MineArchiveShakespeare Colliery shaft accident, 1912
A 1,200-gallon water tank being wound up No. 3 shaft at Shakespeare Colliery, Dover, broke loose on 5 September 1912 and fell back on the fourteen sinkers working below, killing two of them.
| Date | 5 September 1912 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Shakespeare Colliery |
| Region | Kent |
| Primary type | Winding / Shaft Accident |
| Associated types | Rescue |
| Fatalities | 2 (2 killed, both sinkers: George Ball (50) and Joseph Watson (37). A third, J. Little, was badly injured.) |
| Injuries | One man, J. Little, badly injured and trapped under debris. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The tank came loose either because the chain holding it snapped or because the engine overwound; it is classed as an overwinding.
What happened
On 5 September 1912 a water tank holding 1,200 gallons was being raised to the surface of No. 3 pit when it came loose and fell back down the shaft, where fourteen sinkers were at work. It struck the sides on its way down and brought bricks and debris with it. George Ball, aged 50, and Joseph Watson, aged 37, both sinkers, were killed outright. J. Little was so badly hurt that he was not expected to live; he was pinned under the debris while the water rose around him, and by the time he was freed it had reached his chest. He had survived the inrush that drowned his fellow sinkers in No. 2 Pit in 1897.
Rescue & recovery
The colliery manager organised a rescue party at once, but with the winding gear out of action it took some time to reach the men.
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 owner is given as Kent Collieries Limited. (uncertain) 2
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 5 September 1912 two sinkers were killed at Shakespeare (Dover) Colliery. 1,2
- The dead were George Ball, aged 50, and Joseph Watson, aged 37, both sinkers. 3,2
- A 1,200-gallon water tank being raised in No. 3 pit came loose and fell down the shaft on fourteen sinkers, bringing bricks and debris with it; either its chain snapped or the engine overwound. 1
- The accident is classed as overwinding. 3,2
- J. Little was trapped under the debris with the water rising to his chest; he had escaped the 1897 inrush in No. 2 shaft. 1,4
- The owner is given as Kent Collieries Limited. (uncertain) 2
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: “A 1,200-gallon water tank being wound up No. 3 shaft at Shakespeare Colliery, Dover, broke loose on 5 September 1912 and fell back on the…” - Inrush (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…the time he was freed it had reached his chest. He had survived the inrush that drowned his fellow sinkers in No. 2 Pit in 1897.” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A 1,200-gallon water tank being wound up No. 3 shaft at Shakespeare Colliery, Dover, broke loose on 5 September 1912 and…” - Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Dover, broke loose on 5 September 1912 and fell back on the fourteen sinkers working below, killing two of them.”
Sources
- (secondary) Shakespeare Colliery — Subterranea Britannica
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Dover Colliery shaft accident, 5 September 1912 — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Dover Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Dover Colliery inrush, 6 March 1897 — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026