Dolcoath Mine stope collapse

A timbered stope collapsed at the 412-fathom level, one of the deepest workings in Cornwall, killing eight miners and trapping a ninth for over a day and a half before he was rescued unhurt.

Cause

A timber support structure (a stull) gave way under a large worked-out void packed with waste rock, at one of the deepest points then reached in any Cornish mine.

What happened

On the afternoon of 20 September 1893, a party of timbermen were working at the 412-fathom level of Dolcoath, more than 900 yards below surface, strengthening a stull found to be sited beneath an unexpectedly massive stope. Witnesses reported two loud falls of ground immediately before the stull gave way under the weight of waste rock above it. Eight men were killed. A ninth, Richard Davies, was trapped for around 36 to 40 hours before he was freed, uninjured. Search parties worked continuously for three weeks; the last body was not recovered until 11 October, twenty-one days after the collapse.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector called it the worst fall of ground he had encountered under either the Metalliferous Mines or Coal Mines Regulation Acts. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• Eight men died and a ninth, Richard Davies, was trapped for 36-40 hours before being rescued unhurt. ^1,2
• The last body was not recovered until 11 October 1893, twenty-one days after the collapse. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  The collapse happened at the 412-fathom level, one of the deepest workings in Cornwall — depth here reckoned in fathoms, as Cornish mines always did.
• Level (contextual relationship)
  A timbered stope gave way at the 412-fathom level, killing eight men and trapping a ninth for more than a day and a half before he was brought out unhurt.
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “The inspector called it the worst fall of ground he had encountered under either the Metalliferous Mines or Coal…”
• Stope (contextual relationship)
  The collapse occurred in a large worked-out stope beneath the failed timber support.
• Tin (contextual relationship)
  The 1893 collapse occurred after Dolcoath's shift from copper to tin working.

Sources

1. (secondary) Dolcoath Mine Stope Collapse - Camborne - 1893 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) The Dolcoath mine disaster of 1893 — Cornish studies resources (Bernard Deacon)

Record created: 20 August 2026 · Last researched: 20 August 2026