Markham Colliery Disaster
Location: Staveley, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England
Surnames/tags: Mining Disasters England Disasters
With grateful thanks to The Story Mine for permission to use their information and images in commemorating those who lost their lives in 1973. Please see their web site for photographs of the men and their family histories.
Contact: TBC
History and Circumstances
- Date: 30 July 1973
- Location: Markham Colliery, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England
- Victims: 18 lives lost
- Cause: Winding Accident
On Monday 30th July 1973 a terrible disaster happened when the cage carrying the miners to go underground into the pit failed to stop. It was the start of the day shift and by 6.20am 105 miners had already been lowered into the pit. Then, the overlap rope cage carrying 15 men on the top deck and 14 men on the lower deck began its descent. Sparks were seen coming from the brake cylinder by the engine winder who then slammed on the emergency stop button. Nothing happened and the cage crashed down to the bottom of the pit some 1320 feet below ground. The ascending cage crashed through the winding house roof. 13 men died at the scene and another 5 men died later in hospital. The other 11 men in the cage and one rescue worker were very seriously injured and were taken to hospital at Chesterfield.
THE Disasters Project no longer works on disasters that occurred less than 75 years ago. This is because we respect the privacy of any family members of the victims who could still be alive today. We ask members not to create profile for the men killed in this disaster unless you are a family member.
Sources
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