Deep Pits Colliery

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Baram, Thomas, 02 Nov 1931, aged 40, Loader, Packing when roof fell on him — injuries to head, died in hospital

Baran, Franciszek, 21 Aug 1958, aged 31, Waste drawer, Crushed in a fall of dirt

Barker, John, 04 Jan 1905, (accident: 02 Jan 1905, 1.45 a.m.), aged 51, Dataler, Struck on the head by a haulage clip thrown towards him through breakage caused by failure of the attendant to detach it at the proper place. Died 4th January

Bellis, W., 20 Apr 1949, aged 36, Miner, Buried in roof fall [date of inquest]

Benbow, Thomas, 29 May 1906, (accident: 06 Apr 1906, 9 a.m.), aged 40, Dataller, Deceased was taking out ground at the deep side of a level in the Cockshead seam to make room for a wall. A fall occurred and deceased, who was in a stooping position, was struck on the back. He died from the injuries received, on May 29th, 1906

Bennett, George, 13 May 1889, aged 58, Platelayer, Run over by truck on colliery sidings

Booth, Thomas, 19 Jun 1906, 1.50 a.m., aged 29, Crutter, This accident was directly due to a breach of Special Rule 127. A shot-firer, who was also more or less injured, had charged a shot at the face of a dip crut. Deceased was meanwhile collecting and moving back tools from the face. The battery had been left behind at a crosscut about 45 yards away. One of the cutters went to it, while a third stood near the face, holding the wires to, as he said, test the cable. The latter at a word from the shot-firer handed over the wires, and the shot firer connected up. No sooner had he done so than the charge exploded and deceased received the rock, blown out, on his face and chest

Bowers, Thomas, 08 Dec 1908, aged 40, Collier, On the day of the accident deceased and his mates had been engaged in moving up the landing in a jig in the Cockshead where the inclination is 1 in 4. A length of ripping, which at this point was 5 ft. in thickness, had been blown down on the previous night. During the first part of the day the debris from the ripping was being removed and at 9.30 a.m. deceased set a bar under the ripping and about 1 ft 6 ins. from its edge. A post was then drawn at a point about midway between this bar and another bar 5 ft. distant from it. This caused a little weighting of the roof but it was said that it soon settled and went quite still. About half an hour later deceased was standing in the jig just beneath the edge of the ripping handing up a prop to his mate when a large lump of stone, weighing between 4 and 5 tons, fell from the edge of the ripping on to deceased causing instant death. The bar set near the edge of the ripping was reeled by the fall which came from a longwall break. It is evident that an ordinary setting of timber was not sufficient in this position to support so great a thickness of loosened roof at this inclination. It is probable that an additional prop at each side of the jig might have prevented the accident

Brassington, William, 26 Feb 1914, (accident: 25 Feb 1914), aged 42, Collier, He was trimming the coal roof of his working place with a pick, in order to make a level place to set a prop to, when a large piece of the coal fell from between two slips and crushed him. He died on the following day

Chilton, Nehemiah, 17 Jul 1909, aged 16, Haulage-tenter, Fall of Roof. This accident occurred on an engine plane formed about nine years ago. The road was originally 12 to 13 ft. wide, but the sides having pushed in, both sides were being stripped to permit of brick side walls being built, the clear width between these walls being 10 ft. 5 ins. The girders which originally supported the roof were removed three weeks prior to the accident, and the roof, which consisted of strong bind, was left entirely unsupported for a length of 18 ft. It was examined by the manager, under-manager, under-looker, and overman on the morning prior to the accident, the manager tapping it with his stick ; and it appeared to them to be unbroken. Two firemen examined it again on the morning of the accident, but did not tap it as they "had nothing handy" with which to do so. They "saw no breaks," and "considered it perfectly safe." Some loaded tubs were standing on one road, and deceased, walking between the two roads, was pushing an empty tub inbye, when a blade of the roof 22 ft. long, the whole width of road, 6 ins. in thickness at one side and increasing to 15 ins. at the other, suddenly came away from a rough parting. A portion of it drove his head down upon a loaded tub, killing him instantly. The place had been redd up, the brick side walls completed, and the girders replaced before my inspection on Monday, 19th July, but the general manager and other officials agreed that no fault or slip in the roof had been exposed. I am very strongly of opinion that this accident should never have happened. Notwithstanding the apparent soundness and hardness of the roof, it was, in my opinion, exceedingly rash and ill-advised to expose so great an area of roof unsupported, especially in an old road which was being stripped. There was plenty of room to set temporary supports, although it might have caused some inconvenience

