Greenfield Colliery boiler explosion, 1874

On the evening of 9 April 1874 a boiler burst at Greenfield Colliery, Hamilton; one end was flung 150 yards through the roof of the village schoolroom during a meeting, killing three children, and an engine-keeper also died.

Cause

A worn-out, corroded egg-ended boiler, ten years in service and leaking about the water line, burst into three pieces.

What happened

Shortly before eight on the evening of Thursday 9 April 1874 one of the range of boilers at the Hamilton Coal Company's Greenfield Colliery burst. The boiler, 30 feet long and 5 feet across, broke into three: one end, about 20 feet long, was thrown about 150 yards, tore the roofs off five workmen's houses, and fell through the roof of the schoolroom at the west end of the village, where some 30 people were at a religious meeting. Three children were killed there and some 20 to 30 people were hurt; the enginemen Millar and Morgan were badly injured at their posts, and John Millar died.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector, Ralph Moore, with Lawrence Hill, found no sign that the boiler had run short of water; it had leaked about the water line, was much corroded and thoroughly worn out.

Changes to practice & legislation

At the inspector's suggestion the owners took out the whole range of boilers and replaced them with double-flued boilers.

Recorded claims

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

• The boiler, one of a range of five working for ten years, burst into three pieces; one end was blown 150 yards, tore off the roofs of five workmen's houses and fell through the roof of a schoolroom where about 30 persons were assembled, killing three children; one engineman was also killed. ¹
• The dead were John Millar, engine-keeper, 31, and the children Robert Maxwell, 8, Jeanie Moffat, 7, and John Hailes, 4. ¹
• The Durham Mining Museum lists John Millar, engine keeper, and the children John Hailes and Robert Maxwell (not employed) as killed on 9 April 1874. ²
• Four lives were lost and twenty-eight persons more or less severely injured. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…of Thursday 9 April 1874 one of the range of boilers at the Hamilton Coal Company's Greenfield Colliery burst. The boiler, 30 feet long and 5…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On the evening of 9 April 1874 a boiler burst at Greenfield Colliery, Hamilton; one end was flung 150 yards through the roof of the…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Greenfield 1874 - Scottish Mining Website — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Greenfield Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 2 October 2026