DEATH OF CHARLES EVANS 1887

(Ilkeston Pioneer 30th Dec 1887 p5)

SHOCKING COLLIERY ACCIDENT AT STANLEY

FATAL FALL DOWN A PIT SHAFT  

   On Wednesday afternoon, Mr Sale, coroner, held an inquest at Mrs Taft's, the White Hart Inn, Stanley, touching the death of Charles Richard Evans, who was killed at Stanley Colliery on Wednesday afternoon. (Webmaster's note - this is obviously a typographical error and should read Monday afternoon) Mr W E Clegg, solicitor, Sheffield, attended to watch the inquiry on behalf of William Cotton, the engineman; Mr Ashworth, consulting engineer of Stanley Hall, Stanley, was present on behalf of Mr S R Cox, the owner, as was also Mr Daykin, the underviewer. Mr Alfred Pitt, of West Hallam, was the foreman of the jury, before whom the following evidence was adduced :-

   Sacheveral Evans said "I am a carpenter by trade, and live at 75 Friargate, Derby. The body which you have just viewed is that of my brother, Charles Richard Evans, and he was 31 years of age. Deceased was a blacksmith by trade, but had of late acted as enginewright at the Stanley Colliery. The colliery owned by Mr S R Cox."

   William Cotton said "I am engineman at the Stanley Colliery, and live at Stanley. On Monday last I was occupied the whole of the day in looking after the engine. The colliery was not in full working order, as only about 30 men were employed at it. A little after four o'clock in the afternoon I went to fetch Evans. About half-past seven o'clock in the morning deceased started the engine at the bottom of the upcast. Deceased was used to starting it. The engine at the top was standing at the time. When I went to fetch Evans in the afternoon I wanted him to start the engine again, as it had stopped between one and two o'clock. The float in the water shaft had stuck so that I could not tell how the water was, and that was the reason I fetched the deceased. The engine at the bottom of the upcast shaft was called the Tangye. I wanted it starting again for the purpose of lowering the water in the shaft. That engine would assist the surface engine. The engine at the top was called the pumping engine and they could both be used for the same purpose. In the afternoon I left the colliery and went to seek the deceased, and I met him coming from Stanley towards the colliery. When deceased got to the colliery he went down the upcast shaft. When he had been down about a quarter of an hour, the next thing I heard was his ringing three times, that being the signal that he wanted to ascend. - By Mr Clegg : I answered the signal by ringing once, and deceased then rang once to signify that all was right. - By the Coronor : I at once started the engine to draw up the cage. As the cage was coming up I thought something was amiss because the engine was gradually stopping. I could tell that by the action of the engine. I at once came out of the engine-house when I found that the rope of the descending stage was all wrong, as the rope was fastened in the cogs. That was caused by the top of the chair catching in the props, the cage not having gone down the shaft at all. I had stopped the engine before I left the engine-house. Directly I saw what was the matter I went to the top of the shaft and shouted to the deceased. The shaft was about 60 yards deep. When I called to him deceased replied and told me to "Go and stop the Tangye engine." I did so. I could stop the Tangye from the top of the shaft, but it could only be started from the bottom. I did not know why deceased wanted the engine stopping. I then ran away as fast as I possibly could for help to the house of Samuel Stevens, who lives about a hundred yards from the colliery. Stevens returned with me. When I got back to the pit I went to the top of the shaft and asked deceased if he was all right and he replied "Yes." The cages at that time were in the same position as when I left the pit. Stevens and I then began to get the rope right. After doing this for about five minutes I again went to the top of the shaft and shouted to the deceased, but I could not get any answer. I then sent for the enginewright and manager and they were both quickly on the spot. I never heard the deceased fall down the shaft. So far as I could see the deceased was quite sober when he went down. He might have had a glass of beer, but he was not drunk. I do not know that the cage often stopped, but I have known it to stop before. None of the rope of the descending cage had fallen down the shaft. I cannot say how the deceased came to fall into the bottom of the pit, unless he had been endeavouring to slide down the conducting wire. I think he might have got out of the cage and endeavoured to swarm down the conductor and lost his hold. The ascending cage would be about forty yards from the bottom. Had the deceased remained in the cage he would have been all right, and we should have got him out safe. I cannot say what was the reason of the cage stopping on the props."

