Stevenston - On This Day In History

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The platinum was targeted from time to time:-

GLASGOW HERALD
26 APRIL 1968

£5000 REWARD IN PLATINUM THEFT

A £5000 reward has been offered by Imperial Chemicals Industries for information which would lead to the recovery of platinum stolen from the company’s Nobel Division Ardeer Factory at Stevenston, Ayrshire.

Twelve thin circular sheets of platinum-rhodium gauze about 9 ft in diameter and a sheet of platinum gauze of about the same size were stolen some time between April 4 and 11.

The metal is priced at £50 an ounce and each gauze weighs 5½ lb.

The theft was the third in three years from I.C.I. plants. Smaller quantities of platinum were taken last year and in 1966 from a factory in Bristol.

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GLASGOW HERALD
12 JANUARY 1920

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL
WESTERN LEAGUE

Stevenston United 3, Renton 0.

(On ground of first-named club.)

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GLASGOW HERALD
15 JANUARY 1868

STEVENSTON – BODY OF A CHILD FOUND

On the afternoon of Sunday last a miner named JOHN LOGAN, while walking on the sandhills between Stevenston and Irvine, had his curiosity excited by observing marks indicating the burrowing of a fox, and on proceeding to make further excavations of the road he was horrified on discovering the dead body of a female child, about two years old.

The body was almost two feet below the surface, but from the shifting nature of the soil it is impossible to say whether it had been originally interred at that depth.

The matter was reported to the authorities, and a post-mortem examination of the body was made on Monday when the medical men gave it as their opinion that the death had resulted from inflammation of the lungs.

It is evident, however, that the child had been badly neglected prior to death, as the body only weighed 8 lbs.

The authorities are engaged investigating the case, but no clues has yet been obtained of the parents, who are supposed to be vagrants.

[Vivc113]

Aw. This one is so sad.

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GLASGOW HERALD
19 JANUARY 1935

EXPLOSION IN AYRSHIRE FACTORY
ONE MAN DEAD AND THREE INJURED
BURIED IN DEBRIS OF WRECKED HOUSE
SPECIAL TRAIN’S DASH TO GLASGOW

Four men were injured one of them fatally, in an explosion which occurred at 9.30 yesterday morning in the black powder experimental house at the explosives factory of Imperial Chemical Industries, Ardeer, Ayrshire.

The men were removed by special train to Glasgow and taken to the Western Infirmary, where one of them died.

The man who died was:-

MICHAEL FITZPATRICK, (26), laboratory assistant, 31 Springvale Street, Saltcoats.

Fitzpatrick suffered burning injuries to arms, legs, and back.

The names of the injured are:-

ROBERT E. HARGREAVES, (24), chemist, 62 Argyle Road, Saltcoats, a native of Manchester – injuries to face, chest, arms, and legs;

ELWYN JONES, (33), chemist, 6 Border Avenue, Saltcoats – injuries on face, arms, and legs; and

DAVID TELFORD, (23), laboratory assistant, 9 Burnbank Street, Stevenston – injuries to face, legs, and arms.

The cause of the accident has not yet been ascertained.

BURIED IN DEBRIS

An eye-witness stated that following the explosion flames shot into the air, and the house was destroyed.

Workmen in the vicinity went to the assistance of the injured and were able to pull them clear of the burning building. Fitzpatrick was almost completely buried in debris, and was rescued by the prompt action of two workmen.

The noise of the explosion did not penetrate to all parts of the factory, but the alarm was immediately raised, and fire-fighting equipment and medical supplies were rushed to the scene.

The fire was at once extinguished, and Dr. Roberts, of Stevenston, was summoned.

It was soon apparent that the men were seriously injured, and arrangements were made for a special train to convey them to Glasgow, a provision which is made to meet such an emergency.

The London Midland and Scottish Railway Company cleared the line and gave the special train of two coaches an uninterrupted run to Glasgow. Dr. Roberts was among those who made the journey with the men.

The train arrived at St. Enoch Station, Glasgow, shortly after twelve o’clock. Two ambulance waggons awaited its arrival, and the injured men were taken to the Western Infirmary.

