On Tuesday afternoon Mr. James Rowlands, district coroner, and a
jury, resumed the inquest which was adjourned from the 17th inst.
touching the death of the ten men who were killed by the fall of a
cage in the shaft of the Garnant Colliery, Cwmamman, on Wednesday,
the 16th of January. The enquiry was held at the Raven Hotel Garnant.
The coroner was assisted by Mr. T. Wales, Government Inspector.
John Davies, overman at the colliery, said the "keeps" were
in proper working order. Had never had any complaints from the banksmen
about their working. He was used to handling them, and he did not
complain, nor had witness found anything wrong himself. They were
worked better by a sharp pull of the lever than by an easy movement,
but not necessarily by a jerk. He had cut a small piece of wood in
the side, with the object of making them recede further from the face
of the shaft. The colliers had expressed a wish on Monday to have
the piece of wood cut. The cage in which were the men who were killed
was the ordinary cage, but it had been used as a horse cage. In consequence
of its being specially fitted for horses there was a cross-bar fastened
by bolts for tying the horses' heads; but witness did not think this
made the lowering of the cage more dangerous. If the bottom of the
cage cleared the "keeps" the whole of the cage would go
down alright, provided the "keeps" were kept back during
the whole time the cage was passing. The lynch-pins extended a little
out beyond the face of the cage, but not so far as the bottom plate
of the cage. They (the lynch-pins) could not catch in the "keeps"
because they were not in the position where the "keeps"
projected. He had never known the "keeps" to catch in any
part of the cage before. The morning was not a very dark one. Could
not swear the moon was shining; but it was light enough for him to
move about. Did not see any steam blowing up at the time to interfere
with a man's sight. The rope which broke had been at work about sixteen
months, and was put on the day after it came from the makers. The
banksman knew very well that it was his duty to lower the cage. Never
in his (witness's) knowledge was anyone except the banksman allowed
to lower a cage. Could not at that moment point out the rule relating
to it.
Dr. H. Rees described the injuries which he saw on the bodies when
he viewed them at the works on the morning of the accident.
Mr. John Hay, the manager of the colliery, was next called, and said
the concern was in the hands of the Garnant Collieries Company, the
office of which was at Cambrian-place, Swansea. He had been manager
of the colliery since July, 1882. He had had experience as a manager
for ten years. If the "keeps" were kept back so as to allow
the cage to pass and pressed back during the descent, there was no
possibility of any part of the cage catching. When the cage was at
a standstill there was 24 ft. of rope from the top of the cage to
the sheave, and 72 ft. from the top of the sheave to the drum. The
rope was of steel wire, manufactured by Messrs. Elliot and Co., Cardiff.
The diameter was 1 1/8; in. (one and an eighth). It was composed
of six strands, each composed of seven wires, and all wound round
a hemp cord in the centre. The rope was purchased by the company on
the 14th of September, 1882. It was 140 yards long. According to Messrs.
Elliot's table the breaking strain was calculated at 33 tons. The
working load was stated at 4 tons 2 cwt., but the maximum work which
was put on it in the colliery was 2 tons 10 cwt. The proper number
of men to go down in the cage was eight -no difference being observed
whether they were boys or men. One horse and a man were sent down
at a time. If a greater number of men went down in the cage than eight
it was against the rule. During the time the rope had been in use
it had been daily examined, but never taken off to be examined specially.
For examination the cage was lowered down very gently, and the rope
ran through the engineman's hand very slowly. The rope was covered
with rope grease to prevent corrosion of the wires. If a broken wire
was found the engineman would report it unsafe and it was not again
used for men. The colliery had been in full work since the rope had
been in use. He considered it quite safe to carry on the working by
this rope for sixteen months without special examination. Had seen
the broken ends of the rope and examined them carefully. The breakage
took place 50 ft. from the attachment of the bridle of the cage. The
fracture was not in line across, but the strands were broken in different
parts. Examined the wires and found that they were worn. The greatest
wear and tear of the rope took place just about the place where the
fracture took place. It was, however, in his opinion, quite competent
to carry on the work if there was no special strain. No accident of
this sort had ever occurred before since he had known the colliery.
The fellow rope which was of the same size and quality of this one,
lasted three years and two months, when a broken wire was discovered,
and it was stopped from raising men. It was, however, used for other
purposes. He calculated the weight of a horse and man going down at
12½ cwt. and the cage and bridle would weigh about a ton. Eight
ordinary sized colliers would weigh about the same. There must have
been two too many men on the rope, according to the rules, and the
banksman was responsible for that, together with the men themselves.
