Botallack (Metalliferous)

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Chappel, John, jnr., 18 Apr 1863, aged 16 [More information ...]

Chappel, John, snr., 18 Apr 1863, aged 50 [More information ...]

Craze, Richard, 01 Mar 1913, (accident: 26 Feb 1913), aged 28, Miner, He was in charge of a rock-drilling machine working in an "end." The previous "core" on "quitting" blasted a cut by firing five holes simultaneously, and at the same time four holes, arranged to explode singly, were blasted by another pare in a "rise" 20 feet from the end. Five reports were expected but only four were heard. The fore shift men reported the miss-fire to their respective partners, including Craze who were working on the afternoon shift. The afternoon shift men searched for the miss-fire, found it in the rise, and blasted it successfully. Four of the holes in the "end" were placed at the corners of a rectangle and the fifth, a plug hole, was in the centre ; all the holes converged inwards towards a common point. Before commencing to drill, Craze found sockets of all the holes except the centre one ; of two, both on the same side of the "end," the top one was, as far as could be ascertained, 6 inches deep and the bottom one 16 inches deep. Also it was seen that the back of the cut was not properly broken through. In spite of these warning conditions he commenced to drill a hole 8 inches from the deep socket and towards the centre of the back of the cut. When the hole had advanced about 6 inches an explosion occurred and he received injuries which terminated fatally three days later. Apparently he drilled into the socket of the centre hole in which remains of the explosive had been left behind from the previous blast. Possibly the finding of the miss-fire in the rise put him off his guard and induced him to make a less careful examination of the sockets than he otherwise would have done

Eddy, Henry, 31 Aug 1885, aged 37, Timberman, Deceased whilst engaged putting in a skip road in the old engine shaft stood on one of the dividing which was improperly footed. It gave way precipitating him in the shaft. Deceased had himself put in this dividing

Eddy, John, 18 Apr 1863, aged 18 [More information ...]

Eddy, Peter, 18 Apr 1863, aged 17 [More information ...]

Ellis, James, 04 Feb 1894, (accident: 24 Jan 1894), aged 30, Labourer, In order to ascertain the cause of a defect in an improvised boiler feed pump which he and others were working by hand he loosened one of the valve covers whereupon steam and hot water flew out and scalded him so severely that he died from the effects 4th Feb

Hocking, James, 10 Mar 1873, aged 27, Miner, Crushed by the fall of a rock. The deceased and his comrade were aware that the rock was loose, but did not think it usafe

Hosking, Charles Henry, 27 Aug 1913, aged 39, Cage attendant, After loading a cage with a tram of ore at the 180 fathoms station and signalling it away he, through some cause or other, fell into the shaft. No one witnessed the accident, and there was no evidence to show how it happened. The shaft entrance was well fenced, but immediately after the accident it was seen that one of the fence gates opposite the compartment he had last used was open

Johns, Frederick, 27 Nov 1913, aged 43, Surface trammer, His duty was to tram ore from an ore-bin near the top of the shaft to the stamps. While otherwise unoccupied he approached the shaft to speak to the lander. A signal was made from the shaft that the cage should be raised, and the lander turned aside to repeat it to the engine-room. Deceased heard this signal, walked to the fence gate at the surface landing and leaned over it to look down the shaft, apparently forgetting that the other cage was above him. It descended from the ore-bin landing 28 feet above where he was standing and struck his head. He had no business at the shaft. He had worked nearly two years on the shaft top and was familiar with the working arrangements

Lawry, William Henry, 18 Nov 1893, aged 16, Assistant timberman, He was assisting the shaftsman near top of the shaft. He appears to have slipped on the top ladder and fallen a very few feet. He was picked up dead his neck having been broken. The fall was not actually seen although the shaftsman was working only a few feet from him. There was a hurricane blowing at the time and the shaft is close to the cliffs so that conversation could only be heard with difficulty where they were. The wind may have caused him to slip

Maddern, Robert, 14 Jun 1888, aged 17, Miner, While tamping a hole containing a mixed charge of dynamite and powder a premature explosion took place Maddern being killed on the spot and Tregear being very badly injured losing one hand. I had previously spoken of the danger of using mixed charges and the men had been warned about it. An iron tamping bar was used but not until after a second layer of tamping had been gently rammed with a wooden bar. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and added a rider to the effect that a regulation should be enforced and the same read to every man in the Botallack Mine that mixed charges should not in future be used [More information ...]

