“Firedamp!” That single word could strike terror into the heart of any miner at Auchinraith Colliery. Auchinraith Colliery once stood here a testament to Glasgow’s industrial past. It is a place where fortunes were made and lives were tragically lost.
Auchinraith Colliery was sunk in 1872. Messrs Merry and Cunningham wanted to use the mineral rights for that land. They drew coal as early as 1875. The colliery was near the middle of Auchinraith Road. It was adjacent to its junction with Craig Street.
To house the influx of miners, James Merry built Auchinraith Row in 1874. This row was located immediately in front of the pit. Later, the Auchinraith Primary School was built there. The pithead was behind where the Timber houses stand today. As coal extraction increased, the company built more homes nearby in 1876. These were known as Merry’s Rows or Murrays Rows.
James Merry blatantly broke mining regulations. He exploited over 1,000 men in his collieries and iron mines throughout Scotland. This exploitation was part of the Truck System. Miners had to spend their wages in colliery shops.
Tragedy struck Auchinraith Colliery on August 30th 1930. A terrible accident occurred resulting in the death of 6 miners. It was difficult for the colliery to recover from this disaster. Just a year later, on August 16th 1931, miners found a notice. The notice said the company was closing down that evening. 350 miners lost their jobs at Auchinraith Colliery.
Merry’s Rows were demolished. They were renamed Elm Street. The site of the colliery and its coal bing extended from Auchinraith Road. It stretched to the rear of the Alex Inglis Factory on Main Street. The bing itself was removed in 1975. It was used to make way for the A725 East Kilbride Expressway.
The explosion at Auchinraith Colliery in 1930 was a serious one. It occurred at Number 1 pit. The pit belonged to Messrs’ Merry and Cunningham. Fourteen men were trapped. Only 10 of them could be rescued. The dead men were William Sprott, Joseph Regan, Richard King, George Shorthouse and Andrew Kalinsky. Richard Dunsmuir was critically injured. He died in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary the next day.
A rescue party found five men face down. Three were unrecognisable from fire injuries. Weeping women gathered at the pithead to identify the bodies. Some remembered a similar fear from the 1877 pit explosion.
James Hogg said the explosion started due to ignition of firedamp. Fifteen men were at work in the section. Men in other areas were unaware of the explosion. Doctors could not descend into the pit because of the firedamp. The Lanark rescue brigade arrived quickly. They brought ten men to the surface.
The explosion was not heard on the surface. News of the tragedy took time to reach the surrounding villages. Off-duty colliers rushed to the pit to help. They were told only the rescue party could enter.
One man, Mr Kalinsky, had returned to work after a long unemployment spell. Another survivor, Mr Copeland, was thrown through space and knocked unconscious. He crawled out following the railway track.
The funerals took place on September 2nd 1930. Over 40,000 people lined the streets of Blantyre. They paid homage to the six victims of the Auchinraith Colliery disaster. An inquiry found that firemen and miners had neglected their duties. The colliery manager also neglected his duty.
On August 16th 1931, over 300 jobs were lost. The pit closed abruptly. Relatives of the dead men received compensation. Nine injured miners were still receiving compensation by May 1931.
Today, little remains of Auchinraith Colliery. But its story reminds us of the hard work and sacrifice of the miners. Their labor shaped this community. Their lives must never be forgotten.