other four workmen were sent to the "Turf Stoops" section by written instruction left on the surface by the fireman of the day shift in which the duties of the repairers were set out. The deceased was to take up rails in an abandoned heading in which work had been stopped, and a fall had occurred, about 10 yards from the face, two days before. The day shift fireman made an inspection of the place at 11:50 a.m. and found it clear of gas but the deceased, who did not descent the shaft until 10 pm, went into the place without an inspection of it having been made by a competent person, within two hours of the commencement of the shift as required by General, Rule 4 (1) of the Coal Mines Act, 1887, and on his going over the fall he ignited gas which had accumulated with his naked light. The investigation of the accident disclosed the fact; that the inspection prior to the repairing shift commencing had not been made for some time. The fireman alleged that their other duties had become so great that they were unable to travel the whole of the places during the specified time but they had not made any complaints of this to the manager or informed him that any places were not inspected, and there was nothing in the reports they signed to indicate that any were being missed. There was no oversman at this colliery, and it had been the custom for the day shift to leave a note at the end of the shift for the night shift repairers, giving details of the work to be done by them. It seems to me that if there had been an oversman, in addition to the manager, in direct touch with the details of the work and repairs, the accident would not have happened. The manager had been appointed only a few days before, and he therefore could not be held responsible for the deficient organisation of the official staff, and it was difficult to get evidence that the old manager had any knowledge that the statutory inspections were not being made. I took the matter up with the owners, who, through the agent, agreed to appoint an oversman and also to re-organise the work of the firemen, so as to make it impossible, if the firemen did their duty, for such a regrettable state of affairs to occur again. There is not the slightest doubt that this unfortunate man's death was due to the inspection not having been made by the fireman prior to the shift commencing, and I trust it will be a warning to the officials, from the manager downwards, to see that these inspections are regularly and carefully made, for on them, more perhaps than on anything else, the safety of the persons employed and the prevention of accidents depend.
1911	October	27	Gilbertfield	Lanark	John Watson Ltd	John Jenkins	37	Sawyer	On surface – miscellaneous	Deceased worked at a saw mill used to cut up wood for props ; he had sawn a prop 5 ins. diameter into two, and had put through one of the pieces to cut it into other two pieces, and when the operation had been done the man at the opposite end failed to take away one of the cut pieces clear from the saw, and it was caught and drawn into the saw again and thrown forward with terrific force, and it struck deceased on the face.
1911	October	29	Valleyfield	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Thomas Syme	45	Miner	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	When being raised in the cage from a place in the shaft, at which he had been cutting holes for supports or clamps to carry the electric cables to the place above where another set was to be cut, he appears to have his head partly out of the side of the cage and to have been caught by a cross girder and pulled out. He fell to the bottom of the shaft a distance of 780 feet.	Newspaper report
1911	October	30	Lochwood No 1	Lanark	Lochwood Coal Co Ltd	Archibald McLellan	23	Miner	Other haulage accidents	He fell and bruised his hip whilst pushing out a hutch ; septic poisoning supervened and he died 11 days later.
