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	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	7th July 1893
Colliery:	Sherburn House
Company:	Earl of Durham
Cause:	Fall of stone
Lives Lost:	1
Category:

Number 29 on the list occurred at Sherburn House Colliery on the 7th of July, about 2 o'clock a.m., causing the death of Robert William Dixon, a putter.

I cannot better explain this accident than by quoting the evidence given at the inquest by another putter who was working along with deceased at the time of the accident. He said: "I went to work with deceased on the night of the accident, and the deputy set us to hew, after we had finished putting, in a place called the Whinney Way, in the Low Main Seam, to complete our shift. We went to this place and tried it, but we thought it was too hard, so we took our picks to a place at the back of the shaft, where a man was taking up bottom stone, and commenced to hew there. The man told us to come out of the place, but we told him we would not do so. We left out coals lying loose, and then went to a place right opposite, where we hewed and filled about three parts of a tub. We then went back to the place we had left the coals in, and cast the coals past the bottom cutter. Deceased then said 'There is some coal by the side seven or eight yards away, which can be easily hewed.' I replied that it was easily got in this place, and we might make our last tub out there, but he said 'The other place is softer,' so I said alright, we will go. We had only struck a few blows then the stone fell and caught him. He was got out as soon as possible and taken home. The place where the accident occurred is about 400 yards off where we were sent by the deputy. We are not allowed to go anywhere we like. The deputy had been in the place which we should have gone to before he told us to go to it. The night shift deputy ascends the shaft at 11 o'clock p.m., and the fore shift deputy comes down at 2 a.m. The master shifter has charge of us between these times. We know perfectly well that, in doing what we did, we were wrong, and that it was highly dangerous."

The place where the accident occurred is in between two faults, owing to the presence of which the coal is much softer than it is in the ordinary place, and this no doubt accounts for the two lads leaving the place they were sent to by the deputy. It was a very reprehensible proceeding to take, and which, in doing, they contravened Special Rule No. 91 of No. 8 Riles, which reads as follows :— "No workman or boy shall, unless and until authorised, go beyond the appointed meeting station, or any fence, danger board, or recognised signal, nor, except in case of necessity, into any other part of the mine than that in which he is placed by the overman, deputy, or other official."

Accidents of this kind occur too frequently as it is, but they would be much more numerous if the workmen and boys were allowed to go about any part of the mine, when and how they think fit, to work coal wherever they thought it was easiest to do so.

The discipline of the mine cannot be too strict to prevent contravention of the Act and Special Rules, and highly dangerous practices. In this particular case there was no deputy in the seam to look after these and other putters who were hewing at the time of the accident ; they were in charge of the master shifter, who also had duties in another seam. On my making representation to the management an extra deputy was employed.

Source:

1893 Mines Inspectors Report (C 7339), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 9 Where to find this report

	Dixon, Robert William (died: 10 Jul 1893) , aged 19, Putter, While hewing off side of place, in doing which he was wrong, a side waver of stone fell over and injured him internally. He died on 10th inst.
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