Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	7th September 1862
Colliery:	Monkwearmouth
Cause:	Fall down shaft
Lives Lost:	5

A serious accident occurred at Monkwearmouth Colliery, accompanied with the loss of five lives. It appeared that about 100 fathoms from the mouth of the shaft a commencement had been made to wall the sides of the pit, the men working upon a "cradle," suspended by six chains to a tremendously strong rope attached to an engine, by which the "cradle" could be moved up and down as the work progressed. Early this morning, as five men were at work on the "cradle," the scaffold above the 180 fathom drift suddenly gave way, and with a fearful noise went down the pit. A tremendous rush of air down the shaft immediately followed ; and so strong was the suction upon the "cradle" that four of the six chains gave way, the "cradle" canted to one side, and the five men were plunged into the frightful abyss. Their names were Robert Dryden, James Hall, David Mason, Robert Lamb, and Charles Wright.

Source:

Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by T. Fordyce, Published in 1867

	Dryden, Robert, aged 38, left a wife and 3 children
	Hall, James, aged 34, left a wife and 4 children
	Lamb, Robert, aged 21, left a wife but no children
	Mason, David, aged 30, left a wife and 1 child
	Wright, Charles, aged 37, left a wife and 7 children
	All names found

06 Sep 1862	Fatal Accident at Monkwearmouth Colliery, Five Men Killed (Gateshead Observer)
11 Sep 1862	The Accident at Monkwearmouth Colliery (The Times)
12 Sep 1862	The Accident in Monkwearmouth Colliery (The Times)
13 Sep 1862	Accident and loss of Five Lives at Monkwearmouth Colliery (Gateshead Observer)

 

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