Woodifield Colliery

1843, Sep 11 - Commenced to sink the B Pit, Woodifield Colliery; finished sinking operations on 8 November, 1843.

1847 - A boring was put down out of the Main Coal Seam (Brockwell) workings to prove the thickness of the ironstone bands lying below, in the B Pit, Woodifield Colliery.

1909 - Little or Busty seam abandoned

1911 - Ballarat, Constantine, Five Quarter, Little, Main, Victoria seams abandoned

1944, Mar - Top Main seam abandoned

Bell, John, 22 Jan 1896, aged 14, [Not Employed], Jumped on to engine set as it was passing between the drift mouth and heapstead and fell between the tubs and was killed. He was trespassing at the time [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Bogan, Peter, 29 Oct 1901, aged 26, Hewer, died from erysipelas followed by gangrene alleged to have been caused by injury in mine, but there is no evidence of his having met with any accident

Bowman, Jackson, 26 May 1904, (accident: 17 Nov 1903), aged 32, Hewer, alleged to have died from effects of injury by fall of stone on November 17th, 1903, but doctor gave a certificate that death was due to natural causes, and no inquest was held

Coxe, William, 04 Nov 1856, Hewer, fell down staple

Davies, George, 04 Apr 1882, aged 72, Labourer, died from natural causes while sitting in a cabin after his day's work at Woodifield Colliery

Davison, John, 29 Mar 1904, (accident: 28 Mar 1904), aged 52, Hewer, at the end of his shift he was bringing two full tubs from his working place to the flat when a full tub, which a hewer left standing on a turn without a sprag until he put an empty tub into the face, followed away down slight gradient and caught him, causing such severe injury that he died on 29th [More information ...]

Davison, Joseph, 27 Mar 1895, 3:30 p.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 34, Hewer, returned to what he supposed to be a missed shot, when it exploded and killed him [More information ...]

Diamon, John, 21 Jul 1864, aged 36, Mason, killed by a fall of stone

Dowson, Thomas, 07 Apr 1881, aged 32, Brakesman, died from the breaking of a blood vessel while near the boilers [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident] ; After drawing a loaded cage up the shaft at about 10 pm, he went to examine the boilers and took ill. He died before help arrived. Dowson was a member of the Order of Shepherds. About 500 people attended his funeral

Edwards, George, 05 Sep 1904, (accident: 29 Aug 1904), aged 38, Deputy, when examining part of his flat on a tram he moved a stone, 1 ft. x 1 ft. x 1½ ft, from the way; about 4½ hours afterwards he complained of great pain, and it was afterwards found he was ruptured, and had to be operated on at Newcastle Infirmary, died from peritonitis on September 5th

Fawell, Nathan, 19 Sep 1884, aged 77, Mason, run over by trucks on North Eastern Railway siding while taking down a chimney at coke ovens [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Gilboy, Patrick, 04 Jun 1869, aged 27, Labourer, fell down pit from the surface

Gowland, Thomas, 16 May 1848, killed by a fall of stone

Johnson, Edward, 02 Dec 1861, aged 49, Waggonwayman, killed by a fall of stone

Jones, Ellis, 24 Jan 1901, (accident: 08 Jan 1901), aged 23, Hewer, Sitting kirving when a stone fell from roof, tapering to sharp edges at both ends, and broke his back

Jordan, Francis, 02 Feb 1859, aged 17, Coupler, at bottom of shaft [More information ...]

Key, William John, 16 Jul 1907, aged 44, Hewer, he neglected, and the deputy neglected, to timber his place; a fall of roof occurred and killed him, Buried: Crook Cemetery [More information ...]

Laws, Thomas, 16 Aug 1847, (accident: 13 Aug 1847), aged 27, Rolleywayman, crushed by tub against the roof

Lee, Henry, 02 Apr 1863, aged 47, Hewer, fall of top coal

Maddison, George, 04 Dec 1866, aged 18, Putter, injured by bridge rail

Martin, James, 29 Jul 1873, aged 13, Putter, tub of coals fell over him

Mould, John, 07 Nov 1851, aged 44, killed by a fall of coal

Nelson, James, 18 Apr 1891, aged 10, [Not Employed], while trespassing on the pit bank after the pit ceased working he was caught in a wheel and killed

Nicholson, Matthew, 25 Jul 1903, (accident: 13 Jul 1903), aged 29, Labourer, when lowering a truck by a side brake he was seriously crushed between the truck and coke bench

Robinson, John Robert, 05 Jun 1908, (accident: 30 Oct 1907), aged 35, Hewer, He was levering a piece of stone down with a 4 feet plate when the stone fell suddenly, and either it or the plate struck his chest. He died on 5th June, 1908, from a clot of blood in the windpipe

Rowley, Jason, 09 Jul 1881, (accident: 01 Jul 1881), aged 24, Hewer, burnt by exploding his powder can while filling a straw [More information ...]

Siddle, George, 25 Mar 1899, aged 38, Hewer, Travelling on the engine plane to his work, when the empty set caught, ran over, and killed him., Buried: Crook Cemetery

Spence, John, 19 Feb 1848, he was hewing coal and had just started nicking the sides so as to bring it down, when "a great mass of nearly a ton weight fell upon him"

Stephenson, William, 10 Apr 1880, aged 15, Driver, while riding inbye on limbers, the cotter pin slipped out, the limbers came off and he fell before the set of tubs and was run over and killed

Taylor, James, 04 Dec 1867, aged 17, Water Leader, suffered a fit, he was found by a lad called Wilson lying on his face under one of the tubs in about 3 inches of water — he had drowned

Williams, William, 18 Aug 1903, (accident: 28 May 1903), aged 44, Hewer, a stone, measuring 3 ft. 6 ins, by 6 ins, thick, fell upon his shoulders from the roof of his working place, crushed him down, and broke his back