Blairmuckhill Colliery explosion, 1915

On 27 March 1915 the under-manager of Blairmuckhill, James Hawson, took two mining contractors below to show them a stretch of face they might tender for. At the pit bottom the fireman told him the section had not yet been inspected as the statute required; Hawson said he would inspect it himself and led the two men down the dook, a safety lamp in his hand and a naked lamp burning in his cap, the contractors with naked lights too. A short way in the gas fired, putting out every lamp and burning all three. Hawson died the next day and Richard Sommerville a week later; Charles Stewart was badly burned. The Court of Session refused Hawson's widow compensation on the ground that he had brought the peril on himself.

Cause

An explosion of inflammable gas in a section of the pit that had not been inspected that shift, ignited by the naked lights the three men carried in their caps.

Contributing factors

The colliery was for the most part worked with naked lights though gas was not unknown; the under-manager overrode the fireman's warning and took the party in before inspection.

What happened

Stewart and Sommerville came to the colliery to inspect part of the coal face for which they proposed to offer a contract. Hawson, who held a fireman's certificate but had not been appointed fireman, conducted them; at the pit bottom the fireman on duty told him the section had not been inspected, and Hawson told him to go on with other work and let the party pass. He entered the dook first to show the way, carrying a lighted safety lamp in one hand with a naked lamp in his cap, and they had gone only a short distance when a violent explosion of gas put out the lamps and severely injured all three.

Rescue & recovery

Not recorded in the sources read; all three men were brought out alive and the two who died did so in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Investigation & inquiry

An inquiry was held in Airdrie Sheriff Court at the time; its findings are not in the sources read.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Hawson's widow claimed under the Workmen's Compensation Act. Sheriff-Substitute Lee at Airdrie held that his injuries did not arise out of his employment, being the result of a new and added peril he had brought on himself, and in June 1916 the Court of Session dismissed her appeal with expenses. Sommerville's widow sued A. and G. Anderson for £1,000 and Stewart for £300; both actions were settled before trial in June 1916, Mrs Sommerville receiving £325 and Stewart £125.

Changes to practice & legislation

None recorded in the sources read.

Memorials & commemoration

None known.

Recorded claims

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

• Gas in an uninspected section fired on the naked lights in the men's caps after the under-manager overrode the fireman's warning. ¹
• James Jeffrey Hawson, under-manager, and Richard Sommerville, contractor, died; Charles Stewart was burned. ¹
• The Court of Session refused Hawson's widow compensation in June 1916; Sommerville's widow and Stewart settled for £325 and £125. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Dook (contextual relationship)
  The party entered by the dook.
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  Inflammable gas in an uninspected section.
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…them a stretch of face they might tender for. At the pit bottom the fireman told him the section had not yet been inspected as the statute…”
• Naked Light (direct cause)
  All three men carried naked lamps in their caps.
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Hawson also carried a lit safety lamp in his hand.

Sources

1. (primary) Shotts parish accidents post 1900 — Scottish Mining Website — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) Blairmuckhill Colliery — Durham Mining Museum — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 12 September 2026 · Last researched: 12 September 2026