Cobbinshaw South mine explosion, 1912

In January 1912 a fireman and two other men were sealing off a gassy part of the Tarbrax Oil Company's Cobbinshaw No. 3 shale mine with a stopping, working with safety lamps that had no bonnets. With the stopping nearly finished, the gas fired and blew it out, and its stones killed the fireman, Robert McArdle, and John Scanton and injured the third man.

Date	January 1912 (20th or 25th)
Mine	Cobbinshaw South No. 3 Mine
Region	West Lothian
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	2 (2: Robert McArdle (40), fireman (Robert M'Carroll in the Scotsman), who died in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary; and John Scanton (28), repairer, killed outright.)
Injuries	One man injured: Patrick Christie, 32, of Tarbrax, by the press account.
Context	During active mining

Cause

Firedamp was ignited at a safety lamp. The stopping was within two feet of the roof when, it seems, an unbonneted lamp was put into the strong current of air playing on it, which forced the flame, perhaps lengthened by firedamp, through the gauze. The explosion blew the stopping out, and its large stones struck the men.

Contributing factors

The safety lamps used at this mine were not fitted with bonnets.

What happened

The men knew the gas was there and were working with safety lamps. The two injured men were taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in a serious condition; M'Carroll, suffering from concussion and a probable fractured skull, died the next day.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

The accident happened on 20 January 1912. (disputed) ^2,3
The injured were admitted to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 25 January 1912. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

In January 1912 an explosion of gas in Cobbinshaw No. 3 shale mine, Tarbrax, killed two men and injured a third. ^1,2,3
Three men were building a stopping across the mouth of a mine giving off gas; with it within two feet of the roof, flame was probably forced through the gauze of an unbonneted safety lamp, and the explosion blew out the stopping, whose stones killed two of them. ^2,3
The safety lamps used at the mine had no bonnets. ²
The accident happened on 20 January 1912. (disputed) ^2,3
The injured were admitted to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 25 January 1912. (disputed) ¹

Related terminology

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

Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “Firedamp was ignited at a safety lamp. The stopping was within two feet of…”
Fireman (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “In January 1912 a fireman and two other men were sealing off a gassy part of the Tarbrax Oil…”
Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Company's Cobbinshaw No. 3 shale mine with a stopping, working with safety lamps that had no bonnets. With the stopping nearly finished, the gas…”

Sources

(secondary) Accidents 1901-1914 (newspaper reports) — Scottish Mining Website
(primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Cobbinshaw, No.3 Mine, 1912 (McArdle) — Northern Mine Research Society
(primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Cobbinshaw, No.3 Mine, 1912 (Scanton) — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026