A miner's survival in the Delabole Slate Quarries disaster
Published October 5, 2026 at 1:44 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
During a catastrophe at the Delabole Slate Quarries in Cornwall, machinery and the ground beneath it collapsed into the quarry. Twenty miners were buried in the ruins; one of the miners, who was among those saved, survived by lodging in a cavity of rock until he was dug out.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 31, No. 18, May 1, 1869, p. 287):
A terrible accident occurred at the Delabole Slate Quarries, near Camelford, on the 21st of April. A large mass of rock and rubbish fell, burying several men. One man was rescued after being entombed for some time, having been protected by a cavity in the rock.
In Their Own Words
“One of the saved had a most marvellous escape ; he was lodging in a cavity of rock when dug out. — Millennial Star 31:18”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 1 May 1869 (Vol. 31, No. 18). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1869-05-01_31_18 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 31, No. 18, May 1, 1869, p. 287 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1869-05-01_31_18
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