Talk o' th' Hill Colliery roof fall, 1908

Eight yards of roof fell without warning on three colliers at a breasting face in the Ten Feet seam of Talk o' th' Hill Colliery on 21 October 1908; all were dug out alive after up to seventeen hours, but two died of shock and exhaustion.

Cause

A fall of about eight yards of roof from three slips at a breasting face in the Ten Feet seam.

What happened

At nine in the morning of 21 October 1908 three colliers were working at the face of a breasting in the Ten Feet seam at Talk o' th' Hill Colliery, Talke. The level behind them was timbered with eight-foot bars on legs at two feet six inches, with continuous chocking six feet wide along the sides. Without the slightest warning about eight yards of roof came down, breaking six feet above the ordinary roof line along three slips, one parallel to the face and one along each side of the level, and the fall reached right up to the face.

Rescue was slow and dangerous: a road had to be made over the top of the fall and the debris cleared back from the face to open a passage to the men. The first was freed and brought out about four in the afternoon; it was two in the morning of the 22nd before the other two were reached. None seemed badly injured apart from a fractured thigh, but Charles Carter, 27, and Ralph Shipley, 24, died of shock and exhaustion early on the 22nd.

Rescue & recovery

A road was made over the top of the fall and the debris carried back to reach the men; one was out by 4 p.m. and the other two at 2 a.m. the next day.

Recorded claims

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

• The fall was at 9 a.m. on 21 October 1908; the two men died on the 22nd. ^1,2,3
• The dead were Charles Carter, 27, and Ralph Shipley, 24, colliers. ^1,2,3
• About eight yards of roof fell from three slips, six feet above the ordinary roof, reaching the face. ^1,2
• A road had to be made over the fall; the last two men were reached at 2 a.m. on the 22nd. ^1,2
• The colliery was owned by the Talk o' th' Hill Colliery Ltd. ^2,3

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: “…at a breasting face in the Ten Feet seam of Talk o' th' Hill Colliery on 21 October 1908; all were dug out alive after up to seventeen…”
• Level (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…in the Ten Feet seam at Talk o' th' Hill Colliery, Talke. The level behind them was timbered with eight-foot bars on legs at two feet…”

Sources

1. (primary) Talk o' th' Hill Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Charles Carter, Talk-o'-th'-Hill, 1908 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Ralph Shipley, Talk-o'-th'-Hill, 1908 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026