Kemberton Colliery Shaft Accident – Shifnal – 1901

KEMBERTON. Shifnal, Staffordshire, 4th. December, 1901.

The colliery was the property of the Madeley Wood Colliery Company and eight men lost their lives in a cage accident. The manager of the colliery was Mr. John Cox and the shaft was 338 yards deep and eight feet in diameter. The cage was attached to the rope by two wire guide rods each one and one-eighth inches in diameter. The rope was of the best plough steel and was manufactured by Messrs. Haggie brothers Limited of Newcastle. It was first put into use on August 16th. 1909 and had been in use for fifteen months. It was recapped in December, 1909 and again in April, 1910 and at each recapping the rope was found to be in excellent condition. The chain was made up of six strands, each strand was made up of seven wires, each wound round a core of smaller wires, and each strand was wound around a central core of galvanised steel wires.

The winding drum was 15 feet in diameter and was made of wood. The rope of the downward was tested in January and broke at 61.8 tons. The last upcast rope was on for two years but was in good condition and had b seen since used to wind water. The rope was examined every morning by the rope examiner and a written report made. The report for December 4th was that the machinery was safe and that the headgear, ropes and chains were good. The report was signed by the engineman and William Stephen, the banksman for seventeen years. He had never known the drum to be damaged and no broken wires were reported. On this particular Saturday, he went to work at 6 a.m. and examined the rope before the men went down the pit. It was in good condition and he left the pit at 1 p.m. The cage had gone up and down three times while he was at the pit head.

Mark Davies, the engineman, had been an engine driver for ten years and had been at the colliery for six months. He was in charge of the engine on the 4th December and started work at 6.20 a.m. he examined the machinery and made an entry in the book to the effect that all was safe. The rope inspector inspected the rope was the custom before the men entered the cage and when all was found to be satisfactory, two horse fettlers went down. After that, he drew after for an hour. Two pumpers went down at 8 a.m. and then the blacksmith and banksman did some repairs to the cage. Two rivets were taken out and replaced. When they finished, the cage was in his opinion, perfectly safe. Two pumpers were then brought up and at 12.30 p.m. he loosed the cage at the bottom of the shaft and went home for his dinner.

He returned at 10.10 p.m. and drew the cage from the bottom of the upcast shaft. Seven men got into the cage to go down the pit. When it was about three or four revolutions from the top of the pit, there was a sudden snap which almost brought the engine to a standstill. As far as he could judge, though he could not say for certain, the cage was then about 30 to 40 yards down the shaft, when he felt a sudden check to the engine and he stopped to find that the cage had parted from the rope and gone down the shaft.

The men who died were:

• George Gough, fireman, aged 53 years.
• Richard Rogers, filler, aged 41 years.
• Arthur Wilton, daywageman aged 48 years.
• Thomas Glenister, collier aged 37 years, all of Madeley.
• Alphonso Stanley, trammer aged 19 years of Shifnal
• Randolph Cecil Miles, danner aged 14 years.
• Albert Jones, danner aged 14 years of Dawley.

Coroner J.V.T. Lander held the inquest into the men’s deaths at Shifnal when the jury heard that the rope had been working daily for sixteen months and for about two hours at night. The ordinary working load was 3 tons 11 cwt, with the cage, in all about 5 tons. The number of men authorised to ride in the cage was eight on the top deck and six on the bottom. At the time of the accident there were seven men in the cage and the total weight would have been about 27 cwt.

William Stephen, the banksman, said there was no evidence to show what caused the accident but the most probable cause was that the cage caught the legs and did not get clear but he saw the legs the day before the accident and they were in good working order. The distance between the legs and the cage when the cage was fastened was between 5 and 6 inches. The cage was 4 feet wide.

There was no evidence that the cage had collided with the shaft. After the accident Stephen had found that the pieces of the broken rope had been twisted off and taken away for keepsakes, he immediately took steps to recover them.

Evidence was heard from Henry Green, an inspector with the Lloyd’s Testing House, Birmingham and Stephen Dixon, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham. They concluded that while the rope would stand 54.25 tons, a drop of six to ten feet would cause the rope to fail.

Mr. Johnstone, H.M. Inspector of Mines called attention to Special Rule 161 relating to the duties of the engineman, which stated:

When raising and lowering person he shall use extra care, and after an intermission of working for four hours shall run the ropes of the pit up and down before raising or lowering persons.

The witness said he did not know of the rule until after the accident but added that when there was an intermission of work he always ran the ropes up and down before winding people.

George Richards, stoker, acted as banksman on Sundays, gave the signal for the cage to be lowered. Nothing seemed wrong to him and the cage passed into the shaft. The first thing he heard was a crash above his head like breaking wood. Richard Tranter, fireman, made a weekly examination of the shaft but it was six months since he had made a written report. Mr. Wynne H. M. Assistant Inspector had examined the shaft and did not find anything to account for the accident. he had also examined the rope and found nothing but normal wear.

The jury brought in a verdict of “Accidental Death” and called attention to the fact that the engine driver, the banksman and the stoker did not seem conversant with the special rules relating to their duties. They further suggested that the Company might adopt some device for safeguarding the persons who had to travel the shaft.

Information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre.