MineArchiveBartonholm Colliery explosion, 1871
| Date | 30 October 1871 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Bartonholm Colliery |
| Region | North Ayrshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 4 (Thomas McQuade, William Graham, Charles McDonald and Samuel Holmes, whose ages are given as 45, 55, 56 and 29 by the Scotsman and as 35, 38, 40 and 36 by the Durham Mining Museum. The Hamilton Advertiser added William Gilmour as a fifth and said Thomas Campbell and his two sons might not recover.) |
| Injuries | All the rest of the party were injured, several very seriously; Thomas Campbell and his two sons were not expected to recover. |
| Context | During active mining (The return to work after the Sunday at the Eglinton Iron Company's No. 3 Bartonholm Pit near Irvine, ventilated by a furnace at the foot of the upcast.) |
At about three on Monday morning, 30 October 1871, Thomas McQuade went down No. 3 Bartonholm Pit near Irvine to light the ventilation furnace, the 'cube', which he was said to have neglected the day before. He carried a Davy lamp and a naked one, and twelve miners went with him. At the end of the main roadway a strong blast of firedamp met his open light and exploded. McQuade and the three men behind him were killed; the Hamilton Advertiser counted a fifth.
Cause
Firedamp accumulated while the ventilating furnace was unlit, fired at the naked lamp carried by the man going to light it.
Contributing factors
McQuade was said to have neglected to fire the furnace on the Sunday, so the mine was unventilated overnight; he took an open lamp as well as a Davy lamp, and the men went down with him before the air was restored.
What happened
The furnace at the bottom of the upcast shaft kept the air moving through the mine. The party reached the bottom safely but had gone only to the end of the level when they met the gas, and the blast dashed men against the sides of the roadway. Two or three saved themselves by throwing themselves flat under their hutches. Two of the less badly hurt reached the shaft bottom and signalled for help. McQuade lived in Irvine and left a wife and children; the other three lived at Bartonholm.
Rescue & recovery
The underground managers and others went straight down; the injured were brought to the pithead and taken home, and the four bodies, badly mutilated, were recovered.
Investigation & inquiry
The Procurator Fiscal for the county investigated.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The Scotsman of 1 November 1871 reported four men killed by the explosion — William Graham, Charles McDonald, Thomas McQuade and Samuel Holmes — while the Hamilton Advertiser of 4 November reported five, adding William Gilmour, with three others so seriously injured that their recovery was doubtful. (disputed) 1
- The duty of firing the 'cube', a furnace at the bottom of the upcast shaft that ventilated the mine, fell to Thomas McQuade, who is stated to have neglected it; going down at about three in the morning carrying a Davy and an open lamp, with twelve miners behind him, he met a strong blast of firedamp at the end of the main roadway and it fired at the naked lamp. 1
- The Durham Mining Museum dates the deaths to 30 October 1871, and both newspaper reports place the explosion at about three o'clock on the Monday morning, which was 30 October. (disputed) 2,1
- The Scottish Mining Website heads its account 31 October 1871. (disputed) 1
- The Wikipedia article on industry on the Eglinton estate records four killed at Bartonholm No. 3 when firedamp was ignited in 1871: William Graham, 55, Charles McDonald, 56, Thomas McQuade, 45, and Samuel Holmes, 29. 3
- The Durham Mining Museum gives different ages, Graham 38, Holmes 36, McDonald 40 and McQuade 35, and records the first three as brushers and McQuade as fireman. (disputed) 2,1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
The furnace stood at the bottom of the upcast. - Firedamp (direct cause)
Firedamp met a naked lamp. - Fireman (contextual relationship)
DMM records McQuade as fireman. - Naked Light (direct cause)
McQuade carried an open lamp. - Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
He carried a Davy lamp as well.
Sources
- (primary) Bartonholm, 31 October 1871 — Scottish Mining Website, reproducing the Scotsman of 1 November 1871 and the Hamilton Advertiser of 4 November 1871
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Bartonholm Colliery — Durham Mining Museum, from the Lists of Mines
- (secondary) Industry and the Eglinton Castle estate — Wikipedia
Record created: 10 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026