Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Monday 22 December 1890
Carelessness in Mines.
Narrow Escape at Denaby.
Joseph Miller, a Jenny lad, employed at Denaby was nearly the scene of the serious accident occurring the 11th of this month, and it is fortunate for him that no lives were lost
The facts came out before the West Riding magistrates sitting at Rotherham this morning.
Miller’s duty is to stay at the top of the West Jenny, and incline about 500 yards in length, and having a gradient of one in 10.
At his end are provided stays and a dummy, so that when the corves reach the top he can so fix them that they remain safe. From the other end is a signal communicating with him, and until that signal is rung his duties to allow no corves to go down the incline. On the day in question, after sending the lad down to open some doors, and for some reason or another, without receiving any signal, he let the full corves go.
This soon acquired a high speed, and the boy in front hearing a noise, got into a refuge. Fortunately the corves left the line, were overturned and three broken, otherwise serious damage would had been done.
The defendant admitted it was an accident at the time, but told the magistrates now that the other lad had shifted the dummy.
He was fine 20 shillings including costs