Clark, John, 28 Mar 1889, (accident: 27 Mar 1889), aged 65, Fireman, Run over by tubs on a horse road. Died 28th March

Clayton, Richard, 23 Dec 1896, (accident: 09 Dec 1896, 10 p.m.), aged 16, Driver, Kicked on forehead by horse which he was driving. Died 23rd Dec

Clewley, William, 17 Apr 1907, 5.30 a.m., aged 47, Collier, Deceased at the end of a shift got on the cage with ten other men. He stood in an outside rank, but at least 2 feet from the edge of the deck. Shortly after the cage commenced its ascent a fireman, standing immediately behind him, noticed him raise his right hand, in which he was carrying two lamps, to his head, at the same time dropping one lamp. Almost instantaneously he loosed his grip of the hand-bar with his other hand, collapsed on to the floor of the cage, rolled out into the shaft, and fell a distance of about 300 yards. The cage was provided with a hand-bar at each side, but no fencing bars at the ends

Cooper, Joseph James, 03 Mar 1914, aged 23, Dataller, He was engaged with two other men in ripping a breasting level at a point about 25 yards from the working face. A shot had been fired and deceased was loading the stone which had been blown down, when the edge of the ripping collapsed bringing down the timber which supported it

Davis, William, 19 May 1890, aged 55, Fireman, Explosion

Deacon, John A., 11 Apr 1904, 2.30 a.m., aged 28, Loader, Fall of roof (shale) at longwall face in Holly Lane seam. A prop had been removed from side of pack before the pack was built to the roof, and the fall occurred at that place

Deaville, William, 01 Dec 1924, 3.30 a.m., 5th hour of shift, aged 33, Loader, Deceased was in the act of applying a drag to a loaded tub slowly ascending, by single rope haulage, a gradient of 1 in 4½, when the tub ran back and crushed him against the ripping lip. He died 4 weeks later. If the drag had been properly applied to the tub while at the gate end and before signalling the tub away the accident would not have happened

Dutton, William, 24 Sep 1903, 3 p.m., aged 46, Collier, Sudden outburst of crushed coal and gas at face of thirling in Cockshead Seam [More information ...]

Dykes, Isaac, 02 Sep 1883, Horse Fettler, Explosion of gas [More information ...]

Eaton, John W., 21 Sep 1907, 6.30 a.m., aged 17, Shunter, Deceased, when lowering two empty trucks towards the screens, was sitting on the handle of the brake lever at the front of the first truck, his legs hanging over the rail. He slipped off the lever and fell with his left leg across the rail, and the front wheel passed over it. He died from shock four hours later. A brake stick was supplied, but it was alleged that it could not be used in this instance as, owing to the brake block being worn, the lever was too far down

Edwards, C., 22 Aug 1949, aged 74, haulage, Crushed by trolley [date of inquest]

Elks, Henry, 01 Feb 1911, aged 39, Collier, Elks was killed by a fall of coal from the upper part of the face in a longwall drift in the Cockshead. A portion of the face 3 or 4 yards in length was overhanging, and there were no sprags or other supports to it. Elks stood about 1 yard from the next sprag, and attempted to bar down the further portion of the overhanging coal. The whole length fell at once, and he was knocked against a post and killed. A sprag ought to have been set before proceeding to get down the coal, and such sprag would in all probability have prevented the accident

Forrester, Herbert, 11 Jul 1924, (accident: 07 Jul 1924, 8.30 a.m., 2nd hour of shift), aged 45, Coal Cutter, By machinery [More information ...]

