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| The Beginning. | The Moss, The Moss. | Names of Victims. |
Stanrigg Pit Disaster.Lanarkshire. 1918.
July 1918, the weather was foul in the district around the Stanrigg and Arbuckle Pit, it had rained continuously for two weeks and the moss that overlay the pit workings was receiving a thorough soaking. The pit, which had three shafts, the No. 2 Arbuckle, the No. 3 Stanrigg, and an airshaft with a ventilation fan, extracted coal from the Humph and Virgin Seams; the Humph Seam being accessed by two stone mines that had been driven from the Virgin Seam. Between 10.00a.m. and 10.30 a.am. on July 9th. 1918, the ventilating current increased; it was soon clear that there was a breach and moss was flowing through a hitch in the clay into two roads leading from the Humph Seam. This cut off the retreat of any miners who had escaped the inrush. Seventy-seven men were in the pit, nineteen working in the Humph Seam. Contents The flowing moss made its way through the pit and was seen by a man who was working in another section of the pit. He ran back shouting "The moss! The moss!" "It's coming down". Fifteen year-old John McCabe**, was at the bottom of number 3 shaft with two other drawers and three miners, when they were told by Matthew Penman and James Bennett that the moss had broken in; all escaped to the surface except John McCabe. McCabe, knowing that there were men at the face who might be cut off, ran a quarter of a mile to warn them. They were all gathered and raised to the surface by another shaft. McCabe did not know at the time he returned to the face where the moss had broken in. The moss could have filled the roads he travelled at any time but he thought of the safety of other miners before his own. The roads he travelled were indeed filled with moss later. Two of the men he saved were his brothers. For his bravery he was awarded the Edward Medal; this was later exchanged for the George Cross. He was also awarded a silver watch from the Carnegie Hero Fund.
The Mines Rescue Brigade in Coatbridge, were contacted by phone, at 11.35 a.m. They descended No. 2 shaft at about 11.50 a.m. accompanied by Mr. Johnston, the manager, and Mr. William Black, the manager of nearby Ballochney Colliery, they proceeded along the communication road. It was not possible for them to access the Humph Section so they returned to the surface. Johnston accompanied by Mr. G. Thomson of the Giffnock Colliery at Whiterigg, went down No. 3 pit from where air entered the old Humph workings through a fault. The possibility of rescuing the men by driving a road from the old Humph workings was considered and work started on this from the bottom of the blind pit in the splint coal section. Meanwhile work began on a shaft from the surface immediately above the northwestern edge of the Humph Seam workings. Another plan was to clean out an old borehole, which had been sunk previously; this proved too difficult and it was abandoned when the borer decided that a new borehole could be done quicker. This new attempt failed due to the lining tubes breaking under the movement of moss. Eventually, after further attempts also failed, a fifth borehole reached the workings. This borehole indicated eight-feet nine-inches of water in the workings and that blackdamp was present. If any miners had survived the inrush, they would have been quickly killed by the blackdamp. The rescue operation soon became a recovery operation. Courageous attempts that included efforts to stem the flow of moss from the surface using tree branches and similar materials, clearing No.3 shaft of moss, sinking another borehole were carried out. Eventually access to the area where the men were working was achieved via a shaft sunk between the winding shaft and a point on the surface where the inrush took place. Contents The first body recovered was William Marshall on the 27th. August 1918. By the 22nd. September 1918, eight bodies had been recovered; the other bodies were never recovered. List of miners who were not recovered. Father and Son. Brady, William. 49 years old. Brady, Thomas. 18 years old. Campbell, Robert. 28 years old. (one of three men who married Sisters). Campbell, William. 48 years old. Brothers. Gilchrist, Alex. 31 years old. Gilchrist, William. 33 years old. Park, Alexander. 54 years old. Father and Son. Pollock, Robert. 49 years old. Pollock, Robert. Jun. 15 years old. Sneddon, John. 31 years old. Williamson, William. 27 years old. (one of three men who married Sisters). List of miners who were recovered. Gilchrist, Leslie. 15 years old. (Brother of Alex and William.) Lindsay, Neil Thompson. 16 years old. Marshall, William. 31 years old. McAdams, Bernard Augustus. 14 years old. McNiven, David. 17 years old. Queen, John. 66 years old. Sneddon, James Munro. 14 years old. Templeton, George. 36 years old. (one of three men who married Sisters). *Ref. Report on the Causes and Circumstances Attending the Accident at Stanrigg and Arbuckle Colliery by W. Walker, C.B.E., H.M. Acting Chief Inspector of Mines. George Cross Recipients Database. * *Age of John McCabe is given in some reports as sixteen and seventeen. Copyright: all rights reserved.Read Elspeth Grant's Homeward Bound. It's a fascinating story and you will soon understand why it‘s linked to this Stanrigg Pit Disaster page.Elspeth Grant.You can contact Elspeth
by clicking on this link.
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