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Full Details

Surname
DUNCAN
Forename
George
Day
11
Month
02
Year
1923
Age
60
Occupation
Pony Keeper
Mine/Quarry Name
Donibristle, James Pit
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Fife Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Cowdenbeath
County
Fifeshire
Details of Event
11 February 1923: Fatality At Donibristle Colliery - Pony Keeper's Death - George Duncan, about 60 years of age, who was employed as pony-keeper at the Donibristle Pit, met his death last Sunday morning in a shocking manner, and under strange circumstances. Duncan, who had been at the colliery for over 30 years, looked after the pit ponies at the weekend year in and year out with unfailing regularity. In fact, the care of the ponies seems to have been almost a hobby with him. On Sunday morning he descended the James Pit as usual about 10 o'clock and was taken to the mid-bottom where there were three ponies. When he got off the cage, he signalled that all was clear. A few minutes later the engineman was asked to lower men from the pithead, and for that purpose he raised the other cage to the pithead an thus lowered the cage which Duncan had left from mid-bottom to bottom. Shortly after the cage arrived there, the bottomer, Charles Fraser, heard someone moaning. On looking up he saw Duncan lying across the bars of the cage in line with the hand rail. To his horror, the cage commenced to ascend. He rushed to ring the bell to stop it, but he was too late, and the cage had ascended several yards up the pit before he could let the engineman at the pithead understand that something was wrong and that the cage must be stopped. During these few seconds Duncan was caught between the side of the shaft and the cage, and his body fell to the cage seat. Death was practically instantaneous. Duncan, who was a favourite with all the workmen and management will be sadly missed. He was a ploughman in his younger days at the farms of Bankhead and Beverkae, near Cowdenbeath. He leaves a widow and six of a family, nearly all of whom are grown-up. How Duncan came to be lying across the bars at the top of the cage has yet to be explained. [Dunfermline Journal 17 February 1923]