About 8 o’clock on the evening of Thursday 8th August 1895, an alarming accident took place at Dixon’s Pit 4 at Larkfield, Blantyre. This little known accident took place where today, the playing field Bing is.
The nightshift men in the colliery were preparing to descend to their work when one of the hot air balloons sent up from Glasgow attracted their attention. Wishing the best vantage point to see this spectacle, two dozen men it is said went on to a gangway which leads to the pit, all at the one time. A gangway which normally supported squad sizes of 6 men.
Glasgow was hosting a spectacular Carnival at the time. Miss Alma Beaumont the lady aeronaut from the Carnival at Coplawhill Road descended from her balloon by means of her parachute which later dropped into the River Clyde a little east of the Green Suspension Bridge in Glasgow.
Prior to this though, as the miners all gazed in awe at the parachutist’s descent in the Summer evening bright sky, to their horror and shock, the gangway overloaded and suddenly gave way, sending all the men tumbling down in a heap to the railway below, a distance of about 18 feet!
Six Blantyre men were noted as injured, though a 7th was added later. Alex Struthers (44) a miner of Mann’s Land received a severe wound to his head and was very badly bruised around his body and right leg. James McLone (52) miner of Stonefield House, Glasgow Road was bruised on his chest. Felix Lynch (26) miner of Parkview, Stonefield was bruised on his right thigh bone and small of his back. John McNile (57) miner of 22 Miller Street suffered from shock and bruising. John Thomson (17) miner of Calder Street cut the back of his head and bruised his right arm. Robert Laidlaw (53) of 19 Auchinraith Buildings suffered from shock and bruises. The injured men were all taken home in ‘machines’.
The accident was a major talking point in Blantyre for some days afterwards.
On Saturday 10th August Mr Thomas Sharp, the local miners agent was in Blantyre calling upon all the injured men and visiting the scene of the accident. The question of compensation had already risen amongst those injured and their families. The Monday after, several witnesses provided their statements to Mr Sharp.
By the weekend of 17th and 18th August 1895 reporters mentioned that the 7 injured men continued to make some progress in their recovery. The exception was Mr Alexander Struthers of High Blantyre and Mr McNeill of Dixon’s Rows. Both of these men having sustained large injuries were by then displaying symptoms of internal injuries and were said to be in a very low state of health, both also suffering from shock. McNeill in particular was unlikely to ever be a miner again, his body completely ‘racked’ and injuries to his neck.
Illustrated is Dixon’s Pits and you can see the type of elevated walkways Dixon’s had at their collieries.
On Social Media, the following comments were received on Facebook:
Betty McLean Sad but careless to the danger.