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	Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	1925
Colliery:	Rising Sun, Northumberland
Company:
Cause:	(See description below)
Lives Lost:	1
Category:

A fatality to a filler at Rising Sun Colliery, Northumberland, shows up very clearly and effectively a number of important defects and weaknesses connected with the support of the working face. It illustrates the necessity of strict compliance with the timbering rules ; the danger of failing to set supports as soon as possible after a new roof has been exposed the utter disregard shown for the timbering rules by the men and even the deputies how a "good" roof may become a real danger; how perfunctory the statutory examination made by a deputy often is ; the urgent need for providing a sufficient supply of suitable timber to meet all conditions laxity of supervision on the part of superior officials ; the necessity for the manager to investigate every serious accident with the object of taking immediate steps to prevent a similar occurrence ; and the necessity for the workmen to have a fuller outfit of tools.

The seam has the following section

Blue ramble		4½ in.
Top coal	3 ft.	0 in.
Band	1 ft.	1 in.
Bottom coal	2 ft.	5 in.

The fatality occurred in a bord 5 yds. wide where the coal was undercut above the band to a depth of 4 ft. 6 in. by machine. The timbering rules allowed a maximum distance apart for supports of 4 ft. The deputy set one plank with a middle prop in the centre of the place and 2 ft. from the face before firing three shots in the top coal. The right hand shot was too near the roof and consequently shook the ramble. After these shots were fired an area of roof, 6 ft. 6 in. by 15 ft. in width, was left unsupported in front of the plank with middle prop. Although the deputy who visited the place three times during the shift, and the two fillers working in the place knew the roof was weakened by the shots, no effort was made to set supports to comply with the timbering rules or to meet the known condition of the roof, until not only the band had been shot up and cleared, but later, the bottom coal had also been shot up and partly cleared. Towards the end of his shift, when one of the fillers was setting an end prop to the plank set by the deputy at the commencement of the shift, he was caught by a fall of ramble and sustained injuries from which he died next day.

It should have been obvious, and especially to the deputy, that a place 5 yds. wide, having one plank with middle prop set near the centre of it, was not only inadequately supported with respect to the width of the place, but constituted a breach of the existing timbering rules, and that timber of suitable length should have been provided and set on top of the band or bottom coal after the top coal had been shot down, in order to comply with the timbering rule specifying the distance apart for the supports between the front row of props and the face. There was no supply of short timber available, and the fillers had no saw with which to cut the full seam timber to suit. In fact, the only tool the fillers had to perform all the operations connected with the setting of timber was a pick. It is not possible to properly set props about 6 ft. 6 in. long with a light miner's pick. The management cannot escape censure because they should have been aware that short props were necessary to meet the prevailing conditions and that the deputy could not be expected to cut full seam props to suit all the working places in the district. Further, it cannot be too strongly emphasised that the manager should investigate every serious accident with the object of taking steps to prevent a similar occurrence, and should not wait for an inspector to draw attention to the lessons to be learned from it.

Source:

1925 Mines Inspectors Report

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