Recovery of 25 More Bodies

What is interesting about this piece is what they call Productions, in other words, how the bodies were identified…

The rescue work continued night and day and as the bodies were recovered they were brought to the surface, usually at night, out of sight of the large crowds which had gathered at the pithead.

Glasgow Herald, Tuesday, November 6th 1877

The work of recovering the remainder of the bodies seems now to be in a fair way for completion, and it is expected that no further serious obstruction will be encountered and the end of the week will see the dreary task concluded.

Up till seven o’clock last night the number of additional bodies that had been recovered was 25, all of which, with the exception of three, were buried in the course of the day. Forty-Six bodies are still in the mine. Some idea of the difficulties to be overcome by the searchers may be obtained from the fact that it took an hour to bring the last body recovered from the place it was found to the bottom of the shaft.

At the mortuary yesterday there were some touching scenes. An old woman named Mrs Lauder, the wife of George Lauder, Townhill, Hamilton, identified the bodies of two of her sons, and sadly told the bystanders that this was the fourth son who had died an unnatural death. One of the Spiers who was recovered yesterday morning had only been seven days in the pit. The lad Edward McLachlan is one of three brothers who perished in the mine, one of whom has not been found. Their father, who is also a miner, identified his son yesterday.

The following is a continuation of the list of the recovered dead:-

108, George Spiers (17), collier, Barnhill. Identified by George Spiers, collier, his father, and Janet Strachan or Gibson, his Aunt.

109, Productions – A pair of shoes. Andrew Cox (16), a collier, Dixon’s Rows, Stonefield. Identified by his mother and John Dunlop, collier, Hamilton.

110, Productions – A pair of boots. Samuel Roberts (14), a collier, Dixon’s Rows, Hall Street. Identified by his mother and Samuel Morrison, collier, Waterloo.

111, Productions – A pair of shoes and a belt. John Cox (46), a collier, Dixon’s Rows, Stonefield. Identified by his wife and John Dunlop, collier, Hamilton.

112, Productions – A boot and stocking. Edward McLachlan (15), a collier, 1 Jackson Place, Stonefield. Identified by Geo. McLachlan, collier, his father and John Hill, collier, brother-in-law.

113, Productions – A pair of shoes and a belt. Identified as Hugh Martin (51), collier, Struther’s Land, High Blantyre, by his wife and son.

114, John Spiers (15), collier, Barnhill. Identified by George Spiers, collier, his father, and Janet Strachan or Gibson, his Aunt.

115, Moses Roberts (17), miner, Hall Street, Blantyre. Identified by John Clark, Stonefield and his mother.

116, Bernard Maclavey (50), collier, Struther’s Land, High Blantyre. Identified by Isabella Burgess or Martin and Owen Martin, Struther’s Land.

117, Neil Ward (56), collier, High Blantyre. Identified by John Ward, his son, and Francis Collins, his son-in-law.

118, Productions – A pair of boot uppers and a stocking. Not identified.

119, Thomas White (37), collier, Larkfield, married. Leaves a wife and five of a family. Identified by his two daughters.

120, Andrew White (13), collier, son of Thomas White, No 119. Identified by his two sisters.

121, Productions – A pair of boots. Not identified.

122, William Black (39), collier, Priestfield Terrace. Leaves a wife and six of a family. Identified by Hugh Black, collier, Burnbank, his brother and Samuel Morrison, collier, Waterloo.

123, James Lauder (20), collier, Townhead, Hamilton. Identified by his mother Ann Carmichael or Lauder, wife of George Lauder, labourer, and James Buchanan, collier, Newart Hill.

124, George Lauder (16), collier, brother of 123. Identified by his mother Ann Carmichael or Lauder.

125, James Liddell (41), collier, 63 Hall Street, Blantyre. Identified by Alexander King, collier, Wishaw, brother-in-law, and John Bolton, collier, Auchinraith.

126, John Liddell (13), collier, 63 Hall Street, Blantyre, son of 125. Identified by Alexander King and John Bolton.

127, Productions – A pair of shoes and a tartan cravat. James Clyde (38), a collier, Dixon Street, Stonefield. Identified by his wife.

128, Productions – Boots and belt. Richard Ross (30), a collier, Cemetery Walk, High Blantyre. Identified by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

129, Not identified.
130, Not identified.
131, Not identified.

105, interred on Saturday was identified yesterday morning from the productions by his wife as Hugh Toner, collier, 49 Dixon’s Rows.

91, This body was formerly stated to be that of Edward Cornfield, Low Blantyre, but it turns out to be that of Peter Burns, miner, Dixon’s Rows. The mistake was corrected yesterday by Cornfield himself.

88 was identified before interment as the body of a boy named Samuel Boyle; but No. 98 has since been ascertained to be Boyle so that No. 88 is unidentified.

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