Springwell Colliery shaft accident, 1834

On 4 October 1834 a heavy timber fell down the shaft at Springwell Colliery onto the cradle where two men were repairing it, carrying them thirty fathoms to the bottom.

Cause

A heavy piece of timber fell down the shaft onto the cradle on which the two men were working.

What happened

Springwell Colliery, near Eighton Banks on the high ground south of Gateshead, belonged to Lord Ravensworth and Partners. On 4 October 1834 a brakesman, William Puncheon, and a wasteman, John Smith, were standing on a scaffold, or cradle, in the shaft repairing it when a heavy piece of timber fell down the pit and landed on the cradle. Its weight carried the cradle and both men to the bottom, thirty fathoms (about 55 metres) below, and they were killed on the spot. Puncheon left a widow and six children.

Recorded claims

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

• On 4 October 1834, at Lord Ravensworth and Partners' Springwell Colliery near Eighton Banks, a heavy piece of timber fell down the pit onto the scaffold, or cradle, on which William Puncheon, a brakesman, and John Smith, a wasteman, were standing. ^1,2
• The weight carried the cradle and the two men to the bottom, a depth of thirty fathoms, and both were killed on the spot. ^1,2
• The two were standing on the cradle repairing the shaft. ¹
• Puncheon left a widow and six children. ¹

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: “On 4 October 1834 a heavy timber fell down the shaft at Springwell Colliery onto the cradle where two men were repairing it, carrying them…”
• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…the cradle where two men were repairing it, carrying them thirty fathoms to the bottom.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 4 October 1834 a heavy timber fell down the shaft at Springwell Colliery onto the cradle where two men were repairing…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Springwell Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Local Records; or, Historical Register of Remarkable Events, vol. 3 (T. Fordyce, 1867) — Internet Archive

Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026