Durham Mining Museum - Newspaper Articles (original) (raw)

10th December 1853, Page: 3, Column: 5

Fatal Colliery Accident In Staffordshire

On Tuesday the 29th ult. an accident occurred at the Bentilee Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Hawley, at Bucknall, near Hanley, and resulted in the death of three men, with serious injury to a fourth. On the preceding day a fresh "drift" had been opened in the "Cockshead" pit, and the roof propped with timber in the usual way. A little before six o'clock on Tuesday morning, six men, including Hollinson, the butty, went to work in the new drift. Hulme, "a roofer," knocked away one of the props, in order to facilitate the getting of the coal, when about thirty tons of coal and rubbish suddenly fell, burying under it three of the men, whose names wereHulme, Bettany, and Walley, Hollinson, when he sawHulme knocking away the prop, jumped out of the way, and in so doing pushed against Hulme, whose life, although he was struck by a piece of the falling coal, was thus saved. Bentley, another of the men, was caught by the falling mass, but was soon extricated ; he was severely, but not fatally, hurt. Two hours elapsed before the bodies of the other sufferers could be recovered. They were so frightfully crushed that death must have been instantaneous. At the inquest held on Thursday evening, Mr. Wynne, government inspector of mines, stated that if a "cog" similar to those used in other parts of the pit had been used to support the roof, the accident would not have occurred. Hollinson said in his opinion a cog would not have made the roof more secure, and he had no material to make one. The jury returned a verdict of" Accidental death," coupled with a reprimand to Hollinson, the butty, for not seeing that a cog was placed in that part of the pit. — Staffordshire Advertiser.