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Full Details

Surname
STEWART
Forename
Edward
Day
13
Month
12
Year
1934
Age
28
Occupation
Mine/Quarry Name
Kingshill, No.2 Pit
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Coltness Iron Co. Ltd
Location
Allanton
County
Lanarkshire
Details of Event
13 December 1934: Scottish Colliery Accident – Three Men Trapped and Killed in Fire - Three men were trapped and killed in Kingshill Colliery No.2 at Forth, near Shotts, today, when an electric cable fused and caused afire. The men were : William Douglas, 30, married, with three children; Edward Stewart, 28, unmarried; and James McCallum, 22, unmarried, all of Forth. The fire occurred between the day-shift and the night-shift, when only six men were working in the section affected. Had it occurred an hour later over 100 men might have been involved. The Lanarkshire Coalmasters' Rescue Brigade were summoned, and Dr. Reid, of Forth, also descended the pit and took part in the rescue operations. Three of the men escaped, but the others were trapped by the fumes, which were so heavy that the rescuers had to work in gasmasks. The rescue party had to crawl to the danger zone, and their efforts were further hampered by the presence of water, because the pit-bottom was flooded after the fire broke out. Over four hours elapsed before the bodies, which were lying close to one another, were found, and it was then obvious that the men had died within a few minutes after the start of the fire. They had been seriously burned, but death in each case was apparently due to suffocation. The heat was very great, and as the fire has occurred in a dead end it will probably burn itself out without the necessity for sealing up the mine. One of the rescue brigade said the heat was so great that the conveyor pans became twisted and started to melt. Even the flood, water, he said, looked as if it were at boiling point. For over 31 hours they had to work their way lying prone with only 27in. Of headroom available. Work has been suspended entirely in the pit pending investigation of the cause of the accident. [The Times 14 December 1934]