Brown Lees Colliery

Baddily, Enoch, 21 Mar 1902, 4 p.m., aged 58, Dataller, Run over by tubs in jig dip. Two empty tubs were secured in the dip by means of a 6-ft. rail while the jig post was being moved. The tubs remained in position for 1½ hours, but got loose just after deceased passed them. They had not been carefully secured

Bentley, George, 30 May 1901, (accident: 29 May 1901), aged 45, Roadman, Fall of roof at bottom of jig-dip, in Holly Lane seam, while he was assisting the fireman to set a bar. Died 30th May

Cotterill, Cephas, 07 Dec 1898, 11.30 p.m., aged 23, Collier, Fall of roof in a waste at face in Hard mine. The timber had been drawn out of the waste leaving a roof space 20 feet by 16 feet entirely unsupported. Cotterill was in the waste building a pack when the roof above him fell and killed him. The fall came away at a partly exposed slip. Both the chargeman of the and the fireman were blameable for allowing Cotterill to work in the waste without setting his protection

Finney, James Samuel, 25 Jul 1911, aged 27, Collier, Finney was engaged in taking down 3 ft. 6 ins. of ripping in a road in the Holly Lane seam. A length of 15 ft., loose at both ends, remained supported on two bars. Two shot-holes were bored at one end and charged by the fireman. While the fireman was away warning some men working near of the shots to be fired, Finney took his axe and commenced to knock out one of the bars. A piece of the ripping 1 ft. 6 ins. thick fell from an area of 6 ft. by 5 ft. and buried him. There was no actual necessity for removing the bars at all, and it was extremely rash to set about doing so in this manner

Hammonds, Charles, 22 Apr 1913, aged 42, Ripping Contractor, Deceased was in the face of a stall in the Holly Lane seam preparing to pack dirt from ripping in the jig. A middle set to a bar was in the way, so he substituted a post in a convenient situation. He then told his assistant to knock the middle set out, which he did. The roof collapsed immediately, reeling the bar and about six other posts. Deceased was caught by the fall and killed

Harrison, Richard, 25 May 1907, 13.30 p.m., aged 34, Collier, Deceased was working in a cutting 12 feet long by 6 feet wide made in forming a "cog" to support the roof in a drift in the Stoney Eight Feet Seam. The maximum distance between the props specified under Special Rule 19 was 5 feet 6 inches, but although some props were set closer than this one space of 7 feet had been left, and in this space a fall of tops occurred, killing him instantly. Had the Special Rule been complied with the accident would probably have been prevented

Ikin, Herbert, 23 Dec 1913, aged 15, Dirt picker on screens, Deceased had been employed a few weeks at this work. His duty was to stand at the side of the shaker and pick dirt out of the coal as it was carried past him. For some unknown reason he went to the back of the shaker, and was found shortly afterwards fast between two bevelled wheels on the main driving shaft. The recognised means of exit for the screen hands was by a step ladder and not by the passage behind the shaker, the former being the more convenient in every way. The passage way was for the use of the engineman only. There was, however, no fence to deter them from using the passage. A fence has since been erected. The boy's injuries were so severe that he died in the Infirmary from shock about 10 hours after the accident

Pemberton, Joseph, 24 Dec 1905, (accident: 20 Dec 1905, 12.20 a.m.), aged 48, Crutter, The fuzes of 3 shots of gunpowder were lighted together in a stone drift. The men retired and heard two explosions. They thought two shots had gone off together and returned to the face, and soon after the third shot exploded and injured the chargeman so that he died on the 24th Dec.

Platt, Jonathan, 08 Jan 1901, aged 43, Dataler, Large fall of roof while drawing timber in rough 7-ft. seam. A number of posts were reeled out by the fall over an area about 11 yds. x 8 yds. Another man had a narrow escape

Ratcliffe, Henry, 11 Nov 1906, (accident: 19 Oct 1906, 9 a.m.), aged 61, Underlooker, Slipped on a sleeper or rail when going up a dip and bruised his ankle. He worked for two days afterwards. Died on 11th November from acute septicaemia, due to absorption from the injury

Woolley, George Thomas, 16 Jan 1913, (accident: 14 Jan 1913), aged 38, Collier, Deceased was barring down some top coal in which a shot had been fired two hours previously in a drift in the Stoney Eight Feet Coal (inclination 36°). More coal fell than expected, and he overbalanced and fell a few feet down the drift. A lump of the fallen coal rolled a against him and crushed him against a post, fracturing some ribs. He died two days later from pneumonia caused by penetration of the lung by the broken ribs

Yates, Thomas, 17 Aug 1907, (accident: 13 Aug 1907, 5.30 p.m.), aged 39, Collier, Deceased charged a shot with compressed gunpowder, and having half a bobbin more than was required, he put it in his trousers pocket. When he lighted the fuse a spark from it fell into his pocket and ignited the explosive. He died four days afterwards from severe burns about the thighs and abdomen