Single Record

Full Details

Surname

WINFER

Forename

Charles

Day

07

Month

12

Year

1909

Age

30

Occupation

Loader

Mine/Quarry Name

Cannock, Old Coppice

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

J. Hawkins & Sons

Location

Cheslyn Hay

County

Staffordshire

Details of Event

Both the deceased were working at the face in the Brooch and Benches Seam when a huge piece of rock 15ft. long, 4ft. wide, and 5ft. thick it the apex, and weighing over 12 tons, fell without any warning from the roof between the cog and the coal face, killing them instantly. The stone fell from two slips, one running along the cog side and passing up vertically, the other running along the edge of the coal face and running obliquely to meet the first. A row of props were placed along the edge of the cog side, with a long lid or bar on each of the ends of which reached to within 18ins. of the face; the slip on the cog side was visible before the accident but the deputy and men thought these long lids had a sufficient hold of the roof, which however broke off the lids by the line of the props in falling the other slip was not seen previous to the fall. The to deceased had only been in the stall 40 minutes when the fall took place and no coal had been worked off the face during that time they having filled away some loose coal left from the previous day, and being in the act of preparing to set a foreset (at the request of the deputy) when they were killed. 2 killed.