Griffin Colliery

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Adams, Edmund, 28 Aug 1912, aged 50, Repairer, Fall of roof on beading road. While repairing and renewing some timbering, he was killed by a fall of about 18 tons

Athay, Frank, 01 Aug 1886, (accident: 31 Jul 1886), aged 57, Overman, A horse and two trams were standing on a double parting. As Athay was passing the horse moved on and he was crushed against the side. He died on August 1st

Axford, William, 23 Aug 1897, aged 17, Collier, Fall of roof coal at the face, where he was at work alone, his butty not having come that morning. He alleged to have had a sprag against the coal when it fell and intended putting another. The collier in the adjoining place assumed charge and responsibility for him. Although had four or five years' experience he was much too young to be allowed to work alone at coal getting

Blackmore, John, 19 Feb 1903, aged 51, Screenman, When standing on the edge of a waggon his foot slipped and he lost his balance, in falling he struck his head on the rail and received fatal injuries

Burke, Martin, 25 Jun 1891, (accident: 12 Jun 1891), aged 26, Haulier, He was overpowered and crushed by a water barrel which he was in front of while taking it down a dip place. He died on the 25th

Clark, Abel, 10 Jun 1879, aged 46, Hitcher, Killed by piece of coal falling down the shaft of the ascending cage

Cummings, John, 28 Sep 1907, 11.45 a.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 58, Boiler Feeder, Crushed between waggons where two lines approach. Apparently he tried to lower one filled with ashes while one on the timber siding was too close to the crossing, and he got between them. No one saw or noticed that it occurred until he was seen caught fast, by a man on his way home from the pit

Davies, Titus, 29 Apr 1904, aged 50, Surface Foreman, He was knocked down and run over by an engine and trucks which he was signalling forward, having evidently misjudged the pace at which they travelling

Davies, William, 14 May 1907, Noon, 5th hour of shift, aged 59, Collier, Fall of roof at his working face in the Old Coal Seam from two unseen slants. He had set a post within one foot of the slants which appear to have been concealed by a scale of clod or coal. The distances fixed under Special Rule 2 are 8 feet and 7 feet, and these might well be reduced with a view to prevention of this class of accident, and thus give effect to the intention of the Special Rules

Evans, Evan, 11 May 1906, aged 60, Overman, Deceased was run over by a journey of 19 trams on its way to the shaft. The rider had seen him a minute or so before on the double parting. Whether deceased lost his light and got confused, or fell, there was no evidence to show

Ewart, Peter, 04 Apr 1898, (accident: 23 Mar 1898), aged 20, Lampman, When moving a colzaline oil tank in the lamp room he upset some of the oil on his clothes, which becoming ignited at a small closed heating stove resulted in his being burnt on the hands and face. He died on the 4th April. This accident shows the danger of having a lighted stove in a lamp room where such oil is used

Flower, James, 06 Oct 1894, aged 13, Door boy, While engaged opening the door on the engine plane which he was in charge of the gang struck it carried it away and killed him. The boy seems too young and weak to have been put at the place. An almost similar accident occurred about two years previously in one of this company's pits. Doors should not and need not be put in engine planes

Garnon, John, 30 Oct 1904, aged 55, Fitter, Deceased, another fitter, and two lads were engaged coupling up a new tapping pipe with the waste pipe which was connected to several boilers. Wanting an inch or so to get the flanges of the pipes together, instead of loosening some of the joints of the waste pipe, they tried to spring it with a lever, with the result that the tapping pipe of the next boiler broke, resulting in the hot water and steam from it scalding deceased and two of his comrades

Green, James, 13 Mar 1891, aged 28, Collier, He had shortly before fired a shot in the coal and was engaged getting down some top coal when the roof gave way and fell upon him

Griffiths, William, 02 Feb 1894, aged 38, Collier, Fall of roof at the face of the West Level in the Old Coal. It appears from his own statement that he had fetched his heavy mandril and was just commencing to get the stone down when it fell and injured him. He was a collier from boyhood and worked several years for this firm

Harris, Thomas, 25 Sep 1893, aged 40, Collier, Fall of roof while holing. It fell close to the face from unseen slips. The place was fairly well timbered

Hawkins, George, 18 Jul 1903, aged 25, Repairer, Fall of roof from a slip, where he and others were engaged repairing. The stone fell from a "smooth" or "slant." Deceased and the examiner seem to have discussed the circumstances, and thinking the slant ran out considered it safe

