Springhill Colliery explosion, 1917

At about 7.30 on the morning of 18 July 1917 four men walked up the stone drift to the abandoned Major coal workings of No. 1 Cauldhame Pit, Springhill Colliery, at Springside near Kilmarnock, to lift the last rails. The fireman went first with a naked light. Gas had gathered at the top of the drift, and it exploded; all four were badly burned and died in Kilmarnock Infirmary over the next five days.

Cause

Firedamp accumulated near the top of a stone drift ventilated only by a small hand-turned fan, which had stood idle and was not clearing the gas; it was ignited, almost certainly, by the naked light of the fireman William Durney about sixteen feet from the top. Safety lamps should have been in use.

What happened

The Major coal had been given up on 14 July as poor. Gas found on the Sunday night was not cleared, and the day fireman reported it on the Monday; no inspection was recorded after that. On the Wednesday the fan boys started the fan at about seven, and half an hour later Durney walked up the drift, followed five minutes after by the two Walkers and McLean. About ten minutes later the explosion knocked one boy over and put out their lights; the four injured men came down the drift one after another.

Investigation & inquiry

A Fatal Accident Inquiry at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on 17 August 1917 recorded death by an explosion of firedamp. The Acting Chief Inspector, W. Walker, held a formal investigation under Section 83 of the Coal Mines Act 1911 at Kilmarnock from 5 February 1918, hearing sixteen witnesses, and reported on 9 April 1918. He found that the firemen spent four to six hours every weekend clearing gas, that naked lights had been allowed in breach of Section 32 (1) (c), that gunpowder and gelignite had been fired in a gassy seam against the Explosives Order, that dangerous places were not fenced and that firemen's reports were not kept.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The owners, J. and R. Howie Ltd, were represented at the formal investigation, as were the relatives, the National Union of Scottish Mine Workers and the Ayrshire Miners' Association.

Recorded claims

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

• On 18 July 1917 an explosion of firedamp in No. 1 Cauldhame Pit of Springhill Colliery, Springside, injured four men, all of whom died in Kilmarnock Infirmary. ^1,2,3
• The naked light carried by the fireman, William Durney, probably fired gas that had gathered near the top of the stone drift. ¹
• The drift's only ventilation was a hand-driven fan, which stood from Saturday afternoon until Sunday, and clearing the gas took four to six hours. ¹
• The inspector found that naked lights and non-permitted explosives had been used in contravention of the Coal Mines Act and the Explosives Order. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal Mines Act 1911 (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…W. Walker, held a formal investigation under Section 83 of the Coal Mines Act 1911 at Kilmarnock from 5 February 1918, hearing sixteen witnesses, and…”
• Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…went first with a naked light. Gas had gathered at the top of the drift, and it exploded; all four were badly burned and died in Kilmarnock…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, at Springside near Kilmarnock, to lift the last rails. The fireman went first with a naked light. Gas had gathered at the top of the…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Kilmarnock, to lift the last rails. The fireman went first with a naked light. Gas had gathered at the top of the drift, and it exploded; all four…”
• Stone Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “At about 7.30 on the morning of 18 July 1917 four men walked up the stone drift to the abandoned Major coal workings of No. 1 Cauldhame Pit,…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Springhill 1917 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Cauldhame, No.1 Pit, 1917 (Thomas Walker) — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Springhill, Cauldhame Pit, 1917 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 13 October 2026 · Last researched: 13 October 2026