Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	24th September 1894
Colliery:	Montreal, No. 5 Pit
Cause:	Precipitated down shaft
Lives Lost:	2

On September 24th an accident occurred at No. 5 pit, Montreal Mine, near Cleater Moor, by which two men, Michael Scott and Bernard Murphy, miners, met with their deaths through being precipitated down the shaft. The circumstances which led up to the unfortunate occurrence were as follows : — In April last operations were commenced to strengthen the headgear and at the same time to put some new pumps into the shaft. There were two cages in the pit, both of which were provided with a King's safety detaching hook, in addition to an apparatus for clutching the wood guide rods in case of a breakage of the rope. It was found that the iron plate through which the hook passed in case of an overwind, and so liberated the rope, was in the way of the crab rope used for lowering the pumps, and it became necessary, therefore, to remove the plate, and as this rendered the hook useless the latter was also taken off, and in its place there was substituted an old fashioned hook, which, on coming into contact with a cross beam, liberated the rope from the cage, but did not, as in the case of the King's hook, suspend the cage in the head gear. Should the hook come into operation from any cause it was expected that the clutch arrangement would come into action, and so arrest the downward movement of the cage. The apparatus referred to consisted of an arrangement of levers acting upon two pawls on either side of the cage which fall into contact with a double ratchet plate fixed on each guide rod in the shaft. On the rope becoming detached the levers are brought into play through thc action of two India-rubber springs. It was given in evidence at the inquest that periodical trials were made with this apparatus by detaching the cage from the rope and that in no instance had it been known to fail.

On the day of the accident no ore was to be drawn, but several men, including the two deceased, went down the pit to effect repairs in the workings and for other purposes. Opportunity was taken of the pit being idle to repair the "keps" at the pit top, and for that purpose a temporary scaffold of loose planks was placed over the pit just below the "keps," and so arranged that the rope would run freely in the event of any winding being required. The engineman was aware of this, as he was on the heapstead and passed over the scaffold at the time it was erected, soon after 7 a.m. Shortly before 9 a.m. Mr. Wm. Black, the surveyor, and his assistant, Mr. Thomas Jenkins, were lowered down the pit from the surface landing. They completed their work, and on ascending the pit again in company with the overman, Richard Bawden, the cage was stopped at the same (surface) landing. Soon after the engineman received a signal from below that men were about to ride, and on getting the knock to go on, he raised the cage, but instead of stopping at the surface landing, was taking it to the pit top or ordinary stopping place, when the detaching hook came into contact with the temporary staging, releasing the rope from the cage, but for some reason the pawls of the safety apparatus failed to strike the ratchets on the guides, and the cage, with the two deceased men, fell for some distance down the shaft before the pawls caught the wood guides. The explanation given by the engineman, Thomas Bland, at the time was that he had forgotten the existence of the scaffold, but at the inquest, where, after being cautioned by the coroner, he elected to give evidence, he stated as follows :—

"I live at 19, Birks Road, Cleator Moor, and on Monday, the 24th September, I was on duty at my engine at No. 5 pit. I was told by my partner John Martin that morning that they were going to repair the "keps," and I found out myself by going there that the work was going on. I have been an engineman for 17 years. During that time there has been no complaint against me, nor have I had any mishap. On the morning of the 24th September I arrived at the pit at seven o'clock. I was informed about the improvements to be made to the "keps," and at that time the right — hand cage was standing on the "keps." I let it down to the surface, so that it would be clear of the "keps." About eight o'clock in the morning I went to examine that cage, and on my way the banker Patrick McKay called my attention to the signal wire. About ten minutes later Richard Bawden came and I reported the wire to him. He and I went up on the pit top, across the planks, to examine the wire, and he said he would get it put right. About nine or a little after Thomas Jenkins and William Black came to the engine-house door and asked me had I seen Richard Bawden, and had he gone down the pit. I told them I could not say whether he had gone down the open cut or back to the hut. They said they wanted to go down the pit. I told them the cage was at the surface, fully expecting that the banker would attend to them. Someone shouted "lower away to No. 2 eye"; I did lower and left the cage standing at No. 2 eye, after they had knocked one to say that all was clear. At 20 minutes past 10 I got a signal, three knocks, indicating that men were coming up. I answered one, that I was ready. They replied one, which meant raise cage. This was the first cage to be raised that morning. I raised the cage to the surface, expecting the banker to be there to receive it. I could not see the banker from where I was working; the banksman was not visible. When the banksman was at the surface it was impossible for me to see him from where I sit. He could make me hear by shouting, which is a customary thing when stopping at the surface or lowering down to the surface. The banksman, Patrick McKay, has given me orders to lower the cage to the surface on several occasions. When the cage is coming up it was usually raised to the top, but the banksman has given me orders which have made me raise the cage to the surface instead of to the pit top. On those occasions I have obeyed his orders.

Did you get any special signal when the fatal draw was made ? — No, just the ordinary signal to draw to the top. The only indication I got to draw to the top was by seeing the banker on the permanent stage at the pit top and two of the joiners. One of thejoiners was in a kneeling position, as if he expected the cage coming through the "keps." I took that as an indication to draw to the top, because I did not see the banker when the other two cages were brought up. That was the reason why I was deceived. In my opinion it was the banker's duty to be at the spot where the cage ran to. If in the third draw I had not seen the banker at the pit top I would have stopped the cage at the surface, as in the two previous cases. Beyond seeing the banksman, I had no other indication of where the cage was to stop."

By Mr. Roberts (a juror) : "I had my engine under such control that if I had got the least warning I could have stopped it within a few inches."

By Mr. Chapman: "Not seeing the banksman at the top at the first draw, I assumed that " he was at the surface, and took that as an indication to draw to the surface."

It should be stated that after seeing four men lowered in the morning, McKay, as was usual when no ore was being drawn, ceased to act as banksman, and was engaged in general labourer's work, assisting the joiners at the "keps," &c., and there is no doubt the engineman was well aware of the practice on such occasions, and, further, the very position of the banksman when the fatal draw was made should have been a warning to him, as the former would not have been there in the absence of the scaffold.

After an inquiry lasting over 12 hours, the jury returned a verdict to the effect "That we consider that Michael Scott and Bernard Murphy came by their deaths by accident through an error of judgment on the part of Thomas Bland, the engineman."

One unsatisfactory feature of the case was as to the reason the safety clutching apparatus failed to act at a time when it was so much needed, and yet on other occasions had done its work successfully, but from experiments that have been made I think that the following explanation is a feasible one. As already explained, the levers which actuate the pawls are inside the cage near the top, and a tall man, unless he were kneeling down, would lean against one or other of these levers with his shoulders, and as a matter of fact one of the deceased men was seen in that position when the cage came into sight at the top. On feeling the lever falling he would instinctively try to pull himself together, and in doing so prevent the levers from acting instantaneously, as was the case in this instance. Actual trials proved that a man in the way deceased stood could easily prevent the pawls from acting. Should the above explanation be the correct one, or even if such an occurrence is possible, it is very necessary that the levers of any similar safety contrivance should he well protected.

Source:

1894 Mines Inspectors Report (C 7667), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.

	Murphy, Bernard, aged 45, Miner, A temporary staging had been placed across the top of the shaft to facilitate repairs, and the accident was caused by the engine-man attempting to raise the cage to the pit top, instead of stopping at the surface [Inspection made & inquest attended]
	Scott, Michael, aged 55, Miner, A temporary staging had been placed across the top of the shaft to facilitate repairs, and the accident was caused by the engine-man attempting to raise the cage to the pit top, instead of stopping at the surface [Inspection made & inquest attended]
	All names found

 

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