MineArchiveWoolley Colliery shaft accident, 1873
On 4 January 1873 three shaftsmen were killed at Woolley Colliery, near Barnsley, when the rope of the scaffold they were working from in the pumping shaft broke and they fell to the bottom.
| Date | 4 January 1873 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Woolley Colliery |
| Region | South Yorkshire |
| Type | Winding / Shaft Accident |
| Fatalities | 3 (W. Litherland (33), G. Robinson (37) and David Taylor (33), all shaftsmen.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The crab rope carrying the men's scaffold broke close to the drum while they were repairing the pumps.
What happened
W. Litherland (33), G. Robinson (37) and David Taylor (33) had gone down the pumping shaft to repair the pumps, standing on a scaffold hung from a crab rope worked by seven men at the surface. About 25 yards from the bottom the rope broke close to the drum and the men fell, the rope coming down after them. The rope had been examined, and the strands at the break were reported to look sound.
Sources
- (secondary) Disasters – Names: Woolley, 4th January 1873 — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Woolley Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 16 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026