Supposing there was a hitch in the lowering after the signal the slack
would be between the sheave and the drum. The cage was lowered at
the rate of about 9 ft. per second, the whole 77 yards of rope being
run out in twenty-six seconds.-Mr. T. Wales (to the witness): You
say that after the accident you examined the rope, and still considered
it safe for work? Witness: Yes, sir.-Mr.Wales: Well, how do you account
for it breaking? Witness: By some sudden jerk.-Mr. Wales: And you
said that that part of the rope was worn? Witness: Yes, sir. -Mr.
Wales: Were there any other parts of the rope worn like this? No,
sir.-Mr. Wales: And how do you account for that? Witness: I don't
know how to account for that.-Mr. Wales: During the night that part
of the rope was exposed to the steam? Witness: Yes, sir.-Mr. Wales:
How long? Witness: From the 19th of November, when the other rope
was stopped. -By Mr. Howell: I am also manager of the Brynamman collieries,
and they are my great employers. I did not attend this colliery daily;
nor necessarily once a week, but when occasion required. Made an examination
of the rope on the 11th of January, but it was only a general examination.
Mr. James May, the representative of Sir George Elliot and Co. , was
next called. He said the rope was, he believed, made by the firm he
represented , and was sent to Garnant in September, 1882. It was a
well-made rope. When they spoke of the breakage strain and the working
load, it depended a good deal upon how it was used and the wear and
tear it had had. He believed the rope in question had every fair play,
and the machinery was perfect. It appeared when he examined it after
the fracture that it had been worn in one part, and corrosion had
taken place inside. Looking at it, however, before the breakage it
would have been very difficult to say that it was worn, and he would
not have condemned it. It was in about the usual condition of such
ropes. Under some circumstances it was a disadvantage for a rope to
be exposed to steam ; but there were other cases in which it had been
to the advantage of the rope to be exposed to the steam. His firm
was celebrated for ropes, and was always very careful in the selection
of its materials. If a load of a ton and a half fell 6 ft. that would
be a momentum of about 30 tons. He did not think the rope in its then
state would bear the strain. In fact the rope when new would not bear
the strain, which, in his opinion, actually broke it. Had taken out
a piece of the rope where the fracture occurred, and found it equal
to a breakage strain of 22 tons : another piece nearer the drum was
tested, and found equal to a breakage strain of 28 tons. The reason
he assigned for the fracture was that the rope received a sudden jerk
and snapped. -David Jenkins, the banksman at the colliery said he
thought there were only eight in the cage-he only saw eight. He did
not let that cage down. Thomas Michael did so. Witness did not give
him authority to do so. The cage caught when the top of it was level
with the collar board of the top of the shaft. Thomas Michael had
turned aside a little, and witness gave the signal to stop. Michael
had let the handle of the lever loose before the cage stopped. The
engineman stopped at once, but the breakage and the knock came together.
He did not think the lever was drawn back the second time, and he
could not say anything as to the length of slack run out.
The inquest was resumed on Wednesday. The banksman, David Jenkins,
was re-called and said there had been no repairs to the keeps where
the accident occurred. He had never allowed more than eight men to
go down. Joseph Jones, Albert Cottage, Cwmamman, engine-driver at
the Garnant Colliery, explained the signals.-Mr. T. H. Osgood said
that a weight of 30 cwt, falling 3 ft. clear would be equal to a strain
of 20 tons 16 cwt. That would be sufficient to snap a rope worn like
that was.-Mr. T. H. Wales, inspector of mines, said the result of
two examinations of the rope was that not a single wire was broken
except where the fracture took place. That morning he examined the
"fangs," or keeps, and found that if they were closed after
the bottom passed the top would not catch the fangs. He was of opinion
that the cage did not catch the fangs on that morning, and that the
breakage of the rope was due to its being too weak at the point of
fracture to carry the weight it had to carry, and not to any jerk
or fall. He believed that weakness was caused by that part of the
rope having been more or less exposed to the steam issuing from the
upcast shaft during the whole of the sixteen months the rope had been
worked. His assumption was that there was no stoppage; but if there
was it would not change his opinion. The rope was a remarkably good
one in all other places except the fracture; and the machinery was
very good. He did not recollect having ever seen so good a rope.-the
coroner summed up, and the jury agreed as follows;-"The accident
took place by the breaking of the rope, caused by a jerk, the cage
having caught the fangs (or keeps) in consequence of the mismanagement
of the lever working them. We consider the conduct of Thomas Michael
reprehensible, but not culpable."-The coroner said that was a
verdict tantamount to accidental death.