Appendix B to the report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the condition of all mines in Great Britain to which the provisions of the Act 23 & 24 Vict. Cap. 151 do not apply, with reference to the health and safety of persons employed in such mines. / Presented to both houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on Mines
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Appendix B to the report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the condition of all mines in Great Britain to which the provisions of the Act 23 & 24 Vict. Cap. 151 do not apply, with reference to the health and safety of persons employed in such mines. / Presented to both houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    {Mr. Hadow.) It is very important to have the men's con- fidence. (Witness.) My opinion is that if you had the men up, and examined them, they would give their opinion in favour of it. (Coroner.) What was the weight of the men and carriage? (Witness.) About 22 cwt., carriages and men altogether. What would be the velocity of their descent at an incline of 32| ?—I cannot tell; I have not calculated. (Mr. Brereton, superintending engineer of the West Corn- wall Railway.) About 100 miles an hour. (Mr. Hadow.) The chain would not go 20 miles an hour? (Witness.) It would not go at all; it would stop when the carriage stopped. (Coroner.) Then your opinion is that these poor men lost their lives from want of presence of mind to use the break ? (Witness.) Yes, that is my opinion; I mean the handle of the break. (Mr. Rowland Davies.) You think they allowed the candle to be caught in coming up or at starting ? (Witness.) Yes, either at starting or in coming up. (Coroner.) Then you think the accident resulted from their not using it? (Witness.) Yes. (Mr. Hadoiv.) Were they killed by being thrown out of the carriage ? (Witness.) Two were, I believe; perhaps they made an efPort to get out. It aiijjears'that two were ovit before they came to tire bottom of the shaft. The rest were killed at the bottom by ]mssing under the jiiece of wood. (Coroner to Jury.) I suj)])ose you have had suflicient explanation of the machinery? (Mr. Hadow.) Yes ; we don't want any more. (Witness.) My opinion is that there was neglect to keep the handle of the break out of the catch. The break would have been self-acting if kept out of the catch. It was in consequence of their neglecting to keep it out of the catch that the accident happened. \i they had managed it pro- perly it would have been effective. James Eddy sworn. (Coroner.) What is your name? (Witness.) James Eddy. You are a miner, I sujipose ?—Yes, sir. Living at St. Just?—Yes, sir. Working at Botallack Mine?—Yes, sir. Were you there on Saturday last?—Yes. I was not underground; I was at the engine house. It was at the higher part of the mine, where the accident hap])ened. (Mr. Rowland Davies.) Did you put in the work in this shaft under the direction of Captain Rowe ? (Witness.) Yes. And you have since had it in your special charge?—Yes. (Coroner.) You are a timber man at the mme, are you? (Witness.) I pass for a timber man. (Coroner to Mr. RowlandDavies.) What do you call this shaft? (Mr. Rowland Davies.) The Boscawen diagonal shaft. (Coroner.) It is an inclined shaft, is it not (Mr. Rowland Davies.) Yes, sir. We call it the Boscawen diagonal shaft. (Coroner to witness.) Have you had charge of it any con- siderable time ? (Witness) Ever since it was put to work. I know it well. Do you know the nature of the machinery working in it ? ~-l know about that machinery, and know how to work it, and when it is working well. (Mr. Rowland Davies to Coroner.) He tried the carriage and break with Captain Rowe before it was worked. (Coroner to witness.) You know how the break apparatus acts. (Witness.) Yes; I have looked into it sufficiently to know it well; it is a thing I have studied a great deal. Is the break self-acting when fixed in its proper place ?— Yes, sir. The handle of the break is attached to the side of the carriage, and the lever is put into a loop; but when they v/ere going up the handle should have been loose so as to fly backwards and forwards. If the handle had been loose the grips would have self-acted, and would have pre- vented the carriages going down. I never knew it fail. I believe if the handle of the break had been loose, my son would have been alive at this present moment. I was coming up last Thursday evening, and I was paying atten- tion to it; I did not put my hand upon it; I took it from the loop, and as soon as there was the least bit of sm-ge of the chain, and a little slack faU on the gig, the catch would immediately act on the tramway instantly and quietly. (Mr. Rowland