Jackson, William Henry, 20 Jun 1914, (accident: 19 Jun 1914), aged 20, Assistant Timberman, Fall of roof rippings at the face of his working place. He died the following day from his injuries

James, Isaac H., 02 Nov 1892, aged 16, Collier, He was at time of accident in charge of a door on the engine plane. He appears to have been slow in opening the door and the journey carried it away. The rider at once signalled to stop which was done within 15 to 10 yds. and upon search being made he was found dead under the trams

James, John, 13 Dec 1880, aged 25, Timberman, Fall of stone. Deceased was clearing a fall where the top was known to be dangerous but he tried it and thought it would stand

Jarrett, Thomas, 09 Jul 1899, (accident: 07 Jul 1899), aged 37, Roadsman, The collar of a pair of timbers appears to have been twisted out, owing to a crush in the roadway along which he was travelling to meet the examiner in order to accompany him on his rounds, in a district where no men were employed. The collar struck his shoulder, but no coal or stone fell away with it. He died two days afterwards

Jenkins, William, 30 Nov 1911, aged 74, Labourer, While going in to work he was knocked down by a journey of empties

Jones, Edward, 31 Aug 1910, aged 70, Labourer, Knocked down and crushed by horse pulling two trams while on his way out from work

Jones, Ernest, 02 Dec 1928, (accident: 01 Dec 1928), aged 41, Collier, Fall of top coal. Died 2nd

Jones, James, 15 Aug 1912, aged 56, Roadsman, He was caught and crushed between a journey and a door he was opening for the journey to pass through

Jones, John George, 11 Aug 1894, aged 13, Door Boy, Crushed between a full tram and the side of the road about 50 yards from the door which he was attending to. The reason he went there could not be ascertained the hauliers denying all knowledge of his leaving the door

Jones, Morgan, 16 Aug 1911, aged 18, Collier's Helper, Fall of roof at working face

Jones, Richard, 10 Aug 1928, (accident: 04 Aug 1928), aged 65, Trafficman, Crushed by moving trams against derailed tram. Died 10th

Jones, William, 24 Nov 1905, aged 54, Assistant Timberman, Fall of roof while he and his comrade, who was injured, were engaged repairing. They do not appear to have set legs or props under the double timbers to make themselves secure, with the result that the timbers were knocked out and the stone fell on them

Lee, W., 24 Oct 1881, aged 33, Labourer, He was employed pumping on a Sunday morning and left his partner at work. The banksman received the proper number of raps, but on the cage coming to bank it was found empty, and the deceased was subsequently found dead under the other carriage

Lewis, Thomas, 26 Aug 1905, (accident: 09 May 1905), aged 34, Collier, When shovelling coal a "bump" occurred, bursting off the face a piece of coal over a sprag, which crushed him against the gob, causing fatal injuries. Died 26th August

McLoy, Thomas, 18 Feb 1898, aged 17, Collier, Fall of coal and clod at the face where he had undermined it and had not set sprags

Morgan, Edward, 25 Feb 1896, aged 22, Haulier, Fall of stone from the side in a heading which was double timbered

Morgan, Taliesin, 26 Dec 1905, (accident: 07 Dec 1905), aged 17, Shackler, He was knocked down in the shaft siding by a post or collar which rolled off an empty tram in which he was attempting to place it for the haulier to take inbye. The injury, which must have been slight, resulted fatally on the 26th December, apparently in consequence of its following closely upon a previous illness from which he had not completely recovered

Morris, Albert, 10 Dec 1910, aged 37, Labourer, Run over by journey on engine plane while working out

Moss, B., 26 Oct 1881, aged 55, Labourer, He was run over by a tram of rubbish before it could be stopped. He was deaf and did not hear the other man shouting to him

Parry, Ernest, 13 Jul 1900, aged 20, Collier's helper, Fall of roof from a slip in his working place

Poole, William, 22 May 1896, aged 20, Roadsman, When engaged filling rubbish where the rippers had been working in a roadway a fall occurred killing him instantly

Powell, Evan, 19 Dec 1893, aged 64, Shunter, Blocked between the buffers of railway trucks under the screens while lowering them for filling

Powell, Thomas, 16 Mar 1898, aged 20, Night haulier, Fall of roof in a rubbish road along which he was returning with an empty tram

Price, William, 12 Oct 1910, (accident: 09 Aug 1910), aged 52, Timberman, While wedging out an old post with an iron timbering fork, he slipped and received a blow from the fork. Inflammation set in and he died on 12th October, 1910

