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 While hewing at a longwall face, he was in the act of settng a prop when some stone came away at a slip inflicting flesh wounds on his face. M Barrass
19-Aug-1906 12:00 PM No No 2 Hutton North 2nd Henry Holden Injured 35 Stoneman Two stone shots were being fired by a shot firer in a longwall gateway. Explosive used being Westfulity fired by cable & battery. The shot firer sent the 2 stonemen to the gateway turn. While waiting of the shots being fired Holden who was one of the stonemen went to seek a shovel & in his absence the 1st shot was fired, -- on his return he said to his marrow that both shots must have gone off and against his advice he went up towards the face and was caught by the 2nd shot which inflicted severe lacerated wounds on his chest and abdomen.  M Barrass
21-Sep-1906 10:30 PM No No 2 Hutton 3 North 5th Ralph Wright Injured 28 Coal Cutter Machine Man He was preparing to ? ?ast the machine when a piece of ramble fell & caught him causing injury to his spine. M Barrass