MineArchiveDykehead Colliery fire, 1861
Around midday on 7 August 1861 the wooden lining at the bottom of the shaft of Dykehead (Summerlee) Colliery, east of Hamilton, caught fire with some forty-five men and boys below. Fire engines quenched the flames and volunteers were lowered to bring the men out, but twelve died of chokedamp underground and one more a fortnight later.
| Date | 7 August 1861 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Dykehead Colliery |
| Region | South Lanarkshire |
| Primary type | Fire |
| Associated types | Gas / Asphyxiation, Rescue |
| Fatalities | 13 (13: McLetchie Baxter, 25; Francis Casey, 29; brothers John and Hugh Craig, 18 and 15; Thomas Currie, 18; brothers David and Alexander Hamilton, 21 and 16; Thomas Miller, 23; McLeod (or Glaude) Neilson, 40, who died after being rescued; brothers John and Thomas Potter, 24 and 19; Neil Thomson, 25; and David Maxwell, 19, who died on 19 August.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The wooden boxing at the bottom of the shaft, too close to the ventilating furnace, became overheated and caught fire; the burning shaft cut off the ventilation and filled the workings with chokedamp.
What happened
Smoke appeared at the pithead at about one o'clock, and within ten minutes flames two storeys high were seen at Motherwell, two miles away. A crowd of some 1,600 gathered. The fire engines played on the shaft until about five, when a rope could be lowered, but the men below were too weak to use it.
Rescue & recovery
A temporary hutch brought up thirteen men by seven o'clock. Andrew Hunter, an ironstone miner, then volunteered to go down, joined by a miner named Fleming (Harvie in another account), and they and other volunteers in relays had twenty-eight men out by nine. The coalmaster Mr Austine had poles laid across the shaft mouth with a tarred cloth as a vent to draw off the smoke. All the men were up by half past midnight; the bodies were recovered through a mine driven from Dundas Simpson and Co.'s workings under W. G. Simpson.
Investigation & inquiry
The Government Inspector, Mr Williams, could not go down because the pit had been sealed to smother the fire.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- A fire in the shaft of Dykehead Colliery on 7 August 1861 killed thirteen men by chokedamp. 1,2
- Some forty-five men and boys were in the pit when the fire started. 1,2
- Volunteers led by Andrew Hunter were lowered into the shaft and brought up twenty-eight men by nine o'clock. 1,2
- The woodwork at the shaft bottom was thought to be too close to the furnace. 1,2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Atmospheric Engine (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…of Hamilton, caught fire with some forty-five men and boys below. Fire engines quenched the flames and volunteers were lowered to bring the men…” - Chokedamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…and volunteers were lowered to bring the men out, but twelve died of chokedamp underground and one more a fortnight later.” - Pithead (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “Smoke appeared at the pithead at about one o'clock, and within ten minutes flames two storeys high…” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “Around midday on 7 August 1861 the wooden lining at the bottom of the shaft of Dykehead (Summerlee) Colliery, east of Hamilton, caught fire with…” - Tub (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s rescue and recovery: “A temporary hutch brought up thirteen men by seven o'clock. Andrew Hunter, an…”
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Dykehead 1861 — Scottish Mining Website
- (secondary) NMRS: Dykehead Colliery Fire, Hamilton, 1861 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026