Durham Mining Museum - Colliery Accident 1898 (original) (raw)

No. 301 on the list occurred at Ryhope Colliery, belonging to the Ryhope Coal Company, Ltd., on June 25th, causing the death of an underground furnaceman.

This man was travelling on the railway leading to the colliery, and in attempting to get past a wall, before getting out of the way of a North Eastern Railway Company's locomotive, was caught and knocked down, and so severely injured that he died at the infirmary at Sunderland two days afterwards.

There was plenty of space on the opposite side of the line, and why he went to the side where the wall was is difficult to understand. He was on his way to his work, and after the accident happened told the driver of the locomotive that he was late, and was hurrying to get past the wall.

The railway at this place belongs to the Colliery Company, and they say deceased had no right to be where he was, as there were notice boards up on it saying that persons were not allowed to travel on it, but many appear to have done so without any steps being taken to prevent them doing so.

Accidents of this kind would not happen if men would carry out all the rules provided for their protection. In this case the man should not have been where he was, and, apart from this, if he had used reasonable care and got to one side he would not have been killed.

Strict discipline should be maintained by the owners and officials by enforcing all rules, and where men break them notice should be taken of it, either by prosecution or otherwise. This is the only way that discipline can be maintained, and a great many accidents, both fatal and non-fatal, prevented. If notices are put up to the effect that a certain practice will not be allowed, and men are afterwards permitted to do it without any notice being taken of it, the rule becomes a dead letter and of non-effect, and the other rules at the colliery will not be observed as they should be.

	Gibbons, Anthony (died: 27 Jun 1898) , aged 67, Furnaceman, he was walking on the railway to his work when he was run over by a North Eastern Railway locomotive and his foot was cut off, died two days afterwards [Sunderland Daily Echo reports: accident - 30 Jun 1898 pg 3]
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	Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.

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