Fraser, Henry, 02 Oct 1909, (accident: 01 Oct 1909), aged 18, Dogger-on, Deceased received internal injuries, by being struck in the region of the waist by a clip which flew from an endless rope. Loads were being drawn up an incline 85 yards in length by means of a bye-rope, attached to the endless rope when required by an ordinary bull-dog clip. It was deceased's duty to walk along the level in order to detach the clip at the stopping place. On this occasion the loads on the incline left the rails when they were about 10 yards from the top. Deceased, at the other end of the bye-rope, appeared not to have noticed this, and allowed the rope to continue in motion until the loads were drawn fast up against the landing sill when the cap by which the chain on the clip was attached to the rope was drawn by the extra strain. The sudden release caused the clip to fly off the rope and it struck deceased as described, causing injuries to which he succumbed on the following day

Garner, Levi Stockton, 09 Apr 1924, 9.40 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 31, Collier, Deceased was working in front of a block of coal which had been undercut, and cut through vertically, and from which the sprags had been withdrawn, when part of it came over and killed him

Grattan, Joseph, 17 May 1890, aged 14, Horse driver, Run over by tubs drawn by a horse, no one saw how it occurred

Griffin, Norman, 24 Apr 1947, aged 38, Packer, Buried in roof fall

Handley, Albert, 14 Nov 1914, aged 22, Roadman, Deceased was engaged under the supervision of the fireman in withdrawing a setting of timber preparatory to firing a shot in the roof. Having released the bar at one end by cutting the head side post, the deceased and his mate were under the ripping, using a wood prop to lever the bar down, when the roof fell, reeling out two settings. Deceased was seriously injured, and died a few minutes after reaching the hospital on the same day. It was an error of judgement on the part of the fireman to allow the deceased to use a prop to lever the bar down. He should have ordered them use a safety contrivance for the purpose

Handley, James, 10 Jan 1907, 3 a.m., aged 22, Jigger and Driver, Deceased had hooked on his horse to three empty tubs, and was fetching a coupling to attach a fourth when the horse started off inbye. He was endeavouring to pass the tubs in order to reach and stop the horse, when he stumbled and fell in front of the moving empty tubs, and was jammed against some loaded tubs which stood in the sidings. His skull was badly fractured and he died almost immediately

Hayward, Henry J., 26 Oct 1906, 10.25 p.m., aged 29, Dataller's Labourer, A haulage road was being ripped to make height. A short bridge had been left in between two faults, and deceased and a timberer were sent to take it down. They had done so, set two steel girders 8 feet apart, resting upon props, placed two or three poles upon them, covered with packing, but leaving a space between the packing and the roof. A small quantity of dirt fell from the roof or side, and the timberer, who was in charge, left deceased to redd it in order to clear the haulage road, while he went outbye for another pole. A fall of roof took place, crashing through two of the poles and burying deceased, killing him instantly. The fall revealed a third cross-slip, which had not been seen before. If the space above the poling had been packed full and the timber thoroughly secured before deceased went under it to redd up the road, the accident would probably not have happened

Hensman, H., 28 Nov 1895, aged 14, Horse driver, Run over by tubs. He had neglected to put in sufficient lockers into tubs and they ran on to horse and caused it to run away

Higginson, Thomas, 10 Nov 1908, aged 31, Shunter, A locomotive was pushing a train of 12 empty trucks round a curve of 4 chains radius and up a gradient rising 1 in 40. Deceased was standing upon the cast-iron box of the spring buffer in front of the leading truck, and on the inner side of the curve. He stood with one foot in front of the other and with his back against the end of the truck, but was not apparently holding on by anything. The trucks were moving at a speed of 5 or 6 miles per hour. A weighing clerk, who witnessed the accident, had just remarked "Does that not seem to be a dangerous praotice ?" when the front wheels of the leading truck dropped off the rails. Deceased fell immediately in front of it, and before he could get out of the way the truck passed over him, killing him on the spot. The truck was a new one and the most probable cause of the derailment was the tightness of the bearings and the newness of the wheels preventing them from skidding on the rails. There was no reason why deceased should not have been inside of the truck

Holdcroft, P., 10 Mar 1861, Engineer, Drum broke and fell on deceased [More information ...]

