Single Record

Full Details

Surname

CROSS

Forename

Andrew

Day

21

Month

06

Year

1937

Age

26

Occupation

Bencher

Mine/Quarry Name

Plean, No.5 Pit

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Plean Colliery Co. Ltd

Location

Bannockburn

County

Stirlingshire

Details of Event

21 June 1937: Colliery Hutch Chains - Question of Breakages - Stirling Inquiry - Questions relating to the breaking of colliery hutch chains were asked at a Fatal Accidents Inquiry held by Sheriff-Substitute J. Dean Leslie and a jury at Stirling yesterday into the circumstances surrounding the death of a Bannockburn colliery bencher, Andrew Cross (26), who resided at 12 East Murrayfield, and who died in Stirling Royal Infirmary on June 21 as a result of injuries received when he was knocked down by a runaway hutch in No.5 Pit, Plean Colliery, on June 17. John Paterson (38), oversman, 10 Loanfoot Gardens, Plean, said he looked at the fastenings of the hutch, and the chain was not broken. The clip was loosened from the haulage road and the hutch had run away. There was one hutch with the chain broken. He had examined the road to see what had caused the breaking of the chain, but he never found anything wrong. In his opinion the chain was broken by the jerking of the rope. This had lifted the hutch off the road. The jerking might have been caused by the derailment of a hutch at another point. “Broke Frequently” - Witness, in reply to Mr P. C. Dominy, Dunfermline , H.M. Inspector of Mines, said that not many chains had broken in this way. He never reported such a thing as a broken chain, nor did he examine the broken chain very carefully. In answer to Mr John Cassells , solicitor, Hamilton, representing deceased's relatives, Paterson said he did not think the chains were examined regularly. It was within his knowledge that chains broke frequently. Sheriff - Do they break weekly? - Yes. And it is so frequently that you don't take any interest in a broken chain. You didn't look at the part of the chain which was broken? - When I looked at the chain there was one broken link. The broken link was missing? - Yes. Mr Cassells - Did you look for the broken link? - No.Did you make a report of the accident? - No.John Binnie (44), colliery manager, Hillhouse , Main Street, East Plean, said that on the following day he examined the place where the accident happened. In his opinion the accident happened as a result of the hutch becoming derailed. The hutch had hit a girder and the chain was broken in consequence . He had not found the broken link, although he had given instructions for a search to be made for it. Fiscal - Have you any rule about workmen travelling on this haulage road where tubs are running? - The men are not allowed to travel on that road. A notice is put up to that effect. What is the reason for this rule? - Because it is unsafe for men to travel there, and also, it is against the Coal Mines Act. Such an accident as this might happen at any time?—Yes. Witness, cross-examined by Mr Cassells, said that to his knowledge the chains did not break frequently. It was not within his knowledge that the chains broke weekly. The breaking of chains was not reported to him directly. Binnie replied to the Sheriff that no record was kept of broken chains because there were very few broken. He admitted that no harm would be done in booking a broken chain. The chains, he said, were examined at the surface by the engineer and the blacksmith, but there were no definite intervals of time for the examination. They were not examined regularly apart from breakages. The medical evidence was to the effect that Cross died from internal haemorrhage. A formal verdict was returned. [Scotsman 31 July 1937]