Bothwell Castle Colliery shaft accident, 1895

Two sinkers at the bottom of Bothwell Castle's No. 3 shaft were killed on 22 October 1895 when the sinking kettle caught the shaft timbering on its way up and fell 180 fathoms.

Cause

The ascending sinking kettle caught the shaft buntons or mid-wall, its bow broke, and it fell to the shaft bottom.

Contributing factors

The inspector believed the kettle had not been steadied before it was sent up, and the buntons on one side of the winding division were unprotected; two long jumpers were lashed to the bow because they would not fit inside the kettle.

What happened

In October 1895 the No. 3 shaft at Bothwell Castle Colliery was being sunk, and stood 210 fathoms deep. On the night of 22 October the eight sinkers at the bottom were preparing to fire shots and sent their tools up in the kettle. About 30 fathoms from the surface it caught the buntons or the mid-wall that divided the shaft, the jerk broke the bow, and the kettle fell to the bottom, breaking several buntons on the way and killing the sinkers David Lowrie, 35, and John Hall. The inspector believed it had not been properly steadied before it was sent up. A few weeks earlier the same sinkers had escaped when the engineman overwound the kettle into the pulley wheel and it fell to the bottom.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquiry the surviving sinkers said the kettle had been properly steadied; the inspector did not accept this, though whether a jumper or the kettle's lip first caught could not be determined.

Recorded claims

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

• On 22 October 1895 two sinkers, David Lowrie and John Hall, were killed at the bottom of the No. 3 sinking shaft at Bothwell Castle Colliery when the sinking kettle fell on them. ^1,2,3
• The kettle, sent up with the sinkers' tools while they prepared to fire shots, caught the buntons or mid-wall about 30 fathoms from the surface; the jerk broke the bow and the kettle fell about 180 fathoms to the bottom of the 210-fathom shaft. ^1,2,3
• The inspector believed the kettle had not been properly steadied before it was sent up, so that its lip or the point of a jumper lashed to the bow caught an unprotected bunton. ²
• A few weeks earlier the engineman had overwound the kettle into the pulley wheel and it fell to the bottom where the sinkers were working. ²
• The colliery belonged to William Baird and Co. Ltd. ^1,2,3

Related terminology

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

• Bunton (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the cause: “The ascending sinking kettle caught the shaft buntons or mid-wall, its bow broke, and it fell to the shaft bottom.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “In October 1895 the No. 3 shaft at Bothwell Castle Colliery was being sunk, and stood 210 fathoms deep. On the night of 22…”
• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…sinking kettle caught the shaft timbering on its way up and fell 180 fathoms.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two sinkers at the bottom of Bothwell Castle's No. 3 shaft were killed on 22 October 1895 when the sinking kettle caught the…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two sinkers at the bottom of Bothwell Castle's No. 3 shaft were killed on 22…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining victims, 1890s, L (Lowens) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (secondary) Fatal accidents in Scottish mines, 1895 — Scottish Mining Website
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames H (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026