Holly Bank Colliery

Adams, Isaiah, 11 Nov 1906, (accident: 02 Nov 1906, 11 a.m.), aged 33, Stallman, Deceased was pulling down a piece of roofstone with a pick. It came away unexpectedly, and in stepping back he slipped and fell, the stone knocking him back against the corner of a partially built pack, fracturing his spine. He died nine days later of pneumonia supervening upon the spinal injuries

Allsopp, Thomas, 14 Nov 1900, aged 42, Horse Keeper, Crushed by runaway tubs. Cause, a broken coupling

Arch, Charles, 13 Jan 1909, aged 33, Stallman, Fall of Roof. Deceased was engaged in ripping in the stall road a few yards from the face where a new road was being turned away. A shot had just been fired by the shot-firer, after which he and deceased examined the plaoe and found a few loose pieces of rock hanging. Deceased was engaged in pulling down these loose pieces when a large piece of rock fell from between two "slips" without giving any warning, and killed him instantly. He appeared to have loosened the "key" which was keeping the larger piece between the slips from falling

Bennett, Richard, 25 Aug 1904, 2 p.m., aged 18, Driver, Fall of roof (shale) on a road near longwall face in Brooch seam. The fall occurred at a place where the empty tubs were sided over to allow the loads to pass out. A bar supporting the roof near the place was split, and a fireman ordered the colliers to set two bars, one on each side of it, but they only set one : if they had set the other it might have prevented the accident

Benton, George Alfred, 10 Apr 1909, aged 17, Jig Lad, Fall of Roof. The accident occurred at longwall face in a seam which is 4 ft. in thickness with a band of dirt near its centre. It is holed in the dirt, the top coal taken down, and punch props set on the bottom coal to support the roof until the bottom coal is got up. The stallman knocked out a punch prop to get up some bottom coal, and thereby liberated a piece of sandstone 20 ft. in length by 3 ft. in width and 8 ins. in thickness, which came away suddenly from a false bedding. The stallman was seriously injured, and deceased, who had come in from his jig and was apparently trying his hand at holing at the gateway end received injuries to which he succumbed on the same evening

Brooks, Samuel, 17 Jan 1906, (accident: 03 Nov 1905, 1.30 a.m.), aged 41, Stallman, Fall of roof (coal) in a waste at longwall face in Deep coal. Died 17 Jan. 1906

Burn, Thomas, 05 Sep 1893, aged 35, Fitter, Fall from ladder in loco shed

Butler, David, 17 Jan 1896, (accident: 16 Jan 1896), aged 45, Stallman, Died 17th Jan. Crushed by full tub on an inclined plane

Clift, Joseph, 02 Sep 1910, aged 29, Stallman, Deceased was getting down a length of 11 ft. of coal, which was supported by two sprags, on a longwall face in the Shallow Seam. He had drawn the far sprag, and was standing in front of the coal cutting out the "home" sprag with his pick, when the coal suddenly fell and killed him almost instantly, A slippery facing was exposed after the fall. If deceased had stood on the other side of the sprag, which he was cutting out, the coal would have fallen clear of him

Coffin, Bertie, 25 Sep 1908, (accident: 24 Sep 1908), aged 15, Rope-runner, A drift 12 ft. wide and 6 ft. 6 ins. high was being driven and girders fixed 3 ft. apart. Deceased was driving and assisting at the face of the drift when required. The bottom coal 2 ft. thick was very hard and was blasted up last, and was at the time 10 ft. behind the face of the drift. At this point deceased was assisting two men to place a girder in position, when a large piece of rock 2 ft. thick and extending from the girder almost to the face, at which place there was an unseen slip, fell suddenly, knocked the girder down, and crushed deceased and one of the men beneath it, the latter not being very severely injured. Deceased was taken to the Hospital, where he was found to have been injured internally, and died at 5.30 p.m. on the following day. Only one prop was set in the place beyond where the girder was being erected, an area of 12 ft. by 10 ft. ; two or three more props would probably have prevented the fall