Pritchard, William, 22 Mar 1897, aged 40, Colier, Fall of roof from unseen slants or slips which were liberated by the coal which he had just worked off the face

Pugh, David, 09 Feb 1901, aged 50, Collier, Fall of roof from a kind of "Bell Mould " in his working place. He was at the time engaged in ripping the roof to make height as the place had been idle for 2 or 3 days. There had been a crush on the place which no doubt loosened the "Bell Mould"

Pugh, George, 30 Jan 1890, aged 20, Haulier, At a double parting on the main horse road in the Big Vein he was found by another haulier under a tram which was off the rails. It is not exactly known how he came to he there but it is presumed that he was as usual riding on the "gun," and fell from it and was run over. The road is rather steep just there but he had sprags in the wheels of the tram

Purslow, John, 07 Jan 1903, aged 37, Collier, Fall of side. Deceased appears to have knocked out a sprag, which caused the others to give way under the weight of coal, and which, falling over, caught and injured him fatally

Randall, John, 29 Apr 1904, (accident: 24 Mar 1904), aged 57, Labourer, When lifting a comparatively small, lump of coal out of a tram it broke and fell on his knee, blood poisoning set in, resulting, owing to the general state of his health, in death on the 29th April

Rees, David, 24 May 1892, aged 38, Hitcher, He fell out of the cage, which was large and roomy, while descending. He had come up only a few minutes before about some tools which had been sent out on a full tub. He was accustomed to riding up and down the shaft. There does not appear to have been any cause for his falling out, as the engineman, banksman, and the man he had left in charge of the signals at the bottom, stated that the machinery, cage, &c. were working smoothly

Selway, Charles D., 20 Dec 1893, aged 16, Collier, He was riding on the foot board of a colliers train going to work and on arrival at the colliery got crushed against the platform

Sweet, Charles, 09 Dec 1889, aged 83, Weighman, On his way home from work when dark he was run over by an engine belonging to a neighbouring iron works was shunting for their convenience on the colliery branch line he mistook the line upon which they were being shunted and stepped in front of them

Thomas, Elias, 26 Jun 1879, (accident: 25 Jun 1879), aged 30, Repairer, After firing a shot a large stone which he knew was unsafe fell from the side and injured him. Died the following day

Tout, William Henry, 01 Nov 1912, aged 22, Haulier, He was seen driving two full trams out-bye, and was afterwards discovered dead between them, having been badly crushed

Trivot, James, 20 Aug 1882, (accident: 12 Aug 1882), aged 22, Haulier, He was knocked down by a tram and his leg broken. His relatives refused to permit the leg to be amputated till the 20th. when mortification had set in. He died of exhaustion consequent upon the operation the same day

Wadman, John, 19 Jul 1897, aged 26, Collier, Killed instantly in his working place by a fall of roof from between slips. The place was moderately well timbered

Ward, Edward Dudley, 17 Dec 1912, aged 60, Labourer, As he was walking out from his work he was caught and killed by a full set of tubs

Warren, William J., 08 May 1905, (accident: 21 Nov 1904), aged 32, Collier, Injured himself when lifting a lump of coal into a tram, and, apparently, thinking light of it, resumed work before he was quite fit. Inflammation set in, and he died on the 8th of May, 1905

Wathen, John, 07 May 1903, aged 48, Collier, Fall of top coal from a false slip and a cross slip, which were visible and known to deceased. He appears to have neglected to secure the place, thus bringing about the accident

Watts, Samuel, 02 Apr 1914, aged 66, Labourer, He was overtaken by a journey of full trams as he was proceeding towards the pit at the end of his shift. He was carried along by the trams for about 130 yards, and found dead

Weeks, Alfred, 11 Apr 1895, aged 42, Miner, While engaged getting coal down from the face he noticed a piece giving way and while in the act of retreating was caught by it and crushed against the props causing injuries to which he succumbed

Williams, Charles, 28 Mar 1885, (accident: 19 Mar 1885), aged 28, Collier, Injured by an explosion of a charge of gunpowder, and died on the 28th. About one and half lbs. of powder were put into a bottom hole which missed fire. The fireman told deceased not to go near again but be returned and began to unram the shot with an iron stemmer

Williams, Thomas, 08 May 1902, aged 41, Collier, When driving a hard heading, a stone weighing about 10 cwt., fell from a slant in the roof, which was previously invisible, probably the result of a crush, as the roof "bedded clift" is strong. Practically no timber was used in the drift. This is a case of the man's judgment, and also that of the fireman and under manager being at fault