   By the Foreman : "No-one was with deceased when he went down the first time. Deceased went down three times during the day, and on the two first occasions the chair did not stick. - By Mr Ashworth : Deceased had a light with him, and it was found on the chair when it was drawn to the surface after the accident.  - By a Juror : Had the props been fastened back the cage would have run clear. - By Mr Clegg : I have nothing to do with the working of the props. I had drawn a man and two lads out of the mine shortly before Evans went down the third time. Between that time and Evans going down I had never seen anyone interfere with the props. The two lads and man went away immediately after coming to the surface. No one ever interfered with the props, and I do not know how it was possible for them to get out of order. - By Mr Ashworth : I do not know how they could have got loose unless someone had accidentally caught the catch in passing. - By a Juror : The was a fire in the furnace at the bottom of the shaft, but I could not say how long a man could remain in the shaft without being suffocated. I could stop in longer than deceased did. I worked the winding engine. There might have been a little steam in the shaft at the time. The Tangye was condensing when the deceased started to ascend the mine. Between the time of my stopping the engine after the accident and the time when I received no reply from the deceased about a quarter of an hour had elapsed."

   Samuel Stevens said "I am a miner. I was at work on Monday last, the 26th inst., and I came out of the pit about half-past three o'clock in the afternoon by the cage nearest the loading stage. It landed on the props all right when I came up. Mr Daykin was there at the time. I was in company with the two boys. In about an hour afterwards Cotton came to my house, and asked me to come to the pit. When I got there I found Richard Evans in the shaft. The rope was twirled round the drum, so that it was impossible for Cotton to get the ascending cage to the top of the shaft. The engine-man called to Evans and asked him if he was all right, and he replied "Yes." Cotton told him he should not be able to turn him up at present. We then went to the drum and tried to get the rope right. Shortly afterwards he went back again to the shaft and shouted to Evans again, but he received no answer. I thought I heard something fall down the shaft before Cotton went to shout the second time. We tried to get to the deceased as soon as possible. When John Riley came he volunteered to go down the engine shaft to see what was the matter. I heard Evans reply to Cotton, but I could not hear what he said. - By Mr Ashworth : The cage which I came up in was the same cage in which Evans was ascending in. - By a Juror : I had mended the furnace fire, but it was low at the time of the accident, and there could not be much smoke. I do not think there was sufficient smoke coming up from the furnace fire to have suffocated deceased. - By Mr Ashworth : They were not bound to have a man at the props at the time the accident occurred. - By the Coroner : I never noticed the deceased's hands when he was brought to the surface."

   John Riley said "I am a miner, and live at Stanley. On Monday last, from what I heard, I went to the colliery. When I got there I found two men and a woman standing on the pit top. The woman was the deceased's wife. I volunteered to go down the pumping shaft to see what had become of the deceased. On arriving at the bottom I went to the winding shaft and there I found Evans lying on his back in the chair-hole quite dead. I moved the body from the bottom and then returned to the surface again by way of the pumping shaft. I pulled the body out of the way so that the plates could not drop upon him. After the ropes were put right I went down again with two other men and brought the body up. I went down the second time with William Harvey and Thomas Smith. I never noticed deceased's hands. It would be about eight o'clock when we brought the body out of the mine. - By a Juror : The deceased's trousers were torn up the front as though he had been sliding down the conductor. The conductor rope was very greasy, and I think that the friction of the rope passing through his hands would be so hot that he would be compelled to loose his hold."

   Elizabeth Cowley said "My husband is a labourer, and I live at Stanley. I laid out the body of the deceased on Monday night. I did not notice any bones broken, but there were some bruises at the bottom of the legs. His hands were clenched, but they were quite clean on the back."

   Thomas Daykin deposed "I am underviewer at the colliery. I was at the top of the shaft about four o'clock when Stevens came up. I fastened the props back beloging the cage he came up in. The other props were already fastened back. I then went home. To the best of my knowledge everything was right and safe at the time."

   The Coroner, in the course of his summing-up, said there appeared to be but little doubt but that the deceased died from the effects of the fall into the pit bottom. The main question for the jury to consider was whether anyone was to blame for the accident. He was inclined to the opinion expressed by one of the jurymen, that the deceased commenced to slide down the conductor rope, and as it was very greasy he went at such a rapid rate that the rope became so hot by the friction that he let loose his hold and fell to the bottom.

   The jury, after an hour's deliberation, returned a verdict of "Accidental Death," strongly recommending that in the future a permanent banksman should be employed to have charge of the props. The enquiry lasted nearly four hours.

   We are requested to state that the deceased was a member of the Miner's Accident Society, and consequently his wife and family will be provided for.

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