Davies.) You have used it constantly? (Witness.) Yes, and tried it in every possible way. I have gone into it anl tried it by myself, and I never found it fail with mo, nor no one else that I know of. The man who sits in charge of the handle ought to have his hand upon it. (Mr. Rowland Davies to Coroner.) You have it down that this witness had his son killed? (Coroner.) Yes. (Witness.) I never felt more dread when I was there, and had my hand on the lever, than if I was home in my bed. I always would rather have hold of the handle myself, for I thought I could do better for myself tnan others could do for me. Wall, when his turn was to go in the gig, had so much interest in the macliine that he would take the lever in his hand. He was well experienced in it, and knew what he was doing. (Mr. Hadoiv.) You don't believe that the weight of chain below was any impediment to the man's acting ? (M^itness.) Not if the man's hand had been on the handle. (To the Coroner.) I am satisfied that if I had been in the gig, or if the handle had been left to go where it would out of the looj), my son would be alive still. You attribute the death of these men to want of presence of mind to take this lever out?—I attribute it to the lever being in the loop. And that was neglect on their part ?—I believe I have lost the life of my son from that lever being in the loop instead of out, free (Mr. Roivland Davies to the Coroner and Mr. Hadow.) The great point is that if it had been left free, it would have self-acted. (Mr. Hadow.) Is it generally the custom of the men coming up to put the handle into the loop ? (Witness.) No. The first man who gets in. I say to him, 'Take the handle out. When I am there, I keep my thumb on the S])ring, and can feel the least movement. Then these men must ha^•e lost their presence of mind ? —I think, as the chain broke, they lost their recollection, and did not know what they were about. (The Coroner.) Have you any other evidence? It strikes me the case is very clear ? (Mr. James.) We have many other witnesses. (Mr. Rowland Davies to the Coroner.) We are quite in your hands, sir. We have Mr. Twite, Mr. Brereton, Mr. ShirrefiF. If you think it necessary to call further evidence, we are jirepared to do so. (The Coroner.) The fact is that the evidence of those gentlemen would be more appropriate to the future conduct of the machinery; and any opinion they might give as to its improved working in any way would no doubt be useful. But the question for us to-day is, how did these poor fellows come to their death? If you are satisfied that it was accidental death, and that no fault is to be attributed to any party, you will say so, and there will be an end of the matter. I don't profess to understand the machinery; but you have heard it explained, and understand it much better than I do. If you are satisfied there was no neglect, no neghgence or blame to be imputed to any body, there would be an end of the inquiry. (Mr. Hadow.) 1 am satisfied. (The Coroner.) It seems that those who understand the machinery are satisfied that there must have been some- thing wrong in the management of the handle; and that if the handle had been left loose, the machinery would have acted of itself. Either the handle, if free, was not attended to by these poor fellows, or it was in the loop, and they had not the presence of mind to set it clear when the accident happened. But in any case it was an accident. If there is any blame to be imputed to any one, it is to the poor fellows who lost their lives. Are you all satisfied it was an accident ? Or do you wish to have any further evidence ? (A Juror.) I have heard two men say they always con- sidered it quite safe. (The Coroner.) We cannot account for the death in any way. It is mere speculation to go into the question how the thing happened. The engineers tell you that if the handle had been loose, the dippers would have caught the tram, and prevented the waggon going down. According to their account, it could not have happened otherwise. If the handle had been loose the grips would have laid hold of the tram, and the carriage would have been stopped. (Mr. Hadow.) Would the jury wish to retire? Some jurors intimated a wish for i^rivate consultation; and consequently all persons but the jurors and coroner withdrew. After a few minutes consultation, the public were readmitted, and the foreman said : We have found a verdict of Accidental Death; and we recommend that a subscription be opened in behalf of the widows and orphans, and that the adventurers be re- quested to head the subscription list. I shall then be happy to see what we can do in the parish. (To Mr. James:) Perhaps you will take the trouble to let some of the adventurers know.