Mexborough and Swinton Times October 4, 1919
Miners In Peril.
Extraordinary Accident at Manvers Main.
Cage Overwound.
Some Wonderful Escapes.
On Tuesday morning, at the Manvers Main Colliery, a very serious accident, which might have resulted in grave loss of life, occurred.
The ascending cage in the No. 4 (Parkgate) shaft, was overwound and was caught in the `’butterfly,” a piece of mechanism at the top of the headgear, provided for such an eventuality. The cage was safely held there, and the five men in it were unhurt. The descending cage struck the sump hoards at the pit-bottom with great violence, and the thirty men in it were all injured. First-aid and general, rescue work was carried out with great speed and efficiency. All the men were quickly released. and to the great relief of the management it was sound that only four of them were so badly injured as to require removal to hospital
Dr. F. Harvey, of Swinton, the colliery surgeon, was on the scene with wonderful promptitude, and with plenty of help at hand it was soon possible to ascertain the exact nature of the injuries of the men.
Four cases were conveyed to the Montagu Hospital, and of the remainder some of the men were conveyed to their homes, while others were able to walk home unassisted. Very fortunately, a number of ambulance men, some of them with R.A.M.C. experience, were at hand to render first-aid.
The following is a list of the casualties:—
Removed To Hospital
Ernest Scott, Rowns Lane. Swinton, injuries to back and leg.
L. Annables, 20, Walker street, Swinton, probable fracture of the left leg.
W. Booth, 85, Brampton road, Wombwell, probable fracture of the left leg.
C. Morley, Rockingham road, Swinton, fractured patella
J Waterhouse, 62. Victoria road, Mexboro’, injured left ankle.
W. Drew, Littlemoor road, Wath, ankles injured.
T. Slater. 96, Schofield street, Mexboro’, bruised thighs and body.
Not taken to Hospital
C Turton. 6. Aver-le road, Wath, left leg bruise].
A. Abel. Sarah street, Mexboro’, injury to cheek-bone.
George Smales, 5, Wath Wood, Swinton, both 1 legs injured.
C Burdon, 109, Sandymount road, Wath, both legs injured.
W. Millington, 54, Tanyard, West Melton, injury to leg.
E. Lomas, 68, Sandy mount road, Wafh, injured back and leg.
R. Powell, 17, Bank street, Mexboro’, injury to left knee
J Glennon, 37, West street, Mexboro’, right foot and leg injured.
J. Haynes, 26, Church street, Swinton, left foot crushed.
W. Kemp, 23, Shepherd street, Bowbroom, Swinton, bruised leg and back.
F. Parkes, Colleen row, Mexboro’, bruises and shock.
The accident occurred at 5-20 a.m., during the waning of the second “draw” of men. The shaft is 557 yards deep, and the “butterfly” is 40 ‘feet above the pit. bank.
The descending cage therefore fell on the sump boards with the weight of a 40-feet drop. The hinging was terrific, and the cage was badly smashed. The upper deck collapsed, letting the men through into the lower deck. The sump boards, however held. The winding engine man was William Jackson, of Wath on-Dearne, an old servant of the Company, and an experienced man. The circumstances of the accident are being investigated. Jackson was greatly upset when he realised what hat had occurred, and he had to be taken home. Work in the Parkgate seam was suspended for the day.
It was later ascertained that the accident was due to sudden loss of control in the engine house. There was no mechanical defect. The engine winder, Jackson, is a thoroughly experienced man, having been in the service of the Company forty years, twenty years as a winding engineman.
A “Times” reporter visited the Montagu Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, and found the six men and two boys who were then in the institution, very cheerful and apparently doing well. The boys Edward Scott, of Rowms Lane, Swinton, and Harry Gratton, of Wragby Row, Adwick were among the less seriously injured, the former having a sprained ankle And the latter injuries to his left leg.
Charles Morley, of Rockingham road, Swinton, had a twisted knee and a bruised leg and was almost ready for discharge.