The company’s staff dance, which was to have been held last night, was cancelled.

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GLASGOW HERALD
11 FEBRUARY 1911

A BRAVE SCOTTISH WORKMAN

Last night's "LONDON GAZETTE" states that his Majesty has been graciously pleased to award the Edward Medal of the second class to KENNETH McNAB, under the following circumstances:-

McNab is an assistant foreman fitter in the factory of Messrs Nobel's Explosives Factory at Ardeer in Ayrshire.

On November 11, 1910, a man named Richard Morgan was repairing an electric wire on the top floor of a four-storey building when he was overcome by poisonous fumes given off by an overflow of acid on the ground floor. The fumes, which were dense and suffocating, soon filled the building, and McNab and two other workmen went up an outside staircase provided for cases of emergency, in search of Morgan, but receiving no reply to their shouts descended. McNab then, learning from other workmen that Morgan was on the roof, went up the staircase again, but without success. The sound of breaking glass and shouts were heard from the top floor, and McNab went up for the third time, and succeeded in entering the room where Morgan was. Crawling on his hands and knees he managed to grasp Morgan's hand and drag him out to the landing where he obtained assistance in carrying Morgan downstairs.

McNab showed presence of mind and persistent bravery in face of danger, though his efforts to save Morgan's life were unfortunately unavailing, as Morgan succumbed after some hours to the effect of poisonous fumes.

GLASGOW HERALD
21 JANUARY 1911

WORKMEN’S HEROISM RECOGNISED

A ceremony of a somewhat unusual nature took place in Kilmarnock Sheriff Court yesterday prior to the commencement of the ordinary business, when Sheriff Mackenzie handed over awards of heroism granted to three workmen employed in the factory of Nobel’s Explosives Company at Ardeer, Stevenston.

The recipients were KENNETH McNAB, who was granted a bronze medallion and £10, and THOMAS BROWN and DANIEL CAMPBELL, who were each awarded £5.

The circumstances had been brought out during a fatal accident inquiry.

It appeared that the men had endeavoured at great personal risk to rescue a comrade from a building which had accidentally become enveloped in poisonous fumes.

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GLASGOW HERALD
22 JANUARY 1929

RECKLESS DRIVING

A fine of £5 was imposed by Sheriff Haldane at Ayr Sheriff Court yesterday on THOMAS DOCHERTY, motor driver, 10 Thistle Cottages, Stevenston, for having on October 26 in Kilwinning Road, Irvine, driven a motor omnibus recklessly and knocked down and injured a cyclist.

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GLASGOW HERALD
25 JANUARY 1847

STEVENSTON – FATAL ACCIDENT

On Tuesday last, at the Turfdyke coalpit, belonging to Stevenston Colliery, whilst ROBERT TAYLOR, pitheadsman, an unmarried man, was in the act of striking the hutch, the engine checked the reverse way, and drew him into the mouth of the pit. He fell the distance of 68 fathoms, and was so dreadfully mangled that when taken up life was extinct. He was a native of Ireland, and unaccustomed to that kind of work.

No blame is attachable to the engine driver.

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GLASGOW HERALD
28 JANUARY 1938

SCOTTISH FACTORY EXPLOSION
SIX WORKERS KILLED AT ARDEER
EMPLOYEES DASH TO SHORE FOR SAFETY
CONCUSSION FELT OVER A WIDE AREA
ANXIOUS RELATIVES AT WORK GATES

Six employees in Nobel’s Ardeer Explosives Factory at Stevenston, Ayrshire, were killed yesterday in two violent explosions which demolished a mixing-house in the blasting department and blew out plate-glass windows within a radius of roughly five miles.

The victims were five men and a young woman. The men were at work in the mixing-house, and it is understood they were handling gelignite. The young woman, who is described as a cartridge worker, is believed to have been engaged in an adjacent building.

A number of employees who were working near the scene of the explosion complained of shock, and were treated by the works ambulance staff.

