South Yorkshire Times, 6 September 1941
Hit by Tub
Denaby Collier’s Fate
“I cannot help feeling that the original cause of this accident must have been due to the locker not having been properly inserted”, said the Doncaster District Coroner (Mr. W. H. Carlisle), at an inquest at the Fullerton Hospital, Denaby, on Wednesday, on Valentine Sewell (60), collier, of 20, The Crescent, Conisborough, who died on Monday as a result of an accident in Cadeby Colliery on May 21st.
Mr. D. Cowburn (manager), represented the Colliery Company and Mr. H. R. Houston, represented the Mines Department. Mr. D. Sheldon represented the Yorkshire Mineworkers Association.
Glyn Baldwin Watkin, of 35, Adwick Street, Denaby, collier, employed at Cadeby Colliery, said he was working in 35’s stall of the North-Eastern district of the Barnsley seam with Sewell. Sewell was taking a tub out of the stall in front of witness, and down a slight gradient, where they locked the back wheel of the tub. Both Sewell and witness had lockers in. In his opinion the locker and his (witness’s) wheel caught a steel prop which dislodged it. After the locker came out, witness’s tub ran down the incline. He shouted to Sewell, but after the runaway tub had collided with Sewell’s he saw Sewell lying at the side of the tubs.
Mr. P. Milligan, pathologist, of Doncaster, said he found a healed fracture of the right arm, and a large cyst connected with the pancreas. Death was due to peritonitis due to intestinal obstruction, due to a pancreatic cyst due to, or accelerated, by the injury.
The Coroner recorded a verdict of “Accidental Death”.