Midland Coal, Coke &
Iron Co.

Martin Riley,

Staffordshire, N.

47.
Shifter.

Oct. 16,
10.20 a.m.

Littleton
Ltd.

Colleries,

George Lunt,

39, Overman.

Staffordshire, S.

Oct. 24,

Roberts & Co.

Coal Leasows,
Staffordshire, S.

Staffordshire, N.

William Potts,

32, Pikeman.

Deceased was killed by a fall of bass from the arching of a roadway that had been ripped in the roof of the Bullhurst, where
it is inclined at an angle of 40 degrees to the horizontal. He was at the time cleaning dirt up off the roadway after
repairing operations.

A guide pulley at the head of a self-acting endless rope jig had broken, causing the rope to surge violently against the roadside
and apparently to shake the timber. The manager, under-manager, and deceased were present to arrange for necessary
repairs, when two props were suddenly reeled out and about two tons of roof came down, falling upon deceased and
fracturing his spine. He was extricated in 35 minutes, but was then dead.

Deccased had set a vertical holing prop under a 2-foot top coal, and was pulling out some holing dirt to make room for another,
when about 5 cwts. of top coal suddenly came away, killing him instantly. It appeared that a cocker sprag, properly set,
might have prevented the accident.

Shelton Iron, Steel. & Henry J. Hayward, A haulage road was being ripped to make height. A short bridge had been left in between two faults, and deceased and a
Coal Co., Ltd.
29,
timberer were sent to take it down. They had done so, set two steel girders 8 feet apart, resting upon props, placed
Dataller's Labourer. two or three poles upon them, covered with packing, but leaving a space between the packing and the roof. A small
quantity of dirt fell from the roof or side, and the timberer, who was in charge, left deceased to redd it in order to clear the
haulage road, while he went outbye for another pole. A fall of roof took place, crashing through two of the poles and
burying deceased, killing him instantly. The fall revealed a third cross-slip, which had not been seen before. If the
space above the poling had been packed full and the timber thoroughly secured before deceased went under it to redd up
the road, the accident would probably not have happened.
This accident occurred in the "Thick" Coal, which was about 18 feet in thickness. The coal had been worked back to jig head,
with the exception of a small pillar, 3 to 5 yards square, on each side of jig. Deceased and another were fetching out a
loaded tub, when a "goth" or bump took place, and the coal which formed the roof of the jig fell for a length of 20 feet
and a width of 10 feet. The jig top was not timbered, except one post and lid at left side. The "doggy' or fireman
examined the place an hour before the accident took place, and he and the miners who were at work were of opinion that,
notwithstanding the proximity of the working faces, the road did not require to be timbered.
Deceased was about to draw some timber between a fault which the longwall face had stripped and the face pack. He appeared
to have been sawing one of the props to loosen it, when the roof began to "work.' He retired to what he probably con-
sidered a safe distance, when the roof burst out in the centre of the wall and buried him. He was dead when extricated.
A ringer and chain was within 20 yards of him, but had not been used. He was directly employed by a contractor, who had
sent him to draw the timber.

Earl of Dudley

Joseph Bennett,
21,
Loader.

Sneyd,
Staffordshire, N.

Sneyd Collieries, Ltd.

Emmanuel Wood,
20,
Collier.

Holly Bank

No. 15,
Staffordshire, S.
Knutton Manor,
Staffordshire, N.

Netherton,
Cabbage Hall,
No. 1 Pit,

Worcestershire.

Whitfield,

Staffordshire, N.

Knutton

62, Miner.

Edward Onions,
20,
Horse Driver.
George Whitney.
52,
Ripper.

Deceased was pulling down a piece of roofstone with a pick. It came away unexpectedly, and in stepping back he slipped and
fell, the stone knocking him back against the corner of a partially built pack, fracturing his spine. He died nine days
later of pneumonia supervening upon the spinal injuries.

Deceased was wedging some bottom stone down in the Red Mine when a portion of tops supported on a sprag came away,
reeling the sprag and falling on deceased's knees before he could move back out of the way. He died six days afterwards.
Deceased was taking an empty tub inbye along a wet and muddy level. The tub was derailed at a fault and knocked out some
timber, causing some other props to reel out and letting down the roof. Deceased was knocked down with his face in the
mud and the horse fell upon him. The fine dirt which fell stopped the water and deceased was dead before he could be
extricated.

Deceased and another were trying to pull down a bridge which had been left in the ripping and which had probably been shaken
by a shot. It was 14 inches in thickness, had a loose end at rise side but appeared to be fast at dip side. They tried to pull
down the whole thickness at once, but failed, and were setting a temporary prop under it, when the lower portion cɔme
away and killed him instantly.

• All mines are coal mines, unless otherwise specified.

Deceased was struck on the shoulder by a piece of dirt from a shot fired in the ripping in a Cockshead jig. While firing he had
taken refuge in a manhole 20 yards down the dip, but, on the opposite side to that on which the shot was. He would have
been out of danger had he gone upwards into the drift at the top. He died on March 4th of tetanus resulting from the
wound.
When electrically firing a ripping shot charged with 10 ozs. of Monobel powder, deceased placed an empty tub 14 yards from the
shot. and took up a position 3 yards outbye from the tub. A piece of rock, probably ricochetting, struck him on right side
causing a severe wound. He succumbed to his injuries on 8th June.
This accident was directly due to a breach of Special Rule 127. A shot-firer, who was also more or less injured, had charged a
shot at the face of a dip crut. Deceased was meanwhile collecting and moving back tools from the face. The battery had
been left behind at a crosscut about 45 yards away. One of the cutters went to it, while a third stood near the face, holding
the wires to, as he said, test the cable. The latter at a word from the shot-firer handed over the wires, and the shot firer
connected up. No sooner had he done so than the charge exploded and deceased received the rock, blown out, on his face
and chest.
Deceased was firing two shots charged with compressed powder. Taped fuse was used, the length of the fuses being 24 and
4 feet respectively. Deceased appeared to have lighted both shots at a time, in direct contravention of the Special Rules
and a notice posted in the mine, and to have returned prematurely, thinking that he had failed to light the long fuse.
Deceased was firing two shots in top ripping, one at each side of the road, each charge consisting of 6 ozs. of ammonite with
No. 7 high tension detonator. They were fired electrically from a manhole 15 yards distant. He appeared to have fired
both shots at the same time, in contravention of a Special Rule established at the colliery. He was struck by stones
projected from the shots and probably riochetting, receiving injuries which terminated fatally sixteen days later.

