Single Record

Full Details

Surname

TAYLOR

Forename

Thomas Darling

Day

03

Month

06

Year

1904

Age

27

Occupation

Shaftman

Mine/Quarry Name

Usworth

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Johnasson, Gordon & Co.

Location

Usworth

County

Durham

Details of Event

An underground hauling rope carried down a wet upcast shaft surmounted by a fan to the Main Coal seam in wooden boxes clammed to the side of the shaft had broken open the box early in the day and hung in a loop in the shaft and was caught and broken by one of the cages running in the shaft. The lower part of the broken rope was drawn down into the seam and the upper part drawn up by the hauling engine so as to be clear of the broken part of the box and the pit resumed coal drawing. After coal work was over deceased who was leading man, and another shaftman went into the shaft to the broken box on the cage top, to the chairs of which they were attached by safely belts and had six lighted safety lamps hung on to the cage. The upper part of the broken rope was lowered a little and they lapped the end and cut off the broken wires. The cage was then lowered to the Main coal where deceased got off other man returned to the broken box and guides the rope into it and it was lowered until it reached the sheave at the Main Coal where it stuck another loop was formed in the shaft. The cage was lowered to the Main coal and they both returned to the loop and were both attached to the cage by their safety belts. Deceased reached forward to shake the loop, when he fell from the cage to the bottom of the shaft the Hutton seam, a dial to or 70 fathoms where his body was found with the safety belt buckled round him with chain and spring lock attached. The hook was slightly damaged but this might be caused by the fall. The Local Inspector reported ‘as far as we can see purely accidental.'