1883 July 28 Independent Wall
Fatal Accident at Denaby Main Colliery
An inquest was held at the Reresby Arms on Monday, before Mr Wightman, coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr.Longley was foreman, touching the death of John Wall, aged 14 years, until recently employed at the Denaby main colliery. Mr Gerrard, HM inspector of mines, was present and Mr Chambers, manager of the colliery, appeared to watch the case on behalf of the colliery company.
Benjamin Moore, a Collier, employed at Denaby main, said he was the deceased´s father. His son would have been 14 years of age next birthday, and had been employed in the pit for one year and five months as a pony driver. Both himself and his son are employed on the night shift. Deceased worked in the drift; he was not subject to fits nor to attacksof giddiness. He did not hear of the accident until 6:50 the next morning. His son was brought home dead at seven o’clock. From what he could learn with respect to the accident he had no occasion to blame anyone concerning the matter.
John Wharmsley, contractor for driving a stone drift, said he knew the deceased, who was a pony driver. He would have had to drive his pony about 200 yards. The tubs drawn by the animal were laden with stone, not coal. He last saw the deceased alive about five o’clock on the morning of Friday week. He was then starting away with one tub. Witness saw him start; he was walking; he did not ride, as he was not allowed to do so. Deceased generally used hisiron lockers, but on that occasion he only had one iron and one wooden one. The incline gradient was one and a quarter inch in a yard. When he next saw the deceased, the boy was lying dead.
James Holland corroborated the evidence given previously respecting the findings of the body. He did not know how the accident had happened. No stone had dropped from the corve, and it did not seem as if it had been off the rails. The boy had driven the pony for six months on the same road, and for the same men. There were 15 hundredweight or 16 hundredweight of stone in the tub.He helped to carry the body, a distance of 35 yards from the scene of the accident, and about 500 yards from the pit bottom. Deceased was dead when found.
The coroner said he was quite of opinion with the inspector that it was an accident, pure and simple. With regard to the circumstance of the case as to how the boy was killed, he said it must remain a mystery, as no one whoobserved the accident could give a clue as to how it was caused.
The Foreman: why didn’t they let the men know that there was a dead body in the pit?
The coroner: that’s a bit of superstition, I suppose.
Another juror: I don’t see how a man is capable of judging whether another one is dead or not if he is not a medical practitioner.
The coroner said if there had been any question as to the death, that subject would have arisen.
A verdict of “accidental death” was returned