Owing to a misunderstanding between the hitchers, the drop cage of a simultaneous loading apparatus at the pit bottom was allowed to descend on deceased as he was clearing rubbish, from under it.

Some men were working at the top of the cage, which was hung in the pit a short distance from the bottom, while deceased was beneath the cage screwing up the bolts of the H-piece of the Cornish pump. The men on the top deck signalled for the cage to be lowered, and it crushed deceased to death. The men on the cage say that they shouted a warning to deceased and received an answer. The bottom men denied this.

March 8th, Trefor, 3.50 P.M. March 18th, 3 A.M.

Glamorgan.

Fochriw, No. 2,

Glamorgan.

83

88

As a journey of 19 trams of coal was being drawn out of a double parting, the shackle between the 7th and 8th trams parted, and 12 trams ran back. Deceased was found dead on the side of the road, and, from his position, it was inferred that he had either attempted to cross the shackles, or had got on a shackle with the idea of riding out. Though described as a rider, he was really a shackler, and had no permission to ride. It was the last journey in the shift and he himself had shackled the trams. The deceased were killed by a runaway journey, which crashed into them as they were waiting at the pit bottom to ascend at the end of their shift. See report on page 33.

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The

Deceased was filling rubbish into trams, when five laden trams, farther out, put into motion
by a tram being drawn against them by the rope, ran down and killed him.
riders in charge of the one tram said that they signalled to the engineman to stop, but to
no purpose. The engineman denied having received a signal.
Deceased was sitting on the cross-bar of an empty tram drawn by a horse, when some small
stones from between the laggings of some double timbers fell on the horse's back and
caused it to spring forward. Deceased lost his balance and fell forward under the tram.
He died in three days, having sustained a fracture of the spine.

Deceased was riding up an engine plane on the chain attaching the rope to a journey
of five trams, when he fell off and was drawn about 150 yards. When the journey
was brought to a stand, he was found partly under the second tram. He died before
he could be got free. None of the trams were derailed.

Deceased was illegally riding on the last shackle of a journey of coal, and in jumping
off before it came to a stand he fell backwards under the trams. He died the next day.
Deceased had to take seven trams of stones down a dip about 130 yards. Instead of
dividing the number into two or three lots, he started to take them all in one journey.
He had put two sprags in each tram, but the weight on the down gradient of 2 ins. per
yard caused the trams to increase in speed, and this frightened the horse. It turned to
one side and pulled the front tram off the road, and deceased, who was riding on the
gun, was crushed. He died in two days.

Through a mistake an empty journey was drawn in along a level before all the horses
had been brought out. A haulier and deceased were following a horse out. When
the journey touched the horse it turned round, and in doing so threw deceased under the

trams.

Deceased had finished his shift, and was sitting on a tram filled with sawdust, about
100 yards from the pit. As a full journey was passing outwards he jumped partly on
a tram of rubbish, fell, and was run over.

Deceased attempted to take four trams of coal down a road, dipping 1 in 9, when the weight
overpowered the horse and ran him down. Deceased was probably struck by the end of
the shaft while attempting to hold the horse back. The first two trams had no sprags,
but the wheels of the last two were all spragged. Two trams were usually taken down
that road.

Deceased was taking two trams of coal along a heading dipping 1 ins. per yard. He was
riding on the gun, and must have struck his head against a piece of low roof and fractured
his neck. He was found lying on the ground in front of the tram. The heading was
only 5 ft. high, and riding should have been prohibited until it was made higher.

Deceased was bringing out four trams of rubbish drawn by a rope attached to a small
portable engine. About 15 yards from the engine, the main rope ought to have been
detached, and the trams run into the parting drawing the tail rope after them. It had
been agreed that the trams were not to be stopped until the rider signalled. This he
appears not to have done with the result that the trams were not stopped until opposite
the engine, when the main rope caused the front tram to cant up and crush deceased
against the timber. My impression was that he was trying to detach the rope without
stopping.
Deceased and his son were walking out on the Branch East endless haulage plane with one
light between them. He slipped when passing a laden tram and fell under the wheels,
which passed over his legs, as did those of several other trams. The roadway was of
ample dimensions, with a space of 1 ft. 10 ins. between the two roads, sufficient manholes.
and also room to stand between the trams and the sides. He died on Nov. 10th.

A journey of 10 trams of coal was being lowered down a road, dipping 1 in 4, when the
rope drew out of the cap, and the journey ran down, overtook deceased, and killed him.
The cap was said to have been examined that morning, and was considered all right. The
ropes will be recapped quarterly in future, instead of half-yearly.
Deceased was going up a rise heading when the journey, which is lowered by a tail
rope, commenced to move. A man standing near called and asked deceased if he was
safe. He replied that he was safe in a manhole. Screams were soon after heard, and
deceased was found lying on the road. His cap and lamp were found near the next
manhole, showing that he had tried to reach it after telling the man that he was safe in
a manhole. The road was wide and high enough, and there were sufficient manholes.

As deceased was lifting the cross-bar end of an empty tram on to the rails, on a road
dipping 2 ins. per yard, he fell backwards into the tram. The tram ran down 140 yards,
jumped off the road, and knocked some timbers out. Deceased was found to have
sustained a fracture of the skull, which caused his death in two days.

Deceased was struck on the head and killed by a crab handle. The haulage rope was
attached to the crab to be pulled in, and a signal was said to have been given to the
engineman to slack out, instead of which he said that he received a signal to pull in. He
did so, with the result that the crab was caused to revolve rapidly. The accident was
due to bungling over the signals.

Deceased was letting a loaded tram down, holding a sprag in one hand. When the sprag
tightened, one of his fingers was crushed between it and a piece of timber lying near the
rail. His finger was split from knuckle to tip. He bound it up with a piece of the
lining of his coat and continued his work. He died from tetanus in 15 days.

Deceased started a small crab engine during the engineman's absence, and by some means
got drawn on to the drum. When found by the engineman there were three coils of rope
round his body.

Deceased were struck by the falling jib of a steam derrick used in the excavation of
foundations for a power house. The driver was told to pick up the jib, when it dropped
with great force into the excavation. The derrick was examined that morning, and was
considered to be in good working order. After the accident certain defects were noticed
which might have been caused by the accident, or which might have been the cause of
it. The foreman enginewright and the mechanical engineer who supplied the derrick
were of the opinion that the driver had reversed his engine when he should not have
done so.

Deceased was struck on the head by the crank of the winding engine. Just before the
accident he was seen with a brush and bucket in his hands. After the accident his body
was found outside the crank-pit fence, while the head of his brush was in the crank-pit.
He had evidently attempted to sweep it out.

was run over.

Deceased was passing between two wagons of small coal, under the screens, in order to
remove the scotch" from under the hind wheel of the front wagon, so as to run it
down the siding, when the second loaded wagon, also scotched, moved forward and
blocked him between the buffers before either "scotch" was removed. The wagons were
bumped on by others that were let in to the siding.

Deceased was found in a dying condition, having been run over by empty wagons. He had
been lowering empties towards the screen on a road dipping 1 in 36, but how the
accident occurred no one knows.

Deceased was standing on a full truck, when the brakesman told him to get down, as he
was about to let some empties down against it. Deceased said that he was right enough,
and did not get down. When the empties bumped against the full one, deceased fell off
on to the rail and was run over.

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