Cooper, James, 04 Feb 1904, 1 p.m., aged 23, Stallman, Fall of roof (coal) at longwall face in 8 ft. seam. Deceased was shovelling dirt out of a waste for building a pack, working under a piece of overhanging top coal 20 ins. thick. This coal should have been taken down or timbered ; it was not safe to work under

Cooper, Samuel Thomas, 12 Mar 1904, (accident: 21 Jan 1901), Cager, A youth named Samuel Thos. Cooper, was seriously injured at Holly Bank Colliery on the 21st January, 1901, while acting a cager at the pit bottom. He lingered until the 12th March, 1904, when he died. As death did not occur within a year and a day of the accident the case is not included as a fatal accident [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Dunn, John, 27 Jul 1909, aged 26, Loader, Fall of Roof. A place 13 ft. wide by 10 ft. in height, formed about five months prior to the accident was being stripped to a width of 21½ ft. and a height of 11 ft. to form the bank or inset at the top of a staple. Two heavy shots of Albionite were fired electrically and simultaneously two hours prior to the accident. The place was examined, half an hour afterwards by the chargeman, who pulled down a loose stone, and reset four props which had been blown out. He examined it again shortly before the accident took place, and considered it to be quite safe. Deceased was loading the debris from the shots, when a block of sandstone measuring 13 ft. by 9 ft. at extremes, and about 3 ft. thick at centre suddenly fell from the roof without giving any warning, breaking one prop and reeling out another. A sharp edge caught deceased and killed him instantly. The rock appeared to be sound and free from slips, and showed very little bedding or jointing. It had probably been fractured by the shots, but knocked hard owing to the size of the stone

Ebbans, Thomas, 24 May 1909, aged 31, Stallman, Fall of Side. The accident occurred at a face in the Eight Feet Seam. The coal had been cut by a mechanical coal-cutter two days previously, the front of the holing being spragged, and deceased was engaged in getting down this coal. After removing the dirt from the holing and taking out some sprags he tried to wedge down a portion of the coal, but failing to get it down he decided to again sprag it and leave it to be blown down. He had put in one sprag and the loader was getting him another when the coal suddenly fell and buried deceased, who was dead when got out. The withdrawal of the sprags and the wedging of the coal had evidently disturbed it and prepared it for falling suddenly

Ecclestone, Charles, 14 Jul 1911, aged 20, Driver, Deceased had attached an empty tub to the chain, at the bottom of a jig 40 yards long and having a gradient of 1 in 3½, signalled, and was waiting while the journey was being run, when the chain broke and the full tub crashed into him and killed him instantly. The breakage was at a patent malleable iron coupling link used for lengthening the chain. Steel couplings have been used since this accident. Deceased ought to have stood aside in a safe place while the journey was being run

Edwards, John, 21 Aug 1907, 9.30 a.m., aged 39, Collier, During a stoppage of work over the Bank Holiday a heavy fall of roof had occurred at the longwall face in Eight-foot seam, extending several yards in length and about 12 feet in height above the coal. A special set of timberers had cleared the end of gate-road and set bars and polings up to within 3 feet 6 inches of the coal face, and left it as being secure and ready for the collier. Deceased was setting another bar close to the coal when a small piece of stone fell from the side of the cavity above the coal, striking him on the head, fracturing his skull

Edwards, Stephens, 15 Nov 1896, (accident: 13 Nov 1896), aged 48, Loader, Died 15th Nov. Fall of roof in a "stow head"

Garner, James, 18 Sep 1913, (accident: 18 Aug 1913), aged 57, Stallman, Deceased was one of forty men who were being conveyed on trolleys outbye along the main travelling road at the end of the shift. The road has an average inclination outbye of about 1 in 6, and at the steepest place where the accident occurred is about 1 in 4. Some few days before the accident a girder was noticed to be reeling somewhat, and to temporarily secure it a chain was stretched beneath it from the girder above to the girder below it and wedged up. When the train was approaching this place the chain was seen to be hanging down, and the guard immediately jumped off to signal for the engine to be stopped. Thinking a girder was out, however, the men also jumped off the trolleys, and a panic resulted in deceased sustaining a compound fracture of the left fibula. Blood-poisoning supervened and he died in hospital on September 18th