1911	October	30	Dalzell & Broomside	Lanark	Wishaw Coal Co Ltd	John Galloway	about 60	Oncost Worker	Explosions of fire damp	(1pm) The deceased was sent by his son, the fireman of the section, to get some rails from an old road, among stoops, off the return airway. An explosion of firedamp occurred and killed him. The mine has always been worked with naked lights, and no gas is alleged to have been found in it for more than a year. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred in the Main Coal Seam at Dalzell and Broomside Colliery belonging to Messrs. The Wishaw Coal Co., Ltd., on October 30th, and caused the death of an oncost worker. This seam has been worked into pillars or stoops, and in another district, on the intake side, the stoops are being worked out and the waste hydraulically stowed. The accident occurred in a detached section, which was too irregular and small for applying the hydraulic method of filling while stooping, and it was, therefore, decided only to split the pillars. A fault ran along the top of this district; and two headings were driven up to it and stopped. No air was conducted up these headings, in addition to which the splitting of the stoops still further reduced the quantity of air that might be finding its way towards the upper side and not being ventilated, these two headings and level connecting them had apparently filled with gas. The fireman said he sent the deceased, who was his father, to take up some rails from one of the split, as they were wanted for the hydraulic face. His father went there and seems to have lighted the gas with the naked light in his cap. The explosion blew out a 4-inch brickwork which conducted the air into the face of a mine, two stoop lengths below, in addition to knocking a miner down and causing two of his full tubs to run down a slight incline. The force of the explosion was considerably reduced, owing to the feet that the pillars were all standing open, and several of them were split. Deceased was found in the outer heading, but appears to have rim there after the explosion, as his pipe was found in the level on the intake side, and his cap and lamp in the same level on the return side of where he was found. The fireman stated he inspected this place three hours before the accident occurred; if he did so, this gas must have accumulated in three hours, which is incredible. The overman said he was last in the face of these headings some ten days before the accident. He found it clear and used a naked light. The manager, who has been two years at this mine, also said he had never known gas in this seam before. The fireman, J. Nichol, recently appointed in Galloway's place, said he had previously been a fireman for eleven months and during that time had only found a small quantity of gas on three occasions in the rooms when these stoops were being formed. The overman also said he and; the fireman travelled the airway about once a fortnight; and that he sometimes sent the firemen into the old levels and headings. The headings are rising 1 in 7 and were unventilated. On the other side of the fault gas was found by Mr. Robinson, one of the Senior Inspectors, in two old headings, which had been driven some 15 yards up and stopped. In one case, 7 to 9 yards back from the face, and in the other about 10 yards back. The air from this section goes down a 14 fathom pit to the splint coal, and ventilates a section in that seam. Naked lights are used throughout as, owing to the hydraulic packing no gas can accumulate in the waste where stooping is being carried on in the upper section. The manager has since built brick stoppings instead of the canvas ones in use at the time of the accident, and conducted the air current up to the faces of all blind places by brick stoppings, and this will, I hope, prevent any accumulation occurring in future; in addition to this a daily inspection is made by the fireman and work in the section stopped altogether.
1911	October	30	Dysart, Frances	Fife	Earl of Rosslyn's Collieries Ltd	Agnes Coventry	16	Working on Picking Table	On surface – by machinery	When bending under a revolving shaft to reach some dirt which had been lifted off the tables, her clothes were caught by the shaft, and practically torn off. She was removed to the hospital and appeared to be progressing favourably but she collapsed and died late the same day from shock. The shaft was cased in, but one of the boards which had become loose had been removed and not replaced.	Newspaper Report Name on Frances Colliery Memorial
1911	November	3	Holytown	Lanark	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	William Martin	18	Surveyor's Apprentice	Explosions of fire damp	(11am) The Dook Section in Virtuewell Seam was being surveyed, and deceased was at the dip side of a roadway with the chain to take a measurement to a trouble running almost parallel with the road. The fireman for the section went towards the "vees" with his naked light on his cap, and ignited some gas causing an explosion, whereby both were burned. The quantity of gas ignited was small, and no damage was done to property. The place was temporarily stopped, and was examined by the fireman during his first inspection about six hours previous, and found clear, and the gas had accumulated in the interval. Martin died on 13th November, about 1 o'clock. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred at Holytown Colliery, belonging to Messrs. James Nimmo & Co., Ltd., on November 3rd, and caused the death of a surveyor’s apprentice ten days later, and injury to a fireman. A surveyor, who with the deceased, was in the employment of Mr George Park, M.E., of Glasgow, was making a survey of some workings in the Virtuewell Seam, which had been temporarily stopped. The surveyor asked the deceased and the injured fireman to give him the measurement of a road, and while the former was measuring the distance from the road to the “vees” of an unproved hitch, he ignited gas with his naked light. The fireman, who was near, at once fell down, and was only slightly injured, but the deceased, who had not the presence of mind to do so, was severely injured. All the places had been inspected by the fireman six hours before, and he stated he then found them clear of gas. The barometer was very low and had been falling for some hours, and it is probable the gas accumulated between the inspection being made and the accident occurring. Surveyors should not be allowed to go into workings which are temporarily stopped, with naked lights, as was done in this instance. Seeing that, in order to get places surveyed up to date, it may be necessary for them to go into places which are not efficiently ventilated, it is essential that they should be provided either with safety lamps or portable electric lamps. There are, as is well known, portable electric lamps for this purpose, which are convenient and light, and it is sad and to be regretted that owing to their not being used this youth should have lost his life. The agent of the colliery promised me that in future such lamps would be used at this and all the collieries owned by this firm under similar circumstances.