William Drew, the last to be admitted had both feet crushed. John Waterhouse was in very severe pain with his ankle. One of the most serious cases was that of Thomas Slater, whose right leg was fractured, and who had had a foot severely twisted in the accident. This man was very cheerful. There was also a Wombwell miner, William Booth, whose injuries were to his ankles. The only other patient in the Manvers Main party was sleeping peacefully, and had blissfully forgotten shock and pain.
One of the more slightly injured men, Frank Parkes, of Wath road, Mexboro’, says: ‘We never dreamed of anything being wrong, just as the cage neared the bottom it stopped dead, and in an instant rose about a yard and then crashed to the bottom. I was dazed for a moment, but I soon realized what had happened. The floor of the top deck had given way and dropped the men and boys on top of us. With the aid of a stick I managed to hobble to the bottom of No. 3 shaft, and after being attended to I got out that way and came home. Parkes has suffered injuries to the knees and ankles, and is slightly affected by concussion.
“There were thirty of us in the cage, and it was the luckiest piece of work I have ever heard of,” said John Glennon, of West street, Methoro’. “I think if it had happened a few yards further from the bottom we should all have been killed. I fancy we were about twenty yards from the bottom when the engine seemed to he suddenly reversed, and we were drawn up for a yard or two. I said to someone “What’s the —- and then my breath was snatched away for we seemed to drop headlong into space, and the next I knew was that I was being moved from the flat-sheets by some of the night men who were waiting to come out.” Glennon was brought home by motor-cycle.
Ralph Powell, of Bank street, Mexboro’, says: “I have been working in the mine since I was eleven, and I served for three years in France, and this is the first accident I have been in. I was on the bottom deck. The chair never seemed to be quite steady after the first twenty yards, and after the half-way we seemed to bob a lot. Then we suddenly dropped to about 20 yards from the bottom. and the engine winder seemed to be gathering himself. Feeling that something was wrong. I gripped the hand-rail and lifted myself from the floor. As the cage struck, the top-deck floor gave way, someone dropped on me and knocked me completely out, and when I came to, I was on the flat-sheets.”
Charles Hobson, of Bridge street, Swinton, said he had only just started work after receiving medical treatment for an old wound. “I have been in France,” he said, “and I have seen how easy it is to die. For thirty chaps to escape, each with his life, after falling thirty feet or more in a pit shaft, is the work of the Almighty. I had no suspicion of anything being wrong until we passed the Barnsley bed. We seemed then to be travelling faster than usual. I really got the ‘wind up’ when the cage was stopped about thirty yards from the bottom, steadily lifted, and then dropped with a crash. I was dazed and could do nothing. All my strength left me, and I was like a child. When I came to I found that all the fingers on the left hand were burst, and my left knee, for which I had had medical treatment, was again hurt.”
Said Harry Betts, of Walker street, Swinton: “I’ve been to the pit for thirty-three years, and this is my first accident. When we got about halfway down we began to dance like an elastic dummy. I said to somebody; We’re going to have a joy ride, and I was right. I had no sooner got the words out of my mouth than down we went and landed with a crash. I went tumbling through the top-deck floor on to somebody’s head. It wasn’t a laughing matter, then, but now I think of it I could both laugh and cry to think that I came through that affair without a scratch there we were, all on a lump, yelling’ for help. I thought all my bones were broken, but I soon pulled myself together, and somebody gave me a drink of water. I helped to pull a chap out of the top landing who had been badly knocked about. A man who had come down with the first draw said to me, “Does tha’ know, Kiddie (that’s what they call me), when ah cum dahn it wor t’ best ride ah’d ivver ed.”
I said., ‘That’s all reight, mate, but this; is t’worst as ivver ive ‘ed.’I managed to walk home, and, except for a bit of stiffness, I am all right, for which I am very thankful.”
James Haynes of Church Street, Swinton, said it was the worst shaking he had ever had. “When it was all over I tried to stand, but I had terrible pains in the shoulders and left leg. However, with the help of the lad, I managed to crawl out and get to number three shaft. It is the worst case I have ever known, and we have to thank God that the cage was not higher up the shaft.”
One man, Thomas Jackson, was just beaten for a place in the cage which was wrecked, and most of the pit bank waiting for the next row and the accident happened.
The latest information received is that all the men are doing well