Niddrie Colliery incline accident, 1901

Two roadsmen testing a carriage incline at Niddrie on 1 September 1901 were killed when the rope came off the drum and the carriage ran away to the bottom.

Cause

The rope came off the incline drum and was jerked out of its socket, and the carriage ran away.

Contributing factors

The props usually set to keep the rope from coming off the drum had not been put up.

What happened

On 1 September 1901 roadsmen at Niddrie Colliery, on the eastern edge of Edinburgh, had moved the drum of a carriage incline further up and were testing the run of the carriage, with Thomas Morris and George Peacock riding it. The rope came off the drum and fell on the axle, and the jerk pulled it out of its socket next the back balance. The man at the brake could not hold the carriage, which dashed to the bottom, killing both men. The props normally set to keep the rope on the drum had not been put up.

Recorded claims

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

• On 1 September 1901 two roadsmen, Thomas Morris, 41, and George Peacock, 48, were killed at Niddrie when the carriage they were riding on a carriage incline ran away to the bottom. ^1,2,3
• They had moved the drum of the incline upward and were testing the carriage when the rope came off the drum onto the axle, and the jerk drew it out of its socket next the back balance; the brakesman could not hold the carriage. ^1,2,3
• The props usually set to stop the rope coming off the drum had not been put up. ³
• The colliery belonged to the Niddrie and Benhar Coal Co. Ltd. ^1,2,3

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “On 1 September 1901 roadsmen at Niddrie Colliery, on the eastern edge of Edinburgh, had moved the drum of a carriage…”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two roadsmen testing a carriage incline at Niddrie on 1 September 1901 were killed when the rope came off…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining victims, 1900s, M (Morrell) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (secondary) Mining deaths 1900-1909, surnames P, part 2 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
3. (secondary) Fatal accidents in Scottish mines, 1901 — Scottish Mining Website

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