1947_accident

The following incident brought to my attention by Ian Brameld gave me somewhat of a surprise when Ian sent me the report of the incident published in the Rotherham Advertiser in 1947, for there in the incident was my late Uncle Harry Chesworth one of the survivors.

Ian Brameld is the nephew of the late George Mosley who unfortunately did not survive leaving his widow who was Florence Mosley nee Shirtliffe.

John

Rotherham Advertiser 1947

FALL OF COAL AT SILVERWOOD COLLIERY

Mr. A. P. Lockwood (Sheffield and District Coroner) held an inquest in the Grapes Hotel, Dalton, on Thursday, on Wallace Theodore Beavis (60), of 17, Beaconsfield Road, Rotherham, and George Mosley (47), of 59, Wordsworth Drive, Rotherham, who died in the Silverwood Colliery on February 10th.

Harry Chesworth (36), collier, of 29, East Vale Drive, Thrybergh, said he had left Beavis and Mosley to get a full tub, and was about seven or eight yards away when suddenly there was an extraordinary big bump, bigger than he had experienced in that district before. He could not recall feeling any wind and found himself in complete darkness. The first thing he did was to shout for help but he received no reply. Then he realised that something else had happened and he was cut off from the other two men by the coal. He managed to pull a lump of coal away and clambered over the top. He heard Carlin, a pony driver, shout for help and told him to keep on shouting so that he could find him. Carlin was fast when he found him. He called for Beavis and Mosley, but hearing no reply made his way to fetch help.

William Percival Mulling, deputy of 19, Silverwood Cottages, Thrybergh, said he made an examination of the place where the men were working at about 4.30 p.m. There was plenty of timber set and the face appeared to be normal. At the time of the bump he was about 600 yards away but felt a terrific bump and a rush of air. It .was a much bigger bump than he had experienced before, previous bumps being mild. He. was the first on the scene after the bump, arriving at about 7.35 p.m. He found the whole face of coal had come forward about two yards and face timber had been knocked out.

Dr. H. E. Willett, head of the Mining Research and Safety Departments North-Eastern Division of the National Coal Board said he had made an Investigation and came to the conclusion that the accident had occurred through a pressure bump which was due to the squeezing of the coal between a strong roof and a stronger floor and having the effect of catapulting the coal from the coal face. witness said that in his opinion the abnormal pressure on this occasion was 'due to a small roof failure, the roof being displaced by a fraction of an inch, perhaps only one-tenth of an inch, simultaneously with the displacement the bump would occur.

The jury returned verdicts, of "Accidental death."

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All information on this site is correct to the extent of my knowledge, should you spot an error please let me know and that error will be corrected. All text and pages as formatted and presented on this site Copyright John Doxey, and may not be reproduced without consent Photos, and information Copyright to Primary Sources where applicable
Site URL.L. http://johndoxey.100freemb.com/Silverwood/index.htm