Houghton Colliery fall of coal, 1913

Coal and stone came away over thirteen feet of face on two hewers kirving under a pillar at Houghton Colliery on 2 June 1913, killing both.

Cause

A fall of coal and stone at the face, released by undercutting beyond a breaker, with too few sprags.

What happened

On 2 June 1913 two hewers at the Lambton and Hetton Collieries' Houghton pit, John Dixon, 29, and John Napier, 34, were taking out a pillar in a four-foot seam and kirving, undercutting the coal, when coal and the stone above it came away together along thirteen feet of face and fell on them, killing both on the spot. They had undercut beyond a breaker, a natural joint, which set the fall free, and the face was overhanging from the start without enough sprags set under it.

Recorded claims

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

• On 2 June 1913 a fall of coal and stone killed two hewers at Houghton Colliery. ^1,2,3
• The dead were John Dixon, 29, and John Napier, 34. ^1,2,3
• They had undercut beyond a breaker and had not set enough sprags to an overhanging face; the fall was 13 feet long. ^1,2
• The colliery was owned by Lambton and Hetton Collieries Ltd. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Coal and stone came away over thirteen feet of face on two hewers kirving…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…feet of face on two hewers kirving under a pillar at Houghton Colliery on 2 June 1913, killing both.”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Coal and stone came away over thirteen feet of face on two hewers kirving under a pillar at Houghton Colliery on 2 June 1913, killing…”
• Holing (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “Coal and stone came away over thirteen feet of face on two hewers kirving under a pillar at Houghton Colliery on 2 June 1913, killing both.”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Houghton, 2 June 1913 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: John Dixon, Houghton, 1913 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: John Napier, Houghton, 1913 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) Houghton Colliery (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026