Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	10th May 1905
Colliery:	Fallowfield (Barytes)
Cause:	(See description below)
Lives Lost:	1

Deceased, who was ordinarily employed as banker on the surface but who occasionally acted as putter underground, was engaged on the latter employment on the day of the accident. Two cages run in a vertical shaft having working levels at 50 fathoms, 60 fathoms, and 65 fathoms. The shaft at the 50 was fenced by two chains, one 2 feet and the other 3 feet 6 inches from the pavement, stretching across the road 4 feet away from the shaft. There were no fixed lights at the shaft in the working levels. The putters go from one level to another and attend to the cage and signals. After bait, which all the miners take on the surface, deceased and others descended to resume work; deceased got off at the 60 and shortly afterwards returned to the shaft and shouted to a putter at the 65 that there was a fall in the level; he rapped for the cage and got in and the putter at the 65 rapped him up to the 50 and then went away from the shaft, and on his return in half-an-hour found deceased lying u the shaft bottom dead. Two wheels and axle from a tub were also found near and an empty tub was found in the shaft about the 60. Two men who had got off the cage at the 50 after bait, and before the accident, found the chains there unhooked and an empty tub lying on its side about 7 feet from the shaft in the short and nearly level crosscut to the vein. It is supposed that while deceased was putting this tub on the way he had in some way approached the shaft and fallen down. It appeared that the chains were not regularly used. The jury added to their verdict of accidental death a recommendation that gates should be used to fence the shaft instead of chains, and that lights should be fixed at the various levels.

Source:

1905 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2910)

	Cowing, George, aged 19, Putter
	All names found

 

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