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Full Details

Surname
HANDLEY
Forename
Ernest
Day
12
Month
10
Year
1908
Age
20
Occupation
Fitter
Mine/Quarry Name
Nunnery
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Nunnery Colliery Co. Ltd
Location
Sheffield
County
Yorkshire WR
Details of Event
He was to be raised from the Parkgate Seam to the surface, a distance of 315 yards. The inset at this seam is 90 yards alive the Silkstone Seam or bottom of the shaft, and the cages were standing at the surface and the lower inset respectively. The hanger-on gave the usual signal for a cage to be sent to the Parkgate Seam and the engineman brought the one at the bottom of the shaft up but in doing so got it a few inches above the landing place and therefore reversed his engine and lowered the cage to the proper level. The usual signals were then given and received by the hanger-on and banksman, the man got into the cage and a signal was given for the cage to be taken to the surface. The engineman had, however, forgotten, after he put the reversing lever handle over to lower the cage at the Parkgate Seam to bring it back again, with the result that when he admitted steam into the cylinders of the winding engine the cage instead of ascending went down the shaft at a rapid rate and dashed on the bottom with such violence that the deceased was very seriously injured and died within a few hours. The rope of the ascending cage was detached and the cage suspended by the action of the detaching hook, but the impetus of the overwind was so great that considerable damage was done to the headgear, rope and other plant. A careful investigation showed that the machinery and everything in connection with the shaft were in order, and that the accident was due to a mistake on the part of the winding engineman which he freely and fully admitted.