Newbottle Colliery
1815 The following is extracted from Sykes' Local Record, under date 31st July 1815, and shows that considerable reason existed for popular prejudice against the extended use of the "travelling engine: "A shocking accident happened at New-bottle Colliery, owing to the boiler of the locomotive engine bursting, from being too strongly charged. It was the first trial of the machine, which was intended to draw twenty waggons, a number of people had assembled around it to witness its setting off. The brakesman was dashed to pieces, and another man cut in two, by the fragments of the boiler, and a little boy thrown to a great distance and killed. About fifty others (of whom some died) were most severely scalded and wounded. [1]
1815 December. An offer published to sell Newbottle or Neshan's Main Colliery belonging to John D. Neshan and mentions an iron railway. [2]