The Wheal Agar Mining Disaster – The Heavy Price Paid for Progress

The 15th of August is a date etched in the history of the often perilous Cornish mining industry and represents  the tragic anniversary of the Wheal Agar Mining Disaster of 1883. As a former mining consultant at Groundsure, I have spent years understanding the intricate layers of both the earth and the lives shaped by it. 

The disaster serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers faced by miners and the profound impact such events have on communities. Today, we reflect not only on the lives lost but also on the lessons learned, ensuring that the legacy of those who toiled beneath the Cornish soil continues to resonate in our ongoing pursuit of safety and sustainability in mining practices.

At the time of the incident, the mine was owned by the Wheal Agar Mining Company and had reached 235 fathoms (430m) below adit level. Unlike some of the larger, better known mines in the district, for example Dolcoath, Wheal Agar did not have the luxury of having a Man Engine installed. A man was a hugely significant innovation for the time and consisted of a mechanised collection of reciprocating ladders or sometimes simply rods with small plinths large enough only for a miner to perch on, as well as stationary platforms. This machine allowed miners to enter and exit the mines more efficiently. Unfortunately Wheal Agar did not have this luxury and as a result, the only way in and out of the mine was by traditional wooden ladders, or braving the cage that would be lowered down a single shaft.

Crammed into the densely packed cage, miners would make the journey down the shaft, sometimes on the outside of the cage, though this was prohibited. This paints an evocative picture of the miners’ propensity for the pursuit of minerals and even if this meant a disregard for safety.

The night shift into the early hours of August 15th saw Wheal Agar’s engine used for hauling tons of ore and minerals to the surface. Agar relied on this one shaft as a manway, the only way the miners could get in and out of the mine, a haulage shaft, as well as ventilation – something that other mines in the locality had multiple, dedicated shafts sunk for. Early on 15th August the rope used to haul the ore that night was noticed to have broken, so the damaged part was ordered to be replaced. The work was just completed in time for the morning shift to descend the shaft and the decision was made to switch the cage from being lowered by the engine, to being lowered by the capstan.

Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 Published – 1908

This set-up successfully delivered a cage of men safely to surface, but it was the second load where problems occurred. The second trip saw ten men inside the cage and three on the outside. Something that was strictly forbidden at Wheal Agar Mine. Around 7am it is said that the cage reached a landing brace whereby the men would typically get ready to exit the cage. 

One of the miners riding the top of the cage, called Henry Cardines, jumped off and it would be at this exact moment that an unimaginable peril would succumb the remaining 12 miners in and upon the cage. The rope broke and the cage plummeted to the bottom of the shaft. There were wooden runners fixed to the shaft walls to guide the cage, however, it fell freely, crashing into the collar of the shaft and killing all 12 miners inside. 

A lengthy inquest followed in the coming days and weeks to determine who, if anyone, was to blame. The cable was found to be significantly corroded however a thick layer of grease, dirt and tar covered this and would have made it more difficult to spot the deterioration. The Plume of Feathers pub in Pool, a short walk from our Cornwall office is said to have served as a temporary Mortuary, but certainly hosted meetings and discussions around the inquest. The remains of those miners who tragically lost their lives on this day were so badly damaged and largely unidentifiable that bundles wrapped in hessian are all that could be given to the families to bury. 

One can only imagine the pain and horror of this event and the desire for justice the families and friends of those lost must have felt. The inquest would ultimately rule the deaths as accidental, a questionable outcome that surely shook those closest to the lost miners.

Photos by Thomas Sharp – Groundsure 2024

This is not an isolated incident; mining disasters were common during this period and, unfortunately, continue to occur today. These tragedies often affect regions of the world where protective equipment, worker welfare, and human rights standards are inadequate, leading to working conditions that, in some cases, resemble those of the 19th century.

This blog is a tribute to the lives lost in the mining industry—not only at Wheal Agar, or in Cornwall, but across the globe. It is also a moment to acknowledge those who continue to work underground, risking their lives to extract the minerals and materials essential to our technology-driven society.

From your laptop, your smartphone, to renewable energy applications like solar panels and wind turbines, even the tiles on your roof. Mining is where it all begins.

If it hasn’t been grown, it must have been mined.

*Header image: BGS – Contains data supplied by Natural Environment Research Council