New Search

Full Details

Surname
BRIAR
Forename
Joseph
Day
07
Month
06
Year
1911
Age
40
Occupation
Sinker
Mine/Quarry Name
Braysdown
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Braysdown Colliery Co.
Location
Radstock
County
Somersetshire
Details of Event
The downcast shaft had been deepened, and the work was complete except for a short length of walling which had been put in some 26 yards above the lowest mouthing, known as No.5 landing. This mouthing was 12 yards above the bottom of the shaft in which there was water to a depth of 7 yards. The chargeman went down the shaft to No.5 landing and there put into the toll deck of the cage a tub of bricks in the bottom deck there was already a tub of mortar he signalled and had the cage placed so that he and three others could get into the middle deck. Then he rapped three the signal that men were going to get into the cage. The men got in, and he rapped one to pull up and got into the cage himself. The cage should then have been drawn up the shaft, and, in fact, was so drawn for 2 or 3 ft but was then lowered, and three of the men, two on one side and one on the other got out on to a bunton. Deceased did not get out, and was lowered into the water. The cage was at once raised some distance up the shaft. It was then rapped back to the No.5 landing, when deceased was found partly out of the cage, with a severe injury to his head dead. The winding engineman said he was unaware that men were in the cage; he was short of steam, and he merely lowered the cage to get it into a better position for lifting. He lowered it far further than he need have done to get both pistons into the best position for raising the load.