Single Record

Full Details

Surname

DICKINSON

Forename

Walter

Day

16

Month

08

Year

1907

Age

29

Occupation

Hewer

Mine/Quarry Name

Chopwell

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Consett Iron Co. Ltd

Location

Chopwell

County

Durham

Details of Event

The Three-Quarter seam was being opened out from the top of a drop staple from the Brockwell seam and longwall was to be started. Deceased was driving a heading, from which the longwall would commence, from the face of a wide bord in which another hewer worked close to him. The seam is 2 feet 4 inches thick and has a very treacherous roof. A top canch, 18 inches thick, had been taken down above the tram road which ran along the left side of the herd on which side the heading was turned away. Front the brow of this canch and extending over the tram road a mass of stone triangular in shape at its base and up to 2 feet 8 inches thick, fell and caught deceased by the head and barred in the other hewer who could not get past the tub and it was half an hour before he could attract notice to get help to release deceased. There’d been a slight fall on a tub about a minute before the large fall. The deputy was in the place about 4 hours before the accident, when it appeared safe and he set no timber. It was not certain whether the fall had canted out any timber, but there may have been one prop displaced. There should have been more props set of which there was a supply close at hand. The Local Inspectors reported, "We are of opinion that the fatality is the result of a pure accident.'