Pendleton Colliery shaft accident, 1894

Two men fell into the sump of Pendleton Colliery, Salford, on 23 August 1894 when a new balance scaffold tilted under one of them and he dragged the other in with him.

Cause

A new balance scaffold at the shaft bottom tilted when stepped on during adjustment.

What happened

On 23 August 1894 men were adjusting a new balance scaffold at the bottom of the shaft at Pendleton Colliery, Salford. The hooker-on William Lomax, 45, stepped onto it and it tilted; as he fell he caught the dayman Robert Bertram, 38, by the legs and pulled him into the shaft, and both fell 22 feet to the bottom and were killed.

Recorded claims

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

• On 23 August 1894 the dayman Robert Bertram, 38, and the hooker-on William Lomax, 45, fell to their deaths at the bottom of the shaft at Pendleton Colliery. ^1,2,3
• A new balance scaffold at the bottom of the shaft was being adjusted when Lomax stepped onto it and it tilted. ^1,2,3
• As he fell Lomax caught Bertram by the legs and pulled him into the shaft, and both fell 22 feet to the bottom. ^1,2,3
• The colliery belonged to Andrew Knowles and Sons Ltd. ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two men fell into the sump of Pendleton Colliery, Salford, on 23 August 1894 when a new balance scaffold tilted under…”
• Onsetter (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…at the bottom of the shaft at Pendleton Colliery, Salford. The hooker-on William Lomax, 45, stepped onto it and it tilted; as he fell he…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “A new balance scaffold at the shaft bottom tilted when stepped on during adjustment.”
• Sump (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “Two men fell into the sump of Pendleton Colliery, Salford, on 23 August 1894 when a new balance…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Pendleton Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) 1890s L3: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames B part 3 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

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