Single Record

Full Details

Surname

CUTHBERT

Forename

George Edward

Day

26

Month

11

Year

1907

Age

16

Occupation

Landing lad

Mine/Quarry Name

Whitburn

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Harton Coal Co. Ltd

Location

Whitburn

County

Durham

Details of Event

Died December 6th. Deceased had only been employed underground five days, and he was engaged tracing lip and coupling loaded tubs at a landing where only three sets of 20 tubs were run per day, and in this work he was assisted by another lad of more experience. The landing is on a road inclining in-bye about 3 inches per yard. A compressed air engine situated some distance out-bye works a main and tail rope to within 100 yard: or so of the landing, where the tail rope is knocked off and the empty set runs in by gravity, drawing with it this main rope. Near this out-bye end of the full way in the landing are two wooden chocks working on pins and placed by hand across the rails, and about five tub lengths further in a balk, 8 feet long by 8 inches by 4 inches, lying on its edge on the pavement, with it, in-bye end fitting against a prop, and capable of being placed across one of the rails to act as a chock. The practice was for the landing lad, with this trace pony to pull the first three loaded tubs singly against the two chocks, dragging the wheels, coupling the tubs and allowing the third tub to rest against the two chocks. Then other five tubs were brought up, dragged and coupled and the second chock put in position behind the eighth tub, then the remaining 12 tubs were brought up, coupled and dragged, and a cow attached to the shackle of the twentieth tub. When the set was made up the drags were removed and it was rapped away, but only the first seven tubs started, as the seventh and eighth had not been coupled, but whether this was deceased’s fault or the fault of the other lad, could not be determined, as they had taken up tubs alternately. The lad working the compressed air engine felt he had not his full load, and stopped these seven tubs after they had travelled 10 yards. The lad of more experience, and the run rider, who rode on this fore end of the set rapped this set back and it came within a yard of the necessary distance, it was rapped back against and it then bumped into this eighth tub and forced it over the balk chock and this weight of this tubs came on to the cow and it lifted the twentieth tub and it fell over on to deceased , who was then engaged with a putter emptying a water tub into a cistern, which stood by the full way near the in-bye end of the landing. Deceased sustained a broken thigh and broken collar bone, and other injuries. He was taken to the Ingham Infirmary, South Shields, where his died. This Local Inspectors in their report described this accident, and added, ‘We recommend a runaway switch to be placed where this last tub of this set stands.’