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| Date: | 1946 |
| Colliery: | Whittle |
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| Cause: | Fall of Stone |
| Lives Lost: | 1 |
| Category: |
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| Description | |
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Escaped death in pit, saw mate killed
A race for life by two miners at Whittle Colliery, Hampeth, in which one of them was caught by a fall of stone, was described by the survivor at an inquest held at Alnwick on Monday.
Mr. H. J. Percy, coroner, conducted the inquest on Richard Dent (37), miner of 12, Beacon Road, Shilbottle, who was killed last Friday night.
Evidence of identification was given by William Duckershoff, Dent's uncle, of 12 Beacon Road, Shilbottle, who said his nephew had been a miner since the age of 14. Dent was a single man and lived with him at Shilbottle.
A coal filler who was working with Dent at the time of the accident, Charles Purslow, of 6 New Row, Pottergate, Alnwick, told the coroner that they were working in the Shilbottle drift in the Tenth North district.
About 6.30 p.m., after having their "bait" they went back to the place where they were working, and Dent helped him to shovel come cut coal so that he could get another pack in.
On knees
"The roof is two feet six inches high and we were working on our knees," continued Purslow. "He came in with a shovel in his hand beside me, and we were busy getting thus cropped coal out.
"I happened to turn round and I saw this stone behind me starting to move. We just had our cap lights.
"I shouted ‘Look out, Dickie,’ and I made for the coal face to get out. He made to get into the bar way and he got caught in the fall. I got clear just in time."
"Do you remember hearing anything suspicious?" asked the coroner.
Purslow: I have never known such a fall. I never heard anything.
What made you look round? — A little bit of stone fell on my back and I looked round and saw the stone moving. I warned him to get out and I came out to the coal face and he tried to get out the bar way.
Purslow told the coroner that he had been in the mines for 23 years, and was quite satisfied that the timbering beneath the stone before the fall came away was sufficient.
Plenty timber
"As an experienced miner, and in the light of events, you cannot suggest any better timbering than was there?" asked the coroner.
Purslow: No.
In answer to Mr. H. Booker, H.M. inspector of mines, the witness said that there was plenty of timber available, and that there was no shortage.
Thomas I. Moffat, deputy overman, of 21 Falloden Avenue, Shilbottle, told how he had inspected the scene of the accident before the shift started. He had "jowelled" the roof in the ordinary way and everything seemed normal. It was not a type of stone which was liable to faults or falls.
The timbering was according to regulations. There were three planks, two of them double-timbered, and one treble-timbered.
Shot fired
About five o’clock the witness had fired a shot in this place to break up the coal. It was only a small shot and he re-examined the timbering and it seemed to be all right.
Mr. Percy: Do you think there was anything in the firing of the shot that may have loosened the timber?
"No, I did not notice anything. It was only a small shot," replied Moffat.
The witness said that he was called to the scene of the accident after the fall and found Dent partly buried beneath the stone. It was a very large stone which had fallen and would weigh several tons. He thought that the stone had been squeezed out of the roof.
Moffat added that he was quite satisfied the place has been satisfactorily timbered.
The coroner said that he felt perfectly satisfied in this case on the points he had to investigate.
| Source: | Newspaper article |
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| Fatalities | |
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 | Dent/Duckershoffe, Richard (Dickie), aged 37, fall of stone, address: 12 Beacon Road, Shilbottle |
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| Newspaper Articles | |
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| 1946 | Escaped death in pit, saw mate killed ((Unknown)) |
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