Fatal Accident at the Denaby Main Colliery

On Saturday last an accident occurred at the Denaby Main Colliery which was attended with fatal consequences. It appears that some time ago a scaffolding was erected in the pit for the purpose of excavating a sufficient quantity of earth to allow of an engine-house being built.

A miner named Morgan was at the time the accident occurred on the top of the scaffold, and two men named Walker and Morris were underneath it. Walker drew Morris’s attention to the fact that the structure was unsafe, and while the men were examining it the whole gave way and buried them beneath its weight.

Morris was killed instantly, but strange to say neither Walker nor Morgan were seriously hurt, although the former was standing close to Morris when the accident occurred, and Morgan was upon the scaffold.

The Inquest

An inquest was held at the Rereseby Arms, Denaby, on Wednesday afternoon, before Mr. D. Wightman, coroner, and a jury of whom Mr. Joseph Dykes was foreman. Mr. Chambers represented the company, and Mr. Wardell, Her Majesty’s Inspector, was also present.

Evidence of John Morris (son of the deceased)

The first witness examined was John Morris, son of the deceased, who said his father was employed at Denaby Main and was in his 61st year. Witness heard of the accident at 10 p.m. on the 17th, the day his father was killed.

In his opinion the accident was caused by the breaking of the beam of the scaffold, and there was too much dirt placed on the scaffold. The dirt had been pulled from the roof and placed there by the men who had been working earlier. Witness blamed Mr. William Oswald, the deputy, for allowing so much dirt to remain on the scaffold.

His father had mentioned on the Friday that Mr. Oswald had ordered two men to work on the scaffold to get dirt down, and had warned that someone would have to take responsibility if it was unsafe.

Witness also said his father had been examining the scaffold when it collapsed.

Evidence of Thomas Walker

Thomas Walker, a byeworkman at the colliery, said he and Morris were on the scaffold checking whether it was safe. The structure showed no sign of breaking at first.

Walker filled a tub with earth and while they were working he noticed one of the bars giving way and warned Morris:

“Morris, I believe one of these bars is giving way.”

Morris replied, “Not it.”

Walker told him to come down and see for himself. Morris began to descend and examined the cracked beam, saying:

“I expect this is the bar, Walker.”

As soon as he spoke, the bar cracked again, and the entire scaffold collapsed on both of them.

Walker managed to move his foot and reach Morris, but although Morris moved his lips slightly he never spoke again. He was buried under rubble for about half an hour before being freed, by which time he was dead.

Evidence of Other Witnesses

E. J. Findler, employed at Denaby Main, said he was pulling a wagon under the scaffold when he heard Walker call Morris to inspect the scaffold because it was giving way. Morris came down to examine it and was under the scaffold when it collapsed.

William Morgan stated he had been working above the scaffold. When it fell he jumped clear and was not injured. He confirmed Morris had been supervising the erection of the scaffold.

William Oswald, deputy at the colliery, said he saw Morris about a quarter past four. At that time he was removing stone from the roof and had ordered the scaffold to be cleared. Morris had said he would remove a few pieces of stone before the men began work again.

Oswald said the scaffold had been erected about ten days earlier and was strong enough to bear about six tons weight. He did not think excessive dirt had been placed on it.

Discussion at the Inquest

Evidence suggested that too much weight may have been placed on the scaffold, although opinions differed as to how much. The coroner remarked that if Morris had been killed by a falling stone rather than the collapse, Morgan would have been in a worse position.

The coroner also observed that the deceased was an experienced miner of about 60 years of age, who had spent most of his life in coal pits and would have understood the risks involved.

Verdict

After hearing all the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death.”