| Disasters - Names |
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Disasters - Names | ||
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| Date: | 15th June 1900 |
| Colliery: | Westerton |
| Cause: | Underground Haulage Accident |
| Lives Lost: | 1 |
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| Description | |
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No. 218 on the list occurred at Westerton Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Ltd., on June 15th, and caused the death of a hewer and injury to five other men.
The deceased along with other men was riding out-bye on the engine plane, in what is called the men's set, at the end of the shift and at a place where the road rises 1 in 6, and when the set was in the heaviest part a coupling chain broke and all the tubs except the first ten ran amain and eventually got off the way.
Deceased and the men who were injured, when they found the set was running back, jumped out of the tubs, the others remained where they were and took no harm. I cannot blame them for attempting to get out as soon as they found something was wrong, it is a very natural thing to do and in many cases would be the safest.
Since this accident occurred a "cow" has been used when men are riding in the sets, and it would have been much better if one had been in use before, it would probably have prevented the tubs running back very far and the unfortunate loss of life and personal injury.
| Source: | 1900 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 536), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian. |
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| Fatalities | |
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Killary, John, aged 47, Hewer, Riding out-bye on engine plane in men's set, when a tub coupling link broke, and part of set went amain for short distance and deceased was killed. | |
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