MineArchiveUnited Hills Mine boiler explosion, 1830
| Date | 3 February 1830 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Tywarnhayle Mine |
| Region | Cornwall |
| Type | Machinery |
| Fatalities | 9 (Nine of the thirteen people on the premises at the time were killed on the spot or died shortly afterwards; no source found names the victims individually or gives a breakdown of their roles.) |
| Context | During active mining |
| Status | Researched |
An engine boiler burst at United Hills Mine (later Tywarnhayle Mine), near Porthtowan, killing nine of the thirteen people present.
Cause
The boiler serving the mine's pumping/winding engine burst; no source found gives a specific technical cause (over-pressure, a structural or maintenance failure, or otherwise).
What happened
On 3 February 1830, while the mine was still known as United Hills, the engine boiler burst. Of thirteen people on the premises at the time, nine were killed outright or died of their injuries shortly afterwards -- one of the worst single accidents recorded at any mine in the St Agnes district. No freely accessible source gives further detail on the immediate circumstances, the victims' names, or the boiler's own history; contemporary reporting likely survives in the Royal Cornwall Gazette's archives, which sit behind a paywall (British Newspaper Archive/Findmypast) and were not accessed for this record.
Investigation & inquiry
No record of a formal inquiry or inquest has been found in any freely accessible source; boiler explosions of this period were not yet subject to the statutory investigation regime that later mining legislation introduced.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Nine of the thirteen people present when the boiler burst were killed on the spot or died of their injuries shortly afterwards. 1,2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Winding Engine (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “The boiler serving the mine's pumping/winding engine burst; no source found gives a specific technical cause…”
Sources
- (secondary) Tywarnhayle Mine — Wikipedia
- (secondary) Tywarnhayle Mine, Cornwall — Cornwall Calling
Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026