MineArchivePrestongrange Colliery roof fall, 1914
In 1914 two men straightening the line of the upper part of a conveyor face at the Summerlee Iron Company's Prestongrange Colliery were buried when a block of roof nearly six feet thick collapsed without warning. James Johnstone was killed outright and James Cooper lived for two and a half hours. The Dundee Courier reported it in late October; NMRS dates it 23 December.
| Date | October 1914 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Prestongrange Colliery |
| Region | East Lothian |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (2: James Johnstone (36), miner, killed instantly, and James Cooper (Couper), who lived 2 1/2 hours.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The roof over an area 9 feet 8 inches by 6 feet and 5 feet 10 inches thick was cut on three sides by keen lypes (slips) and on the fourth by a waste break, and came down without warning.
What happened
The two men were working on the upper portion of a conveyor face, straightening its line, when the roof above them collapsed and buried them.
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 fall was on a Saturday in October 1914, reported to the Lothian Miners' Federation and in the Dundee Courier of 26 October. (disputed) 1
- The fall was on 23 December 1914. (disputed) 2
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Two men, James Cooper (or Couper) and James Johnstone, were killed by a fall of roof at Prestongrange Colliery in 1914. 1,2
- The fall was on a Saturday in October 1914, reported to the Lothian Miners' Federation and in the Dundee Courier of 26 October. (disputed) 1
- The fall was on 23 December 1914. (disputed) 2
- A block of roof 9 feet 8 inches by 6 feet and 5 feet 10 inches thick, cut on three sides by lypes and on the fourth by a waste break, fell without warning on men straightening the line of a conveyor face. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…of a conveyor face at the Summerlee Iron Company's Prestongrange Colliery were buried when a block of roof nearly six feet thick collapsed…”
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Lothians accidents 1901-1914 — Scottish Mining Website
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Prestongrange, 1914 (Johnstone) — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 13 October 2026 · Last researched: 13 October 2026