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Full Details

Surname
O’NEIL
Forename
Thomas
Day
09
Month
10
Year
1905
Age
29
Occupation
Hewer
Mine/Quarry Name
Lintz
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
South Garesfield Colliery Co. Ltd
Location
Burnhopfield
County
Durham
Details of Event
The coal and coke from Lintz Collieries is run in North Eastern Railway Co’s. 10-ton trucks down a self-acting incline to sidings adjacent to the North Eastern Railway. The site is about half a mile long, and has a gradient. It runs nearly east and west, but is carried to the south at top and bottom. The rope about three quarters the distance round a clip pulley 8 feet 4 inches in diameter, with horizontal axis; band brakes worked by a screw are fixed on each side of the clip pulley. After the set start while it is being run round the curve the top, it moves slowly, some of the brakes on the trucks being in as well as the brakes on the pulley and the set rider walks behind guiding the rope on to the sheaves on the curve; arrived at the straight road, the brakes are eased and the set rider gets on to the last truck. A set of three loaded coke trucks left the top and drew away three empty trucks from the bottom. Some alterations were in progress at the bottom and sleepers were unballasted, and the chain next the rope there, caught under one of them and the sets came to a stand. A telephone message, which had not been properly under-stood, was sent to the top to tell the brakesman to hold tight as the chain was to be disconnected at the bottom in order to free it. The brakesman, who was not the regular hand, con-tinned to lower the full set slowly round the curve and was able while doing so to control it, although the empty trucks were then disconnected. When the full set arrived at the straight road, he eased the brakes and it ran amain, and although he again applied the brakes, and was able to stop the pulley revolving, the rope surged round it; the full set dashed to the foot of the incline and caused a wreck, the empty rope coming into the brake house. Deceased, after his day's work was over, and after he had been home and changed. was riding on the last truck of the full set, and although told to get off, both before the set rider realised anything was wrong, and afterwards, had remained on too long and was found dead a little below meetings, having either jumped off or been thrown off, and his head came in contact with a sheave. Deceased was trespassing, and notices prohibiting riding on the trucks are posted on the incline. After the disconnected rope moved away from the bottom, the set rider there appears to have neglected telephoning to the top warning the brakesman. Runaway switches a short distance above meetings, could not be made use of in time.