Fife Pit Disaster – Four Lives Lost – Peculiar Accident at New Shaft - Not many days ago it was reported in The Scotsman that the Coltness Iron company had embarked upon an enterprise which promised to be the largest of the kind in Scotland. Yesterday afternoon the companys colliery at Blairhall, the undertaking referred to, about five miles to the west of Dunfermline, was the scene of an accident involving the loss of four lives. Without the slightest warning of danger, four men were plunged from what they would naturally have supposed to be safe footing into what everyone above ground believes to be a watery grave. As was indicated before, the pit was being sunk to an exceptional depth and little had been undertaken in the way of exploring the coal field. No Possibility of Rescue - The necessary machinery for the drawing of coal had not been finally adjusted. What are known as slides for the cages were being put in position and this operation was not out of the hands of the pit-sinkers. A defect had somehow existed near the bottom of the shaft. At the pithead last night little information could be gleaned, beyond the fact that all hope was abandoned of any man who had been down coming up alive. They are bound, it was said, to be lying in the sump, which is of such a depth as to preclude all possibility of rescue. Dr Tolmie and Dr Gordon, both of Culross, were early upon the scene, and remained for many hours in the vain hope of being able to render assistance. What the actual cause of the accident, was may remain a mystery. The Victims - Various facts, however, could be elicited. Four men had been working on a platform at a depth of more than 500 fathoms. The names of the men are:- Alexander MCallum (40), Newmills ; Barney ONeilly (21), Newmills; John Boyle (40), Low Valleyfield; and Henry Newman (30), Culross. The scaffold, it seems, was worked up and down by means of a steam winch. It had been lowered and raised for the fourth time when something gave way. Scaffold and men went to the bottom. The rope was, by the weight attached to it, drawn to its utmost capacity. A considerable time elapsed before it was realised what had actually happened, and even at a late hour last night pitworkers who had walked long distances were at a loss to know how such a disaster, already spreading gloom over what is practically a new district, had occurred. MCallum is the only one of the four who was married. The distance which the men fell was not great as compared with the actual depth of the pit, but the fall, apart from the large accumulation of water at the bottom, would be sufficient to cause death. The State of the Pit - At midnight there were many men present ready on the least call for volunteers to descend the shaft. Such are the water conditions below that the recovery of the bodies will be a matter of great difficulty. There is no more powerful pumping machinery in the country, yet the water has been growing, and it will continue to baffle the best engineering skill until the source can, if possible, be diverted. [Scotsman 12 April 1911]
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 20:31:48 +0000
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