Coroner’s Inquest at Denaby.

On Friday last, a coroner’s inquest was held at the Reresby Arms, Denaby Main, before Dossey Wightman, Esq., touching the death of a man named Griffiths, a workman in the employ of the Denaby Main Colliery Company, whose death was reported in our last week’s issue.

Wm. Griffiths, collier, Mexboro’, deposed: I am father of deceased, who was 49 years old. He was a collier at Denaby Main. I saw him last alive on Friday last in good health. He was not subject to fits or giddiness. His eyesight was good, &c. Jno.

Leadbeater deposed as follows: I am a miner, and was at Denaby Main yesterday morning, at the pit hill. Have known deceased some years. Saw him at work. He came to me and said there were to be no tubs filled that day, as they were short of trucks. He said he should go home, and gave me some tea from the can. I went to fetch two more tubs down, and then went home, and found that deceased had not come. He lodged with me. About 6-30 a.m., some colliers came and said deceased was dead. I have seen the place, and in my opinion he has fallen from the top landing where he worked into the bottom, a distance of about 16 feet. He was quite sober and I cannot account for his falling. He left me about 2-30 a.m. to go home, and it was quite dark at the time. Have worked many years at collieries and considered the place was safe. Deceased has been working at collieries all his working life. I think he took the wrong way in going home, turning to the left instead of the right.

Samuel Manshaw, bricklayer, deposed he was working coal at Denaby. Did not know deceased until 5-15 a.m. yesterday, (Thursday) when he found him lying dead under the bridge. He was fully dressed. I looked up and saw two tubs on the bridge over him. I think he must have fallen from there to the place I found him. If he turned to the left from the top instead of to the right he would fall to the place he was in. I think it was not safe at dark for a stranger. Five o’clock was the proper time for him to have gone to his work. He must have gone earlier so as to be first man and get a better chance of getting tubs.

The jury returned a verdict that deceased was accidentally killed by a fall from the gantry to the floor of the pit head of the Denaby Main Colliery, on the 28th day of August, 1879.