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Full Details

Surname
GRIBBIN
Forename
John
Day
12
Month
12
Year
1905
Age
55
Occupation
Hewer
Mine/Quarry Name
Whitehaven
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Whitehaven Colliery Co.
Location
Whitehaven
County
Cumberland
Details of Event
Deceased was travelling outbye as the end of his shift on an endless rope haulage road dipping inbye from 1 in 6 to 1 in 15, where sets usually consisting of 12 to 14 loaded tubs with a clutch bogie in front gripping the rope underneath the tubs and double the number of empty tubs with a bogie both before and behind run at a speed of three miles per hour. No set rider accompanies the set. The road is not quite straight and at bends what are known as top-hat pulleys working on a vertical axis are placed to guide the rope. When about 1.5 miles from the shaft a set consisting of eight full tubs, a water barrel and the bogie became detached from the rope when it had travelled 500 yards and was 300 or 400 yards in advance of deceased and other men a little in front of him. These men heard it coming and at first thought it was an empty set and got on to full road but discovered their mistake in time and got into a refuge hole but deceased was caught and several tubs ran over him. The clutch bogie was found to be in good order after the accident and took the set outbye. It is probable that the rope had been running on the wrong side of one of the guiding pulleys and caused it to be drawn out of the clutch. There were refuge holes on the road as required by law.