Thrybergh Hall Colliery Disaster
At Thrybergh Hall Colliery, in Kilnhurst on 30th November, 1863, 6 miners were killed by falling down the shaft. The cause of the accident was the overturning of a chair in which the deceased were descending down the pit. The whole of them were thrown out and falling a depth of 150 yards.
120 men had been lowered in safety just before the accident occurred.
Those who died::
- Joseph Cooper of Swinton, married, with 9 children
- Andrew Batley, Swinton
- Ezra Shaw, Swinton
- Isaac Ishman, Kilnhurst
- James Bailey, Kilnhurst
- Reuben Cousins, Rawmarsh
Only Mr. Cooper was married.
News Report
A shocking accident occurred on Monday at Kilnhurst, in a colliery belonging to Messrs. Goatley and Co.
The chair in which a party of miners were descending the shaft, suddenly turned on one end, and the men were precipitated a depth of 150 yards, their bodies being dreadfully mutilated.
The mine in which the accident occurred is the Thrybergh Hall Colliery, and it has been in operation more than two years. It has two drawing shafts, situated within a short distance of each other, and between 200 and 300 men are employed in the extensive workings. Perviously to yesterday the colliery has been singularly free from accidents, and it is generally believed that the calamity which we now record was not brought about by any want of due supervision on the part of those in authority. The facts, which we have gathered in inquiries on the spot are substantially as follow:-
In accordance with the rules of the colliery, the steward and his deputy make regular periodical examinations of the state of the mine, running and drawing gear, etc.; and such an examination was made on Saturday night when the men ceased work. Every part of the mine and the machinery seemed to be in perfect working order.
About 5 o'clock yesterday morning Mr. G. Bailey, the manager, examined the drawing gear in the shafts, and he found everything in a satisfactory state. Again, when the hanger-on descended the shaft, the examination of the gear was repeated, and all being declared in order and safe, the signal was given to allow the men to descend.
The shaft is separated into two divisions, in each of which "chairs" are suspended, one ascending , while the other descending. Each chair is railed at the sides, and the men are ordered, as they ascend and descend, to keep a firm grasp on the top rail, in order to prevent themselves being thrown out by an accidental jerk in the shaft. The order in which the men descend is strictly regulated by the banksman, and no more than six are allowed to go at one time. The system of signalling, and the apparatus showing the position of the chair in the mine, for the guidance of the engine man, have hitherto worked well, and were in full operation when the accident occurred.
About 5.30 the men began to descend, and 120 (or half the number) had been lowered safely. W. Bailey was the on the pit bank, superintending the work, and at 5 minutes to 6, he sent down a party of 5 men and a youth. When the chair had got about halfway down the mine, a peculiar noise - a jarring crash as of a heavy body falling, and a loud and sudden cry were heard. The rope began to "slack" and W. Bailey instantly gave the signal to the engine man to stop the machinery. The man was at his post, and it is said the machine was stopped "in half a stroke." The persons on the pit bank, dreading they knew not what, listened anxiously to hear if any cries issued from the shaft, but nine came, and the dreadful truth flashed upon them that the party of miners whom they had just let down had been thrown out of the cage.
Mr. Bailey and others ran at once to the other shaft, descended as speedily as possible, and made their way to the bottom of the pit, where they found their surmises confirmed. Looking up the shaft, Bailey saw that the chair was jammed between the conductors and the sides. The chair had suddenly turned on one end, and the six men were thrown to the bottom, a distance of not less than 150 yards from the point where the accident occurred. That was all that could be seen, and it is all that is known, up to the present time, of the nature of the calamity, inasmuch as it will be impossible, without an examination of the shaft, to discover the cause of the sudden upsetting of the chair. It is supposed, however, that one of the conductors, which are of iron, several inches square, may have given way and thus allowed the chair to slip, as it were from its grasp, and "tilt" out the men. Possibly it may have been that the men, instead of keeping themselves evenly, or distributed on the chair so as to equalise the weight, had clustered together at one end, and thus brought a weight upon the conductor at that side which deflected or broke it.
The engine-man believes that the men were thrown out, and that the chair was falling upon them when it became jammed against the sides. The chair in the other division of the shaft could be seen in its proper position, neither it nor the conductors being apparently injured.
The shaft is 290 yards deep. One of the men, named Cooper, struck upon one of the beams of timber with which the sides of the shaft are "stayed" and the fearful violence of the collision cut him completely in two, one part remaining on the beam, whilst the other fell on the pit floor. The head of the other man was nearly severed from the trunk; and the others were mutilated as to be scarcely recognisable. It was necessary to remove the bodies in boxes and tarpaulings. They were taken to the Ship Inn, in the village of Kilnhurst, and placed in one of the outbuildings.
The Inquest
The inquest was held by Mr. J. Webster, coroner, at the school-room, Kilnhurst.
Mr. Williams, manager; Mr. Bailey, the under-viewer; G. Senior, one of the deputy under-viewers; and Palmer, the engine driver, were examined at length. The Government Inspector also stated the result of his examination of the mine. In this way, though no direct evidence was forthcoming as to the cause of the sad accident, the circumstances were pretty clearly made out.Since the opening of the shaft, nearly three months ago, there has been only one breakage of the conductor. This occurred in sending down the cage with a corve filled with bricks at one end of it, and an empty corve at the other. No doubt is entertained that the breakage resulted from the bricks disturbing the equilibrium of the cage, by weighing down the loaded end and causing and causing the other end to tilt up a little. In this position of the cage the lower end of the guide at the bottom of the more elevated end of the cage would be pressed forcibly against the conductor until it strained and eventually snapped it. The conjecture based on this circumstance is that the deceased, who were spread regularly over the cage when they began to descend, from larking or some other cause, clustered at one end of the cage, and, by tilting up the other end, produced the same result as the unbalanced load of bricks on the previous occasion.
The witnesses were closely examined as to the speed at which the men were let down on the morning of the accident, and denied that the cage was run at a greater speed than usual.
A large number of miners were permitted to be present during the inquiry, and on being appealed to at its close, to mention any complaint they might have, one of them speaking in the name of his fellow workmen expressed an opinion that the speed at which they had been let down and drawn up was too great. He admitted that not the least complaint had been made of the speed before the accident, and it was stated by the Coroner and Government Inspector that a greater speed was practised in many other pits.
The jury, after a brief deliberation, returned a verdict which is practically one of accidental death, recommending, however, reduced speed in future, and some alterations of the girders and cages, to prevent any future accident from the same cause.