Greaves, John, 24 Oct 1913, aged 41, Chargeman, Deceased was engaged in driving a rock head. He had already fired six shots and was returning from the face after having coupled the cable to the seventh shot, when he was caught by a fall of roof. He died shortly afterwards. He had examined the face, but as the place was fouled with smoke and dust the examination of the roof could not be very satisfactory

Hill, Samuel, 03 May 1924, (accident: 30 Apr 1924, 11.0 a.m., 4th hour of shift), aged 50, Stallman, Deceased was "bannocking" the coal in a 5 ft. seam when a large rate of coal fell from a slip and partially buried him. He died in hospital from his injuries on 3rd May. The place had been examined by the fireman an hour before and several times by the man himself. The slip appears to have been unsuspected and invisible before the accident, which it would appear was unavoidable

Lloyd, Walter, 16 May 1914, aged 55, Stallman, Deceased was in a kneeling position while "holing." A small stone fell from the roof and he turned round and knocked on the roof to test it. While so doing, a fall of roof occurred and deceased was partially buried. He died from the effects of the injuries on the same day. The fall disclosed two slips, previously unseen. The setting of a prop would probably have prevented the accident

Mason, Richard, 06 Feb 1899, aged 39, Loader, Fall of rock roof between timber and a cog 6 feet apart

Merrick, James, 19 Jun 1894, aged 40, Dataller, Fall of rock roof when pulling it down

Merrick, Joseph, 27 Feb 1924, 1.30 a.m., 2nd hour of shift, aged 66, Stallman, Deceased was going to fetch his powder can and as he was passing between a tub and a buttock of machine cut coal, which he and his loader were working on, the buttock of coal fell on him. The face rises at 1 in 6 and overhangs in consequence. There were no inclined sprags set from the floor to the coal, but if there had been this accident would not have happened

Reeves, William, 10 Dec 1903, (accident: 05 Dec 1901), Miner, A miner named William Reeves, who was injured by tubs on a haulage road at Holly Bank Colliery (South Staffordshire), on the 5th December, 1901, died from the result of his injury on the 10th December, 1903. As death did not occur within a year and a day of the accident the case is not included as a fatal accident [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Ridgeway, Joseph, 24 Mar 1901, aged 35, Overman, A shot charged with five cartridges of gelignite had been prepared in the face of a heading, and Ridgeway fired it with the electric battery. He was 56 feet away, and in a direct line with the shot, and was crouching against the side without shelter when he fired. A stone projected from the shot, struck him over the heart, and killed him on the spot. He was the holder of a second-class certificate, and would have been appointed Under Manager in a few weeks

Ridgway, G., 24 Jun 1897, aged 15, Ropeboy, Found crushed on main endless plane between an iron water tub and the side of the road

Rochelle, David, 19 Aug 1903, 10 a.m., aged 53, Stallman, Fall of side (coal) at working face in a stall 15 yards wide in the 5 feet seam. He was holing about the middle of the face where a small face crossed the face diagonally. The fall was about 8 feet long by 3 feet at widest part, and appeared to have pushed out a sprag. The fault caused the floor to be on a slope, and the sprag may not have been securely set in consequence

Rowe, Herbert, 14 Sep 1904, 3.45 p.m., aged 32, Stallman, Fall of roof (shale) in an abandoned road into which he should not have gone. He went through a fence into a part of the road from which the timber had been drawn

Sheradon, Thomas, 06 Nov 1902, (accident: 12 Aug 1902, 4 p.m.), aged 30, Stallman, Fall of coal from working face while pulling coal off with a bar, causing injury to left knee. Died at Wolverhampton Infirmary, while under chloroform, after undergoing operation to straighten knee, on 6th November, 1902

