Kinneil Colliery explosion, 1890

At five in the morning of 30 August 1890 firedamp exploded at the Kinneil Coal and Coke Company's Kinneil Colliery, killing a sinker of 58, William Galloway, and an engineman of 73, William Whitefield.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp.

What happened

The two men killed were a sinker and an engineman, both well on in years, at work at five in the morning.

Recorded claims

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

• At 5 a.m. on 30 August 1890 an explosion of firedamp at Kinneil Colliery killed the sinker William Galloway and the engineman William Whitefield. ^1,2
• Galloway was 58 and Whitefield 73. ^1,2
• The colliery then belonged to the Kinneil Coal and Coke Company. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…in the morning of 30 August 1890 firedamp exploded at the Kinneil Coal and Coke Company's Kinneil Colliery, killing a sinker of 58, William…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…firedamp exploded at the Kinneil Coal and Coke Company's Kinneil Colliery, killing a sinker of 58, William Galloway, and an engineman of 73,…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “At five in the morning of 30 August 1890 firedamp exploded at the Kinneil Coal and Coke Company's Kinneil Colliery,…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…at the Kinneil Coal and Coke Company's Kinneil Colliery, killing a sinker of 58, William Galloway, and an engineman of 73, William Whitefield.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website — 1890 Deaths — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) Kinneil Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 21 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026