Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	18th January 1881
Colliery:	Lingdale (Ironstone)
Cause:	Crushed by cage
Lives Lost:	1

No. 2 on the list occurred at the Lingdale Mine, causing the death of John Stevens, the onsetter; he and John Wass, the banksman, were cleaning the shaft and cages of ice before work began in the morning. According to the evidence of Wass after they were done in the shaft they cleaned one of the cages at bank, and Stevens went to the bottom in it, after arranging with Wass that he (Wass) was to clean the other cage when it came to bank. This Wass did, first cleaning the top of the cage and then the bottom, and for this purpose the cage was first put with the top level with the flat sheets, and then the bottom, and it appeared Stevens had commenced to clear ice out of the shaft bottom directly under the cage, which crushed him when it came down. Wass said that there was a clear understanding between them as to how he was going to clean the cage, and that Stevens should not have gone into the shaft bottom until he got a signal that it was finished.

Source:

1881 Mines Inspectors Report (C 3241)

	Stevens, John, aged 47, Onsetter, crushed by the descending cage while taking off ice at the pit bottom, he had apparently acted contrary to arrangement between himself, the banksman, and brakesman, not to commence until getting a signal from them that all was clear at bank
	All names found

 

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