Holt, Peter Mason, 05 Jun 1912, aged 28, Contractor, Deceased was walking down a jig in the Cockshead seam. He and others were withdrawing from the face on account of a weight. He was just opposite a manhole 8 yards from the top of the jig, when a piece of roof 9 feet long, 12 feet wide and 1 foot thick fell from a slip running across the jig, and buried him. Ordinarily, the roof in this part of the seam is strong and will stand over the packs without timber. In this instance, however, a ripping shot had blown into the roof somewhat on one side and caused a weakness which should have been detected and provided against

Hopkinson, Ernest, 16 May 1910, aged 29, Fitter, Deceased and others were taking off the cylinder covers of a horizontal compound engine, in order to examine the cylinders. The cover of the high pressure cylinder was dished, entering the cylinder and filling it for a distance of 8 ins. The engine had been stopped practically on the dead centre, so that the distance between the piston and the cylinder cover was only about ½-in. Steam had been shut off at the throttle valve two hours prior to the accident, but it transpired that the valve when screwed down permitted a very slight leakage, consequently the pressure in the clearance space had probably risen to nearly to that of the boilers — 120 lbs. per square inch. Instead of slackening the nuts of the bolts holding the cover, and then starting it with three forcing stud screws provided for this purpose they removed all the nuts, and then proceeded to start the cover. When started, it blew out suddenly with great violence, and struck deceased, causing injuries which proved fatal on the same day

Hughes, George, 27 Aug 1937, aged 38, Belt Conveyor Loader, crushed by tubs

Hughes, Robert, 15 Jun 1900, 1.20 p.m., aged 39, Collier, Fall of roof at working face in Hard Mine. Stone fell from between slips reeling out a fore-set while preparation was being made to put in two posts and a bar

Johnson, George, 18 Jun 1902, 8.20 a.m., aged 33, Crutter, Fall of roof where a road was being timbered at new 730-yard insett

Jones, John, 02 Sep 1883, aged 52, Underlooker, Explosion of gas ; leaves a widow and eight children, five of them dependent [More information ...]

Jones, Richard, 08 Feb 1903, (accident: 31 Jan 1903, 10.30 p.m.), aged 62, Night watchman, Fell down directly after entering the colliery gates and injured his arm ; mortification set in and he died on 8th February. He had previously lost the use of his arm by an accident and was in a bad state of health. He did not report to the colliery officials that he had received any injury

Key, Richard, 12 Feb 1904, 7.20 p.m., aged 24, Loader, Sudden outburst of coal and gas in a thirling in Cockshead seam [More information ...]

Lloyd, James, 06 Nov 1896, 10.30 a.m., aged 58, Fireman, Explosion of a cartridge of ammonite containing a detonator which he was attempting to cut with an axe

Lockett, James, 04 May 1906, 5.30 p.m., aged 34, Top Ripper, Deceased was killed by a fall of roof in the ripping in a level in the Cockshead seam. Three shots had been fired and he had pulled all loose dirt. He stood on the pile of debris attempting to pull down a lump partly loose. It was thought he was doing this with a pick instead of a bar and that when the lump came he stumbled on the loose heap under foot and fell beneath the dirt he was pulling

Lovatt, -, 13 Aug 1903, aged 13, [Not employed], On the 13th August, at Shelton Deep Pit (North Staffordshire), a boy of 13 named Lovatt, not employed at the colliery, was fatally injured by falling from scaffolding in an engine-house where a large winding engine was in course of erection. He was the son of the contracting engineer's foreman, but not employed by them, and had been allowed on the works by his father [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Lymer, John Henry, 08 Apr 1924, 5.20 a.m., 7th hour of shift, aged 14, Air winch Engine Driver, Deceased was ordinarily employed in attending a small compressed air driven winch at the top of a short dip. While unoccupied he travelled a short distance on the level to the overhead return wheel of the endless haulage. Shortly after this he was found in the 4-inch space between the bottom flange of the wheel and the close barred horizontal iron grid forming the fence. No one witnessed the accident and it is inconceivable as to how deceased got into the position in which he was found

Maddock, Harry, 14 Oct 1893, aged 25, Repairer, Fall of stone from side while repairing main level crut

Mansell, Charles, 17 Oct 1924, 1.30 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 18, Taker-off, Haulage accident [More information ...]

