Description

There were two fatal accidents from electricity during the year.

The second case occurred on October 18th in the Harvey seam at the Eldon Colliery belonging to Messrs. Pease and Partners, Limited, and caused the death of a Pony putter, 21 years of age, named Thomas Patterson. He was working on the night shift, and had taken three full tubs out to the flats. The cable which conveys the full current to the coal cutting machine is carried along the side of the road on which Patterson was, and the voltage was stated to be about 300. No one saw what happened, but the Coal filler thinking he was a long time in returning went to look for him and found him lying beside the tubs, one of which was off the way, with his hand on the electric cable. His right arm was burnt, and his left arm and the back of his neck was blistered. The cable was an armoured one and with some tape wrapping outside the armouring. A fall of stone had taken place which had forced the armouring through the inner insulation to the Jive wire and then the armouring also became alive. It is supposed that while lifting the tub on to the way he either took hold of, or in some way came in contact with, the armouring of the cable and so received the fatal shock.

Mines Inspectors Report Entry

Sources

• 1904 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2506), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 24 Where to find this report
• 1904 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2506), Durham District (No. 4) by R. Donald Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 51, Accident Number: 381 Where to find this report

Researchers

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