Kelty Colliery hoist accident, 1898

Two thirteen-year-old pithead girls at Kelty Colliery were killed on 28 May 1898 when a loaded hutch fell from a hoist cage onto the box where they sat.

Cause

A hutch fell from a surface hoist cage that dropped away before it was secured.

Contributing factors

The cage had risen too far and was being lowered as the loaded tub was pushed onto it.

What happened

On 28 May 1898 a boy at Kelty Colliery was lowering a surface hoist cage that had risen too far when a tub carrying an iron pipe was pushed onto it. The cage fell away before the hutch had been secured, and the hutch fell off and struck two pithead workers, Agnes Bain and Euphemia Brown, both 13, who were sitting on a box near the foot of the hoist. Both girls were killed.

Recorded claims

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

• On 28 May 1898 two 13-year-old pithead workers, Agnes Bain and Euphemia Brown, were killed on the surface at Kelty Colliery. ^1,2,3,4
• A boy was lowering a hoist cage that had risen too far when a tub carrying an iron pipe was pushed onto it; the cage fell away before the hutch was secured, and the hutch fell off and struck the girls. ^1,2,3,4
• The girls were sitting on a box near the foot of the hoist. ^1,4
• The colliery belonged to the Fife Coal Company Ltd. ^2,3,4

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…were killed on 28 May 1898 when a loaded hutch fell from a hoist cage onto the box where they sat.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two thirteen-year-old pithead girls at Kelty Colliery were killed on 28 May 1898 when a loaded hutch fell from a hoist…”
• Pithead (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two thirteen-year-old pithead girls at Kelty Colliery were killed on 28 May 1898 when a loaded…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “…girls at Kelty Colliery were killed on 28 May 1898 when a loaded hutch fell from a hoist cage onto the box where they sat.”

Sources

1. (primary) Kelty Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) 1890s B: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames B part 6 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
4. (secondary) Fatal accidents in Scottish mines, 1898 — Scottish Mining Website

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