Nankervis, Richard, 18 Apr 1863 [More information ...]

Nankervis, Thomas, 18 Apr 1863 [More information ...]

Nicholas, Michael, 18 Apr 1863 [More information ...]

Oats, William, 25 Feb 1889, aged 61, Timberman, Deceased's comrade was at home ill on the day of the accident and when Oats was last seen alive by some tributers about the middle of the day he was engaged in clearing the skip shaft. Not arriving at his home at the usual time his wife came to the mine to make inquiries. A search was made and he was found in an out-of-the-way place dead, having fallen about 8 or 10 feet, pitching on his head. How he got there is only a matter of conjecture

Rowe, Mark, 18 Nov 1873, aged 27, Pitman, Blow from machinery underground. While carrying a launder which should have been sent down by the capstan rope, the deceased was struck by the connecting rod from the balance bob and killed

Stratham, John, 29 Oct 1883, aged 18, Tributer, Some old deads were being removed by deceased and his comrades. The skip for drawing the stuff was let down on a bottom or gate put across the shaft about 25 fathoms from surface. The gate was supported by the dividings, and was put in by William Newton, an old and experienced tributer, who afterwards himself filled and sent to the surface several skips. Deceased relieved him, and appears to have been filling the skip with one foot in the platt> and one foot on the skip. Whilst doing so one of the pieces of timber supporting the skip gave way, and, there being slack chain the skip came down with a jerk, broke the chain, and fell in the shaft, carrying deceased with it to the 50 fathoms level

Stratton, Thomas, 29 Apr 1912, aged 35, Mine captain, He opened a fence gate at the 205 fathom level shaft entrance and leaned over the shaft to shout to a shaftman below, and while in that position the cage descended and struck him on the head

Thomas, Hicks, 01 Jul 1889, aged 30, Miner, Deceased and Grenfell were engaged in driving the east level at the 204 fathom level while another pair of men were driving an end west at the same level. Both ends were in about 12 fathoms from the shaft. Just previously to the accident eight holes were fired at the level three in the east end and five in the west end. For safety the men had retired up the shaft a little way while the explosions took place. They counted seven reports only but after waiting a few minutes they supposed that two holes must have gone off simultaneously making only one report and therefore deceased and his comrade returned to their end when the remaining hole exploded killing Thomas on the spot and inflicting cuts and other injuries on Grenfell. Had the Special Rules, which prescribe that where there is any doubt as to whether a hole had exploded or not no one shall return to it within one hour, been observed in this case, Thomas, in all reasonable probability, would have been alive now. I called upon the agents of this mine, where it appears it was a usual custom for the Special Rules to be contravened in this particular to warn their men against continuing the practice [More information ...]

Uren, James, 29 Dec 1885, aged 22, Miner, Deceased had fired two holes in the bottom of a winze and was being drawn up by a windlass when the rope (a small steel one five sixteenth inch in diameter) broke and deceased fell a distance of about 18 feet to the bottom of the winze

Wall, Richard, 18 Apr 1863, aged 19 [More information ...]

Wall, Thomas, 18 Apr 1863, aged 46 [More information ...]

Williams, Richard jnr., 06 Apr 1876, aged 22, Timberman, Overbalanced himself while sitting on a board repairing "a runner" or guide in the shaft, and fell 20 fathoms

Williams, William, 08 Jul 1875, aged 41, Miner, Crushed by the fall of a stilling or dry wall, probably caused by a blast fired near it