Riding In a Pit

August 1898

Sheffield Independent – Tuesday 30 August 1898

Riding In a Pit

Albert Swift, filler, of Mexboro’, was charged at the Rotherham West Riding Police Court yesterday,-with breach of Special Rule 90 at the Denaby pit on August 20th, by riding on an underground road without permission of the manager or under-manager.

Mr. Hickmott said the rule was one for the protection of the men themselves. On the plane where the defendant was riding there was gradient of 1 in 14, worked by stationary  engine and the corve travelled at the rate of eight miles hour.

The defendant was seen by a planeman to be riding on a drag at the end of one of the corves. He called out the defendant, and followed him distance of 200 yards.

The defendant continued to ride on the drag, and the planeman signalled for the run to be stopped. The defendant, when spoken to said “ It was dark and he thought would ride.”

Only the previous run eleven corves had dashed down the incline through the breaking of a coupling, and were smashed at the bottom.

The defendant was fined 10s. and costs