Drumley Pit explosion, 1898

On the afternoon of 9 September 1898 an outburst of firedamp in the Diamond seam of the Drumley Pit, near Annbank in Ayrshire, was fired at the fireman's naked light. Of fourteen men and boys at the face, seven died, three in the pit and four of their burns in Ayr County Hospital; two of the dead were boys of twelve and thirteen.

Cause

A sudden outburst of firedamp, probably from the roof, made the air current explosive; it was fired by the naked light of the fireman in the air passage.

What happened

The Drumley Pit, No. 1 of George Taylor and Co.'s Ayr Colliery, stood close to Annbank Station and had been working for only about five months. It was 154 fathoms deep to the Hard coal, with the Diamond seam at about 140 fathoms and the Soft at 120. The coal was taken out longwall, and because no gas was expected the pit was worked with naked lights. About 150 men were employed in two shifts.

On Friday 9 September, about half an hour before the shift was due to stop, fourteen men and boys were getting coal at the face in the Diamond seam. The fireman, Thomas Dunlop, had finished his examination for the afternoon shift and was walking the air passage, about 60 yards long, between two workings when the gas fired at his lamp; he was knocked down and his lamp put out. A brusher had told him that morning that the roof was creeping down a little, and one miner heard a hissing just before the blast. Nobody at the surface heard it. The manager, Mr Murdoch, who was in a disused part of the seam, ran to the face and a search party was organised; the injured were brought up and taken to Ayr by special train.

James McCreadie, John White and the boy Thomas Burns were killed in the pit. John Brannigan, a boy, died in the County Hospital that evening, Walter Dunlop and Thomas Martin over the weekend, and Hugh McCreadie, James's brother, early on 13 September. The workings were hardly damaged, the brattices were mostly left standing and there was practically no fall of roof: the loss of life was out of all proportion to the force of the explosion.

Investigation & inquiry

The Inspector of Mines, J. M. Ronaldson, went down the next day with the managing partner, James Clark, and the manager. An inquiry was held at Ayr before Sheriff Orr Paterson and a jury, at which the fireman said there had been no trace of gas that day and that a shot could not have caused the explosion.

Changes to practice & legislation

The owners continued working the seam with safety lamps in place of naked lights.

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 inspector's list names a second Thomas Martin, aged 13, among the dead where the local death list and the newspapers name the boy Thomas Burns, aged 13; the two lists also differ on several men's ages. (disputed) ^2,3

Recorded claims

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

• On 9 September 1898 an explosion of firedamp in the Drumley No. 1 Pit of George Taylor and Co.'s Ayr Colliery, near Annbank, killed seven and injured others. ^1,2,3
• A sudden outburst of firedamp made the air current explosive, and it fired at the naked light of the fireman as he walked the air passage between two workings. ^1,2,3
• The pit had been working for about five months; it was 154 fathoms deep, and the explosion was in the Diamond seam, worked longwall with naked lights because no gas was expected. ²
• Three were killed in the pit and four more died of burns in Ayr County Hospital over the following four days; the seam was afterwards worked with safety lamps. ²
• The inspector's list names a second Thomas Martin, aged 13, among the dead where the local death list and the newspapers name the boy Thomas Burns, aged 13; the two lists also differ on several men's ages. (disputed) ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Brattice (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…early on 13 September. The workings were hardly damaged, the brattices were mostly left standing and there was practically no fall of roof:…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…seam of the Drumley Pit, near Annbank in Ayrshire, was fired at the fireman's naked light. Of fourteen men and boys at the face, seven died,…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Drumley Pit, near Annbank in Ayrshire, was fired at the fireman's naked light. Of fourteen men and boys at the face, seven died, three in the pit…”
• Outburst (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On the afternoon of 9 September 1898 an outburst of firedamp in the Diamond seam of the Drumley Pit, near Annbank in…”
• Ripping (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…gas fired at his lamp; he was knocked down and his lamp put out. A brusher had told him that morning that the roof was creeping down a little,…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Ayr Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Drumley Pit 1898 — Scottish Mining Website
3. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Ayr Colliery, Drumley No 1 Pit, 9 September 1898 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026