Matthews, Henry, 13 Dec 1908, (accident: 27 Oct 1908), aged 27, Loader, This was not reported as an accident at the time at which it was said to have occurred. The man died on 13th December from "swelling of the brain, consequent upon the rupture of an abscess set up in a diseased ear, which in its turn was set up by deceased pushing tubs with his head"

McNella, Thomas, 01 Mar 1902, 7.40 a.m., aged 39, Collier, Fall of roof at working face in Hard mine. The stone fell from a slip while he was preparing to set a post under it close to the face

Mobbs, George, 30 Jun 1900, 4.40 p.m., aged 58, Dataler, Fall of a large stone from side of main crut during repairs

Moulton, Thomas, 24 Sep 1895, aged 18, Waggoner, Crushed by tub at bottom of jig dip owing to breakage of jig chain

Mountford, Thomas, 22 Feb 1890, (accident: 06 Jan 1890), aged 14, Taker off, Crushed by tubs at bottom of jig. Died 22nd February

Mountford, William, 12 Jan 1907, 12.20 p.m., aged 17, Driver, Deceased had taken two empty tubs inbye to the foot of a jig where he purposed leaving them. As he was turning the horse, which was accustomed to go further inbye, it suddenly wheeled back and bolted in. Deceased got to its head but failing to stop it, was knocked down and run over

O'Donald, James, 30 Jun 1903, 6 a.m., aged 34, Collier, He rushed up to get on the last cage of men going down ; the cage with ten men, including deceased, stopped at the 500-yard level for three of the men to get off, for which purpose a drawbridge was used. Whilst the cage was stationary there, and after drawbridge had been drawn up, O'Donald fell out of the cage, and fell 230 yards to the bottom. No one was able to account for him falling out. There were hand-bars in the cage to hold on by, but not fences at the ends of the cage [More information ...]

Parrott, Cyrus, 06 Jun 1908, (accident: 11 May 1908), aged 34, Collier, Deceased, while working at the face in the Cockshead, was struck on the head by a piece of dirt about one foot square, which fell from the roof. He was knocked insensible for a short time, but managed to walk out to the pit and also to the doctor to get the cut he had received attended to. Seven days later an operation was performed on his skull, which was found to be fractured. He died on June 6th from inflammation of the brain

Parton, Thomas, 12 Feb 1904, 7.20 p.m., aged 39, Collier, Sudden outburst of coal and gas in a thirling in Cockshead seam [More information ...]

Pepper, Thomas, 30 Sep 1902, (accident: 01 Aug 1902, 12.45 a.m.), aged 46, Collier, Fall of roof on a road where he was sheltering from a shot 15 yards distant. The fireman was close to, and he stated that there was a "goth" directly after the shot was fired, which caused the roof to fall. Died 30th September

Poole, Henry, 11 May 1911, aged 18, Taker-off, Poole was fatally injured by a loaded tub of coal which ran amain on a jig (inclination 1 in 10) in the Cockshead. The load was one of two which were being jigged. Some difficulty was experienced in starting the loads, and to assist the start the jigger swayed upon the jig rope and the front load came uncoupled, ran amain and caught deceased at the bottom of the jig

Poole, William Henry, 22 May 1924, 9.45 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 27, Contract Collier, Killed by a fall of roof [More information ...]

Probyn, John, 20 Aug 1912, aged 17, Dogger-on, Deceased was employed on an endless-rope haulage road. He had left his appointed station and travelled about 100 yards inbye during the temporary stoppage of the rope, and when it was again put in motion he was hurrying back towards his post, when he tripped and fell in front of a journey of 8 tubs, 5 of which passed over him before the rope could be stopped. He died on the same day

Rawlins, Charles Edward, 19 Feb 1912, aged 45, Timberer, Deceased was engaged in making a road over a fall at a long wall face in the Ten Feet seam. The roof had fallen to a height of some 8 or 10 feet at a fault parallel to the faces and deceased was redding a part of the debris away, when a further fall occurred. He slipped down the slope on which he was working and was jammed against a setting of timber about 4 feet wide and high. Before he could be released, more dirt fell, and he was crushed to death by the weight of it

Raybould, Samuel, 15 Mar 1911, aged 38, Stoker, Raybould was at his work in the fire-hole when he was startled by the noise emitted by an automatic low water indicator on the boilers. He made a remark to a fellow workman that the noise had startled him and immediately collapsed on the floor and died in a few minutes. The cause of death was the rupture of an aneurism of the aorta

Rider, Henry, 01 Dec 1903, aged 32, Mason, Fall of side (stone) in shaft during process of widening. Whilst men were walling the shaft working on a scaffold, the temporary supports of the sides of the shafts above them gave way. and a large fall took place which tilted the scaffold and caused deceased to fall to the bottom of the shaft [More information ...]

