Niddrie Colliery No. 7 Pit fire, 1884

Early on 24 May 1884 the timber beside the pump rods in the No. 7 incline of Niddrie Colliery, near Portobello, caught fire. The flames destroyed the headgear and smoke filled the workings; most men escaped by No. 12 pit, but sixteen went to the rise workings instead, and seven of them were found dead ten hours later.

Cause

Woodwork beside the pump rods in the No. 7 shaft (an incline) set on fire, it was thought, by friction of the rods.

Contributing factors

The men who died went up into the rise workings rather than through the smoke to No. 12 shaft, 220 yards away.

What happened

A man descending No. 7 at the start of the shift saw the woodwork smouldering and went back up to raise the alarm; within ten minutes he had to pass through smoke and flame. The officials could not get down, and the fire burnt the headgear to ruins. Most of the men smelt the smoke and escaped by No. 12, but sixteen climbed to the cooler rise workings, made one or two attempts to reach the shaft, and then stayed where they were with their lights burning. The dead were John Middleton, George Hill and Michael Scanlan, boys; Neil Paton; David Kerr; David Smith; and William Hamilton, found holding his son, who was alive.

Rescue & recovery

Relief parties tried repeatedly to reach them while water was turned into the pit and the Edinburgh fire brigade helped; the inspector Ralph Moore arrived at midday. A party found the men in a working above the cross-cut in the afternoon; the survivors were brought up by doctors from Portobello.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector noted that as the fire took hold, No. 7 became an upcast, so the smoke was in the workings for little more than an hour, and thought that had the men persevered towards the shaft they would all probably have escaped.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

Unknown.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• Seven died from the effects of smoke and gas when reached after ten hours. ¹
• Seven miners were found dead; William Hamilton was found clasping his son, who was alive. ²
• An engineman thought the fire was caused by the friction of the pump rods. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (hazard involved)
  Smoke and gas killed the seven.
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…1884 the timber beside the pump rods in the No. 7 incline of Niddrie Colliery, near Portobello, caught fire. The flames destroyed the headgear and…”
• Headgear (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, near Portobello, caught fire. The flames destroyed the headgear and smoke filled the workings; most men escaped by No. 12 pit, but…”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Early on 24 May 1884 the timber beside the pump rods in the No. 7 incline of Niddrie Colliery, near Portobello, caught fire. The flames…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the cause: “Woodwork beside the pump rods in the No. 7 shaft (an incline) set on fire, it was thought, by friction of the rods.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Niddrie Colliery No.7 Pit Fire - Portobello - 1884 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Niddrie No 7 Pit, 24 May 1884 (The Times and contemporary Scottish press) — Scottish Mining Website

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