1911	November	6	Tullygarth	Clackmannanshire	NK	Henry Anderson	67	coal miner	Not recorded	Death not listed in Inspectors report Fall on head, fractured neck	With thanks to Jan Polley for this information
1911	November	9	Kenmuirhill	Lanark	Glasgow Coal Co Ltd	Thomas Craven	26	Miner	Falls of side	Deceased was assisting to pinch out the stone between the top and bottom portions of the seam, when it came away suddenly, and before he could clear himself, he was caught and crushed against the roadside building. He died on 13th November.
1911	November	10	Auchincruive	Ayr	Wm Baird & Co Ltd	Thomas Nash	16	Assistant Bottomer	Shaft accidents – miscellaneous	Deceased was employed principally as signaller. After signalling an empty cage away, he rushed across it to get to other side of the bottom, but was caught between the cage and doorheads as the cage lifted, was carried an unknown distance up the shaft, and fell back into the cage seat through a wooden grating, and to a seam 12 fathoms below.
1911	November	12	Ellismuir	Lanark	United Collieries Ltd	John Gordon	29	Repairer	Falls of roof	Deceased and a roadsman were proceeding along a haulage road on their way to begin their shift, and while passing along, the roof suddenly fell and both were buried under a large stone. The roof was composed of hard faiks, and supports were put up to it at intervals of about 4 feet. In falling the stone threw out one set of timber.
1911	November	13	Hillhouserigg	Lanark	Baton Collieries Ltd	Joseph Bower	25	Brusher	Falls of side	Fall of side in working place. He was about to stow the rock which his brushing shot had brought down, when a piece of the side, about 2 tons in weight, fell and crushed him. He seems to have taken out almost all the breakers to stow the large pieces of rock and this may have allowed the stone to become loose.
1911	November	13	Hattonrigg	Lanark	Summerlee Iron Co Ltd	John Burns	25	General Repairer	Haulage – ropes or chains breaking	The deceased was found in an unconscious condition at the foot of a brae. A runaway, owing to a chain breaking, had occurred, but there was no evidence to show how he met with his injuries. It is probable that he was following up behind the empty hutch, and was caught by it.
1911	November	16	Pencaitland	Haddington	Woodhall Coal Co Ltd	William Christie	65	Fireman	Falls of roof	Fall of roof in stoop road near face. Deceased while acting as fireman was laying rails in a road among stooping work, when, without warning, two tons of the rock roof fell upon him. The stone fell from between two breaks which were not visible before the accident.
1911	November	18	Hamilton Palace	Lanark	Bent Colliery Co Ltd	Charles Clark	34	Miner	Falls of roof	He was wedging down coal, and when the coal fell part of the roof fell with it, and injured so seriously that he died a few hours later.
1911	November	20	Limefield No 32 (Oil shale)	Edinburgh	Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd	James Fairley	38	Miner	Miscellaneous underground – by explosives	He was driving a level, when a shot fired in an upset approaching at right angles from a lower level, burst through and killed him. As he is said to have received a signal from below that a shot was to be fired, and had given a return signal, it is difficult to see why he remained in the place.	To follow
1911	November	22	Woolmet	Edinburgh	Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co Ltd	Philip Wilson	22	Railway Shunter	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	He was shunting waggons up to some others which he intended taking away. As they were nearing each other he tried to jump between them to reach the other side of the rails but was caught between the buffers. He had a coupling pole in his hand at the time.
1911	November	24	Lassodie Mill	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Thomas Beveridge	66	Fireman	Falls of roof	He was removing some stones from an incline, which had fallen from the roof, when another large stone fell and killed him, he, apparently, not having examined the place properly before commencing to move the stones.