Ridgway, William, 23 Feb 1889, (accident: 22 Feb 1889), aged 60, Airwayman, Crushed between waggon and timber. Died 23rd February

Riley, John Patrick, 22 Sep 1913, (accident: 13 Sep 1913), aged 19, Taker-off, He was engaged in his ordinary occupation at the bottom of a jig when four full tubs which had run away from some distance along the road (gradient 1 in 21) owing to the breaking of a wooden locker, struck him, causing severe injuries from the effects of which he died on September 22nd. Sprag posts appear to have been used generally, but there was not one in use at that place. These sprag posts are set from roof to floor, and used as an extra precaution to prevent runaways on roads of slight gradient

Sawyer, Charles, 06 Oct 1911, (accident: 02 Sep 1911), aged 17, Taker-off, Deceased was walking beside a journey of empty tubs which were being drawn into a shunt by main and tail ropes. A journey of loads was standing on the other run, and the space between was 1 ft. 4 ins. At a low place deceased fell and was crushed by the moving tubs and injured so severely that he died on October 6th. It is probable that he walked head foremost against the low place which was a sharp set-off and was knocked down. There was no need for him to go between the tubs before they had come to rest

Sawyer, Henry, 10 Jan 1907, 1.45 p.m., aged 43, Contractor Collier, Deceased, who was contractor for the section, and reputed to be an exceptionally careful and skilful miner, was cleaning up some soft dirt in front of an unholed longwall face in a seam about 4 feet in thickness, when a rate or slab of coal 6 feet long, 2 feet thick at top, diminishing to a few inches at bottom, came away from a slip joint in the coal, sat down, and toppled over against him, crushing his head against a prop. The place was in faulty ground, but the slip had not been detected previously

Scragg, Walter, 31 Jul 1906, 6.30 a.m., aged 23, Collier, Deceased was assisting to remove some loose timber from a waste in the Cockshead previous to drawing the back row of posts. He was killed by a fall of roof which came from between two slips about 8 feet apart, and which broke a bar and reeled out two posts on which it was supported. The slips were invisible before the occurrence and two shot holes had been bored in the rock that fell, with a view to blasting it down after the withdrawal of the timber under it

Walker, Reginald, 11 Apr 1924, 2.30 a.m., 4th hour of shift, aged 18, Taker-off, Deceased was employed at the inbye end of a main and tail haulage road, where the empty journey on arrival is lowered into a shunt by gravitation, the inclination of the road being about 1 in 15. In response to a signal the engineman began to lower the journey, but after it had gone a few yards it stopped again, and on going inbye to see what had happened, the engineman found deceased lying on his back underneath the first tub. Five other tubs were slacked coupled and jammed close together. Deceased's clog was nearly torn off the left foot, indicating that his foot had been fast somewhere, probably at the points, which were close to where he was found

Wilshaw, Herbert, 03 Feb 1911, (accident: 01 Feb 1911), aged 59, Collier, Deceased was coming away at "loose it" from the part of the face in the Cockshead where he had been holing. As he passed along near the coal a large piece 8 ft. 6 ins. long, 2 ft. thick and 3 ft. 3 ins. wide fell from the face and struck his leg, causing a fracture, as a result of which he died two days later. The lump had been undercut and unsuccessful efforts had been made to get it down. The workman so engaged had left it unsupported by timber, in contravention of Special Rule 80. He was subsequently prosecuted for the offence and committed to prison for one month

Wordley, William, 17 Oct 1893, aged 16, Dirt picker, Crushed between buffers of trucks at screens

Wright, Harold, 04 Jun 1936, aged 38, Collier, Killed by fall of roof at coal face