Far Green Colliery shaft accident, 1859

An ascending cage carrying sixteen men and boys overwound fifty feet past its normal stopping point and struck the headgear pulley at Far Green Colliery on 5 November 1859, after the winding engineman was briefly distracted; ten died.

Cause

Winding engineman James Gallon was distracted when the overlooker, Tellett (referred to elsewhere as Williams), and the timekeeper, Williams, entered the engine house; when Gallon leaned forward to answer a question about whether they were in his way, his attention left the indicator gauges for a few seconds, during which the ascending cage rose fifty feet beyond its safe limit and struck the pulley at the top of the headgear.

Contributing factors

The engine house door was fastened shut, but its window facing the pit bank stood open, allowing the overlooker and timekeeper to engage the engineman in conversation while he was winding; no automatic device existed at this date to prevent or arrest an overwind.

What happened

At 2pm, sixteen men and boys were being wound up the shaft. In the few seconds the engineman's attention was diverted, the cage overran the headgear pulley; some of the men fell back down the shaft, while others were thrown onto the pit bank.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against engineman James Gallon, who was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment at Stafford Assizes; the jury also found that regulations restricting who could enter the engine house ought to be strictly enforced. The inspecting officer's report noted that 'numerous inventions are about to be proposed... to prevent overwinding' and undertook to bring them to the attention of mining engineers.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

James Gallon was convicted of manslaughter and imprisoned for six weeks.

Changes to practice & legislation

The disaster came at a pivotal moment in the development of overwind-prevention technology: detaching hooks, designed to release a cage from its rope and catch it in the headgear during an overwind, were introduced within a few years, in 1865, though the mining industry was slow to adopt them even decades later.

Recorded claims

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

• Engineman James Gallon was distracted by the overlooker and timekeeper entering the engine house; in the few seconds his attention left the indicator gauges, the ascending cage rose fifty feet beyond its safe limit and struck the headgear pulley. ¹
• Ten men and boys died, aged 11 to 36, including Owen Williams and William Beard, both 11 years old. ¹
• Engineman James Gallon was convicted of manslaughter and imprisoned for six weeks; the inspecting officer noted at the time that new inventions to prevent overwinding were about to be proposed, and detaching hooks were introduced within a few years, in 1865. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “An ascending cage carrying sixteen men and boys overwound fifty feet past its normal…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…normal stopping point and struck the headgear pulley at Far Green Colliery on 5 November 1859, after the winding engineman was briefly…”
• Engine House (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…to elsewhere as Williams), and the timekeeper, Williams, entered the engine house; when Gallon leaned forward to answer a question about whether they…”
• Headgear (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…overwound fifty feet past its normal stopping point and struck the headgear pulley at Far Green Colliery on 5 November 1859, after the winding…”
• Overwind (direct cause)
  The disaster this record documents is a textbook overwind: a distracted engineman let the ascending cage run fifty feet past its stopping point and into the headgear pulley.
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “At 2pm, sixteen men and boys were being wound up the shaft. In the few seconds the engineman's attention was diverted, the cage…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Far Green Colliery Shaft Accident - Hanley - 1859 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) List of coal mines UK 1880 — Coalmining History Resource Centre

Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 27 August 2026