MineArchiveCramlington Colliery railway bridge accident, 1906
Two men of the Cramlington Coal Company were killed and a third badly hurt early on 27 October 1906 when a borrowed hand crane, lifting an old girder while they renewed a bridge on the colliery's private railway to the Tyne, toppled off the bridge onto the North Eastern Railway 16 feet below.
| Date | 1906 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Cramlington Colliery |
| Region | Northumberland |
| Type | Machinery |
| Fatalities | 2 (Two: Philip Henry Diery, 36, foreman labourer, killed on the spot, and Edward Diery, 38, labourer, who died in Newcastle Infirmary on 30 October.) |
| Injuries | One man seriously injured. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The crane, lifting an old girder, was clipped to the rails by only one of its three clips, and it fell over the side of the bridge with the girder.
Contributing factors
Only one of the crane's three clips had been used, on the rail next to the load, and no guy ropes were used to stop the girder swinging.
What happened
About six miles from the Cramlington collieries, the company's private railway to the Tyne ran beside a mineral line of the North Eastern Railway, and both were crossed by a bridge carrying the Backworth Collieries' railway, which the Cramlington Coal Company kept in repair. On the night of Friday 26 October 1906 a gang of its men went to renew the bridge girders, with a hand crane capable of lifting 8 tons borrowed from the Tyne Commissioners. Two new compound girders, 33 feet long and 5 tons each, had been lifted and carried into place. At about 6 a.m. on 27 October, as one of the old girders was being lifted to lie beside the new ones and carry the footway, the crane and girder went over the side of the bridge and down the embankment onto the North Eastern line 16 feet below, taking three men with them. The colliery's wagonwright was in charge and present.
Investigation & inquiry
Two inquests were held. The county coroner's jury, on Philip Henry Diery, found that sufficient care had not been taken in clipping or fastening the crane to the rails of the bridge. The city coroner's jury, on Edward Diery, added that the crane was not sufficiently clipped and that guy ropes should have been used to stop the girder swinging. The accident is in the Mines Inspector's report for 1906.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Philip Henry Diery was killed on 27 October 1906 and Edward Diery died of his injuries on 30 October. 1,2,3
- A hand crane lifting an old girder fell with it off a bridge on the colliery's private railway onto the North Eastern Railway, 16 feet below. 2,3
- Only one of the crane's three clips had been used. 2,3
- Both inquest juries found the crane insufficiently clipped; the second said guy ropes should have been used. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…hand crane, lifting an old girder while they renewed a bridge on the colliery's private railway to the Tyne, toppled off the bridge onto the North…”
Sources
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Cramlington Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Philip Henry Diery, Cramlington, 1906 — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) 1900s D4: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
Record created: 1 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026