| Disasters - Names |
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Disasters - Names | ||
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| Date: | 24th February 1891 |
| Colliery: | Oakenshaw |
| Cause: | (See description below) |
| Lives Lost: | 1 |
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| Description | |
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No. 10 on the list occurred at Oakenshaw Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Strakers & Love, on the 24th February about 4 p.m., causing the death of Andrew Bowden, a coal hewer. The cause of this accident was a fall of stone, which in itself calls for no special remark, as I believe it was purely accidental, but part of Special Rule 54, which reads as follows, "He (the deputy) shall, at the close of each day's work, that the whole of the men and boys are out of the portion of the mine assigned to him," &c., seems to have been contravened by the deputy.
At this pit it was the custom to have each man's number on a board, and mark in chalk opposite it at the meeting stations, and as the men came out they rubbed this mark out ; the deputy thus knew when he came to look at the board who was in the workings and who had gone out. On this day the deputy had been engaged with some other work, and on coming to where the board was he found all the marks, except the one opposite to deceased's number, had been obliterated. He, however, did not go to deceased's place, as he should have done, but went out to the shaft and asked the onsetter if all the men from his district had come out ; the onsetter replied that he did not know. Notwithstanding this the deputy went to bank, then to deceased's house, and inquired if he had come home, on being told that he had not, he went and informed the back-overman. They went to deceased's place in the pit, and found him covered by a large fall of stone quite dead.
I made representations to the management, who dealt with the case by dismissing the deputy for neglect. It is difficult to say whether, if the deputy had gone to the place as soon as he found the chalk mark on the board at the meeting station had not been rubbed out, deceased's life would have been saved. Possibly it might, but I am inclined to think that it would not.
| Source: | 1891 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6625) |
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| Fatalities | |
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Bowden, Andrew, aged 21, Hewer, heavy fall of stone while driving a place alongside an old working | |
All names found |
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