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Full Details

Surname
BAKER
Forename
Thomas
Day
17
Month
10
Year
1912
Age
52
Occupation
Pikeman
Mine/Quarry Name
Cakemore
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
H.S. Pitt & Co.
Location
Oldbury
County
Worcestershire
Details of Event
Deceased and several others were on their way outbye from some dip workings at the end of the shift. They had travelled one dip, and reached the bottom of the second just as an empty journey of five tubs was being lowered into the passbye. Instead of sending the men up first, according to an understood regulation at the colliery, the hooker-on (evidently desiring to get the journey away so that he could accompany the men out) sent away the full load of six tubs up the hill, the men standing behind the empties at end of passbye. When the journey had proceeded about 20 yards up the hill-gradient 1 in 4 the rope broke, and the full tubs ran back into the empties Deceased was so severely crushed that he died a few minutes later, and another man was also severely injured. The rope had only been in use about four mouths and was in good condition it was 3-4 inch diameter best plough steel flexible rope with a breaking mall when new of 22 to 23 tons. The breakage occurred 9 feet from the caplin, and two pieces of the rope afterwards tested at Lloyd's Proving House gave the following results First piece (cut off next to breakage) showed a breaking strain of 17 tons 11 cwts., a safety factor of about 12; second piece (cut from farther along the rope) was destroyed with a load of 21 tons 19 cwts. The breakage when the accident occurred was probably due to the motor driver having switched over his controller handle too quickly to full speed, and so suddenly jerked the rope.