Black Prince Colliery roof fall, 1911

A slab of stone 19 feet long fell without warning on a driving road at the Weardale company's Black Prince Colliery, Tow Law, on 16 November 1911, killing the deputy and the back-overman.

Cause

A frame of stone fell from between two known joints in the roof of a long-used road, probably loosened by the approach of goaf in a seam sixteen fathoms below.

What happened

On 16 November 1911 Patrick Hanlon, a deputy at Black Prince Colliery, was clearing stone that had fallen on a driving road so that planks could be laid across, when William Coulthard, the back-overman, arrived. Without any warning a frame of stone 16 inches thick, 19 feet long and three and a half feet wide fell and killed both officials instantly.

The stone came away from between two strongly marked joints, or 'jacks', one along the coal side and the other two and a half feet from the pack on the other side of a road only six feet wide. The roof was strong post, one of the cracks was known, and the road had been in use for many years without change. The fall was probably caused by the approach of the goaf of workings in the Main Coal seam sixteen fathoms below.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector's account attributed the fall to the approach of the goaf in the Main Coal seam sixteen fathoms below.

Recorded claims

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

• On 16 November 1911 a fall of stone at Black Prince Colliery killed the deputy Patrick Hanlon and the back-overman William Coulthard. ^1,2,3
• A frame of stone 16 inches thick, 19 feet long and 3.5 feet wide fell without warning from between two jacks on a driving road. ^2,3
• The fall was probably caused by the approach of the goaf in the Main Coal seam sixteen fathoms below. ^2,3
• The colliery was owned by the Weardale Steel, Coal and Coke Company Limited. ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the narrative: “…from between two strongly marked joints, or 'jacks', one along the coal side and the other two and a half feet from the pack on the other…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…warning on a driving road at the Weardale company's Black Prince Colliery, Tow Law, on 16 November 1911, killing the deputy and the…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Black Prince Colliery, Tow Law, on 16 November 1911, killing the deputy and the back-overman.”
• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…road, probably loosened by the approach of goaf in a seam sixteen fathoms below.”
• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…the roof of a long-used road, probably loosened by the approach of goaf in a seam sixteen fathoms below.”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Black Prince Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Patrick Hanlon, Black Prince, 1911 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: William Coulthard, Black Prince, 1911 — Northern Mine Research Society

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