Description

No 55 on the list occurred at the Fell Shaft of Burnhope Colliery on the 23rd of November, about 9.15 o'clock p.m., causing the deaths of the following four men, George Holt, a master shifter ; Aaron Laycock, John Hall, and George Shaw, all shifters.

The workmen at this colliery are changed at this shaft, which is used for this purpose, pumping water, and winding a few tubs of coals each day for the boilers raising steam for the winding and pumping engines, and is situated about 400 yards east of the working or coal-drawing shafts.

The workmen who had been in the pit during the day left about 5 p.m., and the shifters and stonemen were sent down at 8 p.m.

The shifters and stonemen numbered 32, and the cage carried for men at a time. Seven cages, or 28 men, had been safely lowered, but while lowering the eight, or last cage, the rope suddenly broke when the cage had got about 30 yards from the surface, and the four unfortunate men were dashed to the bottom of the pit, a distance of about 150 yards, and instantly killed.

The rope was of Lang's Patent lay principle and a compound one, the construction of which was, for the strand, one centre wire No. 20, B.W.G., round that were five others of No. 17, B.W.G., which made the core, then eight wires came round the core of No. 14, B.W.G., and the whole composed the strand of 14 wires. There were six strands in the rope, or in all 84 wires. A hemp core was placed and the six strands laid round it. The rope was three inches in circumference, made from the highest quality of "Smith's plough steel" wire, and the cost was 63s. per cwt., the weight being 9 cwts. 1 qr. And 11 lbs., and the total cost £29 9s.

The breaking strain when new was 38 tons, and the safe working load guaranteed by the makers was 76 cwts., or 1/19th of the breaking strain, which is the usual margin allowed by rope manufacturers. The working load in this case, when changing men only, including weight of cage, chains, and men was 17 cwts., and the average time in use would be about 4½ hours every day.

5,496 tons of coal had been drawn by both ropes at this pit during the last four years, and when this was being done the working load was, including cage, chains, tub, and coal, 21½ cwts.

The rope was put on to the drum on the 2nd of November 1889, and had therefore been in use 4 years and 21 days. The companion rope on the same drum was put on on the 11th January 1890, and has therefore been in use 3 years, 10 months, and 12 days; it was also made on Lang's patent lay principle, but was not a compound rope and only half the number of wires in it, viz. 42.

The two ropes previously in use at this pit, working under precisely similar conditions, were in use 5 years and 2 months and 6 years and 4 months respectively.

Tests of the broken rope, and also of a piece taken from the opposite rope, were made after the accident occurred, with the following results :—

(1) The spare laps which did not come off the drum broke at 36 tons.
(2) A piece cut off 20 feet from the fracture broke at 11 tons.
(3) A piece corresponding to the last piece taken from the opposite rope, and instead of breaking at 11 tons it broke at 30 tons.

I made a careful examination of the shaft to try and ascertain if anything was wrong which might put an extra strain of to the rope, but failed to discover anything to lead me to think that the fault lay in the shaft.

The fracture took place 12½ fathoms from the "capping" or cage-end of the rope, and this brought the break or fractured part of the rope when standing on the "keps" at bank half way round the drum.

The lead of the rope from the drum was a direct one.

The falling cage had evidently not touched the guides until it got 41 fathoms down, when possibly the falling rope and had got entangled with the guides or buntings which were knocked out for other 10 or 12 fathoms, where the cage was canted over and rested on one of the main buntings about 55 fathoms from the surface.

The usual daily examination and reports required by the General and Special Rules appeared to have been duly made ; the latest at 3.15 o'clock p.m. on the day of the accident.

There were no broken wires in the rope, and from an external examination in seemed impossible to discover any defect. Two experts, who have great experience with colliery ropes, were examined at the inquest and expressed the opinion that the rope although it looked perfect, had corroded inside and the defect would not been seen by an external examination. The rope, they considered, had not been too long in use ; it was made by a well known firm and the highest price paid for it.

After a long and exhaustive inquiry held on December 6th before Mr. Coroner Graham, which I and my assistant, Mr. Walker, attended the colliery owner and the makers of the rope were represented by legal gentlemen, and the workmen by five of their agents, the jury returned the following verdict :—

"That we attach no blame to the ropemaker, and likewise the owner and officials of Burnhope Colliery have done their utmost in trying to detect any faults in the rope wherever they might have been, and it was impossible for them to detect any flaw of this sort in consequence of the corrosion being inside the rope ; and that we consider the accident to have been purely accidental."

I can see no reason to disagree with this verdict.

To prevent accidents of this kind I think it would be advisable to enforce by special rule a more frequent re-capping of ropes, and, at the same time, cutting a few feet off from the end in order to remove the part of the rope from where the greatest strain takes place both on the drum and pulley, and to ascertain the internal condition of the rope.

I am not in favour of testing winding ropes by means of putting on extra weight beyond the ordinary working load, because, in a case like this, where there was internal corrosion, it would have a tendency to further weaken that park of the rope, possibly too near the breaking point, and any subsequent friction, caused by the usual working of the rope, in passing quickly over the pulley or drum might afterwards break the rope at the injured part.

In this view I am supported by several of our most experienced mechanical engineers, whose opinion I have asked since the accident. They were unanimous in condemning the testing of ropes when in actual use.

Census Data

Please note: the census extracts shown here are our 'best guess match' to the person shown on this page and is not intended to be definitive — only knowledge of the family would allow this.

Tombstone

Mines Inspectors Report Entry

Sources

• 1881 Census — taken 3rd April, 1881
• 1893 Mines Inspectors Report (C 7339), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 12 Where to find this report
• 1893 Mines Inspectors Report (C 7339), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 40, Accident Number: 55 Where to find this report
• Church/Cemetery photograph (T-04972-08-0002) © Kev Duncan
• Headstone(s) in St. John's Churchyard, Burnhope
• Tombstone photograph (T-04996-08-0002) © Kev Duncan

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