Gilmilnscroft Colliery explosion, 1880

A Gilmilnscroft collier and his seventeen-year-old son died on 18 June 1880 after the son fired gas in a mine thought free of it, and the afterdamp kept rescuers back for three hours.

Cause

Firedamp ignited by the son's light as he returned from the pit bottom.

Contributing factors

The mine had been thought free of firedamp, none having been reported for at least four months.

What happened

On 18 June 1880 the collier Michael Curdie, 43, and his son Michael, 17, had been at work for about eight hours in Gilmilnscroft Colliery, near Auchinleck, a mine where no firedamp had been reported for at least four months. Returning from the pit bottom to where his father was working, the son ignited gas and was burned. The explosion was slight, but it deranged the ventilation, and three hours passed before the air was restored enough for the bodies to be recovered. The inspector believed both had died of the afterdamp.

Rescue & recovery

The ventilation was deranged by the explosion, and it was three hours before the bodies could be recovered.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector concluded that both men died from the effects of the afterdamp.

Recorded claims

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

• On 18 June 1880 a collier, Michael Curdie, 43, and his son Michael, 17, died after an explosion of firedamp at Gilmilnscroft Colliery, Auchinleck. ^1,2
• The son ignited firedamp as he returned from the pit bottom to his father's working place, in a mine where no firedamp had been reported for at least four months. ²
• The explosion was slight but deranged the ventilation, and three hours passed before it was restored enough to recover the bodies. ²
• The inspector believed both deaths resulted from the afterdamp. ²
• The colliery belonged to Gilmour, Wood and Anderson. ²

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…bodies to be recovered. The inspector believed both had died of the afterdamp.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Michael, 17, had been at work for about eight hours in Gilmilnscroft Colliery, near Auchinleck, a mine where no firedamp had been reported for at…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “Firedamp ignited by the son's light as he returned from the pit bottom.”

Sources

1. (primary) Gilmilnscroft Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Fatal accidents in Scottish mines, 1880 — Scottish Mining Website

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026