Shotton, William Henry, 16 Jan 1914, aged 44, Daywageman, Deceased was assisting to put a pack on at the wayend of a stall in the Shallow seam, when a sudden fall of roof coal, followed by a large quantity of dirt or "bass," occurred. Deceased was knocked down and buried, and was dead when extricated six hours later. The fall was apparently due to a "weight" which caused a wayend bar to push out, and to a "slip" in the roof coal, to provide against which a wood chock had just been built at the opposite side of the wayend

Street, James, 11 May 1904, 3.30 p.m., aged 28, Loader, Fall of roof (rock) on a road in Brooch seam. Deceased was cleaning up a fall which had occurred the night before, when another fall reeled two girders out, and he was crushed over a tub by the girder and fallen stone

Tarbuck, Albert Thomas, 18 Apr 1914, (accident: 07 Apr 1914), aged 31, Loader, Deceased was working in a rock head rising 1 in 4. He was filling dirt from a round of shots fired at the end of the previous shift, 3 hours before, and his mate was drilling a hole with a hammer drill in the roof strata near him, when suddenly a piece of rock, 6 feet 6 inches long by 19 inches wide by 9 inches thick, fell from the roof. Deceased was caught by the fall and sustained a fractured spine, from which injury he died in hospital on the 18th inst. The long side of the fall was close to the hole being drilled, indeed, the front of the hole was broken off by the fall. The roof had been frequently examined during the morning and was considered sound. Apparently the shots had disturbed it, and the drilling completed the separation. In future, temporary supports will be set until the ground is ready for permanent girders

Terrington, Thomas, 01 Sep 1903, 8.30 p.m., aged 41, Collier with coal cutter, Fall of side (coal) at longwall face in 8 foot seam. Deceased was working with a disc coal-cutting machine worked by compressed air, cleaning the holing cut, inserting wedges and setting sprags. The seam was 5 feet 9 inches thick. The fall came from the upper part of the seam from between two cross slips which had not been detected. The coal fell on to the machine and rolled off on to deceased. No fault could be found with the timbering or spragging, or with the examinations which had been made of the roof and side

Titley, James, 16 Nov 1914, aged 53, Timberer, Some roof had been taken down at the foot of a jig in order increase the height of the road. Five cross-girders had been raised about 3 feet, and were supported at the ends upon punch props set upon the old carrying girder at the jig side, and upon a girder across an old road at the opposite side. Deceased was preparing to put up a new carrying girder to these cross-girders at the jig side. He was sinking a hole for one of the trees, when suddenly the old carrying girders and the five above it fell, followed by a large quantity of roof, and deceased was buried. A further fall took place and he died before he could be extricated. He had evidently undermined the tree supporting the old carrying girder while making the hole for the new tree. If middle trees had been put up to the girders, the accident would most probably have been prevented. Deceased was a very experienced timberer, but it would appear to have been rather a rash proceeding to attempt to support the roof at a junction, even temporally upon so many punch props

Tolley, W., 24 Jan 1900, aged 29, Lander, Fall of roof coal in one mass of 15' x 4' x 1' 8" in working face of 8' seam

Ward, Thomas Henry, 14 Feb 1912, aged 26, Stallman, Deceased was engaged taking a flitching, four yards wide, off the higher side of an airway in the Eight Feet Seam, and while he was standing near the lower corner or the face a heavy "bump" occurred and a piece of coal 5 feet long, 7 foot 10 inches high, and from 1½ to 3 feet thick, burst off the face, forcing out a sprag set for its support, and fell upon him, death being instantaneous

Willets, Thomas, 05 Jul 1912, aged 53, Stallman, Deceased was barring off a rate of coal from the face in the Eight Feet Seam, where the measures had an inclination of 15 inches per yard. He stood against a prop at the face, and was forcing the bar downhill, when the coal suddenly came off at an unseen slip, and deceased, losing his balance, fell forward, the coal at the same time striking him on the head and fracturing his neck