MineArchiveHodbarrow Mine roof fall, 1905
On 1 July 1905 fifteen or sixteen tons of roof fell without warning on three men slicing a pillar of haematite at the top of the Hodbarrow deposit, near Millom, killing the leading man John Phillips and his son William Henry and breaking the third man's leg. The elder Phillips had turned down an official's suggestion to put a leg under the hitch that gave way.
| Date | 1 July 1905 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Hodbarrow Mine |
| Region | Cumbria |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (John Phillips, 63, miner and leading man of the place, and his son William Henry Phillips, 35, miner. A third miner had his leg broken.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of 15 or 16 tons of roof without warning while the men were fixing a headtree close to the face; the hitch on which the next headtree rested gave way, the headtree fell and the men were buried.
Contributing factors
The headtree four feet from the face rested on its right-hand end on a hitch with a six-inch base cut in the solid ore. An official had suggested to the elder Phillips that a leg replace the hitch, but Phillips said it was good, sounded it with a hammer, and nothing was done, though there was plenty of loose timber at hand.
What happened
The three were taking the second slice off a pillar of ore at the top of the deposit, in a working nine feet wide and eight feet high, with the old first-slice working on the left and solid ore on the right. The roof was limestone mixed with sand and was close-timbered with headtrees about four feet apart, each usually carried on a leg at both ends, with larch slabs driven forward over them.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 1 July 1905 a father and son, John Phillips and William Henry Phillips, were killed by a fall of roof at Hodbarrow Mine. 1,2,3
- A fall of 15 or 16 tons came without warning while they were fixing a headtree, and the hitch carrying the next headtree gave way. 2,3
- An official had suggested to the elder Phillips that a leg should replace the hitch, but he said the hitch was good, sounded it with a hammer, and nothing was done. 2,3
- A third miner working with them had his leg broken. 2,3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Haematite (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…tons of roof fell without warning on three men slicing a pillar of haematite at the top of the Hodbarrow deposit, near Millom, killing the…”
Sources
- (primary) Hodbarrow (Iron Ore) — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: John Phillips, Hodbarrow Mine, 1 July 1905 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: William Henry Philips, Hodbarrow Mine, 1 July 1905 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 25 October 2026 · Last researched: 25 October 2026