Easington Colliery

Miscellaneous Notes and Incidents

At Easington Colliery, Durham, on 7th December, 1951, an accident occurred in connection with a set of 81 steel tubs hauled by an electrically driven main and tail rope haulage on a main intake haulage road used solely for man riding. Seventeen persons sustained injury, but none of the injuries was sufficiently serious to be reportable. A set containing 150 men was being hauled inbye at a speed of 7½ miles per hour on a roadway dipping inbye at an average of 1 in 20, but with local variations in gradient. In accordance with established practice there were no persons in the first nine tubs and the set attendant was alone in the tenth tub. Just after the set had passed on to a steeper part of the gradient the attendant saw the leading tub rear up and become derailed. He reached for the bare signalling wires in order to signal "stop" but at that point a back canch was being taken and a length of 25 yards of the bare wires had been replaced by insulated cable. The attendant accordingly jumped off the set in order to give the signal. The immediate reaction of the workmen who saw the attendant jump was to jump also, under the impression that the set was running amain. The nine leading tubs of the set were found derailed, having over-run the tail rope due to inadequate braking by the engineman. On man-riding haulages such provision for signalling should be made that signals may be given without a person having occasion to leave the set and thus cause others to panic as in this case. The replacement of lengths of bare wire by insulated cable at ripping canches is common practice, but on man-riding haulages a pull-wire and switch should be substituted so as to provide continuity.

Source: 1951 Mines Inspectors Report