Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	4th December 1907
Colliery:	Pallaflat (Iron ore)
Cause:	(See description below)
Lives Lost:	1

Deceased and another miner were working in a vein of ore varying in width up to 15 feet, the working was 17 feet high and near its inner end where the vein narrowed to about 3 feet wide, a middling 3 feet deep had been left half way up with an upper and lower working. The sides of the place were hard stone and no timber was used except a few larch poles placed horizontally to carry stage planks for working on. Deceased commenced work in the upper and his mate in the lower working. About 6 p.m. they each fired 3 holes, those of deceased being in the middling. They then left the place for 1½ hours and on returning observed that the firing of the holes in the middling had loosened the side stone, but instead of attending to the loosened ground they both went past it to the face of the lower working. Deceased soon after went back to dress down his holes, and while so engaged, using a pick, a slab of stone 10½ feet long by 7½ feet wide and 6 or 7 inches thick, fell from the side from a well defined slip, upon him, killing him instantly. Instead of using a pick deceased should have used a bar and from a position of safety brought down the loosened stone, but he had only been a full miner for 2 months and lacked experience. The working places are, in accordance with the Special Rules in force at the mine, examined daily, and the place of the accident had been visited by the deputy at 8 a.m., but the overman at the inquest agreed that an examination each shift would be an improvement.

Source:

1907 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 4045), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines

	Ewing, John James, aged 24, Miner
	All names found

 

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