Snailbeach Mine winding-rope accident, 1895

Seven miners were killed at George's Shaft when the winding rope — in continuous service for eight and a half years, twice the normal replacement interval — snapped internally and dropped their cage 252 yards to the bottom of the shaft.

Cause

The winding rope at George's Shaft broke while raising a cage of miners at around 6.15am, dropping the cage — compressed on impact from 7'6" to just 18" — to the bottom of the 252-yard shaft.

Contributing factors

The rope, bought in October 1885, had been in continuous use for over eight years at the time it failed — roughly twice the four-year interval ropes were normally replaced at the time. Mining expert John Lee, with 30 years' experience, testified the rope was badly corroded internally and no longer capable of carrying its own weight. It was standard practice to leave both cages hanging in the middle of the shaft when not winding, which is thought to have encouraged internal corrosion where the rope ran over the sheave wheel — corrosion that, as Home Secretary Asquith later told Parliament, "cannot be detected so long as the outside of the rope remains sound", despite daily examination.

What happened

At around 6.15am on 6 March 1895, the winding rope at George's Shaft, Snailbeach, broke while lowering or raising a cage of miners. The cage fell to the bottom of the 252-yard shaft, compressing from 7'6" to just 18" on impact; all seven men inside were killed. The rope had been in continuous service for eight and a half years — roughly twice the normal four-year replacement interval of the day — and was found to be severely corroded on the inside despite appearing sound from the outside.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death, caused by the breakage of a defective rope, finding it had not been properly looked after and had been used for too long. The matter was also raised in the House of Commons on 25 March 1895, where MP David Thomas questioned the Home Secretary, H. H. Asquith, on the rope's age and condition. Asquith confirmed the rope had failed through internal corrosion undetectable from routine daily inspection, and acknowledged that, while the mines inspector considered the rope had been used too long, no specific breach of the Mines Act had occurred.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Asquith told Parliament he would consult with mining inspectors on whether any further regulatory step could be taken, while cautioning that it would be "extremely difficult to lay down any rule" fixing a maximum service life for winding ropes, given that failure depended on internal corrosion rather than a fixed wear rate.

Memorials & commemoration

A memorial plaque, commissioned by Shropshire Caving and Mining Club member Nick Southwick, was installed on a mine tub at Old/George's Shaft, Snailbeach, during a 2018 anniversary event.

Recorded claims

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

• Seven miners — Joseph Evans, George Lewis, Arthur Wardman, Thomas Jones, Richard Oakley, Andrew Dorricott and John Purslow — died when the winding rope at George's Shaft broke on 6 March 1895 and their cage fell 252 yards. ¹
• The rope had been in continuous use for eight and a half years, roughly twice the normal replacement interval, and was found to be severely corroded internally despite appearing sound from the outside. ^1,2
• The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death caused by the breakage of a defective rope; the accident was also raised in the House of Commons, where Home Secretary Asquith confirmed the cause but noted no specific Mines Act breach had occurred. ^1,2
• Asquith committed to consulting mining inspectors on possible further steps, while acknowledging it would be difficult to fix a general rule for winding-rope service life. ²

Sources

1. (secondary) The Snailbeach Mine Disaster — Shropshire Caving and Mining Club
2. (primary) Snailbeach Quartz Mine Accident (Hansard, 25 March 1895) — Hansard, House of Commons

Record created: 20 August 2026 · Last researched: 20 August 2026