Bebside Colliery roof fall, 1905

Two deputies and a fitter watching the first trial run on a newly extended rope haulage in the Bensham seam at Bebside Colliery, Northumberland, on 15 July 1905 were killed when a snagged tail rope tore out a sheave frame, drew the props and brought down the roof.

Cause

The tail rope ran between a new sheave and its hanger; a rope socket jammed, the strain tore out a sheave and its framework, which drew the props under the roof girders and brought down a heavy fall of stone.

What happened

An extension of a main-and-tail rope engine plane in the Bensham seam at Bebside Colliery had just been completed, and on 15 July 1905 a trial set of empty tubs was being taken inbye. Before it reached the new road, the tail rope, which should have run on one of the new hanging sheaves, was running between the sheave and one of its iron hangers. A socket on the rope could not pass the gap, which was only half an inch wider than the sheave, and the extra strain displaced a four-foot tail-rope sheave at the beginning of the extension. The sheave and its timber framework were pulled forward, drawing the props under the iron girders that supported the roof, and a heavy fall of stone came down on the men who had stepped aside near the sheave to watch the trial set run.

The two deputies, Joseph Foster McLean and Henry Grand, were killed on the spot; the fitter, Robert Bland, was got out alive but died the same day. The workmen's local inspectors had examined the mine on the Thursday before and passed the new sheave without noticing it particularly. At the inquest one of them, a relative of Henry Grand, was not called; the other said he had examined the place and judged it a pure accident.

Rescue & recovery

Bland was got out alive but died the same day.

Investigation & inquiry

The case was reported in the Mines Inspectors' Reports (Cd 2910). The local inspectors attended the inquest; one, a relative of Henry Grand, did not give evidence, and the other called it a pure accident.

Recorded claims

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

• On 15 July 1905 a fall of stone on an engine plane in the Bensham seam at Bebside Colliery killed two deputies, Joseph Foster McLean and Henry Grand, and the fitter Robert Bland. ^1,2,3,4
• During a trial run on an extended main-and-tail rope plane, a rope socket jammed between a sheave and its hanger; the strain displaced a sheave and framework, which drew props under the roof girders and brought down a heavy fall. ^2,3,4
• The two deputies were killed on the spot and the fitter died the same day. ²
• The workmen's local inspectors had passed the new sheave on the Thursday before; one of them, a relative of Grand, did not give evidence at the inquest, and the other called it a pure accident. ^2,3,4
• The colliery was owned by the Bebside Coal Company Limited. ^2,3,4

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…run on a newly extended rope haulage in the Bensham seam at Bebside Colliery, Northumberland, on 15 July 1905 were killed when a snagged tail…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two deputies and a fitter watching the first trial run on a newly extended rope…”
• Haulage (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “…and a fitter watching the first trial run on a newly extended rope haulage in the Bensham seam at Bebside Colliery, Northumberland, on 15 July…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…had just been completed, and on 15 July 1905 a trial set of empty tubs was being taken inbye. Before it reached the new road, the tail…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Bebside Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Joseph Foster McLean, Bebside, 1905 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Henry Grand, Bebside, 1905 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Robert Bland, Bebside, 1905 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026