South Yorkshire Times Jan 15
Cleared on Charge of Cutting Denaby Pit Rope
A haulage hand who was alleged at the West Riding Quarter Sessions at Wakefield on Wednesday to have to have cut through a two mile long haulage rope at Denaby Main colliery with a wire cutter was stated to have told the police “When I put the cutters to the wire I did it to pass the time on”
NOT GUILTY PLEA
William Thomford (20) of Cliffe view Denaby, pleaded not guilty to maliciously partially cutting through the haulage rope with intent to render it useless. Mr J. B. Willis instructed by the county prosecuting solicitors department was prosecuting. SThe accused is represented by Mr. J. F. S. Cobb, instructed by J. W. Fenoughty and co. (Rotherham).
The prosecution said that the damage stopped work in the park gate seam for four hours and cost the coal board about £700 causing a loss of 200 tons Mr. Willis said the prosecution alleged that he did the act intentionally without lawfully excuse.
Thomford said in evidence that after fetching the cutter he “kept fiddling it about and it went on the rope and when I put the handle down it was tight, the rope caught inside the cutter by mistake. As I was trying to get it off the bell rang and all of a sudden the rope began to move and I shouted “hold the rope.” He ran into a manhole and the cutter swung round in the rope hitting the roof and the rails so he shouted for his mates as they pressed down on the handle of the cutter he heard a crunching noise. He did not put the cutter on the haulage rope deliberately and did not intend to cause damage to the rope or make it useless. Thompson said his intention in taking the cutter from the engine house was because “I had nothing to do and I wanted to know how the machine worked.”
MARRIED MAN
Thomford a married man said in evidence that he had been working at the pit since he left school five years ago. He had worked for the greater part of that time on the haulage..
Mr. J. Cobb defending said that for Mr Thomford Friday the 13th the date in august when the incident took place was the most regrettable day in his life. Thomford was described as a good and willing worker but was slow witted. He was perhaps so eager to do some thing because at the time there was no work for him to do and this was the root of the trouble. If he was being inquisitive or meddlesome in trying to see how the cutter worked it did not mean that it he cut the rope maliciously and with the intention of making it useless. Thomford was found not guilty and was discharged