Sheffield Independent, October 3, 1889
The Fatality at Denaby Main Colliery.
Yesterday Mr D Wightman, held an enquiry at the Reresby Arms, Denaby Main, touching the death of Charles Clarke, 22, a joiner, who was killed while following his work at the new Coke washing plant, which is now in course of erection at the Denaby Main Colliery.
W.E.Atkinson of the firm of Atkinson and sons, solicitors, of Doncaster, watch the case on BR for of messes Arnold and sons, contacted, of Doncaster, by whom the deceased was employed
Charles Clarke, Carter, living at Doncaster, said diseased was his brother, and worked as a joiner at the mills in course of erection at Denaby main colliery. He was 22 years of age, and had worked in Denaby about a month.
George Cox, engine man at the Steam Crane near the new works, said diseased was working as a joiner on a stage which runs across the engine house. Witness was on duty on 2 October, when deceased was killed.
About 10 o’clock in the morning he came to witness, and asked him to shift a “tipping pan” as he wanted some timber from under it. As soon as witness was at liberty he lowered his rope, and called out to deceased to be careful, as the pan would swing against the building. He answered. “All right, lie down; I’ll hang it on.” Witness lowered the rope, and when it got down to him he shouted out, “Whoa.”
Whilst witness was reversing the engine. Someone called out “setup,” and he setup, that is raising the rope. You raise it very gently, and kept hauling until he heard the pan drop. He did not feel the pan on at all, and never felt it drop. A man named George Phipps, who was on the bank, called out to witness to lower down, as the box was on the top of the deceased.
Witness never saw the position in which diseased was when the box fell on him. The someone who said “settle” was George Phipps. Witness did not know why he did not say so before.
The coroner: what has caused the accident?
Witness: I don’t know.
Further cross examined, witness said diseased must have missed his foothold, and catching hold of the pan, pulled it on top of him in the hole beneath.
A verdict of “accidentally killed” was returned.