Bankpark Colliery cage accident, 1913

On 18 July 1913 the engineer and a labourer of the Bankpark Coal Company's colliery at Tranent were riding up the upcast shaft when the winding rope broke and the cage fell 46 fathoms to the sump, killing both. The rope, little more than a year old, had lost a strand two days earlier and proved to have rusted through from the inside.

Cause

The wire rope parted while the cage was ascending. A 'hedgehog' (a broken strand) had been cut out of it two days before, but no weakness was anticipated; after the accident parts of the rope, little more than a year old, appeared completely destroyed by rust, apparently from the inside. It does not appear to have been regularly examined, greased or rehosed.

What happened

The two men were coming to the surface in the upcast shaft when the rope broke and the cage fell to the bottom of the shaft, into the sump, a distance of 46 fathoms.

Investigation & inquiry

A fatal accident inquiry was held at Haddington Sheriff Court before Sheriff Macleod and a jury, together with an inquiry into another East Lothian death. Evidence showed that the rope, of twenty-four strands, had had one strand broken two days before, and that the break showed it to have rotted, by rust or otherwise, from the inside. The verdict was accidental death. The Mines Inspector's account noted that the rope had not been regularly examined, greased or rehosed.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• On 18 July 1913 the winding rope broke as two men rode the upcast shaft of Bankpark Colliery, and the cage fell 46 fathoms to the bottom, killing both. ^1,2,3
• A 'hedgehog' had been cut out of the rope two days before; little more than a year old, it was found largely destroyed by rust and does not appear to have been regularly examined, greased or rehosed. ^2,3
• A fatal accident inquiry at Haddington returned a verdict of accidental death; the evidence was that the 24-strand wire rope had apparently rotted from the inside. ¹
• The colliery belonged to the Bankpark Coal Company. ^2,3

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…were riding up the upcast shaft when the winding rope broke and the cage fell 46 fathoms to the sump, killing both. The rope, little more…”
• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…the Bankpark Coal Company's colliery at Tranent were riding up the upcast shaft when the winding rope broke and the cage fell 46 fathoms to the…”
• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…up the upcast shaft when the winding rope broke and the cage fell 46 fathoms to the sump, killing both. The rope, little more than a year old,…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…shaft when the rope broke and the cage fell to the bottom of the shaft, into the sump, a distance of 46 fathoms.”
• Sump (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…when the winding rope broke and the cage fell 46 fathoms to the sump, killing both. The rope, little more than a year old, had lost a…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Lothians accidents 1901-1914 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Bankpark, 1913 (Gardner) — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Bankpark, 1913 (Aitken) — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 15 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026