Preston Colliery shaft accident, 1859

A tub pushed into the open shaft of the South Preston New Pit, North Shields, on 15 March 1859 fell on the men below, killing the banksman who went down with it and an engine builders' foreman.

Cause

The banksman pushed a tub into the shaft while the cage was at the bottom.

What happened

In March 1859 the North Shields waterworks company arranged to draw water from a spring in the South Preston New Pit. On the Tuesday night two foremen, Wilson of the engine builders Heppell and Landells and Thomas Proctor of the waterworks, went down in the cage to plan the pumping machinery.

At the top, the banksman John Herdman, talking with some carters, forgot that the cage was down and pushed a tub towards the shaft. Seeing the cage was not there he tried to hold the tub back, but it dragged him over and both fell to the bottom. They landed on Wilson, killing him, and broke Proctor's thighs. Herdman's back was broken and he died soon afterwards.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The engine builders' foreman is named Thomas Wilson in the newspaper and Robert Wilson by the Durham Mining Museum. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• On the night of 15 March 1859 a tub fell down the shaft of the South Preston New Pit, killing the banksman John Herdman, who fell with it, and a foreman of the engine builders Heppell and Landells at the bottom. ^1,2
• The foremen had gone down to arrange machinery for pumping water from a spring in the pit for the waterworks company. ²
• The banksman had forgotten the cage was down and pushed a tub to the shaft top. ²
• The engine builders' foreman is named Thomas Wilson in the newspaper and Robert Wilson by the Durham Mining Museum. (disputed) ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Banksman (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…North Shields, on 15 March 1859 fell on the men below, killing the banksman who went down with it and an engine builders' foreman.”
• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the cause: “The banksman pushed a tub into the shaft while the cage was at the bottom.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A tub pushed into the open shaft of the South Preston New Pit, North Shields, on 15 March 1859 fell…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “A tub pushed into the open shaft of the South Preston New Pit, North…”

Sources

1. (primary) Preston Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Appalling catastrophe at South Preston New Pit (The Cardiff Times, 26 March 1859) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026