The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-11-26 00:00:00

HILL.

The District Coroner (Mr. W. IL Philips) on
Tuesday afternoon held an inquest at the Rose and
Crown Inn, Bromley, near Brierley Hill, on the
body of Henry Griffiths (36), sinker, who resided
there, and who, on the previous Saturday, was
killed by a fall down the shaft at No. 2 pit in the
Hanley Colliery, belonging to the Earl of Dudlay.
Mr. W. B. Scott (Assistant i.;overnment In-
sptctor of Mines) attended; Mr. W. Waldron
(Biierley Hill) appeared on behalf of the deceased's
widow and family; and Mr. C. E. Cole, the certi-
ficated manager of the cAliery, was also pres3nt.

-Thomas Gould, master sinker, Bell Stieet, Pens-
nett, stated that decetved was an his employ. On
Saturday afternoon witness and the deceased were
making a refuge, or manhole, at a distance of 75
yards down the water pit at the colliery. A per-
manent scaffold was erect d, and they were lowered
up and down in a bowk worked by the engine.
About three o'clock witness and the deceased were

ascending the shaft in the bowk, having previously
signalled to the bankstnan that they were abo at to

ascend. The bowk vscended at about the same

speed as usual, and when it reached the top of the
saaft the banksman was at his proper post. The
speed of the engine was slackened, but the bowk,
instead of stopping at tue right place, was drawn
about six yards higher than it ought to have been,
and very nearly up to the pulley wheel before it
stopped. Witness became frightened, and, before
the bowk stopped, he clung to the pit frame and
escaped injury. Deceased, when the bowk was
about level with the landing place at the pies
mouth, tried to jump out, but missed his footing,
and fell back down the shaft, about 75 yards.
When he was discov, red he was coite dead, with
his brains knocked out, and his body otherwise
mutilated,
By the Coroner : Deceased tried to get out be-
cause he was aware that the bowk was going rather
faster than it should. The engineer was Walter
Worton, and it was his second day of working the
engine there, although he had previously been em-
ployed as an engine man about the. colliery. He
was sober at the time of the occurrence. Worton
came on the bank directly after the occurrence, and
said his indicator in the engine-house had deceived
him. W itness went and looked at it, and found
that according to it the engineman had to wind the
bowk twenty yards further than he had before it
reached the top.
By Mr. Waldron : When the bowk was about 10
or 12 yards from the top, witness Is eard the banks-
man call to Worton to "Mind the top."
George Mundy, sinker, Dudley, who was stand-
ing near the engine-house steps, said when the
last witness signalled to the banksman the latter
shouted to the engineman to "Get ready."
By Mr. Waldron: On the previous Wednesday
witness cautioned Worton not t) work the engine
so fast.
Maurice Jones, the banksman referred to, said
the sign ,1 he received that men were coming up
was by word of mouth, Those in the shaft first
shouttd ti witness, and witness in turn shouted tho
signals to the enginelean. When the bowk was
about 20 yards from the top witness shouted to the
engineman to "mind the top," and the speed was
slackened a little, but not as much as it ought to
have been. Witness then again shouted, "Mind
the top." The bowk was about six feet above the
top of the pit when deceased jumped out. Subse-
qusntly witness noticed that the engine indicator
di i not indicate that the bowk was at the top of
the shaft.
By the Coroner : Mr. Edward Worton, t.e head
engineer (and fa her of Worton, the engineman),
had inspi_eted the engines that morning.
By Mr. Waldron : When witne:s wiou'ed the
signals "get ready' and "go on" to the engineer
the latter signaled back to witness by b!owing his
whistle. When witness shouted "mind the top,"
the engineer did not slacken speed to his sAtisfac-
lion. Witness shouted a second time OA hard as
lie could, but the speed was not slackened then,
and before he could shout a third time the accident
happened. When he shouted, Worton was driving
fa-ter than an engineer ought to have done at that
point.
Ed ward Worton, machinery inspector at the
colliery, and the competent person under the 29th
general rule of the Mine: Regulation Act, said the
indicator attached to the engine in cpieston indi-
cared the top and bottom of the pit, the clack doors
and the buckets. When witness last inspected it
on the Saturday morning it was working, and was
then in propi,r order and told teuly. On Monday
last witness, in company with Mr. Scott, again in-
spected the indicator, and one of the "bevil"
wheels was then loose on its shaft, the effect of
which would be to altogether stop the
.finger from
working. The position of the indicator where it
had broken showed the load to be 25 yards from the
top of the shaft.
Portions on the indicator were here produe d,
and it was shown that by the key of one of the
cog wheels becoming displaced it would cause the
finger of the indicator to stop.
By Mr. Scott: Could not say when a complete
examination of the machinery was made. Wit-
ness's examieation on that day in question con-
sisted of looking at the machinery only. The key
had not since been discovered.
Mr. W. B. Scott said he had examined the indi-
cator. It was of the kind usually used, and was
well adapted for its purpose. One bevil wheel was
loose on its shaft, and the key missing. That
would cause the pointer on the dial plate to stand
immediately the breakage occurred. It was im-
possible for a man to alter the pointer of an iudi-
eator with his hand. He could not find that any
general or special rule had been broken in this
case, and had no reason to believe that the indica-
tor had been tampered with in any way since the
accident. He wished to add that the examination
of the machinery did not seem so close as it should
have been. The key produced must nave been
working out for some time. and by a close examin-
ation this could have been detected.
In answer to Mr. Waldron, witness said he
thought a minute examination with a hammer
might have detected the condition of the indi-
cator.
Samuel Tench, miner, Bromley, called by Mr,
Waldron, said on Sunday last, the day following
the occurrence, whilst in company with three other
men named Pearson, Hunt, and Perry, near to the
engine house in question, he saw two men go into
the engine house, one of them carrying a sledge
hammer. They told witness he had no business
on the hank. Witness now identified Benjamin
Bratt as-one of the men who went into the engine
house.
Brett was sworn, and said he was an engine—
ff:ter, in Lord Dudley's employ. On Sunday he
went to one of the engines,for the purpose of throw-
ing the bands out to pump water, and afterwards
wEnt into this No. 2 engine house, merely to put
his sledge-hammer away. He did nothing in the
engine house, and never went near the indicatoe.
Thomas Sheen, surface clerk at the colliery,
spoke to being present with the last winese im-
mediately after the accident on Saturday, and see-
ing Brett di-cover that the key of the wheel con-
nected with the indicator was missing. Bratt had
a right to go into the engine house on Sunday
morning, because his tools were kept there.
Worton, the enginernan, wal3 next called, and,