Single Record

Full Details

Surname

FOREMAN

Forename

John Thomas

Day

06

Month

07

Year

1905

Age

29

Occupation

Blacksmith

Mine/Quarry Name

Hazlerigg

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Burradon & Coxlodge Coal Co. Ltd

Location

Hazlerigg

County

Northumberland

Details of Event

Thomas Died April 12, 1906. The downcast shaft, 16 feet in diameter, is traversed by two pairs of cages; one pair runs to the Low Main seam and the other pair to the High Main an upper seam. The cages of the latter pair, running in rail guides, have each two docks, each deck carrying a single tub. There is a scaffold in the part of the shaft occupied by the High Main seam cages 5 feet below the flat sheets at that seam. There are electric signals on each side of the shaft at the high Main seam ringing a bell on the surface both on the heap and in the engine-house; these signals are used for coal winding, and there is a rapper wire working at once a hammer on the heap and in the engine-house, which was used when work was being done in the shaft. There are keps at the surface but none at the High Main seam. Soon after work started, the banksman found that the bolts in the bottom ring of the west side High Main seam cage were loose and he sent word to the enginewright, who instructed deceased and another blacksmith to go down the pit to the High Main seam to tighten them up, as it was difficult to do so at the surface. They went down in the west side cage, and when they got off at the High Main seam told the onsetter there they wanted that cage, and he told them they could have it when it came back. He put two loaded tubs into the cage they had come down in and signalled it away, and then loaded the east side cage and signalled it away and when the west side cage came back and its bottom deck was set level with the flat sheets, he took out the empty tub and told them they could now move the cage, and he stated no signal was given from the bottom until after the accident had happened. They got down on to the scaffold and deceased went under the cage and applied a key to a bolt, the other blacksmith, standing clear was about to help him, when the cage descended on deceased and broke his back. The onsetter at once signalled the cage up and be was released. The banksman at the inquest stated that when the east side cage came to the surface just before the accident he did not take the tubs but as the flat sheets were blocked with loaded tubs, owing to a screening belt having broken he further stated at the inquest that before the engineman changes the decks he received a signal from the bottom, although directly after the accident he made a contrary statement to the manager. The engineman after being cautioned by the Coroner, elected to give evidence and he stated he never moved the cage except in response to signals. He further stated that on one occasion the electric signal had sounded when the onsetter declared he had given none. He also said that he should have been informed that the blacksmiths were going the work at the cage. He said he saw them go down the pit but had no idea as to the work they were going to perform. The enginewright, who should have informed the engineman as to the nature of the work admitted that he had not done so his excuse was that he did not think it necessary, as it was a simple job that would not take five minutes to perform.