White Moss Colliery

Ashurst, Henry, 19 Dec 1905, (accident: 05 Dec 1905), aged 49, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. He was setting his drill underground and trying to shorten the stand and, after striking, it suddenly shortened and crushed his finger. Blood poisoning afterwards set in, and he died from the effects December 19, 1905

Ashurst, Thomas, 02 Jul 1905, aged 62, Furnace-man, Inspection made and inquest attended. He was ascending the shaft in the cage, when the engineman winding failed, through a mistake, to stop the cage, until it struck the bell cylinder in the head gear ; when the capping gave way, and the deceased fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 200 yards, and was killed. This accident occurred on a Sunday morning, the engineman having been on duty 17 hours

Atherton, Elizabeth, Aug 1884, (accident: 01 May 1884), Screener, According to the medical evidence the woman died (in August) from an ulcerated stomach. After her death, however, the man with whom she lived stated that she had been injured at the colliery on the 1st May. Inquiries were made and it was found that she had hada slight blow through her dress catching in the nut of a revolving shaft, and that she was off work for a day or two, but she subequently worked till she left the colliery and got employment elsewhere

Atherton, J. T., 19 Feb 1902, aged 15, Pony-driver, Inspection made. He was guiding the tubs round a curve on the haulage road, and had to loosen the chain attaching the tub to rope, as the tub approached the curve pulley; and when doing this, appears to have had some difficulty, and seems to have persevered until his arm got fast, and his head got crushed against a cross-bar, fatally injuring him

Briscoe, D., 17 Oct 1906, aged 23, Drawer, Inspection made and inquest attended. While he was standing at the mouth of an old roadway for a drawer to pass with a full tub of coal, he appears to have had his head out too far, as the tub caught his head, crushing it against the prop supporting the roof. He died the same day

Briscoe, Margaret, 15 Dec 1897, aged 16, Screener, Attended inquest. The deceased in going to warm her dinner was crushed in passing between some stationary coal wagons which were suddenly moved in the siding by the wagon lowerer unknown to her. The wagon lowerer is required by the rules to warn those about but he did not do this effectively

Buckley, Stephen, 03 Jun 1878, aged 26, Collier, When getting his coal down, and whilst pulling off a piece with his pick, a large quantity came away unexpectedly from a "slip," and caught him before he had time to get away

Catterall, John, 07 Jul 1887, aged 65, Dataler, Inquiries made. He was drawing timber with another man who at the time was knocking out a prop whilst deceased was holding a light, when the roof suddenly fell on him

Clarke, Richard, 14 Oct 1878, aged 27, Drawer, A piece of clod burst off the side. Not commenced to hole

Daley, James, 24 Oct 1887, aged 37, Labourer, Inspection made. He was taking some empty tubs out of the cage at the surface level and is supposed to have had his back to the pit pushing them away placing his foot against the cage to give them a start when the cage was suddenly lifted and caught his foot pulling his shoe and throwing him down the pit. The fence had been temporarily removed to enable them to send some bricks and mortar down from the surface level

Edwards, Thomas, 10 May 1900, aged 47, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. They were driving a ribbing in the new seven feet mine, when a fall of roof-coal fell upon them from between two slips, and capping two props. They succumbed to the injuries received. Apparently they did not set enough props before holing the place through [More information ...]

Finney, Thomas, 03 Oct 1898, aged 42, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. They were starting to take out a pillar and failed to secure the roof behind them before starting on the coal. As they advanced with the coal they reached a break in the roof and the whole working place came in upon them. Strong timber should have been set before starting but both men and officials relied on the strength of the unsupported roof [More information ...]

Finney, William, 21 Oct 1884, aged 32, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. Deceased was getting his dinner with some other men when they heard the roof begin to "weight." They decided to go and bring their tools out, and before deceased could get back the roof came in, capping from 80 to 100 props

Finney, William, 21 Oct 1885, aged 32, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. Deceased was getting his dinner with some other men when they heard the roof begin to weight. They decided to go in and bring their tools out, and before deceased could get back the roof came in

Finney, William, 23 Sep 1886, aged 18, Drawer, Inspection made and inquest attended. The men were putting up a bar under a pot hole and had set a temporary prop when the stone fell out knocking out the bar and props and falling on deceased

Flyan, John, 01 May 1874, aged 28, Sinker, Fall of stone in sinking shaft

Gannon, Martin, 06 Jan 1882, aged 36, Metalman, Inspection made and inquest attended. Fall of roof. He was building a pack and had been told by the fireman to set a prop but he neglected to do so and a stone fell from between two slips