Deceased had rapped away a set of two empty tubs from the foot of a jig 40 yards in length and having a gradient of 1 in 3. The rope broke when the full tubs were half-way down, and deceased was struck by them. There was a manhole at the signal lever in which he could have remained with safety. The rope was of steel, inch diameter, and had been in use for six months. The night overman and jigger had both examined it at the beginning of the shift and found no broken wires,

APPENDIX I.]

MR. HUGH JOHNSTONE'S REPORT.

Deceased was a taker-off at the bottom of a jig on the Hardmine Level. He was run over by the first load of a journey going

past his jig. How he came to be in the way is not known, as the driver was behind the journey. Just at the moment, however, there was a runaway in the jig and he may have been startled and, jumping up suddenly, probably stumbled in Deceased was taking a tub weighing 293 cwts. gross along a road dipping 21 inches per yard. He appeared to have been in front front of the loads. of the tub for some purpose and to have been caught and crushed by it, his neck being broken. The tub carried two drags, locking the four wheels.

Jones,
Fishley Colliery Co., Thomas Hammond, An
19,
Horse Driver.
28,
Ltd.
Haulage chargeman.

John Hancock,

Jan. 31, 7 p.m.

Littleton,
Staffordshire, S.

Littleton
Ltd.

Collieries,

Shelton Iron, Steel &
Coal Co., Ltd.

Staffordshire, N.

Door-keeper.
Alfred Huyton,

18,
Wagoner.

Barker,
17,
Hooker-on.

Northwood,
Staffordshire, N.

T. Beech Barton

Thomas Bagnall,

23,
Loader.

Edward Alcock,
17,
Airway-boy.

ordinary screw clip by which two full tubs where attached to an endless rope broke at a point when the gradient was 1 in 4.
No drag or fork having been attached to the rear tub, they ran back for a distance of about 80 yards and struck deceased,
killing him and injuring two others. The omission to attach a drag was a contravention of Special Rule 101 on the part of
a haulage lad.

Two empty tubs became uncoupled from a set when going down an engine dip and ran away. Deceased appeared to have
opened his door for them, but to have got in the way instead of remaining in a recess made for him. He was struck by the
tubs and killed almost instantly.

Deceased and another youth were engaged in waggoning up and down a slight incline off a level in the Rowhurst: the former
to the top about 40 yards up, and the latter to an air-road about half-way up. Deceased brought a load down and was just
starting up with an empty when a load, started from the landing half-way up, having lost its locker, came down out of control
and knocked the empty tub back and deceased along with it into the deepзide of the level at the bottom. There were arrange-
ments made for the two youths to shout to each other to obviate the occurrence of collisions, but on this occasion the
arrangements failed.

Deceased was found lying dead in the level off a haulage slant in the Seven Feet. The front tub of a journey of empties coming
down the slant had become uncoupled and raced away down the slant. Deceased was probably waiting in the shunt to land
this journey when he heard the tub coming and turned and fled along the level. He apparently lost his light and ran
headlong into the side of the road with sufficient force to break his neck. He was found four yards beyond the empty tub.
and with no injuries indicative of having been struck by it at all.
This accident was caused by a tub on an endless rope in a dip inclined at an angle of about 35° becoming unclipped from the
rope and running back. It was the custom at "loose it" for the rope to be emptied of tubs and loads in order that the men
might travel. The rope was run at a slow speed and the men were assisted by attaching short pieces of cord to the rope
On this date someone had attached an empty without authority, and in direct contravention of
Men were riding either in or on
and holding on to the same.
posted regulations. After going about 120 yards the tub became detached and ran back.
the tub, but whether either of the deceased or both were so doing was not certain. The tub ran down the dip a distance of
60 yards passing on its way a number of men walking up, fortunately without doing further injury. No evidence as to
who was responsible for attaching the tub could be obtained, in spite of a reward offered for information.
Deceased started his pony with a journey of loads out of a shunt and then ran in front, and in crossing over the rails he fell
against the deepside of the level and was crushed by the oncoming loads before he could move out of the way. He died on
the following day.

Deceased stated that he was walking outbye behind a loaded tub when his horse stopped.

He passed the tub to ascertain what

was stopping it, when the horse suddenly moved away. Grice's head caught on a bar and he fell in front of the tub which
jammed him, fracturing his spine. He died on the following day. The managers have had considerable difficulty in
preventing lads from riding on the tubs or tail chains in contravention of the Special Rules, and have repeatedly fined and
prosecuted them.

Struck by runaway tubs at foot of self-acting incline. See Report, p. 16.

Struck and run over by empty tubs when hooking on at foot of jig. Leg broken and ribs fractured, Died on 11th March, 1907.

Pikeman.

* All mines are coal mines, unless otherwise specified.

Haulage (b.) Run over or Crushed by Trams or Tubs.

E.

A chip of coal from his pick point struck him on the right eye, resulting in corneal ulcer and septicemia. He died on 13th June.