Single Record

Full Details

Surname

LIGHTBURN

Forename

Atherley Graham

Day

01

Month

10

Year

1907

Age

20

Occupation

Onsetter

Mine/Quarry Name

East Pontop

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

East Pontop Coal Co. Ltd

Location

Annfield Plain

County

Durham

Details of Event

The shaft is traversed by two cages, running in wire rope guides, to the Hutton seam at 60 fathoms. The cages also call for coal at the Brass Hill and Shield Row seams, at the latter of which, lying 17 fathoms from the surface the accident happened. The shaft at the Shield Row seam is fenced on each side by horizontal bars of 2 inch iron placed 3 feet 5 inches from the flat sheets, and 16 inches above these bars on the side where the accident happened is the termination of wooden doors or flaps hanging down from hinges above. The bars on the side where the accident happened, where the loaded tubs are put on the cage, have a little play so as to give if caught by coal projecting above the tops of the tubs. The shaft at the Shield Row seam was lighted by gas lights at each side. There were no tubs to send up and deceased on the full side and another onsetter on the empty side had been getting their bait. Deceased appears to have put his head beyond the bar into the shaft while a cage was coming up front the Hutton seam and was caught by it and his skull fractured. The other onsetter heard the cage ascend and heard deceased fall and going round found him lying unconscious on the flat sheets with his feet projecting into the shaft. He never recovered consciousness and died the same day. The last remark deceased had made was that he wished he had a pipe and it was surmised that he had put his head into the shaft to call to the banksman to lend him one and he had been known to do this before. The Local Inspectors reported ‘So far as the doors and fencing is concerned we found all in order hut we are unable to say what caused the wound to his head owing to there being no one present at the time.'