Mexborough & Swinton Times, July 26 1935

Roof Falls.
Additional Safeguard at Cadeby.
Denaby Miner Killed.

It was stated at an inquest at Denaby Main on Saturday, on a miner killed by a fall of roof, that a different method of working a new roadways was to be tried at the Cadeby Main Colliery with a view to preventing roof falls.

The inquest was held by the Doncaster District Coroner, Mr. W. H. Carlile, with a jury, on James Arthur Sudworth (25), stone contractor, 6, Thrybergh Terrace, Denaby Main.

Mr. G. N. Scott, H.M. Inspector of Mines, and Mr. W. Criddle, colliery manager, were present.

The Coroner said that last Thursday Sudworth was excavating a roadway in the Parkgate seam at Cadeby. He and two others were talking when a fall occurred, burying Sudworth, and the other men had narrow escapes.

Annie Davies, wife of John Lloyds Davies, miner, 6, Thrybergh Terrace, Denaby Main, mother of Sudworth, gave evidence of identification.

Joseph Foster, miner, 16, The Crescent, Conanby, said he was working with Sudworth. The colliery under-manager came up to them, and they were talking when with no warning the roof gave way, and Sudworth was trapped beneath a large piece of stone, one end of which rested on the bar which had come down. Witness and the under-manager had narrow escapes. The roof was good in that part of the colliery, and witness did not know of any previous falls. There had been no timber set during the shift, but some had been set at the latter end of the previous shift. The place was properly timbered.

Herbert Cusworth, Rutland House, Buckingham Road, Conisborough, colliery under-manager, said he arrived on the scene two or three minutes before the accident. He examined the place and found it properly timbered. Sudworth was struck by a large piece of rock, and witness and foster were also caught and received slight injuries. The piece of rock measured four feet by five feet, and was three inches thick at one end and nine inches thick at the other. Sudworth was extricated within ten minutes, during which time a slight second fall occurred. The cause of the fall witness found afterwards to be a very polished ‘slip’ right on the edge of the bar.

The fall knocked out the side legs supporting the bar which had been set behind the men as they made headway along the new road. It was proposed in future to set a bar in advance, and to set the middle legs before excavating at the sides and setting the side-legs. That would mean that the men would always be working under a covered roof.

Witness agreed with the further suggestion made by Mr. J. Madin, secretary of the Y.M.A. Branch, that the use of strap bars would be an additional safeguard.

Evidence given by Dr. J. Macarthur (Denaby Main), was that Sudworth died from shock due to internal haemorrhage set up by injuries sustained in the accident.

The jury returned a verdict of ‘Accidental death.’