NAMES OF KILLED

The victims of the explosion were:-

JOSEPH HAMILTON, (61), foreman, New Street, Stevenston;
ALEXANDER S. CAMERON, (38), process man, Glebe Street, Stevenston;
ANDREW JOHNSTONE, (43), process man, Moorpark Road East, Stevenston;
FREDERICK SMITH, (41), process man, New Street, Stevenston,
JAMES McLELLAND, (28), service waiter, Boglemart Street, Stevenston; and
ELIZABETH BELL HAMILTON, (21), cartridge worker, George Place, Stevenston.

[5siamese7]

Horrendous, my grandfather who worked in the TNT at that time would remark in later life that everyone should have received a £100 in their hand before they entered the factory.

[George Ardrossan]

The Ardeer Factory explosion was also covered in the Scotsman newspaper.

28 JANUARY

SIX KILLED IN ARDEER EXPLOSIONS – GELATIN MIXING HOUSE AND MAGAZINE BLOWN UP
HUNDRED-FEET HIGH COLUMN OF SMOKE AND FLAME – TOWNS SHAKEN FOR MILES AROUND

Five men and a twenty-one-year-old girl were killed and about twelve other persons injured as the result of explosions yesterday afternoon at Nobel’s Explosives Works, Ardeer, Ayrshire, owned by Imperial Chemical Industries, Limited. The men were working in one of the gelatine mixing houses where the first of two explosions occurred while the girl, it is understood, was employed at one of the nearby huts and was struck by a piece of flying debris. Up to a late hour last night, men were still endeavouring to recover some the bodies from the wreckage. The noise of the explosions was heard over a wide area. A number of heavy plate glass windows in the heart of Irvine – three or four miles from the scene – were smashed. The shock was also felt at Kilmarnock, nine or ten miles away and at Ayr, eleven or twelve miles away. Alarmed by the detonations, many people in these towns, as well as in surrounding areas, telephoned to the police and fire brigade stations asking for information. At first, it was feared that the roll of dead and injured was even heavier and every available doctor in the Saltcoats and Ardrossan districts was summoned to the scene.

The dead, all of whom lived in Stevenston were:
- J Hamilton, aged 61, foreman, married, 141 New Street
- A Cameron, aged 58, process man, married, Glebe Street
- A Johnstone, aged 45, process man, single, 8 Moorpark Road East
- F Smith, aged 41, process man, married, 174 New Street
- J McLelland, aged 41, process man, married, Boglemart Street
- Elizabeth Bell Hamilton, aged 21, cartridge worker, George Place

Hamilton and Cameron were considering retiring and the latter had arranged to go on a holiday to Switzerland. The following statement was posted at the gates of the works shortly after five o’clock. ‘The company regrets to state that an explosion occurred in a mixing house in the blasting department of Ardeer Factory, causing the loss of six lives. The cause of the explosion is at present unknown and is being investigated. Apart from the immediate area involved, the damage to the factory is slight’.
The factory is the largest explosive centre in the world. Great precautions are taken to avoid accidents and with a view to preventing disasters, the individual buildings are isolated among sand dunes.

About five thousand persons are employed at the works which extend for more than five miles parallel to the Ayrshire coast. The activity, due partly to the Government’s rearmament programme, is greater than it has been for some years. The scene of the explosion was one of the gelatine mixing houses of the blasting department. At approximately three o’clock, people in the neighbourhood were alarmed to hear a short sharp explosive sound. Windows and doors rattled. Householders immediately surmised that a serious accident had occurred at Ardeer. Saltcoats and Ardrossan people hurried to East Beach where it was possible to obtain a clear view of the great stretch of works. They saw a huge billowy mass of black smoke rise from the buildings. Approximately three minutes later, they saw a further mass of yellowish smoke, intermingled with flame, leap high into the air on the vicinity of the first explosion. A second or two later, came the rumbling crash. The force of the second explosion was not so great as that of the first. The building involved in the second explosion was a magazine situated in the immediate proximity of the gelatine mixing house.

