- Ancestry Wills and Probate:- William Smelt of 63 Binchester Blocks County Durham, heapkeeper died 20.08.1900 at Westerton Colliery. Probate Durham 14.12.1900 to Mary Ann Smelt widow. Effects £510 14s 3d
Durham Mining Museum - William Smelt was the Keeker
No. 311 on the list occurred at Westerton Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Ltd., on August 20th, and caused the death of a keeker.
It was part of deceased's duty to see that the hole into which the apparatus runs to get coal was kept in working order, and for this purpose it was necessary that he should go into the hole, but, it being unsafe to do this when the tub was running, both he and the winding engineman had instructions that the engine was not to be moved while he was in.
He was to let the engineman know when he was going in and also when he came out, but on this occasion he neglected to do this, and while he was in and when the tub was about at the top of the incline, the rope broke and allowed the tub to run back into the hole, where it caught and killed this unfortunate man.
The rope was a 2-inch plough steel wire rope, and the breaking strain and safe working load, according to the makers, should have been 26½ and 2½ tons respectively, but the weight it was pulling up the incline at the time it broke was only 11½ cwts. It had been in use about nine months, but the usual life of a rope at this colliery doing the work is about two years.
The rope had been examined shortly before the accident occurred and stated to he in good working order, and, bearing this and the other facts in mind, it is difficult to say what was the cause of its breaking.
It is unfortunate that deceased did not tell the engineman what he was going to do, and the apparatus would then not have been moved until he got out of the hole.
Source:
1900 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 536), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 32
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Johnson Gibson Family History
1856 - 1900 (44 years)