Niddrie Colliery incline shaft accident, 1908

Two inclinemen inspecting a 109-degree pipe shaft at Niddrie on 29 August 1908 died when their carriage left the rails: one fell to the bottom, and the other collapsed from heat and exhaustion trying to climb out.

Cause

The inspection carriage left the rails in a steep incline shaft.

Contributing factors

The shaft temperature of about 109 degrees Fahrenheit and the fifty-degree gradient exhausted the man who tried to climb out.

What happened

At Niddrie an incline shaft from the surface carried steam and discharge pipes for the underground pumps and served as an upcast, and the heat from the pipes kept it at about 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Once a week two men rode down it on a carriage worked by a surface steam engine to examine it. On 29 August 1908 Thomas Banks and Thomas Keary, both used to the work, went down; part-way, the carriage left the rails. One man fell 215 fathoms down the slope to the bottom. The other set out to climb the fifty-degree slope to the surface, apparently for help, but overcome by the heat and the effort he sat down, and was found dead with his right foot fixed between a pipe and the side wall.

Recorded claims

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

• On 29 August 1908 two inclinemen, Thomas Banks, 35, and Thomas Keary, 33, died at Niddrie during the weekly examination of an incline shaft carrying steam and pump pipes. ^1,2,3
• The incline shaft, used for steam and discharge pipes and as an upcast, stood at 109 degrees Fahrenheit and rose at about 50 degrees. ²
• Part-way down the carriage left the rails; one man fell 215 fathoms down the slope, and the other tried to climb to the surface but, exhausted by the heat, sat down and was found dead with his foot jammed between a pipe and the wall. ^1,2,3
• 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.

• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…steam and discharge pipes for the underground pumps and served as an upcast, and the heat from the pipes kept it at about 109 degrees…”
• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…went down; part-way, the carriage left the rails. One man fell 215 fathoms down the slope to the bottom. The other set out to climb the…”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “The inspection carriage left the rails in a steep incline shaft.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two inclinemen inspecting a 109-degree pipe shaft at Niddrie on 29 August 1908 died when their carriage left the…”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1900s K: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (secondary) Fatal accidents in Scottish mines, 1908 — Scottish Mining Website
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1900-1909, surnames B, part 1 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

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