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Full Details

Surname
DODSWORTH
Forename
George
Day
07
Month
06
Year
1902
Age
35
Occupation
Onsetter
Mine/Quarry Name
Whitburn
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Harton Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Whitburn
County
Durham
Details of Event
Deceased was crushed between two run away tubs and the shaft timber. The road near the shaft on which the empty set of 30 tubs is made up inclines inbye for its first portion and then rises and in order to get the first part of the set sufficiently far forward a boy draws inbye the first 15 tubs of the set by means of a winch these tubs pass over a monkey (an arrangement placed between the rails preventing the tubs running back) and rest against it then 17 empty tubs come forward and are coupled on. In order to take back the winch rope the boy uncouples the last three tubs as they are drawn away by the haulage rope and after they have passed the monkey against which they rest he then attaches the winch rope to these tubs depresses the monkey and the rope is taken back by them. It appears that at the time of the accident he attempted to uncouple the three last tubs of the empty set as it moved away but had some difficulty he then first uncoupled the two last and was then able to uncouple the third last and all three ran back and rested against the monkey. He attached the winch rope to the third last tub but forgot that the two last were not coupled to it and on depressing the monkey these tubs ran away to the shaft and caused the accident as deceased who was in a cabin and knowing the cage at the bottom was being loaded with the ascending foreshift hewers rushed out and attempted to stop them. The boy when he saw the tubs run amain ran after them and attempted to put in a drug but was unable to do so. The workmen's inspectors recommended in their report that a second monkey should be placed 15 or 16 yards from the shaft.