MineArchiveWellwood Colliery Derby Pit fire, 1884
On the night of Sunday 30 March 1884 fire broke out around the underground haulage engine of the Derby Pit at Wellwood Colliery, Dunfermline. Three men who went 500 yards in through the smoke to open a trap door and clear the air were suffocated; the search party that found them barely got back.
| Date | 30 March 1884 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Elgin and Wellwood Colliery |
| Region | Fife |
| Primary type | Fire |
| Associated types | Rescue |
| Fatalities | 3 (Three: Andrew Beveridge, oversman, who left five children; Thomas Stenhouse, roadsman, four; and William Hunter, roadsman, two. The newspaper gives their ages as 31, 30 and 41, the Inspector's list as 35, 27 and 44.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The minerals and woodwork around the underground haulage engine in the Derby Pit caught fire.
What happened
The fire was found on the Sunday night, when the engine keeper went down and found the engine seat alight, and a large number of men went down to put it out. The workings filled with smoke. Hunter, Beveridge and Stenhouse went about 500 yards in by the return air course to open a trap door beyond the engine, to strengthen the air current and carry the smoke away. Opening the door had the effect they wanted, but the three did not come back.
Rescue & recovery
After two hours their comrades set out to look for them and found all three dead, but the smoke was so thick that the searchers barely managed to get back themselves. The bodies were recovered on the Monday morning once the fire had been put out.
Investigation & inquiry
The deaths were reported in the Mines Inspector's report for the East of Scotland district for 1884.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On Sunday night, 30 March 1884, three men were suffocated in a fire in the Derby Pit at Wellwood Colliery, near Dunfermline, belonging to Thomas Spowart & Co. 1,2
- Hunter, Beveridge and Stenhouse travelled 500 yards into the workings to open a trap door to increase the air current and carry off the smoke; after two hours a search party found them dead. 1
- They were suffocated by smoke and fumes while trying to reach, by the return air course, the seat of a fire at an underground engine. 2
- Andrew Beveridge left five children, Thomas Stenhouse four and William Hunter two. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…around the underground haulage engine of the Derby Pit at Wellwood Colliery, Dunfermline. Three men who went 500 yards in through the smoke to…” - Haulage (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On the night of Sunday 30 March 1884 fire broke out around the underground haulage engine of the Derby Pit at Wellwood Colliery, Dunfermline. Three men…” - Return Airway (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…Hunter, Beveridge and Stenhouse went about 500 yards in by the return air course to open a trap door beyond the engine, to strengthen the air current…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Transcribed newspaper reports of Fife accidents, including two accounts of the Derby Pit fire at Wellwood in March 1884.
View sourceThe colliery's owners and output, and the names of those killed there, drawn from the Mines Inspectors' reports.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Fife Accidents 1871 to 1900 (Scottish Mining Website) — Scottish Mining Website
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Elgin and Wellwood Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 30 September 2026 · Last researched: 1 October 2026