Banner
Address FT Site Email CCL Info In Memory Menu Philip Individuals Search Webmaster Content Work Fionn Bob
Information and photographs submitted by subscribers are posted in good faith. If any copyright of anyone else's material is unintentionally breached, please email me

Inquest Reports - High Park
Page 4

Menu Alan's Menu
Search Search The Site
Pits Pits
Photos Photograph Galleries

Alan

Meanings of Abreviations
  • instant - same month
  • ult - previous month
  • sen.night - two weeks previous

Inquests Annesley Awsworth Bentinck Bestwood Bilborough Broxtowe Bulwell Cossall Digby
Eastwood Gedling Giltbrook High Park Hill Top Kirkby Lodge New Hucknall Moorgreen Newstead
Shireoaks Trowell Moor Worsop Main Underwood   Outcropping        

High Park Colliery (Moorgreen)
High Park Colliery Merged With Moorgreen 1950

Inquest Reports From Newspapers - Re Nottinghamshire Fatal Accidents


Nottinghamshire Advertiser - Friday 13 July 1945

Louis Cook, George Gaunt, and Arthur Cutts
Inquest AC

HIGH PARK DRIFT TRAGEDY.
INQUEST ON THE THREE VICTIMS.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT A MYSTERY.

News-ReportThe accident on Sunday June the 17th, in a newly-constructed drift connecting the High Park and Moorgreen Collieries of Messrs. Barber Walker and Co., Ltd., which caused the death of three men and an injury to a forth was the subject of an enquiry conducted on Monday afternoon at the Sun Hotel, Eastwood, by Lieut.-Col. H. Bradwell (District Coroner). The three victims were Louis Cook, 52, of 104, Newdigate Lane, Watnall; George Gaunt, 29, of 62, Elnor Street, Langley Mill; and Arthur Cutts, 36, of 15, Frances Street, New Brinsley.

The Coroner was assisted in his investigations by Mr. Leckie, H.M. Inspector of Mines, and two other officials from the Mines Department, together with Messrs. W. W. Booth (Notts. Miners’ Federated Union). Mr. Walker, (Deputies Union) Messrs J. R. Harrison (agent), Capt. C. Potts (manager), J. H. Pedley (Assistant agent), and Mr. Jessop (solicitor) representing the Colliery Co.

Evidence of identification was given by Mrs. Ethel Cutts (widow), Bert Gaunt (brother), Elnor Street, Langley Mill, and Leslie Smith (brother-in-law) of Waggon and Horses, New Brinsley.

Charles Potts (manager of the colliery), said that the company had just completed a 700 yard drift, in  which the gradient was one in three, as an additional means of getting the coal to the surface. A trial had been arranged for Sunday 17th of June, after the whole new system had been tested with-out tubs for half-an-hour.

Everything appeared satisfactory, the roadway was well lit, and there was telephone communication between top and bottom.

At 10:20 they started putting coal on, in runs of four tubs at 40 yard intervals. At the same time empties were clipped on to the rope at the top.

Mr. Potts, who was at the bottom said there were manholes at 10 yard intervals.  A quarter of an hour after the start he noticed what appeared to be a stationary truck 30 yards up on the “full” road and went to investigate and found that two back tubs, of four in the set, had run backwards two yards into the safety catch.

He then heard the sound of empty tubs travelling down the “empty” road. He shouted and kept on shouting, and jumped into a refuge.

The noise increased and the tubs went by in a cloud of dust.

While he was waiting for the dust to clear he heard a call for help, and on going down found the injured men and immediately got to the phone and called the ambulance.

He estimated that the empty tubs had travelled about 300 yards after becoming detached.  Although they had been chained together they came down separately and by some means must have become uncoupled.

Asked by the coroner whether it would not have been better to start with single tubs, witness said that was the original idea and he could give no explanation why this was not done. He could not throw any light on the uncoupling of the empty tubs. When running the rope worked quite smoothly.  The new drift had given entire satisfaction ever since.

Replying to Mr. Booth witness said it was the first time this particular screw type of clip had been used. It was of a larger type, specially supplied by the makers and in perfectly good condition.

Mr J. H. Pedley, another official who had taken up position further up the drift, for the purpose of observation, said there had been a few stoppages for minor adjustments, but everything appeared to be normal.  When 300 yards up the rope stood stationary and he observed that the first set of empties, some ten yards above him, also stopped.  They had travelled some 350 yards to that point.  When they started up again three of the empty tubs immediately got away, and others followed and became derailed. He immediately gave the danger signal.  There was no derailment of full tubs.

Replying to M. Jessop, witness said the test was being made on a Sunday morning to prevent undue danger to other men, and those who were operating were picked men.

Cook was shift overman, Gaunt was an experienced miner, and Cutts was the shift deputy.

Jos. Wm. Sweet, of Raglan Street, Hill Top, Eastwood, said he was clipping on the tubs from the bottom.  He heard the empty tubs coming, and shouted, but he had no time to get away and was injured and taken to hospital.

W. A. C. Fisher, colliery banksman, Babbington Lane, Kimberley, whose job it was to clip on the tubs at the top, said he was satisfied that all the tubs were properly attached to the rope.

In recording a verdict of “Accidentally killed by runaway tubs”, the coroner said he doubted whether it would ever be known exactly how the tubs broke loose.

Expressions of profound sorrow and regret were conveyed to the relatives by Mr. Jessop on behalf of the Colliery Co., who he said had also suffered the serious loss of three capable and promising officials, and he offered congratulations to Mr. Sweet on his lucky escape.  The Coroner and Messrs. Walker and Booth associated themselves with these remarks.


Can you add to the Database – Is something wrong or missing? Please let me know.