1911	November	24	Newliston (Oil shale) No 29	Linlithgow	Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Co Ltd	John Hamilton	52	Shale Miner	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	Deceased was walking down the main dook, where no miners are allowed to travel, when he was caught by the bogies carrying hutches, and crushed against the side of the road. Notices are posted forbidding men to travel on this haulage road.	To follow
1911	November	25	Carronhall	Stirling	Carron Co	Thomas Sharp	61	Winding Engineman	Shaft accidents – falling into shaft from surface	Deceased apparently drew the top cage too high, thus causing the shoe to stick above the guide and bring the cage up. The gate would also be lifted with the cage, leaving one side of the shaft unfenced. He fell down the shaft, but the evidence is incomplete, and it is not clear whether he went through inadvertently or otherwise.
1911	November	28	Arniston, Emily	Edinburgh	Arniston Coal Co Ltd	Sidney Moir	17	Drawer	Falls of roof	While filling a hutch with coal on the level, a stone which was held in position by the coal was liberated, as the coal was worked off, and fell on to him. Rances were only set to the one side, and were naturally screwed out by the weight of the stone.
1911	November	29	Bredisholm No 2	Lanark	United Collieries Ltd	William Traynor	22	Coal Cutting Machineman	Miscellaneous underground - electricity	The accident occurred in the Ell Coal Seam, which is holed by means of a coal cutter, the motive power of which is electricity, A. C. of 500 volts. Deceased was in charge of the coal cutter and at the time of the accident he and another machineman were shifting the haulage rope connected with the cutter, and while doing so both received an electric shock, the former being killed on the spot.	To follow Newspaper report- Bothwell pages
1911	December	1	Glencraig	Fife	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	William Hughes	30	Drawer	Falls of roof	Just as he pushed his empty tub into the face, a bar snapped suddenly, probably owing to crush, and allowed a stone to fall from the roof upon him. The bar was quite sound, and had not been previously broken.	Newspaper report - Ballingry pages
1911	December	2	Gateside	Lanark	Flemington Coal Co Ltd	Hugh Blackwood	52	Fireman and Shaftman	Shaft accidents - falling from part way down	Deceased, with two other workmen, was engaged renewing slides in the shaft, and had to work on the cage top. He was coming off the cage top to the cage bottom, and his feet slipped, whereby he fell into the shaft, a distance of 18 fathoms. The position at the time was opposite the door heads of an upper seam, and he got past the opening.
1911	December	4	Auchengeich	Lanark	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	Duncan Ballantyne	20	Haulageman	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was on his way to the Pit Bottom with a loaded rake, consisting of 5 tubs, and, apparently, he came towards the place where it was usual to stop, before entering a slight declivity, at too great a speed, and, in attempting to take out the tail chain from the first tub, he fell in front and was run over.
1911	December	6	Leven No 2	Fife	Fife Coal Co Ltd	Frank Baxter	59	Miner	Falls of side	He had holed about 8 feet of his coal face, when the coal fell forward over the sprags, and liberated some roof, consisting of coal and blaes about 15 feet long by 7 feet 6 inches wide by 3 feet thick, which fell on him and inflicted fatal injuries. The holing had reached a " lype," which could not be seen until the coal had been removed.
1911	December	6	Poneil	Lanark	Arden Coal Co Ltd	James Ritchie	26	Miner	Falls of roof	Deceased was alone at coal face, and is supposed to have been setting up timber when a stone came away, swinging a crown and prop out and killing him instantly.
1911	December	9	Hamilton Palace	Lanark	Bent Colliery Co Ltd	Thomas Nicholls	33	Oncostman	Falls of roof	Deceased and another workman were engaged taking out a set of timber to allow the roof to fall, and when the timber had been removed the roof fell across two sets of timber, under which they stood for safety, and Nicholls was buried beneath the debris.
1911	December	12	Kenmuirhill	Lanark	Glasgow Coal Co	John Spicer	36	Miner	Explosions of fire damp	(11.30am) The Virtuewell Seam is in two portions, with 7 feet of strata between them ; the brushing fell up to the top seam, and the deceased climbed up into the top seam, a place he had no right to be in. Some gas had accumulated after the fireman's inspection, which his naked light ignited, and he was burned on face and arms, he died on 16th December, at 6 p.m. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred at Kenmuirhill Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Glasgow Coal Co., on December 12th and caused the death of a miner. The Virtuewell Seam, in which the accident occurred, is worked in two separate lifts; the upper coal is worked out first, and, after an interval, the lower coal is extracted. From 5 feet to 7 feet of fireclay separates the two portions of the seam. Deceased, along with another miner, was working in the lower coal, and the face was following up the return airway which is in the upper coal. He left his neighbour and said he was going to begin work at the next gateway and shortly afterwards the report of the explosion was heard and his neighbour's light was put out. On getting to the next gate he found the deceased coming down from the airway in the upper coal where he said he lighted some gas with his naked light. Gas is said never to have been seen in this seam before, and the fireman stated he found none when making his inspection before the shift commenced. The deceased had no business or cause to go up into the roadway and in doing so he committed a breach of Special Rule 100.