Georgeson, William, 12 Sep 1885, Banksman, Found dead at the bottom of some steps leading to a public house where he had been drinking on the previous night. This was on the colliery premises

Gibling, Martin, 16 May 1877, aged 33, Labourer, Crushed between waggon buffers

Griffiths, Samuel, 11 Oct 1865, aged 38, Sinker, Fell out of the bucket into some water in a sinking pit

Hamblitt, Edward, 27 Mar 1872, Collier, Fall of roof

Harrison, Thomas, 29 Mar 1887, aged 29, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. These men with others when engaged pillaring back were a weight came over from the goaf and carried all the timber in their place and the roof fell in on them. They had two rows of props on one side of the drawing road and one on the props 4 feet apart and one chock at the entrance to the place. There were too many men crowded together in this working place and the timber was apparently sufficiently strong for a 6-feet seam [More information ...]

Heaton, Evan, 10 Jan 1889, aged 47, Collier, Inspection made. He had holed about 2 feet under his coal without setting any sprags when the coal fell over on to him

Heaton, Peter, 10 Jul 1877, aged 45, Dataler, Fall of roof

Higgins, Henry, 08 Jun 1883, aged 28, Labourer, Inspection made and inquest attended. Deceased was killed whilst putting two timber waggons to a position to be unloaded. The waggons moved of themselves slowly on the incline, and when they came about the place where he wished them to stand, he appears to have tried to jump on the "break," and slipping, fell under the wheels. He was not accustomed to the work, and the officials say he had not been told to move the waggons

Hodgkinson, Henry, 13 Aug 1878, aged 31, Metalman, Killed by charge exploding whilst ramming shot with copper rammer

Holmans, Thomas, 08 Apr 1896, aged 21, Drawer, Inspection made and inquest attended. A fall of roof had occurred as he was getting down top coal capping the bar he had placed under it and falling upon him. The drawer stated they were short of props when they placed the bar up the previous day (to the accident) and they had only put one prop under the bar

Hulme, John, 11 Oct 1877, aged 25, Collier, Fall of roof

Jones, Thomas, 04 Sep 1906, aged 45, Collier, Inspection made. While he was repairing the roadway, and in the act of levering a stone, he appears to have slipped, and in falling backwards on the rail, he broke his neck, and expired

Lathom, James, 26 Jul 1876, aged 26, Collier, Explosion of powder whilst deceased was transferring it from his tin to that of another collier

Leyland, James, 16 Sep 1869, aged 20, Bricksetter, Fall of roof

Lilley, Charles, 12 Nov 1884, aged 16, Dataler, Inspection made and inquest attended. Explosion of gas

Marsden, James, 27 Oct 1874, aged 24, Sinker, Overwinding hoppet at sinking pit, rope broke and loaded hoppet fell 370 yards amongst the sinkers

Mason, Ellis, 26 May 1882, aged 18, Drawer, Inspection made and inquest attended. The two deceased were drawing timber, when the roof came in bodily knocking out about 20 props. They were apparently doing their work in a proper manner [More information ...]

Mason, John, 23 Jan 1897, (accident: 07 Jan 1897), aged 46, Collier, Inspection made. He was working in a wide work face and was in the act of setting a prop under the roof when the roof fell capping another prop and crushing the deceased. He succumbed to the injuries received on the 23rd instant

Meadows, John, 26 Aug 1891, aged 58, Fireman, Inquiry made. Deceased was a fireman, and a piece of roof coal having fallen on one of the main roads he went to clear it away but whilst doing so another piece fell and hit him on the back of his neck. This roof is not timbered at all

Moran, John, 10 Jan 1882, aged 38, Metalman, Inspection made and inquest attended. The endless rope broke, and the tubs running back caught deceased before he could get into the refuge hole

Naylor, James, 29 Mar 1887, aged 19, Deawer, Inspection made and inquest attended. These men with others when engaged pillaring back were a weight came over from the goaf and carried all the timber in their place and the roof fell in on them. They had two rows of props on one side of the drawing road and one on the props 4 feet apart and one chock at the entrance to the place. There were too many men crowded together in this working place and the timber was apparently sufficiently strong for a 6-feet seam [More information ...]

