MineArchiveWheal Owles flooding disaster
| Date | 10 January 1893 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Wheal Owles |
| Region | Cornwall |
| Primary type | Flooding / Inundation |
| Associated types | Entrapment |
| Fatalities | 20 |
| Context | During active mining |
| Status | Researched |
Miners broke through into the flooded, long-abandoned workings of Wheal Drea, trapping and drowning twenty men and boys underground.
What happened
On the morning of 10 January 1893, miners working the Cargodna section broke through into the adjoining, long-flooded workings of Old Wheal Drea. The inrush of water pushed a powerful blast of air ahead of it that blew out every light underground. Nineteen men and a boy died in the resulting darkness and were never recovered.
Sources
- (secondary) Wheal Owles Flooding - St Just - 1893 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Wheal Owles Mine Disaster, 1893 — West Penwith Resources
Record created: 20 August 2026 · Last researched: 20 August 2026