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	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	5th June 1875
Colliery:	Wheatley Hill
Company:	Original Hartlepool Coal Co., Ltd.
Cause:	Cage Accident
Lives Lost:	1
Category:

No. 63 accident took place at the bottom of the shaft at Wheatley Hill Colliery, and was in my opinion an act of gross carelessness on the part of the onsetter and the breaks man ; at the inquest the evidence was so conflicting that the jury found it impossible on which of them to fix the blame. The cage is a "double deck" one, and on the afternoon of the accident some men came to the pit bottom, in order to be drawn up, part of them getting into the upper and part into the lower deck, and a signal was given to draw away, three raps, meaning "men on;" however, before the breaksman moved the engine some boys also came to the bottom for the purpose of ascending, when the onsetter gave another signal, one rap, meaning "hold;" some of the boys got into the lower deck then standing on the "keps," at a level with the landing plates, who filled it, the onsetter took deceased and lifted him into the upper deck, where he had to pass between some buntons, only 20 inches apart (a thing he had no right to do), and while so doing the engine was started, and the poor little fellow being only partly into the cage was caught between the middle hoop of the cage and a bunton, and his head was nearly severed from the body; if the onsetter and those at the bottom of the pit at the time, who gave evidence, are to be believed, the three raps for "men on" then after a pause one rap for "hold;" were correctly given according to the printed code of signals; but, on the other hand, if we believe the statements of the banksman and breaksman, there were four distinct raps given without intermission, which means "all clear," then he had a right to draw away, but he ought to have considered that before the first men were allowed to get into the cage a proper signal was previously given, and answered by the banksman, that men were coming up in the next cage, therefore he was to blame for acting on the signals without having them repeated. I consider both parties were guilty of great recklessness, and they ought to have been severely punished by the magistrates instead of being admonished.

Source:

1875 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1499), Durham by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 8 Where to find this report

	Turner, David, aged 13, Driver, crushed by cage
	All names found
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