Loudoun Colliery shaft accident, 1885

On 20 October 1885 two sinkers repairing a fire-damaged upcast shaft at the Eglinton Iron Company's Loudoun No. 2, Galston, fell to their deaths when the hemp rope lowering them and their scaffold broke. The rope, three years in store, had looked sound.

Cause

Failure of a 1½-inch hemp rope taken from store, which broke under the weight of two men and a light scaffold.

What happened

The wooden timbering of the upcast shaft had been destroyed by a fire, and Hamilton and Roxburgh were repairing it, lowered on a light scaffold from a windlass. The rope, a hemp rope an inch and a half thick, was said to be three years old and to have been used only twice, for a few days each time; it had been chosen from the store and examined by one of the two men before it was put on the windlass barrel, and showed little sign of wear. It broke while carrying only the two men and the scaffold.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector of mines concluded that, since the rope broke under so light a load, it was evidently unfit for the work, and that the case showed the need to subject ropes that had lain in store for some time, even if little worn, to a practical test before using them again, if they were used at all.

Recorded claims

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

• On 20 October 1885 two sinkers, Robert Hamilton and Robert Roxburgh, were killed at Loudoun No. 2, Galston, when the rope lowering them broke while they were repairing a shaft. ^1,2
• They were repairing an upcast shaft whose wooden timbering had been destroyed by a fire. ¹
• The hemp rope, 1½ inches in diameter, was said to be three years old and used only twice before; it had been taken from store and examined by one of the men who died, and broke under the weight of the two men and a light scaffold. ¹
• The inspector said ropes long in store should be put to a practical test before being used again, if used at all. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 20 October 1885 two sinkers repairing a fire-damaged upcast shaft at the Eglinton Iron Company's Loudoun No. 2, Galston, fell to their…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “The inspector of mines concluded that, since the rope broke under so light a load, it was…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “On 20 October 1885 two sinkers repairing a fire-damaged upcast shaft at the Eglinton Iron Company's…”
• Windlass (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…and Roxburgh were repairing it, lowered on a light scaffold from a windlass. The rope, a hemp rope an inch and a half thick, was said to be…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: fatal accidents 1885 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) Loudoun Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

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