Pope, Thomas, 15 Nov 1924, (accident: 06 Nov 1924, 1.0-2.0 p.m., 7th hour of shift), aged 52, Blacksmith, The deceased died on 15th November, when about to undergo an operation for rupture at the Wigan Infirmary. He was making a cage in the smith's shops on 6th November and when lifting a hoop into position he strained himself in the groin. He did not report the injury at the time and continued working up to 10th November. On 13th November he went to his doctor, who found he had ruptured himself and sent him to the infirmary to be operated upon. He died while under the influence of the anaesthetic from heart failure

Pye, Ellis, 02 Jan 1867, aged 45, Pitman, Falling out of tub

Pye, John, 07 Aug 1873, aged 25, Sinker, Fell from scaffold 19 yards from bottom

Pye, Samuel, 17 Aug 1876, aged 51, Dataler, Whilst engaged in putting in some conduting rods, a shackling chain broke, letting one of the rods fall down the pit, and striking deceased who was standing in the bottom

Ramsey, William, 26 May 1882, aged 26, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. The two deceased were drawing timber, when the roof came in bodily knocking out about 20 props. They were apparently doing their work in a proper manner [More information ...]

Roberts, Charles, 18 Aug 1884, aged 22, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. A sudden fall of roof from between two "slips" in the drawing road close to the face. The roof was propped, but not barred. The place had been examined by the fireman half an hour previously

Roby, Nathaniel, 09 Jan 1889, aged 16, Putter on, Inquires made. He was going up the steps on to the pit brow and when he reached the top by some means slipped and fell backwards to the ground

Rothwell, Samuel, 03 Apr 1882, aged 14, Pony driver, Inquest attended. The boy was found dead under the front tub of his gang. He must either have fallen off, or when trying to replace the tub on the rails the pony started, drawing the tub on to him

Roughley, Richard, 10 Sep 1883, aged 67, Dataler, Inspection made and inquest attended. Deceased was repairing a drawing road that had fallen in owing to the want of timber being set, when a further fall occurred, and he was knocked down and crushed

Ruddy, Michael, 31 Mar 1876, aged 20, Drawer, Fall of coal

Sixsmith, William, 10 Oct 1895, (accident: 03 Jun 1895), aged 65, Dataler, Inspection made and inquest attended. The deceased when knocking a bar out got injured on the hip bone. He had almost recovered from his injuries and had been asking for work again but he expired suddenly on October 10th, 1895

Smallshaw, William, 04 Feb 1891, aged 47, Collier, Inspection made. He went under some top coal and commenced nicking it before setting any props under it and it fell upon him 13 yards of top coal fell and deceased was working half way under it instead of at one end. He had not been instructed how to proceed

Snailham, Thomas, 17 Jan 1914, aged 41, Dataller, He was drawing out timber in an old disused haulage road, and instead of using the "Sylvester" appliance provided for the purpose, he knocked out a prop with a hammer and liberated some stone from the roof. This stone canted out a temporary prop he had set, and caused a further fall which killed him

Sutch, William, 03 Oct 1898, aged 23, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. They were starting to take out a pillar and failed to secure the roof behind them before starting on the coal. As they advanced with the coal they reached a break in the roof and the whole working place came in upon them. Strong timber should have been set before starting but both men and officials relied on the strength of the unsupported roof [More information ...]

Thacklady, Thomas, 29 Mar 1887, aged 22, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. These men with others when engaged pillaring back were a weight came over from the goaf and carried all the timber in their place and the roof fell in on them. They had two rows of props on one side of the drawing road and one on the props 4 feet apart and one chock at the entrance to the place. There were too many men crowded together in this working place and the timber was apparently sufficiently strong for a 6-feet seam [More information ...]

Vale, Walter, 02 Aug 1887, aged 37, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. He was turning a full tub on a steep brow to hang it on to the rope but having neglected to put on the drag it overpowered him and running down brow crushed him

Wane, Joseph, 10 May 1900, aged 37, Collier, Inspection made and inquest attended. They were driving a ribbing in the new seven feet mine, when a fall of roof-coal fell upon them from between two slips, and capping two props. They succumbed to the injuries received. Apparently they did not set enough props before holing the place through [More information ...]

Welding, Thomas, 20 Jul 1888, aged 49, Dataler, Inquest attended. He was barring an old road and was in the act of putting some poling over the bars when a piece of stone fell from the side on to his foot and broke his ankle

Wilding, James, 26 Jun 1888, (accident: 04 Jun 1888), aged 14, Putter on, Deceased's finger was slightly cut with a piece of coal and blood poisoning setting in he died on the 26th June

Wilson, Richard, 20 Dec 1874, aged 68, Furnaceman, Drowned, the engineman lowering cage into sump instead of taking it to the bank