Accident Reports for Weardale Steel Coal & Coke Co Ltd at Wheatley Hill Colliery
Date Time If Abovegroud Pit Seam District Hour of Person's Shift Name  Injured/Killed Age Occupation Character of Accident and Induries Signed
Forenames Surname
18-Feb-1903 8:30 AM No No 1 Harvey 1st South 5th Robert Moore Injured 22 Coal Hewer Whilst engaged in hewing a piece of stone fell from a slip & caught his left thumb causing a Compound Fracture M Barrass
22-Apr-1903 10:00 AM on Private Branch Line       4th James Prentice Injured 25 Locomotive Fireman In crossing the line in front of the locomotive in order to lift a switch he fell & the engine passed over one of his legs severing this limb between the knee and ankle M Barrass
1-Oct-1903 7:45 AM No No 1 Harvey 1st South 2nd Thomas Craig Injured 17 Assistant Wagonwayman Whilst bringing a drivers set of 4 full tubs out, the driver being temporarily absent he got caught between the top of the 1st tub and the roof resulting in serious injury to his back M Barrass
20-Oct-1903 8:15 PM No No 2 Hutton So. Narrow Bord 5th Michael Christopher Injured 22 Coal Cutting Machine Driver Whilst jacking the machine into the coal the holding tackle gave way causing the machine to re-bound when the wheel teeth caught his leg. He received a compound fracture of the right leg between knee and ankle M Barrass
3-Dec-1903 1:00 AM No No 1 Harvey 1st South 7th  Nicholas French Injured 36 Stoneman He was preparing to build a pack at left side of Gateway and had knocked a prop out to make room when a stone fell & caught him causing a compound fracture of right leg M Barrass
13-Aug-1904 5:00 AM No No 2 Hutton 2nd North 1st Robert Cowan Injured 34 Deputy He had just commenced to draw some timber out of a bord that had reached a hitch when a stone fell out between two planks and caught him injuring his spine. M Barrass
9-Jan-1905 11:00 AM No No 2 Hutton 2nd So. West 5th Winskill Parkin Injured 17 Helper-up He was going from one gate to another along the face of Longwall when a coal shot was fired by the deputy. He was opposite the shot when it exploded and his left arm was bruised by pieces of coal. M Barrass
5-Apr-1905 9:00 AM No No 2 Hutton 2nd North 3rd Albert Beardsmore Injured 20 Pony Putter Whilst standing in the Flat a large stone fell out between two baulks and caught him and seriously injured his back. M Barrass
6-Jun-1905 2:30 PM No No 2 Hutton 2nd So. West 9th Geo Thos Stead Injured 15 Pony Driver Whilst bringing out a full set of 4 tubs his pony stumbled & fell & in attempting to clear himself the tub caught his right leg causing a fracture between knee and ankle. M Barrass
31-Jul-1905 9:30 PM No No 2 Hutton 1st West 6th James Hutchinson Injured 44 Shot Firer Whilst firing a stone shot charged with Westfulite with a battery & cable he failed to get the shot to explode. Having dis-connected the battery from the cable he walked towards the shot and when within about 6 yards the shot went off and slightly injured one side of his face & also his arms. M Barrass
17-Aug-1905 2:30 AM No No 1 Harvey 1st South 9th William Jordan Injured 18 Spare Driver Whilst employed leading water, he was in the act of turning his pony when it fell & caught his left leg between the limbers and the framing of an Angle?? Wheel causing a simple fracture of the leg between the knee & ankle. M Barrass
8-Sep-1905 7:40 PM No No 1 Harvey 2nd North 2nd Robt Norman Injured 62 Deputy With another deputy he was engaged lowering a tramway turn at a Gateway end when a piece of stone came away off the side and caught his left leg causing a compound fracture between the knee and ankle. M Barrass
8-Jan-1906 4:20 AM No No 1 Harvey 1st South 7th  Robt Charlton Injured 59 Shifter He was in the act of setting a prop on the Wagonway when a stone came away from the roof and caught him injuring him on the shoulder and side M Barrass
8-Feb-1906 6:00 AM No No 1 Harvey 1st South 2nd Thomas Hetherington Killed 42 Coal Hewer He was Sumping-in in front of the Gateway in the Longwall . A hitch leader runs in roof? Line with Gateway on the right hand side of the place and he appears to have bared a slip at the coal head. A fall of stone came away, tilting the timber & caught him & other assistance was at hand he was dead when released.  M Barrass
13-Feb-1906 9:00 AM No No 2 Hutton 2nd West 5th Jos Walton Injured 48 Fore Overman Whilst creeping up behind the pack, next tho fast side, towards the face the deputy fired a coal shot and a piece of coal caught him on the Fore-head causing a slight injury M Barrass
15-Feb-1906 7:30 PM No No 2 Hutton So. Narrow Bord 3rd George Bell Injured 18 Pony Putter Whilst going inbye with the empty tub a piece of stone fell and caught him in the side causing a fracture to one or two of his ribs on the right side. M Barrass
17-Feb-1906 6:30 AM No No 1 Harvey 5th North 5th Robert H. Margetson Killed 32 Coal Hewer Whilst hewing in a lift a fall of stone came away between a joint in the roof and a slip at the coal face and caught him, injuring him about the head & causing his death. M Barrass
2-May-1906 11:30 AM No No 1 Harvey North West 6th Thomas Nichol Injured 14 Driver Whilst hanging-on his pony to a set of 4 tubs at the Flat a putter came out with another tub & allowed it to join the rest and setting them in motion. The injured boy had wrongly taken off the chock before he got the pony hung-on and in trying to stpo the tubs he fell in front of the first one which injured his back hip.  M Barrass
9-May-1906 8:15 PM No No 2 Hutton 2nd West 5th Robert Stoker Injured 34 Shot Firer Whilst firing a stone shot in a gateway canch with a battery and cable a piece of either stone or stemming caught him on the calf of his leg inflicting a slight flesh wound. M Barrass
6-Jun-1906 2:45 PM No No 2 Hutton North 6th Joseph York Injured 25 Coal Hewer