Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 02 November 1912
Colliery Offences at the Cadeby Pit
A Broken Safety Lamp
Several men working at the Cadeby pit were charged by the Denaby and Cadeby Colliery Company was breaking certain rules, and in each case fines were inflicted.
Mr Frank Allen prosecuted.
James Butcher, pony driver, Conisborough, was alleged to have broken rule 106 on October 7. The case arose, said Mr Allen, through the absence of some fillers, which necessitated some colliers having to fill the tubs themselves. This being the case, each stall turnout a very small amount of coal, and so the pony drivers received instructions to work two stalls at once. To do this would not cause any trouble, as the stalls were near to each other. The defendant had not done so, and was reported.
Ordered to pay 2/6 and costs 11/6.
Walter Shelton, a filler, of Denaby, was summoned for what Mr Allen termed a very dangerous offence. He was charged with a breach of rule 97 and October 12 which says that no person shall damage a safety lamp without immediately reporting it to a deputy and some other official. In view of recent happenings at the Cadeby Pit, Mr Allen considered it needless to emphasise the danger of putting lamps in positions where they could be struck by any tool. There should be no neglect of a safety lamp.
The defendant had reported that his lamp was broken at the lamp house at the top of the pit, that passed a good many officials without having mentioned the matter to them. There was, of course, in this case no explanation of how the damage had been done, but it must have taken a somewhat severe blow to smash the thick glass of the lamp. If a bona fide accident had happened to the lamp then it was clearly in his duty to speak to an official. The lamp in question had been lent the defendant by a friend.
George Taylor said he lent the lamp to the defendant, and it was not broken when he handed it to him.
John Henry Overment had inspected the lamp and stated that it was unfit for use.
The defendant said he did not find it out until he got to the pit top that the lamp was broken.
The Chairman remarked that it was a most dangerous thing to do and he would be fined 20s and costs, or 14 days.
George Farmer, miner, Conisborough was fined 20s inclusive for breaking rule 99 by taking a box of matches down the mine on October 14.
Joseph Brannan, a tub repair, of Mexborough had 20s inclusive to pay for a similar offence on October 15.
Robert Lucas and John William Ridge, two pony drivers of Mexborough, were charged with breaking special rule 86 by being in a different part of the mine to where they worked.
Mr Allen said it was a very important thing that the men’s presence in the pit should be known exactly. It was owing to this regulation act all but two men were identified in the recent disaster. In this case there are two shafts whereby it was possible to get down the pit, and one of these was available about five or six minutes later than the other. The defendants were to number two pick, but arrive too late to go down. They accordingly went down the other pit, but were detected before they could get away.
Georgette was corroborated this statement.
Lucas was fined 20s and costs, and Ridge 10s and costs.