The Udston Colliery, owned by the Udston Coal Company, was situated at the top of Hillhouse, Hamilton behind where Townhill Road now runs. Opened in 1875, it was a small pit employing approximately 200 men and boys working in three coal seams at depths of up to underground. The workings of the colliery extended for and were bordered on three sides by the Blantyre, Earnock, and Greenfield Collieries. The last remaining colliery buildings and the pit waste were removed in 2002 and today the site of the colliery is now a housing estate and part of Hamilton’s western expansion programme.
The disaster
The morning of 28 May, 184 men had entered the mine. At 9am, having been already at work for almost three hours, many of the dayshiftput down their tools for their breakfast. During this break, at approximately 9:07am, an explosion ripped through the Splint Seam destroying everything in its path. At the time of the explosion all but two of the 184 workers were still in the pit. The explosion manifested itself in a volume of flame and dust at the number two or downcast shaft, followed seconds later by a volume of flame from the upcast or number one shaft which set fire to the wooden sheds or headings above it. The sound of the explosion was heard in neighbouring Greenfield Colliery through a barrier of solid coal. In the Blantyre Colliery miners working that morning were temporarily blinded with the dust thrown up by the vibration of the explosion. An initial assessment of the damage by one of the managers revealed both compartments of No 1 shaft and one of the compartments of No 2 Pit were blocked by the cages used to lower the miners. Rescue efforts were immediate, first by volunteers who were then aided by experienced miners from nearby colleries. By 3pm all the men in the Ell and Main Coals were evacuated and it was discovered that these coal seams were not damaged from the explosion. Five of the men in the main coal shaft died of choke-damp arising from the Splint Coal. The Splint Coal workings were ventilated for exploration and removal of the deceased. 45 hours after the explosion they had all been explored and almost all of the bodies removed. Two men were found alive at the bottom of pit 2, however all others were deceased. The official causes of death were determined by Dr. Robertson of Hamilton. In his examination of the bodies he confirmed that 53 were burned and 20 were suffocated. The 73 men who died at the Udston disaster were paid on average 3/3d per day or 17/6 per week . The investigation into the explosion by the Inspector of Mines, Ralph Moore, Esq, concluded that the explosion was likely caused by a dust explosion as a result of unauthorized shot-firing.
