Kilton Mine Kibble Accident, 1873

Two sinkers were killed at Kilton Mine when the kibble carrying them up a sinking shaft struck a bunton and capsized after a shot-firing operation, precipitating them to the bottom just as one of the charges exploded.

Cause

The kibble in which the men were being drawn away from freshly lit shot fuzes struck a bunton in the shaft and capsized, throwing them to the bottom; one of the shots then exploded.

What happened

On 23 December 1873, sinkers at Kilton Mine's sinking shaft had prepared explosive shots at the bottom and sent most of their number to bank, leaving three men -- David Dyer, William Handcock and a third man, Williams, who had charge of the shift -- to light the fuzes. With proper arrangements made for the engineman to draw them away rapidly once the shots were lit, the men signalled to be drawn up; after being raised four or five fathoms, the kibble in which they were riding struck a bunton in the shaft and capsized, throwing all three men to the bottom. One of the shots then exploded. Dyer and Handcock were killed; Williams, who had fallen behind the pumps, escaped comparatively lightly but was still badly injured.

Investigation & inquiry

An inquest was held before coroner A. Buchannan, with H.M. Inspector of Mines James Willis present and questioning witnesses. Willis found no evidence of negligence on the part of those in charge of the mine, all proper regulations having been observed; the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• The official 1873 Mines Inspectors Report records the cause as the sinking kibble striking a bunton in the shaft and capsizing while the three men were being drawn away from freshly lit explosive shots, throwing them to the bottom just as one of the shots exploded. ¹
• An inquest before coroner A. Buchannan, with Inspector of Mines James Willis present, returned a verdict of accidental death, Willis finding no evidence of negligence and that all proper regulations had been observed. ²

Sources

1. (primary) Kilton (Ironstone) — kibble accident, 23 December 1873 — Durham Mining Museum (citing the 1873 Mines Inspectors Report, C. 1056, by James Willis, H.M. Inspector of Mines, p. 8)
2. (primary) Fatal Accidents in the Ironstone Mines (Middlesbrough Daily Gazette, 29 Dec 1873) — Durham Mining Museum (reproducing the original newspaper report)

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