NIDDRIE No.7 Pit Portobello, Fife. 24th. May, 1884.

An accident occurred at the colliery which caused the deaths of seven persons. About 5 a.m. while eight men were descending the No.7 mine, one of them saw signs of burning as if the friction of the dry rods had set the wood on fire. When he reached the landing he told a man on the side of the cage who had also noticed it. None of the others in the cage had seen it and it was decided that he ought to ascend and tell the officials while the other men went to their working places. He started off to the surface and although only ten minutes had passed, he had great difficulty as he passed through what was then smoke and flames. He told the officials and when they tried to get down the shaft they could not for smoke and flames.

The flames soon reduced the headgear to ruins at the No.7 shaft which was the downcast and the smoke that was made was carried to the workings. Most of the men left the pit when they smelt the smoke and escaped through the No.12 shaft which was within 20 yards but 16 others were not so fortunate. They ascended to the rise workings where conditions were cooler and after making one or two ineffectual efforts to get the 220 yards to the shaft, they remained where they were with their lights burning. They burnt for about 10 hours and they made no further attempt to escape. When they were reached after 10 hours it was found that seven had died from the effects of smoke and gas.

The men who were reported to be still in the mine were, William Hamilton and his son, J.B. Kerr and his son, Alexander Ferguson and his son, Patrick Corigan, single, Fleming and his son, John Warrington, McCartney and Paton. A party which descended between two and three o’clock and discovered the missing men in a cross-cut. The men had only realised the danger too late to get through the smoke to safety. There was a ladder about 100 fathoms further on up which they went until they could get no further before they were overpowered, they were found unconscious.

Those who had lost their lives were:

  • John Middleren aged 16 years.
  • George Hid aged 16 years.
  • Neil Paton aged 22 years.
  • David Kerr aged 18 years.
  • Michael Scanlon aged 14 years.
  • David Smith aged 24 years.
  • William Hamilton aged 50 years who left a wife and ten children.

It turned out that the smoke had not been in the workings for more than an hour because as the fire took hold in the No.7 shaft, it became an upcast. The Inspector commented:

If the men had persevered with their efforts to reach the shaft I think it is highly probable that they would all have escaped.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspectors Report.
The Glasgow Herald.

Information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre.

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