1911	December	12	Clyde No 3	Lanark	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	James Meinaghan	38	Repairer	Miscellaneous underground – sundries	The deceased was repairing the sides of a main haulage road when a portion of the side walling suddenly fell over on top of him.
1911	December	13	Woodmuir No 5	Edinburgh	United Collieries Ltd	David Bowman	27	Miner	Falls of roof	While he was shovelling coal, a stone from between two cutters or breaks in the roof, fell on to his head. The cutters were probably invisible owing to a thin layer of clay adhering to the roof. The place was generally well timbered, but three props were displaced by the fall.
1911	December	13	Polquhairn	Ayr	Polquhairn Coal Co Ltd	James Withers	14	Drawer	Explosions of fire damp	(1pm) Withers was waiting at a landing on heading road for his turn to run down his tub when a gas explosion occurred further up at the heading face. He was either thrown down by the force of the blast or was injured by a fall, which came away close to where he was found. He died on the morning of 15th December. Heron, who had been working on same road, 90 feet nearer heading face was slightly burned by the explosion, and was injured by fall of roof immediately afterwards. He died on 18th December. From the Main Body of report: An accident occurred at Polquhairn Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Polquhairn Coal Co., Ltd., on December 13th, and caused the death of a roadsman and a drawer and injury to other two workmen. The Main Coal Seam, in which the accident occurred, was thought to be exhausted when a new area was discovered beyond a whin dyke, 750 yards from the shaft. This area was worked by the stoop and room method. Gas had occasionally been found on the out-bye side of the whin dyke, but never prior to this explosion in the workings beyond it. Burnt coal adjoining the dyke had been driven up on the left side of a heading at a number of points, and in a heading a 5 feet down throw fault had been met with, but it was not intended to pierce it at that place, as it was done in the main heading which had been driven from the main-level beyond the fault. There was some good coal on the whin dyke side, of the heading which had been stopped at the fault and an area of 20 ft. x 18 ft. was worked off next to the fault and timbered, and another lift was about to set away on the out-bye side. A miner was clearing up at the face of the new lift and two roadsmen were laying rails and arranging the timber for the miner under the directions of and assisted by a fireman. One of the roadsmen went to the face of the heading to get timber when his naked light ignited some gas. He threw himself down as the gas flashed up to the fault and returned over him and down the heading. The miner and the fireman were out of line of the blast, but the latter was knocked against the stoop-side and his face was slightly cut. The other roadsman was in the direct line of the blast and he was burned on face, arms, hands and back. Directly the flame passed him and died out he got up and ran down the heading, but he had only gone about 7 yards when a fall from the roof occurred just above him and partially buried him. All the lights had been extinguished and the roof on the out bye side was falling and breaking. Eventually a lamp was lighted, the fireman got the men over a fall, about 16 yards in length, when he heard moaning, and further out found a drawer, 14 years of age, lying on the ground, clear of everything, injured about the head and face. This boy had been waiting at the top of a “cuddy brae” to run a full hutch down it, and was either thrown over or injured by the force of the blast or caught by the end of the fall and struggled free. He died two days after the accident, and the roadsman who was burned and also injured by the fall succumbed to his injuries five days afterwards. The foreshift fireman stated when he inspected the place in the morning he found no gas, and the backshift fireman found none two hours after the accident occurred, nor did Mr Masterton, one of the junior inspectors, when he made an inspection of the workings. The great majority of the explosions of gas in this district are caused by accumulations of gas in unventilated and uninspected places, which should be detected, but this was due to a rapid outrush from the "vees" or “leader" of the fault. The pavement of this seam is soft and the props set to support the roof sink into it, causing the blaes, forming the roof, to settle from the rock or blaes above it, and forms bags or cavities between the layers of strata into which gas may accumulate. It is probable that on the day of the accident there was such a cavity near the heading face in which the gas had been accumulating; With the burnt coal and fault so near, I think, the management might reasonably have expected to meet with gas, and if they had been alert to this danger, they should have taken precautions by having the places worked with safety lamps. Since the explosion such lamps have been introduced and the ventilation increased.
