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	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	7th May 1903
Colliery:	Bournmoor
Company:	Lambton Collieries Ltd.
Cause:	(See description below)
Lives Lost:	1
Category:

No. 198 on the list occurred at Bourn Moor Colliery, belonging to tile Lambton Collieries, Ltd., on the 7th of May, and caused the death of a coal filler. This man was drawing timber in a coal-cutting longwall face when a fall of stone occurred and killed him. Ordinary seam timber was set about 4 feet from the face for the stone to break off at and he was drawing some props about 3 feet 6 inches further in the goaf; the breaking-off timber was set 2 feet apart parallel to the face and there were two rows of props. At the time of the accident the coal fillers were employed to fill the coal, and set and draw all the timber, in the longwall face ; this, in my opinion, is not a system to be approved of as a man may be set to draw timber who has had no previous experience or knowledge of such work. It is dangerous work at the best of times and should be done by skilled workmen accompanied by another man so that in the event of one of them becoming fastened by a stone the other could help to get him free before a second fall occurred. The manager on my pointing out to him that I considered a coal filler, unless he had previous experience, was not a proper person to draw timber, agreed to alter the system and now the work is done by experienced and qualified men.

The deceased man at the time of the accident was using an ordinary prop mall to draw the timber, with a shaft 3 feet 6 inches long, and had not in his possession, as required by the Timbering Special Rules, an appliance suitable for drawing timber without undue risk. There was one along the face but he had not troubled to get it. I cannot too strongly impress on officials and timber drawers the necessity of having this suitable appliance close to them when timber is being drawn. The Timbering Rules require that this should be done and it is also very much in the interests of safety that it should be. If it is not, men are apt to run undue risks to get a prop out with an ordinary axe, which could be drawn with one of these appliances with safety.

Source:

1903 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2119), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 16 Where to find this report

	Humphrey, John, aged 37, Coal Filler, he was drawing timber in a coal cutting face, when a large fall took place at goaf side, and caught and killed him; his son (John Cecil) was killed in the same pit 16 years later, Buried: St. Barnabas Churchyard, Bournmoor on 11 May 1903 {NBI}
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