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Details of Event: Deceased was driving forward a place 8 feet wide on the right of a longwall face in the 9th West way of the Low Main seam in the Maude pit. A coalcutting machine undercut the coal along the face and the place deceased worked in was kept in advance so as to make room for the machine to start a new cut. The place was loose on the right side. The seam is 2 feet thick and is overlaid by 2 feet 2 inches of blue metal, succeeded by post stone; the blue metal is taken down in the roads and had been shot down in deceased’s place three days before and on the day of the accident the coal was taken out for a distance of 5 feet from the brow. The deputy was in the place at 6.20am. and fired a shot in the coal for deceased and left the place apparently safe. About 9am the putter found a fall had taken place and raised the alarm but the deputy arrived about the same time and released deceased from under the fall, but he was dead. The fall came off the brew and extended right across the place and was from 2 feet to 14 inches wide and consisted of the 2 feet 2 inches of blue metal. It was liberated by a jack at the left side by a roughly defined slip parallel to the face, and it had a free side to the right. It was canted out one of two props in its fall. There was a sufficient supply of loose timber near. The Local Inspectors reported, ‘Found everything satisfactory so far as we can judge. There was plenty of loose timber in the place if any had been required.’