1911	December	13	Polquhairn	Ayr	Polquhairn Coal Co Ltd	Robert Heron	27	Roadsman	Explosions of fire damp
1911	December	18	Auchingeich	Lanark	James Nimmo & Co Ltd	Robert Smith	22	Screeman	On surface – by machinery	He climbed over a fence to oil the machinery driving a part of the screening machinery when it was in motion and his clothing was caught by some toothed wheels and he was so severely injured that he died the following day.
1911	December	20	Bardykes	Lanark	Summerlee Iron Co Ltd	John Kelly	48	Repairer	Miscellaneous underground - electricity	Whilst assisting to remove a coal cutter, the deceased was electrocuted owing to a breakdown of the insulation of the leads, and a break in the continuity of the earth wire, due to the machine being left under a small stream of water.	To follow Newspaper Report
1911	December	20	Tillicoultry	Clackmannan	Alloa Coal Co Ltd	Joseph Hunter	37	Haulageman	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	He was riding down a dook in the third hutch of a rake of twenty hutches, when the coupling of the eighth hutch became detached from the draw-bar hook, causing the eight front hutches to run away. Hunter was found crushed between two hutches near the foot of the dook.
1911	December	20	Castlehill	Lanark	Shotts Iron Co Ltd	John Walker	63	Locomotive Driver	On surface – railways, sidings or tramways	Driving a locomotive which had a separate bogie for coal, and was pushing five full waggons round a curve, when the locomotive became derailed. The coal bogie up ended and he was jammed between the iron rails, carrying the back part of the cab and the front of the fire box, and killed.
1911	December	21	Lethans No 1	Fife	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	James Gordon	47	Brusher	Falls of roof	He was making a place for a bar under "lypey" and broken roof, when a stone, weighing about a ton, broke the weak temporary support he had put up, and in falling killed him instantaneously.
1911	December	21	Rosehall No14	Lanark	-	John Elder	25	Roadsman	Haulage – run over or crushed by trams & tubs	Deceased was found in a dying condition at a dook landing. A runaway had occurred, but he was lying clear of the hutches. On examination of the body no exterior evidences of a blow were found.	Newspaper report - Old Monkland pages
1911	December	22	Darngavil, Greyrigg No 2	Lanark	Darngavil Coal Co Ltd	William Cullen	49	Machineman	Falls of roof	He knocked out a prop to enable him to get at the switch of the coal cutter, and just as he did so the roof fell suddenly upon him. After the fall it was discovered that there were. " lypes " which were unseen, and that the roof fell away from them.
1911	December	22	Kenmuir	Lanark	J Dunn & Stephen Ltd	Charles Hendry	26	Miner	Falls of roof	He was passing along the face when a stone fell without warning and he was buried beneath it. The stone which fell was a "pot bottom" and its presence was unknown.
1911	December	23	Rosehall No13	Lanark	Robert Addie & Sons (Collieries) Ltd	Robert Wallace	52	Miner's Contractor	Other haulage accidents	He was attempting to detach the clip from an empty tub, but failed to get it off in time, and the tub collided with one in front, and the index finger of his left hand was injured. The injury was slight, but tetanus set in, and he died eight days after.
1911	December	27	Springside	Ayr	A Kenneth & Sons	William Sharpe	43	Miner	Falls of roof	He was wedging down coal, and when the coal fell, the roof fell with it, and he was killed instantly. The roof in falling threw out the props supporting it.
1911	December	28	Glencraig	Fife	Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd	Thomas Nicholl	22	Drawer	Falls of roof	It would appear that the hutch, deceased was pushing down a cousie brae, struck a pillar, which shook down the timbers supporting the roof, causing 15 cwts. of stone from above to fall and kill him instantly.

Last Updated 1st January 2014