Greenfield Colliery sinking explosion, 1867

On 31 January 1867 six sinkers were making a site for a furnace near the shaft of Lewis Potter's No. 2 Pit at Greenfield Colliery, Hamilton, when gas fired at a lamp 100 yards away. The flame raced to the shaft and hurled David Black and Alexander Millar 16 fathoms down it; the rest saved themselves by dropping flat.

Cause

Firedamp, thought to come from the Pyotshaw coal, fired at a sinker's lamp.

What happened

The pit stood about a mile from Hamilton. Six sinkers were at work at the main coal close to the shaft, making a site for a furnace, when one of them, William Lawson, who was emptying a hutch of stones about 100 yards from the others, carried his lamp into a body of gas thought to have come from the Pyotshaw coal. The gas fired and the flame travelled with tremendous speed towards the shaft.

Two of the party were swept off their feet and thrown down the shaft to the Splint coal, a fall of about 16 fathoms, and were killed instantly: Alexander Millar of Burnbank Road and David Black of Sidebraes, High Blantyre, both 38 and both married. The others, seeing the flame coming, threw themselves on their faces and escaped its force. Dugald Thomson was unhurt; Matthew Cornock, John Napier and Lawson were burned and bruised about the head, face and arms, and were taken home to Almada Street, where Dr Marshall attended them.

Recorded claims

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

• On 31 January 1867 an explosion of firedamp in No. 2 Pit, Greenfield Colliery, killed the sinkers David Black and Alexander Millar and burned three more. ^1,2
• The gas, thought to come from the Pyotshaw coal, fired at the lamp of a sinker emptying a hutch of stones about 100 yards from his companions. ²
• The blast swept the two men off their feet and down the shaft to the Splint coal, about 16 fathoms, killing them. ^1,2
• The other men threw themselves on their faces as the flame came and so avoided its force. ²

Related terminology

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

• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…raced to the shaft and hurled David Black and Alexander Millar 16 fathoms down it; the rest saved themselves by dropping flat.”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “Firedamp, thought to come from the Pyotshaw coal, fired at a sinker's lamp.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…January 1867 six sinkers were making a site for a furnace near the shaft of Lewis Potter's No. 2 Pit at Greenfield Colliery, Hamilton, when…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 31 January 1867 six sinkers were making a site for a furnace near the shaft of Lewis Potter's…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…for a furnace, when one of them, William Lawson, who was emptying a hutch of stones about 100 yards from the others, carried his lamp into a…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Greenfield Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Hamilton Accidents to 1875 (newspaper reports) — Scottish Mining Website

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026