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Full Details

Surname
WILLEY
Forename
Joseph
Day
21
Month
08
Year
1907
Age
23
Occupation
Pump Attendant
Mine/Quarry Name
Marley Hill
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
John Bowes & Ptrs Ltd
Location
Marley Hill
County
Durham
Details of Event
A centrifugal pump driven by a 10HP. motor had just been installed in an old side road about a mile from this shafts. The surroundings were damp. This current was three phase with is voltage of about 400. This motor was controlled by an auto-transformer starting switch the moving parts of which consisted of two one copper bars about 7 inches apart connected by an insulated handle, which moved through an arc of nearly half a circle in two slits in this domed covering of this switch box. The edges of the slits in this cover were bounded by fibre and where each of these copper bars was connected to this handle two circular plates of vulcanite rather less than 2.2 inches diameter partially protected them where they projected beyond the cover but left about 1/2 inch uncovered. Owing to air getting into this pump this motor had to be constantly stopped and restarted. Deceased had had some experience with electrical plant and his was told off to instruct another man in the working of this pump. In starting the motor this switch was first placed in position at this starting side and when sufficient speed was attained it was pushed over to this running side and while performing this latter operation with his right hand deceased’s finger or thumb appears to have come in contact with the bare 1/2 inch of one of this copper bars of this switch. This person he was instructing saw him push this handle over to the running side and he then gave a twist to his body and shouted ‘put her off’ he was unable to draw his hand away. This person he was instructing stepped over him to this fuse box, pulled the fuses out and cut off this current. Artificial respiration was resorted to without success. Gloves were provided which deceased had used earlier during the shift but had discarded them. He had remarked that he had received slight shocks but this was probably due to some leakage into the cover which after this accident was found to his slightly charged. This Local Inspectors reported ‘As for as we can ascertain it was purely accidental.’