MineArchiveCraighead Colliery shot-firing accident, 1883
On the night shift of Friday 5 January 1883 a shot fired to bring down part of the roof in No. 2 Pit, Craighead Colliery, Blantyre, went off before the men had got out of the way. The brusher James M'Dougall was killed instantly and the foreman James Donnelly died an hour later.
| Date | 5 January 1883 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Craighead Colliery |
| Region | South Lanarkshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 2 (James Donnelly (Donelly), 33, foreman (fireman), of Craighead Rows, Blantyre, leaving a widow and four children; James M'Dougall (McDougall), 27, brusher, of Silverwells, Bothwell, unmarried.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A gunpowder shot fired in the roof went off prematurely, supposedly because powder had been spilt on the match paper.
What happened
The brushers M'Dougall and John Murray had bored a three-foot hole in the roof of the soft coal seam, about 200 fathoms from the pit bottom, before the New Year holiday. When they came on the night shift Donnelly told them to clear the hole and steam a shot and said he would fire it. He told the men to get out of the way and fired it; Murray had gone only about thirty yards when he heard the report. Running back, he found Donnelly buried to the breast under the spot where the shot had been fired and M'Dougall nowhere to be seen. Donnelly was got out still alive but did not answer, and M'Dougall was found beneath the stones, his skull broken. Donnelly died on the way to the pithead.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On the night shift of Friday 5 January 1883 a shot fired in the roof of the soft coal seam in No. 2 Pit, Craighead Colliery, Blantyre, killed the foreman James Donnelly and the brusher James M'Dougall. 1,2,3
- The shot went off before the men could get clear; it was supposed that powder spilt on the match paper had made it ignite too soon. 1,2
- M'Dougall was killed instantly; Donnelly, dug out from the rubbish with a broken arm and both legs broken, died about an hour later on the way to the pithead. 2
- Donnelly, 33, left a widow and four young children; M'Dougall was 27 and unmarried. 1,2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Coal Seam (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…and John Murray had bored a three-foot hole in the roof of the soft coal seam, about 200 fathoms from the pit bottom, before the New Year holiday.…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…a shot fired to bring down part of the roof in No. 2 Pit, Craighead Colliery, Blantyre, went off before the men had got out of the way. The…” - Fathom (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…bored a three-foot hole in the roof of the soft coal seam, about 200 fathoms from the pit bottom, before the New Year holiday. When they came on…” - Pithead (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…the stones, his skull broken. Donnelly died on the way to the pithead.” - Ripping (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Blantyre, went off before the men had got out of the way. The brusher James M'Dougall was killed instantly and the foreman James Donnelly…”
Sources
- (primary) Craighead Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Accidents 1881-1914 (Blantyre area) — Scottish Mining Website
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: fatal accidents 1883 — Scottish Mining Website
Record created: 21 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026