The works are practically self-contained and immediately after the first of the blasts, a detachment of the ambulance and fire brigade services hurried to the scene. It was found that there was no fire or threat of further explosion and the ambulance workers concentrated on aiding the injured, the majority of whom were girls suffering from shock. News of the explosion quickly circulated in the surrounding towns and villages and there was an immediate rush to the scene. Relatives of employees travelled by bus, private car and on foot and there were many affecting reunion scenes outside the works gates. Clergymen of various denominations were among the first to hurry to the affected area. Representatives of The Scotsman visited Ardeer last night and learned that a sharp detonation and a thick pall of smoke ascending from the factory area gave the first intimation of disaster. Alarmed by the first ballast, people in the district adjoining Ardeer had flocked to the nearest vantage points and saw flames and a menacing pall of smoke pouring from the area occupied by the works. About three minutes later, there came the second explosion and the onlookers saw a huge mushroom-shaped column of smoke flecked with flame bursting upwards. A sudden rattling of windows and shaking of crockery told householders in Saltcoats that something was wrong. On looking out, many of them saw a pillar of smoke rising from the factory. At first, the extent of the disaster was not fully realised but with later details, there were many anxious enquiries at the works regarding relatives and friends. At every street corner, anxious groups discussed the meagre details then available and workmen from the factory were repeatedly accosted for information.

Reticence was shown by employees when questioned, many of them explaining that the nature of their work prevented them from giving details. One man, however, said that it was “like hell let loose” and the spot presented a scene worse than anything he had witnessed during war service. Another employee said that office windows inside the factory had been shattered by the force of the explosions and he added that in his twenty years of service at Ardeer, he had never experienced anything approaching the horror of the explosions. A representative of The Scotsman saw, late at night, a number of the workmen who had been warned out of the affected region after the first explosion. Though a number of hours had elapsed, they still showed signs of their ordeal. In their speech and general demeanour, there were obvious traces of the shock and strain they had undergone.

Our Irvine correspondent, telegraphing last night, said the town received the full blast of the explosions as the wind was blowing directly across from Ardeer. The explosions rocked the town to its foundation, resulting in considerable damage. The first shock caused frightened inhabitants to run panic-stricken on to the streets. When the second explosion followed, the thoroughfares were crowded with people watching the large cloud of black smoke which rose like a huge balloon in the sky. The damage done in Irvine included the shattering of several large plate glass windows of shops, while in the town and surrounding district, there were reports of ceilings in properties having fallen in. While Saltcoats escaped the full force of the explosions, the vibration was felt from end to end of the town. A local shopkeeper said that, when in his home during the afternoon, he heard the door of his room give a sudden rattle. Thinking that it was a caller, he went to the door and found no one there. His wife suggested that the noise might have come from Ardeer and ,on going to an upstairs window, he saw dense smoke clouds above the factory. Crowds were running down the street towards the East Beach and a few minutes later, he saw a second smoke pall ascend from the buildings. The proprietor of a hotel situated on the shore stated that about three o’clock, there was as sudden sharp crack. He saw that the front door had been pushed inwards and on looking out, was in time to see the effect of the second explosion. He described the yellow-tinted smoke column as over a hundred feet high and said that through the heart of it, ran a tongue of flame. A few seconds later, he heard the roar of the second detonation which seemed to be less severe than the first blast. The disaster is the worst that had happened at Ardeer for a quarter of a century. The last serious explosion occurred only seven months ago in June 1937. On that occasion, four men received fatal injuries following a series of explosions in the blast powder section. The injured were taken to Glasgow by a specially chartered train then transferred to the Western Infirmary. The first fatal accident at the factory happened in 1882 when a sample magazine exploded, ten young women losing their lives and four others being injured. In 1902, one man was killed and five years later, three were fatally injured in similar explosions. A serious disaster happened in March 1913 when four guncotton stoves or drying huts were blown up, six men being killed and ten injured. A year later, an explosion in a hut when blasting gelatine was being handled, resulted in the death of eight men and injury to a number of others. During the war, two explosions occurred and on each occasion, three men were killed.

The Scotsman, 28 January 1938

George

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GLASGOW HERALD
29 JANUARY 1938

FUNERAL OF ARDEER VICTIMS
FIVE TO TAKE PLACE TODAY

The funerals of five of the victims of the Ardeer factory explosion will take place this afternoon at two o’clock.

The sixth victim, JOSEPH HAMILTON, will be buried on Sunday.

All the interments will be to Stevenston Cemetery.