Loanhead Colliery roof fall, 1893

Two miners finishing a steep break incline in the Corbie coal at Loanhead were killed on 13 February 1893 when 20 tons of coal and blaes swept down it.

Cause

About 20 tons of coal and blaes burst from the roof near the top of a steep incline and swept down it.

Contributing factors

Inspection of the incline had been handed to the contractor, and the regular fireman no longer examined it.

What happened

At Loanhead Colliery a break incline was being made in the Corbie coal, a seam over seven feet thick dipping at 58 degrees and worked stoop and room. Stripping the incline to size, setting its timber and laying the rails had been let to a contractor, who took on its inspection, and the colliery's fireman had stopped examining it. Shortly after midnight on 13 February 1893, with the work finished to within about 17 fathoms of the bottom, some 20 tons of coal and blaes burst from the roof near the top, swung the props and crowns, and swept down through nine scaffolds onto the miners Thomas Drylie, 33, and Andrew Hislop, 21, killing both.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The manager was prosecuted for failing to appoint a competent person to examine the incline before the shift and for failing to see the results recorded. He pleaded guilty to the second charge and was fined five pounds.

Recorded claims

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

• Shortly after midnight on 13 February 1893 two miners, Thomas Drylie, 33, and Andrew Hislop, 21, were killed by a fall of coal and blaes in a break incline at Loanhead Colliery. ^1,2,3
• About 20 tons of coal and blaes burst from the roof near the top of the incline, swinging the props and crowns, and swept down through nine scaffolds onto the two men working 17 fathoms from the bottom. ¹
• The work of finishing the incline had been let to a contractor who took on its inspection, so the colliery's fireman had stopped examining it. ¹
• The manager was prosecuted for failing to have the incline examined before the shift and for failing to have the results recorded; he pleaded guilty to the second charge and was fined five pounds. ¹
• The colliery belonged to the Shotts Iron Company. ^1,2,3

Related terminology

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

• Blaes (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…at Loanhead were killed on 13 February 1893 when 20 tons of coal and blaes swept down it.”
• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…on 13 February 1893, with the work finished to within about 17 fathoms of the bottom, some 20 tons of coal and blaes burst from the roof…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…of the incline had been handed to the contractor, and the regular fireman no longer examined it.”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two miners finishing a steep break incline in the Corbie coal at Loanhead were killed on 13 February 1893 when…”
• Room and Pillar (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…coal, a seam over seven feet thick dipping at 58 degrees and worked stoop and room. Stripping the incline to size, setting its timber and laying the…”

Sources

1. (primary) 1893 deaths index: Herbertshire No 3, Denny — with the Inspector of Mines' annual report for 1893 on the explosion — Scottish Mining Website, transcribing the appendices and main body of the Report of the Inspector of Mines
2. (secondary) Alphabetical list of mining victims 1890-1899: H (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames D part 5 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

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