Description

The remaining case occurred at the No. 3 shaft, Seaham Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Londonderry Collieries, Limited, on December 3rd. Two empty timber trains were put into the cage and the cage was rapped away: the assistant onsetter, who was killed, telling the onsetter to rap away. He was heard to call to the onsetter "bend away." The cage was lifted, and the man killed at once shouted "rap hold." This was done, but the cage had gone some feet when it was stopped, and the man was nowhere to be seen. On searching, his body was found lying on top of the short length of brattice which separates the two cages at the bottom of the pit. When he shouted to bend away the man was in a stooping position, and it is thought that he must have been under the impression that the timber tram on his side of the cage was projecting and had been attempting to push it further into the cage. When the cage went away he was caught by his clothing and carried up between the cage and the shaft-casing and so squeezed to death.

Sources

• 1906 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 3449), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 17 Where to find this report
• 1906 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 3449), Durham District (No. 4) by R. Donald Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 41, Accident Number: 450 Where to find this report

Researchers

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